00:01The Trump administration is quietly pressing for a leadership shakeup in Cuba.
00:08New York Times reports U.S. officials have told Cuban negotiators that President Miguel Diaz-Canel
00:14needs to step aside if the two countries are to reach a broader agreement.
00:18According to people familiar with the talks, Washington is not trying to dismantle Cuba's
00:24communist system but wants Diaz-Canel removed as the public face of the government while
00:29negotiations move forward. U.S. officials believe replacing him could open the door to economic
00:35changes and potential deals with American businesses. Diaz-Canel has led Cuba since 2018.
00:41He was the first president since the 1959 revolution whose last name was not Castro.
00:48Remember Fidel and Raul? The Castro family still holds major influence behind the scenes.
00:54The talks are happening while Cuba's economic and energy crisis continues to deepen.
00:59Officials say the country's entire electrical grid failed on Monday, plunging the island's
01:05roughly 11 million residents into darkness. It's the third nationwide blackout in just four months.
01:12Crews have restored limited power in parts of Havana and a handful of hospitals,
01:17but large areas of the island remain without reliable electricity. Fuel shortages are also
01:23worsening the crisis. Long lines have formed outside gas stations and tankers carrying fuel
01:29have been stuck at ports while the country scrambles to secure energy supplies. Diaz-Canel says Cuba
01:35has gone three months without oil shipments and blames the shortages on U.S. sanctions and an energy
01:41blockade. President Trump has suggested the United States could take a much bigger role in the
01:46island's future, saying this week he believes he could have the, quote, honor of taking Cuba.
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