INTERNACIONAL
Obama’s baseball outing with Castro reignites fury after Trump DOJ drops hammer on Cuban leader
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Former Cuban President Raúl Castro was indicted Wednesday in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed four people — reviving scrutiny of former President Barack Obama’s highly publicized 2016 trip to Havana.
«President Obama’s approach to Cuba was not merely a policy mistake. It was a diplomatic disaster — naive at best, incompetent at worst, and deeply disrespectful to the dissidents, political prisoners and victims who suffered under the Castro regime,» former Miami mayor Francis Suarez, who is Cuban-American, told Fox News Digital.
«Obama treated normalization as enlightened diplomacy. It handed legitimacy to a brutal dictatorship while asking little in return,» said the Fox News contributor. «The administration reopened relations, relaxed restrictions and gave Havana a public-relations victory, yet the Cuban people remained trapped under the same repressive system and the United States gained no meaningful security concessions.»
The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed a superseding indictment charging Castro and five co-defendants over the deaths of four U.S. nationals aboard two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group. Cuban-American critics said the charges underscore longstanding objections to Obama’s normalization push, which they argue gave legitimacy to the Castro regime.
US MOVING TO INDICT FORMER CUBAN LEADER RAÚL CASTRO: SOURCE
Obama went to Cuba with his family in 2016 for bilateral talks on human rights and economic discussions. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Obama traveled to Cuba in 2016 as part of his administration’s push to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations after decades of hostility, arguing that engagement on diplomacy, the economy and human rights would be more effective than isolation. The visit also included Obama and Castro attending a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team in Havana.
«I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas,» Obama said from Havana that year. «I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.»
Photos of Obama and Castro embracing during the 2016 Havana trip quickly resurfaced online after the indictment, going viral across social media and triggering a wave of criticism from users who blasted the optics of the former president’s relationship with the communist leader.
«While Raoul was harboring American terrorists like Joanne Chesimard and Guillermo Morales. Disgusting,» wrote Fox News contributor Paul Mauro on X.
«Barack Obama in his element with communists and criminals,» wrote General Mike Flynn on X.
OBAMA SETS INTERNET ABLAZE WITH ‘SICK’ REACTION TO THE ‘MOTIVE’ OF WHCD SHOOTER
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reposted a photo with a cringe emoji.
Castro, 94, is the younger brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Raul Castro served as Cuba’s president from 2008 to 2018.
Suarez said that Obama’s Cuba policies were not just a human rights failure but a national security failure not understanding the serious threat the regime posed.
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS CRITICIZE BIDEN ADMIN’S CUBA DETENTE’
Photos of Obama and Raul Castro at a baseball game in Havana resurface after the DOJ unsealed the Castro indictment. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«It did nothing to curtail Cuba’s role as a base for America’s enemies. It did nothing to confront the island’s use as an intelligence and spy platform so close to our shores. It did nothing to reduce the regime’s support for terrorism. It did nothing to confront Cuba’s narco-state behavior or its destabilizing influence throughout the hemisphere,» said Suarez.
RUBIO BLASTS COMMUNIST CUBAN REGIME AS NJ TROOPER’S KILLER REMAINS FREE
President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro stand together during Obama’s visit to Cuba. (Getty Images)
Obama’s trip came two decades after the 1996 incident, which became a major flashpoint in U.S.-Cuba relations, as the Trump administration adopted a more public and hardline approach toward Cuba.
TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME
«Raúl Castro and five co-defendants participated in a conspiracy that ended with Cuban military aircraft firing missiles at those planes and killing four Americans,» said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday during the indictment announcement. «Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans. Kill them, and not face accountability.»
Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro attend a parade in Havana, Cuba, on Dec. 2, 1996. (Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photography/Getty Images)
Following the indictment, Trump said Cuba is «very important.»
«A lot of people have suffered very big, very, very at levels that few people would understand. And I think the Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami,» said Trump. «People that came there that were decimated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today, and he’s just doing it now. He’s just watching it. We have Cuba on our mind. Very important.»
Suarez said that for Cuban Americans, Obama cozying up with Castro was disrespectful.
«It is about families torn apart, property confiscated, voices silenced, dissidents beaten, prisoners of conscience abandoned and generations forced to live under fear. To treat the Castro government as a normal partner without first honoring those victims was not diplomacy,» he said.
