All Hell Breaks Loose as Trump’s Blockade Collapses!!!

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2:49Ben Meiselas:All hell is breaking loose as Donald Trump's bluff was called in front of the entire world by Putin. And perhaps it wasn't just his bluff being called. Perhaps it was just exposing Donald Trump yet again being a Putin bootlicker during the war against Iran and in all matters relating to foreign policy. So Donald Trump was given a choice as Russia was sending its ships over to Cuba loaded with crude oil to help Cuba. Donald Trump and his regime claimed they had a blockade around Cuba and that anyone who would deliver aid or crude oil or material assistance to Cuba would face massive tariffs or would be turned away by the U.S.

3:40Ben Meiselas:blockade around Cuba. Donald Trump threatened Mexico and other countries with severe sanctions if they dare help Cuba. But then came Vladimir Putin after the Trump regime removed sanctions against Russian oil during the war against Iran, as Russia provides material assistance to Iran in terms of weapons and logistics to kill, hunt and destroy American military members as well as American military assets. Donald Trump just says, hey, Vladimir Putin, we will remove all sanctions against your Russian oil and allow you to make billions of dollars during the war as a reward for targeting United States soldiers and military assets.

4:30Ben Meiselas:Oh, and by the way, Vladimir Putin, you want to send your senior leadership from the Russian Duma, basically their Senate, to visit the United States Congress and meet with MAGA Republican Congress members and our State Department. Send them our way. The Russian Duma leaders showed up at the end of last week, and then Vladimir Putin sent ships filled with crude oil to go to Cuba. And Donald Trump's like, blockade? What blockade? I barely knew a blockade. And Vladimir Putin was able to bring the crude oil and other material assistance to Cuba, essentially defeating the entire purpose of everything that Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have been saying for some time.

5:16Ben Meiselas:Now, look, the intentional suffering and starvation of Cuba, in my opinion, is a crime against humanity. It's a horrible thing. And I think that the Trump strategy in general with this blockade was horrific. And that's not the way you go about things. And then, well, nothing the way Donald Trump is how you go about things. And it was part of another war that Donald Trump wanted to launch against another nation, this time Cuba. But being so utterly weak and obsequious to Russia and allowing Russia to come in and now firmly planting the Russian flag in Cuba in such a power move that makes the United States look so weak, it is utterly despicable.

6:01Ben Meiselas:So you just have to add up all of these facts, you know, and, you know, President Zelensky of Ukraine put out a message I'll read a little bit later in this video over the weekend where he was like, the behavior by entities that remove sanctions against a nation that is then targeting your nation and killing your troops and destroying your military assets, that's pretty strange behavior is what Zelensky said. And strange was kind of code word, in my opinion, for saying kind of traitorous and treasonous behavior. Again, I'm just giving an opinion protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

6:39Ben Meiselas:Let me just bring some facts and receipts for us now. So back on January 30th, 2026, Donald Trump and the White House posted the following. Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and establishing a process to impose tariffs on goods for countries that sell or otherwise provide oil to Cuba. Trump signs executive order to address threats by Cuba. Threats by Cuba. That's what Trump called it January 30th, 2026. As Wyatt Reed explains, in January, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, placing harsh tariffs on any country caught directly or indirectly supplying oil to Cuba.

7:27Ben Meiselas:In February, when a Greek flag tanker tried to bring 80 ,000 barrels from Colombia to Cuba, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted it, forcing the ship to sail to the Dominican Republic. In March, when the U.S. sought to stabilize oil prices after starting a war with Iran, OFAC, that's the department within the Treasury responsible for lifting sanctions or imposing sanctions, issued waivers for Russian crude. As Russian tankers approached the island, the U.S. placed Cuba on a tiny list of countries it said were still not allowed to buy Russian oil. Two ships which were en route changed course purportedly under pressure.

