El jefe del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, el general de la Infantería de Marina Francis Donovan, se reunió este viernes con el general cubano Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, primer viceministro del jefe del Estado Mayor General de Cuba, en el perímetro de la estación naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo. El encuentro, calificado por el Comando Sur como “un breve intercambio sobre asuntos de seguridad operativa”, es el primero que se recuerda en tiempos recientes entre un jefe del Comando Sur y mandos militares cubanos.

El Comando Sur difundió un comunicado acompañado de una fotografía de los participantes —todos con uniforme de campaña— en el que precisó que Donovan también llevó a cabo una evaluación de la seguridad perimetral de la base y abordó con oficiales del recinto la protección del personal militar y sus familias, así como la preparación operativa. La base naval, ubicada en la costa sureste de Cuba a unos 700 kilómetros de Miami, alberga además un centro de detención que adquirió notoriedad mundial por los abusos cometidos contra sospechosos de terrorismo tras los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001.

La reunión se produce en un momento de deterioro acelerado de las relaciones bilaterales. El gobierno del presidente Donald Trump ha intensificado la presión económica sobre la isla desde su regreso al poder, con medidas que han agravado una situación ya crítica: el 13 de mayo, el ministro de Energía cubano anunció que el diésel y el fueloil necesarios para mantener en funcionamiento las plantas eléctricas se habían agotado por completo.

La visita de Donovan se produce poco más de dos semanas después de que el director de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA), John Ratcliffe, encabezara una delegación en La Habana para reunirse con altos funcionarios del gobierno cubano. Personas familiarizadas con el asunto señalaron entonces que Washington expresó su frustración ante la falta de avances en materia de apertura económica y política por parte del régimen.

El 20 de mayo, el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos presentó cuatro cargos de asesinato contra el ex dictador cubano Raúl Castro, de 94 años, y otros funcionarios, por el derribo en 1996 de dos avionetas operadas por una organización de exiliados cubanos con sede en Miami. El secretario de Estado Marco Rubio llegó a calificar a Castro de “fugitivo” de la justicia estadounidense, aunque se negó a ofrecer detalles sobre eventuales planes para arrestarlo.

La acusación formal retoma un incidente de hace casi tres décadas y se suma a las presiones de la administración Trump sobre el régimen fundado por Fidel Castro tras la revolución de 1959. Según Reuters, Trump ha mencionado a Cuba entre sus prioridades de política exterior para su segundo mandato e insinuó que se convertirá en el foco principal una vez que concluya el conflicto con Irán. Tanto Trump como Rubio han sugerido que, si las restricciones económicas no provocan un cambio de gobierno, podría recurrirse a la fuerza militar.

La semana pasada trascendieron informes según los cuales La Habana estaría evaluando la posibilidad de llevar a cabo ataques con drones contra la base naval en caso de una agresión militar estadounidense, de acuerdo con lo publicado por AFP. El Comando Sur no se pronunció sobre esos reportes, pero sí reafirmó en su comunicado que “la estación naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo constituye un centro operativo y logístico vital” para contrarrestar amenazas a la seguridad, la estabilidad y la democracia en el hemisferio.

Trump también ha proyectado utilizar la instalación como centro de detención para migrantes indocumentados, lo que añade una dimensión adicional al valor estratégico que la administración atribuye al enclave. El gobierno cubano no respondió de inmediato a las solicitudes de comentario formuladas el viernes por la noche, según The Washington Post.

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin publicly confirmed for the first time that her organization received an inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), seeking detailed information about about its March trip to Cuba.

The inquiry, which is often called an administrative subpoena, comes as the Trump administration signals a broad effort to increase federal scrutiny of nonprofit organizations operating in foreign-policy and activist spaces. Last October, after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to strengthen enforcement against nonprofit entities that facilitate support for political violence.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced that message this week, arguing that nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors can’t shield themselves from legal accountability when resources, funding, organizational infrastructure or grants are used to support unlawful activity and political violence.

«We’ve made substantial progress, and I think in the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to have a lot to report,» Bessent responded to a question in the White House press gallery. He said, for example, that under new changes, the IRS will «demand that nonprofits know their grant recipients.»

FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS

«So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing people’s rights, then you are responsible for that,» Bessent said. «I think that’s a very good first step.»

The shift reflects a growing administration focus on whether nonprofit networks are exercising sufficient oversight over the projects, activists and international campaigns they sponsor. Against that backdrop, the inquiry by the Office of Foreign Assets Control into the Cuba convoy fits within an effort by Treasury officials to examine whether activist organizations are complying with laws and other federal restrictions, such as sanctions laws.

Speaking on camera in a video promoted by a far-left media platform, BreakThrough News, Benjamin said she and political streamer Hasan Piker first learned about the query when Fox News Digital broke the news last Saturday evening that Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had launched an investigation into the financial and logistical details of CodePink’s and Piker’s trip to Cuba trip.

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Medea Benjamin (right) and Olivia DiNucci (center) of CodePink protest against the U.S. war in Iran. (Fox News Digital)

The Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces U.S. sanctions on Cuba, which restrict Americans from engaging in many financial transactions with the communist government and require travelers and organizations to comply with licensing and record-keeping requirements for authorized activities.

