US indicts former Cuban president Raúl Castro as it seeks to oust regime | First Thing
Charges filed against Raúl Castro for allegedly shooting down planes in 1996. Plus, US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year to fight labor unions
Good morning.
On Wednesday, the US issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others, in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s communist regime.
The indictment, filed in US district court for the southern district of Florida, comes at a time of heightened tension between the US and Cuba. Donald Trump has threatened military action against the Cuban government, and an energy crisis created by a tight US oil embargo has caused rolling blackouts and prompted protests in the capital.
Trump was asked by reporters on Wednesday if there could be an arrest similar to that of the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January. “I don’t want to say that,” he said.
What are the details? Castro, 94, was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft related to an incident in 1996 – in which four men were killed by the Cuban military, when two small planes were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida straits.
How has Cuba reacted? Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban president, condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba”.
Israeli security minister stirs diplomatic outrage with flotilla activist abuse video
Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.
Three activists were taken to hospital as a result of Israeli violence, lawyers representing the group said. They were subsequently discharged. Dozens of others have suspected broken ribs, resulting in breathing problems. The rights group Adalah said there had been “widespread physical and psychological abuse by Israeli authorities”.
What does the video show? Images of dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back. Ben-Gvir posted it on his social media account. He appears waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees.
What are global leaders saying? The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the country’s staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable” and said the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation”. Others criticizing the video were Italy, Spain, the European Council, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and others. The Spanish foreign minister called the treatment “monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane”.
US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year to fight labor unions
US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year on labor union opposition efforts, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Economic Policy Institute.
“This is millions or even billions of dollars that’s not going towards workers and investing into their workplace,” said Margaret Poydock, a co-author of the report and a senior policy analyst at the EPI.
Where is the money going? Employers spent company money hiring consultants and law firms specializing in union avoidance and on legal counsel, representation and litigation services during union elections and organizing campaigns.
What might be the impact? Poydock said the role of these union-avoidance law firms and consultants has, in part, contributed to the decline of unionization membership and density over several decades. Union density in the US is at 10%, compared with 20.3% in 1983. Despite this decline, Gallup polls report nearly 70% of Americans approve of labor unions.
In other news …
An American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the “scale and speed” of the outbreak.
Trump said on Wednesday he would speak to Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, a break from diplomatic norms for a US leader, which could roil US relations with China.
A man in Tennessee, who was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post, has won an $835,000 settlement, after he posted about the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The US has ordered its Jerusalem embassy to press the Palestinian leadership into dropping a bid for a senior position at the UN general assembly, anxious that the role could allow Palestinians to chair high-profile debates on the Middle East.
Stat of the day: SpaceX reveals plan for $1.75tn stock market debut that could make Musk a trillionaire
SpaceX has announced plans to list on the US stock market, disclosing its investor prospectus and financials. Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite operations company will go public on the Nasdaq at a valuation of about $1.75tn. It could move Musk closer to becoming a trillionaire, from his current net worth of $807.7bn, according to Forbes.
The Filter: The seven best non-toxic cooking pans in the US, tested in a food lab
At Drexel University’s Food Lab, 13 of the top non-toxic pans were tested to learn which cook the best, including buzzy brands such as Our Place and Caraway. Here are the top picks from this Filter US article published in February.
Don’t miss this: The rise and fall of the only female yakuza
Mako Nishimura fought her way into the Japanese underworld, but drug addiction and the slow demise of organized crime gangs almost destroyed her. For the long read, Sean Williams writes about Nishimura, probably the only woman ever to have been a full-fledged yakuza.
Climate check: The 20-year-old climate activist taking on Trump and the fossil fuel industry
Young Americans, such as Eva Lighthiser in Montana, are suing the president for violating rights, with executive orders that fuel the climate crisis. If Lighthiser’s lawsuit is successful, it would force the government to “acknowledge the fact that they are doing active harm to young people in this country”, she said.
Last Thing: Queer art, bowler hats and an Annie Hall script – inside Diane Keaton’s archive as treasures go on sale
Four auctions of items belonging to the actor Diane Keaton, who died in October, reveal some of the treasures she collected. Each sale focuses on a distinct aspect of Keaton’s identity, including her sartorial inclinations and photographic works.
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