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Raúl Castro makes first public appearance since Trump administration charged him with murder
Raúl Castro indicted for 1996 shoot-down of American pilots
Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., discusses the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy charges tied to the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian aircraft that killed four American pilots on ‘Sunday Night in America.’
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Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro made his first public appearance Friday since the Trump administration charged him with murder over the 1996 shoot-down of planes operated by a Cuban exile group.
Castro appeared on state television during an Interior Ministry celebration in Havana, according to Reuters.
The appearance came weeks after the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment accusing Castro of playing a role in the downing of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile organization Brothers to the Rescue nearly 30 years ago.
Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder.
DOJ, TREASURY INVESTIGATE NONPROFITS AND LEADERS ALLEGEDLY COORDINATING WITH CUBA IN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN
Raul Castro waves a Cuban national flag during a May Day parade at Revolution Square in Havana, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Castro, who turned 95 on Wednesday, was last seen publicly during May Day celebrations in Havana, days before the indictment was unsealed.
Prior to his May Day appearance, Castro had remained out of public view for months, appearing only at a public ceremony in Cuba’s capital in January honoring 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The indictment centers on a February 1996 incident in which Cuban military aircraft allegedly shot down two unarmed civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, killing four men: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.
OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER
Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro attend a parade in Havana, Cuba, on Dec. 2, 1996. (Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photography/Getty Images)
Prosecutors allege the aircraft were flying outside Cuban territory when they were destroyed.
The indictment came amid rising tensions in the Caribbean and a series of comments from Trump and his surrogates hinting at possible regime change in the island nation.
President Donald Trump previously praised the indictment, saying Cuban Americans whose families suffered under the communist regime had waited decades for accountability.
TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME
Former Cuban Vice President Jose Machado and dictator Raul Castro are seen in Cuba. (Yamil Lage/Getty Images)
«We have big news on Cuba, as you know, with the indictment of Castro,» Trump said. «A lot of people have suffered very big, very, very, at levels that few people would understand.»
Trump also suggested tensions with Cuba would not escalate following the indictment.
«There won’t be escalation,» he said. «We won’t have to.»
MADURO’S CAPTURE IS ‘BEGINNING OF THE END’ FOR CUBA’S REGIME, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CHAIR SAYS
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and former Cuban leader Raul Castro stand together at an event. (Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate/AP:Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
Still, the decision to indict Castro fueled comparisons to the pressure campaign Trump previously used against Maduro.
«At the very least, it means symbolically that he is now set up just as Nicolás Maduro was,» Christine Balling, a Cuba expert at the Institute of World Politics and former advisor to U.S. Special Operations Command South, previously told Fox News Digital.
The U.S. indicted Maduro on narco-terrorism charges while tightening sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector, backing opposition efforts to remove him from power and increasing military operations in the Caribbean.
«I don’t think that we are necessarily going to conduct the same operation,» Balling said. «Raúl Castro is 94 years old. It might not be worth the trouble.»
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Still, Balling argued that the indictment sent «a very straightforward message that we are 100% behind the fall of the Castro regime.»
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy, Greg Wehner and Morgan Phillips, along with Fox News’ David Spunt, Bill Mears and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. Reuters also contributed to this report.
cuba, caribbean, donald trump, nicolas maduro, assassinations murders
INTERNACIONAL
Ukraine launches what appears to be one of its largest drone attacks against Russia: report
Secretary Rubio clarifies US stance on Russia, Ukraine conflict
Secretary Rubio clarifies the US stance on alleged agreements with Russia over Ukraine from Manama, Bahrain. He states there was only a proposal, not a full agreement, and that the US remains committed to playing a constructive role in ending the bloody war. Rubio notes the high casualties, particularly among Russian soldiers, highlighting the conflict’s devastating impact.
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As the brutal war between the two nations continues to rage, Ukraine conducted a significant nighttime assault against a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea as well as the surrounding seas, Russia’s Ministry of Defense indicated on Friday, according to The Associated Press, which reported that the effort appeared to be one Ukraine’s largest drone attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion several years ago.
The ministry reported that the country’s air defenses intercepted a whopping 660 Ukrainian drones, according to the outlet, which noted that the prior largest Ukrainian assault during the past year included 556 drones last month on May 17.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin indicated that 47 Ukrainian drones were taken out as they headed for the capital city, according to the report.
‘PURE HELL’ IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL’S FUEL MARKET
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures during his meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister on the sideline of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 16, 2026. (Isabel Infantes / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
The AP reported that Ukraine’s air force indicated that the nation’s defenses stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, though four out of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles breached air defenses and hit various places.
But even as the years-long war between the two countries drags on, the bitter enemies engaged in a prisoner swap, according to the AP, which reported that officials said 160 individuals from each side were going home on Friday.
RUSSIA PREPARING HYBRID ATTACKS ON NATO’S EASTERN FLANK, INTELLIGENCE WARNS
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on June 25, 2026. (Pavel Byrkin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in a Friday post on X, «We continue bringing Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity. All of them had been held captive since 2022.»
«Among those released today are servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, National Guard warriors, and border guards. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy sectors,» he continued.