8:13Ben Meiselas:But then something happened where the ships were allowed in. And we'll go and talk about what went down. So what we learned yesterday, U.S. to allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, breaking the blockade. The tanker full of crude oil will reach its expected destination by Tuesday, providing a lifeline to the island amid intense U.S. pressure. The United States Coast Guard is allowing a Russian tanker full of crude oil to reach Cuba, delivering a critical supply of energy to the island nation after months of an effective oil blockade by the Trump regime, according to U.S. officials briefed on the matter.

8:54Ben Meiselas:The New York Times writes, the tanker, which is carrying an estimated 730 ,000 barrels of oil, is owned by the Russian government, was less than 15 miles from Cuban territorial waters on Sunday afternoon, according to Marine Traffic, a ship data provider. At its speed of 12 knots, the ship was expected to enter Cuban waters by Sunday evening. The tanker could reach its expected destination in Montenzas, Cuba, by Tuesday. The Russian ship's arrival would shift the trajectory of a rapidly accelerating crisis in Cuba, buying the island nation at least a few weeks before its fuel reserves run out, analysts said.

9:32Ben Meiselas:It would also reduce pressure on the Cuban government facing looming economic collapse and escalating threats from Washington and show that at least for now, an island can still depend on its longtime ally, Russia. The Trump regime had been enforcing what amounted to an oil blockade around Cuba since January, threatening nations that had been sending fuel to the country. And in one case, escorting a tanker headed toward Cuba away from the island. The Coast Guard has two cutters in the region that could have attempted to intercept the Russian tanker. Yet the Trump regime did not order those vessels to act, according to a U.S.

10:09Ben Meiselas:official briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operations. Barring orders instructing it otherwise, the Coast Guard planned to let the tanker reach Cuba as of Sunday afternoon, the official said. It was unclear why the White House did not issue orders to block the tanker or whether it would allow future Russian oil shipments to reach the island. The decision avoids a potential thorny confrontation with Russia just off the coast of Florida. The Coast Guard referred questions to the White House, which did not respond to a request for comment. Russian and Cuban officials also did not respond.

10:46Ben Meiselas:The oil blockade has been choking Cuba, leading to daily blackouts, severe gas shortages, soaring prices, and deteriorating medical care. The policy has attracted international criticism, including from the UN, that the United States is causing a humanitarian crisis in Cuba. Also, the foreign minister of Cuba said in response to Donald Trump's threats that there could be an invasion of Cuba soon. Cuba responded by saying, we are prepared militarily as well in order to be able to fight the U.S. And we're seeing what's happening in Iran, and we're ready to go. So here's the thing. My own view that this blockade was a crime against humanity.

11:28Ben Meiselas:I'm not supportive of the blockade. I think it's not the right way to approach anything that's going on in Cuba, right? I mean, we can have very strong feelings about these successors to the Castro regime and what they've done to the Cuban people. And we can listen to strongly what the Cuban people here in the United States are saying. But we should always have a foreign policy that is rooted. It's still in humanity and figuring out through diplomacy the right types of approaches. That's kind of my overall view of thing, and I'm understanding it, but that's my general view of things. But if you're going to do a blockade and you're going to say no one can get in and we're blocking this and this is showing the U.S.

12:12Ben Meiselas:strength, right? And then Russia sends its two ships and then another ship and says, all right, we're going to go and deliver this oil. And then the U.S. is like, OK, well, we're not going to do anything. You can come on in and you can then defeat the entire purpose of everything we've been saying to every other nation. We've attacked this nation, that nation. You know, Donald Trump said all these nations that wanted to help will go after you. It's like declaring war. Putin goes to do to do. I'm Vladimir Putin. I'm heading over to Cuba. And Donald Trump's like, welcome, welcome to Cuba right off the shore of Florida.

12:45Ben Meiselas:Why don't you come in now? If you also don't believe that Vladimir Putin is also helping give Cuba weapons right now, in my opinion, you are very naive. You don't think that they're bringing Shahid drones and other weapons. How do we know? How do we not know? At the end of the day, what Trump did there was, again, extra, extra weak. I mean, as Jose Diaz-Baseno explains, two months after signing an executive order threatening Mexico and all these countries with tariffs, if they sent oil to Cuba, Trump says he's got no problem now at all with Russia doing so. Come on in, Russia. Happy to do it. So Donald Trump was aboard Air Force One and he was asked, there's a report that the U.S.