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Trump has previously joked the U.S. would be «taking over» Cuba «almost immediately.»
«Cuba’s got problems. We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job,» he added this month.
Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office and the White House for additional comment on the renewed criticisms of the trip.
cuba, michael flynn, barack obama, donald trump, fox news investigates
INTERNACIONAL
Los líderes del G7 celebran una sesión especial junto a Zelensky para abordar la guerra en Ucrania y aumentar la presión sobre Rusia
Los líderes del Grupo de los Siete (G7) celebrarán este martes una sesión especial sobre la guerra en Ucrania junto al presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, en una cumbre marcada por los intentos de reactivar los esfuerzos diplomáticos para poner fin a más de cuatro años de conflicto con Rusia.
La reunión tiene lugar en la ciudad francesa de Evian y contará con la participación del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, quien manifestó cierto optimismo sobre la posibilidad de impulsar avances en las negociaciones entre Kiev y Moscú.
Al llegar a la cumbre, Trump se refirió a las conversaciones que mantuvo recientemente con Zelensky y con el líder ruso, Vladimir Putin. “Quizás podamos hacer algo”, afirmó el mandatario estadounidense. También sostuvo que “ambos están abiertos a ello” y agregó: “Tuve dos muy buenas conversaciones ayer”.
Las declaraciones se produjeron en un contexto de renovada actividad diplomática y después de una nueva ola de ataques rusos contra territorio ucraniano. Según informó Zelensky, los bombardeos dejaron al menos 11 muertos y provocaron un incendio en una histórica catedral de Kiev.
Ante esa situación, el presidente ucraniano reclamó una respuesta más firme de las principales economías occidentales. Zelensky pidió una reacción “decisiva y sustancial” por parte de los líderes del G7 frente a la reciente ofensiva rusa.
Uno de los principales temas de debate será la continuidad del respaldo militar, financiero y político a Ucrania. Los gobiernos europeos presentes en la cumbre buscan convencer a Trump de la necesidad de mantener la presión sobre Moscú y de impulsar cualquier negociación de paz bajo condiciones aceptables para Kiev.
En paralelo, Zelensky reveló que propuso una reunión directa con Putin durante la cumbre del G7. Sin embargo, aseguró que Rusia rechazó nuevamente la iniciativa. “Moscú ha demostrado una vez más que no está preparada para hablar de esto”, señaló el mandatario ucraniano.
Más tarde, Zelensky dio a conocer una nueva propuesta discutida con Trump. Según explicó en un mensaje difundido en la red social X, planteó la posibilidad de organizar una reunión con Putin en Estados Unidos. “Ayer discutimos con el presidente Trump que una reunión de este tipo podría organizarse en Estados Unidos, en un formato en el que a Putin le resultaría mucho más difícil rechazarla”, expresó.
El presidente ucraniano añadió que espera una respuesta de Moscú y advirtió sobre la necesidad de incrementar la presión internacional si el Kremlin descarta nuevamente el encuentro. “Veremos qué resulta de esto. Si Rusia también rechaza esta oportunidad, será necesaria una presión adicional”, afirmó.
De acuerdo con una fuente de la presidencia ucraniana citada ante un grupo reducido de periodistas, la propuesta fue transmitida tiempo atrás mediante distintos canales diplomáticos, intermediarios y organismos de inteligencia. “No se dio ninguna respuesta clara”, indicó la fuente.
Por su parte, Putin mantiene su negativa a reunirse con Zelensky sin avances previos en las negociaciones. A comienzos de este mes, el mandatario ruso sostuvo que no veía “ningún sentido” en celebrar un encuentro cara a cara hasta que exista un acuerdo de paz preparado.
Mientras tanto, el Reino Unido anunció nuevas medidas de apoyo a Ucrania. El primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, informó que su gobierno suministrará uranio enriquecido para garantizar el funcionamiento de las centrales nucleares ucranianas y aplicará nuevas sanciones contra Rusia.
Starmer condenó los recientes ataques rusos y los calificó como “ataques bárbaros”. Según una declaración difundida por su oficina, el Reino Unido está “intensificando nuestras medidas al cortar los ingresos que alimentan la guerra de Putin y apoyar a Ucrania durante los inviernos que se avecinan”.
