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Cuba says CIA chief Ratcliffe met with officials in Havana amid US tensions
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior on Thursday during a high-level visit to the island nation amid «complex bilateral relations» between the long-time adversaries.
A CIA official told Fox News correspondent David Spunt that Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Minister of Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services in Havana to «personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes.»
During the meeting, the official said Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues, all against the backdrop that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, meets with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, to discuss «complex bilateral relations» between the long-time adversaries. (CIA)
Sources told Fox News Ratcliffe emphasized that the U.S. is extending a genuine opportunity for collaboration, and as evidenced by Venezuela, President Donald Trump must be taken seriously.
The Cuban government wrote in a statement that its delegation presented evidence attempting to «categorically demonstrate that the island poses no threat to U.S. national security,» arguing Cuba should not remain on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The dialogue presents Cuba with a rare chance to stabilize its failing economy and deliver for its people, but the window of opportunity will not stay open indefinitely, sources said. The Cuban government must decide whether to seize the moment or continue down an unsustainable path that only leads to deeper isolation and instability.
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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said his country will accept $100 million in humanitarian aid offered by the U.S. (Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images)
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced on social media Thursday the country will accept $100 million in humanitarian aid offered by the U.S.
«Our country’s experience in receiving international aid, including from the United States, is extensive and constructive,» Diaz-Canel wrote on X. «Any donor can testify to that reality. If there is truly a willingness on the part of the United States government to provide aid in the amounts it announces and in full conformity with the universally recognized practices for humanitarian assistance, it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba, however inconsistent and paradoxical the offer may seem to a people that the United States government itself punishes collectively in a systematic and ruthless manner.»
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, meets with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior in Havana, Cuba, Thursday. (CIA)
«The priorities are more than evident: fuels, food, and medicines,» he continued. «Incidentally, the damage could be alleviated in a much easier and more expeditious way by lifting or easing the blockade, as it is well known that the humanitarian situation is coldly calculated and induced…»
While the director emphasized Trump prefers dialogue, sources said the Cubans should have no illusions that the president will not enforce redlines.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Cops drop murder probe after coroner rules man’s bloody stabbing death was freak accident
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A British man who was believed to have been murdered after he was found slumped over on a blood-soaked bench last year actually passed out drunk on a knife in his own bag, officials said this week.
Authorities initially believed Robert Brown, 57, was stabbed to death after he was found on Aug. 1, 2025, in Northampton, England, according to reports from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
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Robert Brown, 57, died after falling asleep and falling onto a knife in his bag while sitting on a bench, Northamptonshire Police said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
Three people were eventually arrested in connection with his death and later released. A coroner on Thursday ruled Brown’s death a «tragic accident.»
Investigators believe Brown, who authorities said had alcohol dependence issues, fell into a deep sleep and put his weight on his bag, resulting in the knife piercing his body.
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Robert Brown, 57, had alcohol dependency issues, authorities said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
The blade penetrated the bag and all three layers of Brown’s clothing, slashing his arm and leaving him to bleed out as he slept, authorities said.
Brown’s alcoholism made him vulnerable to blood loss, experts said at a court hearing.
Police on the scene behind Auctioneers Court near Northampton town center during the investigation into the death of Robert Brown, who was found fatally injured on a bench on the towpath on Aug. 1. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
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Northamptonshire Police dropped the murder inquiry in February, saying Brown’s death was likely self-inflicted. Investigators noted that there was no apparent motive to murder Brown.
«We have reviewed the extensive amount of information gathered as part of the investigation, including all forensic submissions, and can confirm the evidence does not support the hypothesis that his death was a homicide,» police said at the time.
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Solidaridad en Venezuela: grupos de ayuda cocinan pizza, lasaña, distribuyen agua y comida en medio del desastre
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A Democratic House hopeful vying for one of the nation’s most competitive districts is staying silent after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voiced support for her campaign.
Ocasio-Cortez, a leftist firebrand with growing influence in the Democratic Party, congratulated former Biden administration official Cait Conley on her primary victory in a social media post Wednesday.
«I look forward to working together as a delegation as we fight for working families across New York,» Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
The post also celebrated a Democrat vying to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., alongside three socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and U.S. House candidate, stands with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at a «Get Out The Vote» rally at Kings Theater in Brooklyn on June 18, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Conley has yet to comment on Ocasio-Cortez’s support or address the trio of far-left candidates — longtime New York official Brad Lander, state Assembly member Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and activist Darializa Avila-Chevalier — who have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are outspoken critics of Israel and have vowed to advance the Palestinian cause in Congress.
Conley’s general election opponent, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., insists she should have to answer for it.
«Which is it, Cait: do you reject AOC and the candidates who want to abolish ICE, defund the police, and tear down our borders, or do you embrace them?» Lawler’s campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«The Hudson Valley deserves an answer, and so far all we’ve heard is your damning silence,» he continued.
Lander and Avila-Chevalier previously called for defunding the police, while the latter has continued to advocate for abolishing prisons and stopping all deportations. Avila-Chevalier also reposted a tweet denying Israel’s right to exist and helped form a pro-Palestinian group at Columbia University that called for «the total eradication of Western civilization.»
The three Mamdani-backed candidates are expected to double the ranks of the left-wing group known as the «Squad,» an informal bloc closely aligned with Ocasio-Cortez, who also supports abolishing ICE.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Conley campaign for comment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a leader of the Democratic Party’s leftist flank, voiced support for Democratic House candidate Cait Conley after she won a contested primary Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The scrutiny comes after Conley avoided criticizing the socialist candidates during an interview with MS NOW on Thursday.
Asked about socialist candidates who support prison abolition and have suggested the United States deserved 9/11, Conley talked about her own background rather than directly addressing the question.
«I joined the Army and went to West Point because of 9/11 because I watched the suffering and pain that we as a nation, we as a state, we as the Hudson Valley, experienced that day,» Conley said. «And so when you talk about the American government’s responsibility to the people, it is to keep it safe.»
«While, you know, folks were elected down in New York City, in New York-17, Democratic voters chose a West Point grad and 16-year Army combat veteran to be their representative in this fight this fall,» Conley added, referring to herself.
Aber Kawas, a socialist and pro-Palestinian activist who won a Democratic primary for a New York State Senate seat Tuesday, appeared to justify 9/11 in a resurfaced 2017 video.
Conley has previously faced scrutiny over her role on former President Joe Biden’s national security team. Lawler has argued that she downplayed her alleged involvement in the former president’s botched 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, which coincided with her time on the National Security Council.
The battleground race is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested races in the country, with national Republicans expected to aggressively defend Lawler’s bid for a third House term.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last vote of the week on Jan. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a «toss-up» after shifting the race in favor of Democrats earlier this year.
In 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the purple district, where Democrats hold a sizable voter registration advantage.
politics, alexandria ocasio cortez, jerrold nadler, the squad, kamala harris, elections, midterm elections
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