«I actually didn’t get anything, and neither did Hasan Piker,» Benjamin said. «I mean, we heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out, and I was going outside my front door, looking around for somebody to serve me.»

Benjamin said the inquiry arrived by email and had been sent to CodePink co-founder Jody Evans.

«It turns out that it was an email that was sent to CodePink co-founder Jody Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box,» Benjamin said. «So it was a letter, and it came from the Treasury Department, from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC.»

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While criticizing the manner in which the inquiry was delivered, Benjamin acknowledged that the request itself was serious because of the volume of information federal officials are seeking.

«And I don’t want to say it’s not serious. It is serious, because they are asking for all kinds of information,» Benjamin said. «And this is a kind of intimidation tactic that means we have to get a lawyer, that we have to spend a lot of staff time, a lot of energy.»

According to Benjamin, the inquiry contains roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip and its participants.

«They’re asking about 12 very detailed questions that include things like, ‘How did you get there? Where did you stay? What did you do every hour that you were there?’» Benjamin said. «I guess we have to tell them how many hours we slept.»

Benjamin said approximately 170 people participated in the convoy and suggested the scope of the inquiry could require organizers to account for the activities of every participant.

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Hasan Piker and Jodie Evans and Neville Roy Singham (Getty Images)

«There were 170 people, so I don’t know if they want to know what every single person did every single minute of the day,» she said.

Benjamin also confirmed that organizers brought humanitarian supplies to Cuba.

«What we brought — and we brought about $600,000 worth of aid — so it’s a lot, a lot of information that they want,» Benjamin said.

Benjamin framed the inquiry as an effort to discourage Americans from traveling to Cuba or participating in humanitarian missions to the communist island, but said organizers would continue their activities despite the federal scrutiny.

«And of course, this is to make people think, ‘Uh oh, should I go to Cuba? Uh oh, should I keep doing humanitarian aid?’» Benjamin said. «And the answer to that is, yes. We can’t be intimidated. In fact, we have to use this as another reason that we’re so angry at the U.S. government and redouble our efforts.»

Meanwhile, Piker has insisted that he hasn’t received the Treasury Department query. He stirred up another set of headlines speculating that the «real goal» of the investigation is to target American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who has pumped $285 million since 2017 into a network of groups including CodePink and BreakThrough News, allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda and sowing discord with massive anti-American street protests.

CodePink and BreakThrough News have been fixtures in those street protests, and Piker has supported them on his hours-long livestreams.

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Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., announced Friday she will not seek reelection, ending a long House career just days after she dismissed reports of her looming retirement as a «crazy rumor.»

Wilson, 83, known for her bedazzled cowboy hats and brightly colored suits, represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic South Florida seat that includes parts of northern Miami–Dade County and southeastern Broward County. In Congress since 2011, Wilson has been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump across both of his administrations.

«I think it’s time, and I think I really held on as long as I did because of the 5000 Role Models program, and my concern about the future of it,» the Democratic lawmaker told the Miami Herald, referring to the mentorship program she created for minority boys more than 30 years ago. 

The Herald reported that Wilson had made her decision a while back, but wanted to be «politically strategic» about how she went about it.

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«I figured if I announced that I was retiring, what would the Legislature and the governor do? What would they say? Would District 24 be an easy target because Frederica is no longer there? I’m a strong candidate,» she told the Miami Herald. «With me not here, would that weaken the survival of District 24?»

Wilson’s future has been in question following a prolonged absence from Capitol Hill. The absence has been attributed to recovery from left eye surgery, though the weekslong stretch away from Washington also fueled broader questions about the 83-year-old lawmaker’s health and future in Congress.

Wilson’s announcement comes after Axios reported several days ago that Wilson had told allies she was preparing to retire, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. But, Wilson denied the report at the time, telling the outlet it was «a crazy crazy rumor.»

«I’m almost distraught. It’s not true. I am still planning on running,» Wilson reportedly said.

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The outlet added that Wilson had returned to Capitol Hill to vote May 21 following her hiatus from Washington that included missing more than 40 votes, which Republican critics highlighted earlier in May. 

One of Wilson’s highly publicized clashes with Trump came in 2017 after Army Sgt. La David Johnson, a soldier from Miami, was killed in an ambush in Niger. Wilson said she was in the car with Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson, when Trump called to offer condolences.

Meanwhile, Wilson claimed that Trump said on the call that the Army Sgt. «knew what he signed up for» when he became a soldier, a characterization Trump and his aides denied.

The feud escalated further when then-White House chief of staff John Kelly defended Trump from the White House briefing room and attacked Wilson for having a history of politicizing solemn moments to score political points.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., speaks during a House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing on «Rail Safety. On Thursday, Wilson blamed the Trump administration for a sharp increase in illegal migrant detentions.  (Getty Images)

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Wilson and her supporters subsequently demanded an apology from Kelly, arguing he painted her in a false-light about allegedly seeking credit for obtaining funding for a new FBI field office in Miami at a dedication ceremony that included remarks from survivors of a 1986 clash between law enforcement and drug traffickers.

So far, Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert are among those who have reportedly been mulling runs if Wilson retires, NOTUS reported earlier in May.