13:28Ben Meiselas:is going to let a Russian oil tanker go to Cuba. And Trump's like, yeah, what's wrong with that? If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba, let them send some oil into Cuba. Watch what Donald Trump says here, because Russia applied the most basic pressure to him of all. Russia's went, all right, we're going there, Donald. He's like, come on in. Come on in, Putin. We're going to remove the sanctions against you for your oil, let you make billions of dollars a day, help arm Iran, give Iran logistics to attack the U.S., I mean, destroy our most valuable crown jewels in the Air Force bases and military bases in the Middle East.

14:07Ben Meiselas:The United States has had to evacuate 13 of its top military bases in the Middle East because the effectiveness of Iranian FPV drone, Shahi drones, ballistic missiles that are being materially assisted by Russia. Russia keeps sending stuff through the Caspian Sea and Caspian Sea and otherwise. And Trump's like, yeah, cool. They want to party right off the coast of Florida. Let him in. Let him in. Here, let's play this clip of Donald Trump on Air Force one. There's a report that the U.S. is going to let a Russian oil tanker go to Cuba. Is that true? We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need they have to survive.

14:44It wouldn't bother them. That report is true as far as you know. Well, I would say I told him if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it. Do you worry that that's not going to help you? Whether it's Russia or not. What? Do you worry that that helps a lot of your Putin though? doesn't help him. He loses one boatload of oil. That's all it is. It's fine. If he wants to do that and if other countries want to do it, it doesn't bother me much. It's not going to have an impact. Cuba's finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership. And whether or not they get a boat of oil, it's not going to matter.

15:19I'd prefer letting it in, whether it's Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other of things. So, Jenny, go ahead. Lately, I've been trying to get my mornings together. Not perfectly, just better. Less chaos, less jittery energy, and more of that locked-in feeling that makes the day feel doable. That's where Mudwater comes in. Their original blend is a coffee alternative, made with cacao, chai, turmeric, and functional mushrooms, like Lion's Mane and Reishi. You get a warm, focused boost without that wired buzz or midday crash that usually tags along with a regular cup of coffee.

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17:15Ben Meiselas:But let's just rewind a little bit, right? I mean, not rewinding all that far. Today is March 30th. Let me go back to March 17th, 2026, where Marco Rubio said the following about Cuba, March 17th, 2026. So basically two weeks ago, Rubio goes, yeah, the embargo was tied to political change. The embargo was codified in an executive order. Listen to what he said then play this clip. Secretary Rubio, do you support, and I know this is up to Congress, but do you support easing the Cuban trade embargo if you get more cooperation from the Americans? Well, I'm not going to discuss what we would talk about or not.

17:54Suffice it to say that the embargo is tied to political change on the island. The embargo is codified. But the bottom line is their economy doesn't work. It's a non-functional economy. It's an economy that has survived. That revolution, it's not even a revolution, that thing they have, has survived on subsidies. from the Soviet Union and now from Venezuela. They don't get subsidies anymore. So they're in a lot of trouble. And the people in charge, they don't know how to fix it. So they have to get new people in charge. That's what has to happen. And the relationship we have with Venezuela has been...

18:23Ben Meiselas:Then we'll rewind a little bit more. I do sound effects now on these shows. To February 16, 2026, when Donald Trump says, there's an embargo, no oil. There's no anything. And a reporter's like, so if a deal isn't made, Would you consider an operation like the one in Venezuela? Trump's like, I ain't going to answer that. Here, play this clip. You're warning Cuba to make a deal. What does that deal look like? What do you want them to do? Cuba is right now a failed nation. They don't even have jet fuel to get for airplanes to take off. They're clogging up their runway. We're talking to Cuba right now.

