Why the U.S. Just Indicted Cuba’s Former President
5/21/202629 min
The U.S. charged Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former leader and Communist general, with murder on Wednesday. It was the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to force political change on the island.
The New York Times reporters Frances Robles and Julian Barnes break down what is behind the charges against Mr. Castro and what the American government really wants from Cuba.
Guest:
- Frances Robles, an international correspondent covering Latin America and the Caribbean for The New York Times.
- Julian E. Barnes, a reporter covering the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- The Justice Department charged the former Cuban president in fatal downing of planes.
- Here’s what happened on the day Cuba shot down two civilian planes.
Photo: Norlys Perez/Reuters
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Natalie Kitroeff· Host0:25
[Instrumental music] From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroeff. This is The Daily. [Instrumental music] On Wednesday, the US charged Cuba's former leader and communist general, Raul Castro, with murder. The charges stem from Castro's role in a decades-old incident when three Americans were killed by the Cuban government, and they were the latest escalation in the Trump administration's campaign to force political change on the island. Today, my colleagues Francis Robles on the story behind the charges against Castro, and Julian Barnes on what the American government really wants from Cuba. It's Thursday, May 21st. Frenchy, welcome back to the show.
Frances Robles· Guest1:18
Thanks for having me, Natalie.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host1:20
You just got out of this Department of Justice press conference in Miami. You are, in fact, still in your car, and we appreciate you making the time.