Cuba Under Pressure: Cuba’s fuel reserves are reportedly gone, with blackouts and shortages now hitting hospitals hard—UN and WHO officials say surgeries are being suspended and more than 100,000 patients are waiting as power outages can last up to 20 hours. US Escalation Signals: The latest flashpoint is the CIA’s high-profile visit to Havana by Director John Ratcliffe, paired with fresh US moves that include threats of indicting Raúl Castro and talk of “fundamental changes,” while US spy flights near the island reportedly ramp up. Human Cost at Home: Protesters bang pots as residents cope with daily darkness, and Cuba’s health system is straining under medicine and fuel gaps. Diplomacy vs. Coercion: Cuba is also pushing back at BRICS, calling the US “secondary sanctions” an extraterritorial blockade—while Havana prepares for worst-case scenarios amid rising rhetoric. Culture Beyond Crisis: In parallel, Afro-Cuban art gets a major spotlight at the Lowe Art Museum, spanning 200 years of work through Afrocubanismo.