FUNERALS, BEAUTY QUEENS AND BOMBS: THE UKRAINIAN CITY THAT WON’T LET PUTIN WIN
Trucks are engulfed by smoke from a fire at a parking lot in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 25, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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«I thank our entire team, which works every day to bring our people back. Special gratitude to all our units on the frontline who replenish Ukraine’s ‘exchange fund’ and, through their courage, make it possible for us to bring people home. We remember everyone who remains in captivity. We are checking every name. We must bring everyone back – both military personnel and civilians,» Zelenskyy added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
wars, drones, world, russia, ukraine
Una respuesta sin precedentes
Obstáculos a la solidaridad
Ayuda internacional en marcha
Cuando Chávez rechazó la ayuda para La Guaira
«El Estado venezolano no existe, está devastado»
INTERNACIONAL
Socialists sweep NYC as Americans balk at movement’s brutal catch: ‘Talk to immigrants’
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Americans gathered on the National Mall for President Donald Trump’s America250 kickoff at the Great American State Fair said New York’s socialist surge is a warning sign for Democrats — one they argue history has already rejected.
«If you study history, you will see that many countries have already tried to go down that path and ended up in disaster,» said 11th grade Georgia teacher Jill. «If you talk to immigrants who came from countries that were socialist, they will tell you they left you know tending toward communist countries. They left for that reason.»
Fox News Digital spoke with Americans who gathered on the National Mall Wednesday evening for Trump’s rally kicking off the Great American State Fair celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, where attendees shared why they believe socialism would fail in the United States.
The comments follow New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani scoring another political victory Tuesday, with all three congressional candidates he endorsed—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier—winning their respective Democratic primaries.
WINNERS AND LOSERS EMERGE AFTER SOCIALIST EARTHQUAKE ROCKS NYC PRIMARIES
Rally-goers on the National Mall call out socialism. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Fox News Digital)
The victories were widely viewed as another sign of Mamdani’s growing influence in the Democrat Party and the increasing acceptance of socialism.
The socialist victories in several high-profile New York Democratic primaries drew a sharp political contrast that many attendees of Trump’s rally told Fox News Digital served as a stark reminder of the direction they fear the country is heading.
Rally attendee Jill told Fox News Digital that she traveled to East Germany at the age of 16 when the Berlin Wall was coming down, an experience she now brings into the classroom by showing her students photos from the trip.
«I show my students pictures, and we talk about what communism means … capitalism is what’s got us here. We’ve been a capitalist country for a very long time. They have to be extremely careful when voting. They need to study and be well-informed voters,» Jill continued.
While socialism collapsed in the Soviet Union and East Germany, it continues to shape the governments of countries such as Cuba and Venezuela—two nations that President Donald Trump has made a focus of his foreign policy efforts in an effort to support democratic change.
NYC VOTERS EMBRACE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM AS AOC, SANDERS STUMP FOR MAMDANI
Trump supporters speak to Fox News Digital at Great American State Fair rally. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
«I don’t support socialism … If you look at Cuba, the difference there… compared to even the other Caribbean countries around it, it’s totally different. And they’re driving old cars. They don’t have even heating and air … capitalism makes that possible. And so I’m very much in favor of working for what you want … I still think America is a place where the American dream can still come true,» said Toni of Kentucky.
«A hundred million people died from communism, whether it be from China and Mao or Stalin and Russia, Hitler. We can’t forget our history, or we have a tendency to repeat it, and we should definitely reject this. It’s never worked anywhere. And capitalism and a free market society has benefited the world,» David of Annapolis, Maryland, said.
Jennifer, who traveled from Tennessee, said she is worried about the rise of socialism in America.
«It’s not something that’s beneficial for our country and our values,» she said.
Former Rochester, New York, resident Norma told Fox News Digital she has 10 grandchildren and is worried about the next generation.
«New York is pretty much, I hate to say, far gone… I lived there for 22 years. There are conservative people there, but unfortunately, there’s this new agenda coming through,» she said.
NYC VOTERS FLOCK TO SOCIALIST-STYLE FREEBIES AS MAMDANI PUSHES RENT FREEZES, CITY-RUN STORES
A father and son traveled from New York. (Ashley DiMella/Fox News Digital)
Mamdani has faced criticism from conservatives over proposals including fare-free city buses, universal free childcare and city-run grocery stores, with Americans at the event telling Fox News Digital that «free» programs ultimately come at taxpayers’ expense.
«Socialism promises everything, but they can’t deliver past everybody’s money… history has shown where socialism fails… the proof is in the pudding,» said Billy of North Carolina.
«I don’t agree with it at all… we can’t function on giving everything away for free,» said Nicky of Tennessee.
DANGEROUS OR AN OPPORTUNITY? SOCIAL MEDIA AS VENUE FOR DISCUSSING POLITICS DEBATED BY YOUNG CONSERVATIVES
People watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to kick off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
When Fox News Digital asked Gen Z and Millennial voters whether Mamdani is «cool,» Sarah of Massachusetts and Johanna and Elizabeth of California responded, «no.»
«I understand the appeal that socialism has, but definitely don’t think that it’s the right way our country should be going. I think in theory it makes sense,» said Sarah. «In reality, that’s not how it ends up looking. It’s definitely scary to see so many of my generation leaning that way.»
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«It’s a really good concept to have everything for free in socialism, but it doesn’t really work out in the real world,» added Johanna. «If you look at the countries that have already tried socialism, it really hasn’t worked. It also doesn’t encourage innovation.»
Elizabeth, visiting Washington, D.C. for the week, said she agreed with her friends, adding, «I’m not a socialist. I’m a Republican.»
zohran mamdani, cuba, democrats elections, politics, primary results, socialism, america 250
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