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I Went to Cuba When Trump Turned the Lights Out

No fuel, no power, no water—and a country that has learned to wait

I Went to Cuba When Trump Turned the Lights Out

No fuel, no power, no water—and a country that has learned to wait

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ROGER LEMOYNE

Published 6:30, MAY 5, 2026

In early February 2026, Canada’s major airlines stopped flying to Cuba. They could no longer refuel there because of an executive order by the United States president designed to block all oil imports to Cuba. The current administration has made no secret of its wish for regime change in the country, and crushing the economy appears to be the weapon of choice.

As the shortages worsened, I wondered what that pressure looked like once it filtered into daily life. I reported from Baghdad during the 2003 US invasion, Port-au-Prince after the 2010 earthquake, and Cairo at the height of the 2011 Arab Spring. Again and again, I’ve found myself in cities at pivotal moments when history is being written in the........

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