Trump administration pressed to close Cuba embargo loophole with oil set to run out within days
EXCLUSIVE: Three members of Congress representing heavily Cuban-American districts are demanding the Trump administration shut off the remaining commercial “valves” of support for the communist Castro and Díaz-Canel regime in Havana after effectively blockading key oil imports in recent days. The demand from Reps. Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar, all Republicans from Florida, comes as Cuban despot Miguel Díaz-Canel warned his country is “close to failing,” according to German outlet Deutsche Welle. Díaz-Canel also warned oil supplies may run out within 15 days amid the threat of U.S. tariffs on exporters to Cuba. While Díaz-Canel called the U.S.-imposed oil blockade “genocidal” and “fascist,” Giménez, Díaz-Balart and Salazar saw it as a positive development and said they will demand Tuesday that the Commerce Department shut off the other remaining lifelines to the dictatorship that Washington can control. Those valves come in the form of export licenses for more than $100 million in supplies they say largely go not to the Cuban people but directly to enrich the regime. CUBAN-BORN REP RECOUNTS EMOTIONAL RETURN 64 YEARS LATER AS PART OF GITMO CODEL Luxury cars, Jacuzzi tubs and other luxury items remain open to export through licenses given to several Miami-area firms, according to Giménez’s office, which provided Fox News Digital with a 50-page document detailing manifests of goods cleared by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to be shipped to addresses listed on the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, Marianao and elsewhere. Giménez, Díaz-Balart and Salazar wrote to Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler and Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Bradley Smith, demanding they take action on these licenses. “[We are] beyond concerned by U.S. businesses currently engaged in disturbing commercial activity with entities controlled by the regime in Cuba, a listed State Sponsor of Terrorism,” the lawmakers wrote. POST-MADURO, PRESSURE BUILDS ON MEXICO OVER CUBA’S NEW OIL LIFELINE “Such activity risks undermining the central objectives of U.S. sanctions policy and contradicts the intent of Congress as reflected in U.S. law, including the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.” The act represents one of the most stringent sanctions laws imposed on the Castro regime. The lawmakers told Commerce that the first section of the LIBERTAD Act clearly states that U.S. sanctions are meant to deny economic support to Havana until “concrete progress is made toward democratic governance, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental freedoms.” CUBA’S PRESIDENT DEFIANT, SAYS NO NEGOTIATIONS SCHEDULED AS TRUMP MOVES TO CHOKE OFF OIL LIFELINE “Despite these mandates, a number of licenses issued by both OFAC and BIS continue to authorize transactions that ultimately benefit the Cuban regime and its military-controlled conglomerates,” they wrote. Such licenses also disregard Congress’ explicit will that sanctions are to be “maintain[ed] until a transition government in Cuba is in place.” Asked about the publicly available manifest document, Latin America policy analyst Andrés Martínez-Fernández said that while cutting off licensed food and medicine exports is sensitive, much of what is typically cleared for export from Miami often ends up in the hands of the regime rather than the people. SANCTIONED RUSSIAN JET TOUCHES DOWN IN CUBA, ECHOING SECRET FLIGHTS BEFORE MADURO’S OUSTER That includes, he said, goods that seem like they would be destined for civilians. “A lot of these categories of, you know, like you say expensive cars and even talking about, like, cement — we’re exporting building products — and everything’s crumbling in Cuba except for the houses of the government officials and their regime collaborators,” he noted. Martinez-Fernandez added that he does not view the current export situation as any “purposeful oversight” or that the administration is ignoring any potential lever of pressure. AS TRUMP URGES DEAL, CUBAN PRESIDENT WARNS THAT THE COUNTRY WILL DEFEND ITSELF ‘TO THE LAST DROP OF BLOOD’ “The reality is that we’re doing a lot at the moment … when it comes to sanctions and some of these tools in particular,” he said. “It’s not a press-a-button-and-cut-everything-off. You have to go through everything.” In their demand, the lawmakers say Commerce must conduct a comprehensive review of all active licenses authorizing commercial or financial dealings with Cuban state entities. “Revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly provide economic benefit to regime-controlled entities, consistent with the restrictions mandated by the LIBERTAD Act [and] enhance scrutiny of future requests for licensing related to Cuba to ensure full alignment with both the letter and the intent of U.S. law,” they wrote. While critical of that particular dynamic, the lawmakers noted that they are fully supportive of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s “decisive action” thus far against the Cuban regime. “[We] look forward to your agencies strongly enforcing U.S. sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship and upholding the Administration’s common-sense policy against the brutal regime on the island,” they wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to the Commerce Department for comment on the manifest of exportable goods.
Fox News Poll: Beyond red vs. blue, finding me + you across the political divide
Encouraging news this Valentine’s Day — love and humor transcend politics, plus an increased number of people say they believe in love at first sight. What’s love (or politics) got to do with it? The latest Fox News poll shows 6 in 10 voters think it’s possible to find love with someone whose political views are opposite their own, and another 1 in 10 say it’s already happened. Loving those with opposing views is a no-go for the remaining 3 in 10. FOX NEWS POLL: TOO FAST, TOO UNCHECKED? VOTERS SOUND OFF ON RAPID AI USE & GOVERNMENT REGULATION Those most likely to think you can find love across the political battlefield include dads, moderates, men without a college degree, Republicans, White evangelical Christians, independents, Catholics, and voters under age 30. Humor still beats politics in the quest for love. By a 55-point margin, voters say they’d rather share a partner’s sense of humor (77%) than their political views (22%) — even as the desire for shared politics has grown 15 percentage points since 2015. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS Women, voters younger than 30, and Democrats are more likely to prioritize shared political opinions compared to men, voters ages 45+, and Republicans. While the question has only been asked sporadically since 1997, belief in love at first sight sits at 59%, up from 51% the last time the question was asked in 2015. Married men with no kids, Republican men, and Catholics are the biggest romantics of the bunch: at least two-thirds of each group say they believe in love at first sight. But not everyone is head over heels, as the share currently in love dropped 11 points since 2015, from 69% to 58%. The largest declines were among independents, men, college graduates, and Republicans. But it’s reassuring that almost all married voters, 89%, are currently in love, making it one of the largest groups saying they are smitten. Overall, 4 in 10 are still looking for that special someone, up from 3 in 10 a decade ago. But love isn’t totally dead: half of those not currently in love still believe in love at first sight. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Conducted January 23-26, 2026 under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,005 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (106) and cellphones (645) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (254). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.
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Mathura family death: What forced five members of farmers’ family to die by suicide? Details here
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