* It appears the Cuban government is preparing its citizens for the possibility of conflict with the U.S. by circulating a pamphlet titled “Family Guide for Protection Against Military Aggressors.” It instructs families on how to pack survival kits and telling them to seek shelter if they hear air raid sirens.
* A ship carrying humanitarian aid from the governments of Mexico and Uruguay recently arrived in Havana. It arrived aboard a Chinese-owned merchant vessel sailing under a Panamanian flag. A cargo ship from China also dropped off 15,000 tons of rice. Taiwan sees the leverage implications.
* The U.S. further ratcheted up pressure on Cuban leadership by imposing sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and his wife, among others.
* Response of Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. Lianys Torres Rivera: “The U.S. sanctions against our leaders, we see as a pretext to make the American people think we are a threat. We are not a threat to the U.S., and we don’t want confrontation.”
* Among Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s responses to his grilling by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “I really don’t believe this system is capable of reform unless new people take over or a new mindset takes hold.” He was referring to Cuba, of course.