Raul Castro stepping down as Cuba’s ruler
A big day in Cuba’s history as Raul Castro ends his 10-years in power and the closing the 60-year Castro reign in Cuba; Steve Harrigan has the latest updates from Havana, Cuba.
Saturday marked the end of an era in Cuba when 89-year-old Raul Castro announced he’d be resigning as the leader of the country’s Communist Party. He and his late brother Fidel Castro reigned for six decades, the latter taking power in 1959 following the Cuban Revolution against then-leader Fulgencio Batista.
Without a beat, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested Castro’s next gig.
Some social media users nodded along with Cruz’s suggestion, noting that the move would make sense because CNN is the “Communist News Network.” Others gave Castro a network promotion.
U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS AND A BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Cruz, who is the son of a Cuban immigrant, has often spoken out about the dangers of the communist regime in Cuba and their history of human rights abuses.
Castro’s exit comes as Cuba is experiencing food shortages and financial instability as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered its tourism industry. In a speech on Friday, Castro said he was leaving his post having “fulfilled his mission and confident in the future of the fatherland.” He reportedly wants his handpicked successor President Miguel Diaz-Cane to replace him.
President Ronald Reagan placed Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that was removed by President Obama in 2015. President Trump re-enforced sanctions against Cuba once he took office, blasting his predecessor for trying to normalize relations.
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“The Obama-Biden administration made a weak, pathetic, one-sided deal with the Castro dictatorship that betrayed the Cuban people and enriched the communist regime,” he said. “I canceled the Obama-Biden sellout to the Castro regime.”