Cuban political prisoners central to ongoing negotiations with US
May 14, 2026
11 min
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63 of 90
May 14, 2026
Cuban political prisoners central to ongoing negotiations with US
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USA Today Episodes Around May 14, 2026
Episode 63 of 90 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
11:24This episodeCuban political prisoners central to ongoing negotiations with US
Summary
<p>From the moment the Trump administration toppled former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s longtime ally Cuba has been in the White House’s crosshairs. In the aftermath of that operation, President Donald Trump declared Cuba would be “next.” On April 10th, the U.S. gave Cuban leaders only two weeks to free political prisoners if they wanted to preemptively land a deal with the U.S. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/05/13/us-cuba-talks-political-prisoners-exile-jail/90028116007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cuba then made an offer to two of their higher profile prisoners – Maykel Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara</a>: They could either leave Cuba or stay and rot in prison. Both agreed to be exiled. Yet both still languish behind bars. USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Rick Jervis joins The Excerpt to talk about what’s next for Castillo and Otero as well as high-level negotiations between US and Cuban officials.</p><p>Please note: Cuban officials did not return USA TODAY interview requests for comment.</p><p>Responding to a request for comment from USA TODAY, a State Department official said the Cuban regime continues to show indifference to the suffering of the Cuban people and is still holding hundreds of political prisoners. The official reiterated that President Trump favors a diplomatic solution but will not allow Cuba to deteriorate into a greater national security threat. </p><p>Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to <a href="mailto:podcasts@usatoday.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcasts@usatoday.com</a>. </p><p>Episode transcript <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/14/cuba-issues-exile-or-jail-ultimatum-to-political-prisoners-the-excerpt/90063819007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available here</a>. </p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
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