Cuba's blackouts and Trump's pressure campaign on the island

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

25% left · 57% center · 18% right of 154 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 38 stories.

Every storyoldest first

1. March 2024

   Mar 18Cubans in eastern city of Santiago protest blackouts and food shortages6 articles · 5 independent sources

   0 left, 3 center, 0 right
2. Mar 18Rare protests erupt in Cuba over food and electricity shortages11 articles · 11 independent sources

   2 left, 4 center, 1 right

3. October 2024

   Oct 18– 20Cubans struggle as power not fully restored to the island after days of blackout46 articles · 30 independent sources

   10 left, 11 center, 4 right
4. Oct 20– 22Oscar leaves at least 6 dead in Cuba as massive blackout halts activities, triggers protests20 articles · 11 independent sources

   3 left, 5 center, 1 right

5. November 2024

   Nov 4– 8Hurricane Rafael forecast to emerge in Gulf of Mexico after slamming Cuba with powerful winds, flooding rain72 articles · 31 independent sources

   6 left, 18 center, 3 right
6. Nov 6– 7Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid27 articles · 20 independent sources

   5 left, 4 center, 0 right

7. December 2024

   Dec 4Cuba’s national grid collapses leaving millions without electricity8 articles · 8 independent sources

   1 left, 4 center, 0 right

8. March 2025

   Mar 15Cuba suffers nationwide power outage, plunging millions into darkness18 articles · 16 independent sources

   0 left, 7 center, 1 right

9. July 2025

   Jul 12U.S. sanctions Cuban President Díaz-Canel and other officials for human rights violations16 articles · 10 independent sources

   0 left, 4 center, 0 right

10. January 2026

    Jan 8– 12Cuban leader says ‘no one dictates what we do’ as Trump tells regime to make a deal28 articles · 22 independent sources

    2 left, 5 center, 6 right
11. Jan 12Cuba's president says no current talks with the US after Trump threatens it8 articles · 8 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 2 right
12. Jan 28Trump says Cuba near failure as Mexico halts oil shipments5 articles · 5 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 1 right
13. Jan 30Trump threatens tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba34 articles · 24 independent sources

    2 left, 10 center, 4 right

14. February 2026

    Feb 1Trump says U.S. is 'starting to talk to Cuba' as he moves to cut its oil supplies7 articles · 7 independent sources

    1 left, 0 center, 2 right
15. Feb 27Donald Trump floats "friendly takeover" of Cuba24 articles · 15 independent sources

    1 left, 5 center, 2 right

16. March 2026

    Mar 6– 7As Trump says Cuba 'is going to fall,' his administration explores criminal charges, source says13 articles · 11 independent sources

    4 left, 4 center, 2 right
17. Mar 7Trump warns of imminent action against Cuba at 'Shield of Americas' summit6 articles · 2 independent sources

    0 left, 2 center, 0 right
18. Mar 11– 18Trump believes he’ll have the ‘honor of taking Cuba’ in the future16 articles · 14 independent sources

    2 left, 4 center, 5 right
19. Mar 13Cuban president says talks held with the United States35 articles · 28 independent sources

    4 left, 7 center, 4 right
20. Mar 14Blackouts and food shortages spark protest at Communist Party office in central Cuba10 articles · 8 independent sources

    2 left, 2 center, 3 right
21. Mar 16– 17Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as it struggles with deepening energy crisis70 articles · 38 independent sources

    9 left, 12 center, 6 right
22. Mar 17Trump muses over ‘taking Cuba’ as island’s power grid collapses after weeks of US oil blockade5 articles · 5 independent sources

    0 left, 3 center, 0 right
23. Mar 18Cuban president promises ‘impregnable resistance’ to any US attempt to control island12 articles · 12 independent sources

    1 left, 2 center, 0 right
24. Mar 22Cuba plunged into second nationwide blackout in less than a week39 articles · 33 independent sources

    5 left, 9 center, 3 right
25. Mar 30– 31Trump says he has ‘no problem’ with Russian oil tanker reaching Cuba60 articles · 42 independent sources

    5 left, 18 center, 5 right

26. May 2026

    May 14Cuba protests erupt as country reels from blackouts, Trump pressure5 articles · 4 independent sources

    0 left, 2 center, 1 right
27. May 14– 15CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets with Cuban officials in Havana32 articles · 26 independent sources

    3 left, 6 center, 6 right
28. May 21– 22Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump raises new threat of military action8 articles · 8 independent sources

    0 left, 3 center, 0 right
29. May 30Top U.S. general in Caribbean meets with Cuban military leaders near Guantanamo Bay as tensions simmer7 articles · 7 independent sources

    0 left, 4 center, 1 right

30. June 2026

    Jun 5U.S. imposes sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in latest move to pressure leadership9 articles · 8 independent sources

    2 left, 5 center, 0 right

31. July 2026

    Jul 6– 7Cuba suffers nationwide blackout after power grid collapses12 articles · 11 independent sources

    2 left, 5 center, 3 right
32. Jul 10– 17Cuba’s power grid buckles as people face extended blackouts28 articles · 18 independent sources

    1 left, 4 center, 3 right

33. August 2026

    Aug 2– 4Cuba faces yet another nationwide blackout as electrical grid collapses23 articles · 18 independent sources

    0 left, 4 center, 3 right
34. Aug 7– 8As blackouts stretch for days, life in Cuba revolves around small bursts of electricity8 articles · 8 independent sources

    0 left, 1 center, 0 right

35. September 2026

    Sep 18– 20Cuba hit with another blackout as millions across the island are left without electricity18 articles · 17 independent sources

    1 left, 5 center, 4 right
36. Sep 24– 25US weighs new limits on Cuban travel at the UN as Havana decries Trump's economic squeeze5 articles · 5 independent sources

    0 left, 1 center, 0 right

37. October 2026

    Oct 2– 3U.S. Coast Guard intercepts vessel smuggling oil bound for Cuba7 articles · 7 independent sources

    1 left, 0 center, 1 right
38. Oct 2Díaz-Canel questions US measures over new restrictions on Cuban private firms3 articles · 3 independent sources

    0 left, 1 center, 0 right