La cumbre del G7 también abordará otros asuntos internacionales. Tras la sesión dedicada a Ucrania, los líderes celebrarán un encuentro centrado en Irán y la situación en Medio Oriente. Participarán el presidente de Egipto, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, el emir de Qatar y el presidente de Emiratos Árabes Unidos.
Los aliados occidentales prevén consultar a Trump sobre el reciente acuerdo alcanzado con Irán para poner fin a la guerra en Medio Oriente. El mandatario estadounidense aseguró que ese entendimiento permitirá la reapertura total del estrecho de Ormuz a partir del viernes.
Durante los tres días de la cumbre, Francia busca ampliar el alcance político del G7 mediante la participación de dirigentes invitados de distintas regiones. Entre ellos figuran el presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, y el primer ministro de India, Narendra Modi.
(Con información de AFP)
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
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Federal investigators raided a Soros-funded voter mobilization group on Thursday as part of a reported ongoing fraud investigation.
FBI agents raided the headquarters of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) on June 11 and deployed across the state to question members of the organization, sometimes bearing subpoenas or demanding to seize electronic devices, MS Now reported. A day later, multiple sources familiar with the events told CBS News that the operations were part of a fraud-related investigation.
The raid marks the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s expanded use of federal law enforcement to scrutinize alleged voter fraud and election-related misconduct, a push cheered by conservatives who have long argued such cases were under-enforced and condemned by Democrats and voting rights groups who say the effort risks turning the FBI into a political weapon against liberal voter registration operations.
OOC is a nonprofit organization that works closely with the Democratic Party in Ohio on voter mobilization and registration efforts. It is especially active in ballot referendums, tapping its vast donor network that includes the Soros family’s philanthropies, to do so.
STACEY ABRAMS HIT WITH SUBPOENA IN ALLEGED CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS SAGA: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference about the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown as he’s flanked by federal and state officials in Ohio on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (WBNS via NNS)
The Department of Justice has declined to comment on the specifics of the purported investigation.
«Search warrants are authorized by a judge and anything said by any organization or others in the media is unfounded speculation, as the target of any investigation is not privy to the search warrant affidavit until after indictment,» a DOJ official told Fox News Digital.
A voter fills out a mail-in ballot at the Board of Elections office in the Allegheny County Office Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 3, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
The group previously spent $250,000 in 2023 to oppose a GOP-led effort to block the right to an abortion from being enshrined in Ohio’s constitution and spent a further $300,000 against a Republican redistricting effort a year later.
OOC finances these expenditures by tapping a deep network of top-level liberal donors.
Recent tax documents show that the organization had over $10 million in revenue during 2024. OOC’s considerable financial resources are provided by a variety of high-profile Democratic-aligned donor organizations, including the Soros family’s philanthropies, New Venture Fund and the Tides Foundation as well as unions such as the American Federation of Teachers and the Service Employees International Union.
The Soros family’s Foundation to Promote Open Society gave OOC roughly $1.9 million between 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Open Society Action Fund gave an additional $1 million to OOC’s sister organization, the Ohio Organizing Campaign, followed by another $1 million donation in 2023.
GEORGE SOROS, BETO O’ROURKE BEHIND FUNDING FOR DEMS FLEEING TEXAS OVER GOP CONGRESSIONAL MAP
OOC has characterized the federal scrutiny as an example of the Trump administration politicizing the justice system.
«How can they distract and intimidate civil rights leaders and voters and community leaders who are helping people get registered to vote, and create a national spectacle about it?» Prentiss Haney, an OOC board member authorized to discuss the matter on behalf of the group, told MS Now. «That is the only reason why they would choose to do that, do it now, in the middle of a contested political election in the state. There’s no other reason. They have no evidence of that.»
OOC previously came under fire in 2017 when a paid canvasser working with the group pleaded guilty over his involvement in a fraudulent voter registration operation. Republicans, however, have yet to produce conclusive evidence of widespread voter fraud in recent election cycles.
ELECTION INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING BY NONCITIZENS AND DOUBLE VOTERS IN MULTIPLE STATES
The Ohio State Capitol building stands in Columbus, Ohio. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group)
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OOC did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
democrats elections, ohio, fbi, investigations, voter fraud concerns
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