What Does the Trump Administration Want With Cuba?

·59 min·5 clips

How did the 'war on drugs' metaphor lead to police kicking in doors and killing Breonna Taylor?

The episode opens with a stark montage linking police killings like Breonna Taylor's to the 'war on drugs' as a literal war. Hosts Mikayla Lacy and Jonah Valdez then shift to midterms coverage, focusing on the Anti-Zionist America PAC (AZA PAC). Valdez explains the PAC's founding in August, its explosive ad video featuring Trump, Netanyahu, and images of dead children, and its goal to remove Zionists from U.S. politics. He details founder Michael Rechtenwald's appearances on the far-right Stu Peters show, where anti-Semitic slurs are used, and Rechtenwald's defense that Peters helped with donations. The PAC supports controversial candidates like January 6 rioter Tyler Dykes and Hitler apologist Casey Push, but also progressive Green Party candidates who later rescinded endorsements after Intercept reporting. The second half focuses on Cuba. The hosts introduce the Trump administration's January executive order declaring Cuba a national security threat and ramping up sanctions. Historian Andres Pertierra describes life in Havana in 2024 with six national blackouts, inflation, and 20% of the population leaving. Michael Bustamante outlines the longstanding U.S. embargo and its extraterritorial effects via the state sponsors of terrorism list. Pertierra explains the novel oil embargo's impact, cutting off Venezuelan and Mexican supplies, causing fuel shortages. The discussion covers the back-and-forth of U.S. policy from Obama's normalization to Trump's reversal and Biden's inaction. Bustamante notes Cuban-American officials now advocate cutting remittances and flights to increase pressure, despite humanitarian risks. Pertierra emphasizes sanctions are killing people by denying medical supplies. Both experts analyze the lack of a unified Cuban opposition and Marco Rubio's influence as Secretary of State, with potential talks via Raul Castro's grandson. They conclude by linking Cuba policy to broader U.S. intervention in Latin America, predicting regional backlash and China's rising influence.

As heard by us

A clear, practical look at how U.S. policy swings make Cuba's economic future harder to plan.

The episode centers on shifting U.S. policy toward Cuba and follows the way uncertainty travels past diplomacy into everyday economic judgment. Its most useful thread is the pressure on Cuban private businesses as they weigh domestic rules against the future of U.S.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want Cuba policy translated into the practical headache of planning around rules that keep changing.

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