19:01Marco Rubio talking to Cuba right now. And they should absolutely make a deal because it's a humanity. It's really a humanitarian threat. And we have a lot of great Cuban Americans, and they're going to be very happy when they're going to be able to go back and say hello to their relatives and do things that they should have been allowed to do for a long time. I'm very interested in the people that are here that were treated so badly by Castro and the Cuban authorities. They have been treated horribly. So we'll see how it all turns out. But Cuba and us, we are talking. In the meantime, there's an embargo.

19:37There's no oil. There's no money. There's no anything. If a deal isn't made, would you consider an operation like the one in Venezuela? I don't want to answer that. Why would I answer that? If I was, it wouldn't be a very tough operation, as you can figure. But I don't think that'll be necessary.

19:55Ben Meiselas:Well, now this tanker is carrying about 730 ,000 barrels of crude oil, bringing it over to Cuba right now. And by the way, the Trump regime also removed sanctions for Iranian oil, rewarding Iran. And I know that Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, I'm Scott Besant, everybody, Scott Besant, everybody, says, we're doing jujitsu. We're doing jujitsu on Iran. Well, Iran is now earning nearly twice as much from oil sales each day as it did before the American and Israeli bombs started falling on February 28th. And they also control the Strait of Hormuz. While they're out there posting memes of themselves killing American soldiers, they're getting rewarded.

20:39Ben Meiselas:Russia's getting rewarded. And by the way, the president of Iran is like the message of the president and the people of Russia are a source of encouragement for us on these historic days. Today, thanks to the resistance of the Iranian people, past relations in the region have been transformed and new bonds are being formed. The security of East Asia will henceforth be ensured by the countries of the region. On behalf of the people of Iran, I thank the government and the people of Russia. They're just saying it. They're just saying Russia's helping us. I mean, President Zelensky of Ukraine has been showing the US the images that were being used by Russia to target the Saudi Arabian Air Force Base and to target all the other American military assets.

21:29Ben Meiselas:And Zelensky's like, look, when I get my briefings here in Ukraine, we see that Russia is conducting surveillance on all of these American assets, okay? We've been trying to show Trump exactly what the Russians are looking at, because if they're conducting surveillance, they then pass that on to Iran, and Iran and its proxy groups attack those targets. Everyone knows, Zelensky says, the repeated reconnaissance indicates preparations for strikes, with Russia helping Iran. How can sanctions be eased if this is what the Russians are doing? There must be pressure on the aggressor. Russia is the aggressor.

22:11Ben Meiselas:Iran is working with Russia right now. Lifting sanctions is certainly not pressure. It looks strange. Zelensky says sanctions are being lifted while the aggressor is providing intelligence to strike facilities, including those of the countries, the United States that are discussing or who have already lifted the sanctions against Russia? I mean, that's what Zelensky is saying, and he's right. I mean, and again, one of the other points I wanted to talk about is the Russian Duma leaders, their Senate, they were invited by Trump. They were walking around our damn Capitol building last Thursday and Friday.

22:55Ben Meiselas:There's a video of them getting a tour by MAGA Republican Congresswoman, Anna Polina Luna. Watch her give these Russian Duma members a tour. They took photos together and bragged about it. I mean, you can literally see the top Duma members with the MAGA Republican Congress members right here. You've got Anna Polina Luna. You've got Andy Ogles. You've got Eli Crane. I mean, look at all these Republican Congress members. And then they met with the State Department and they said, We've got massive concessions, massive concessions. And by the way, on Friday, freaking Friday, okay, it was a movie, Freaky Friday, on this past Friday, when Donald Trump was giving that weirdo speech at that Miami financial conference, he kept on saying, Cuba's next.

23:44Ben Meiselas:I'm going after Cuba. Cuba's next. And then Russia's like, okay, Donald, sure, Donald. Watch what Donald Trump said here. Cuba's next. Watch what he says. Here, play this clip. Strengths you wouldn't have to use. I built this great military. I said, you'll never have to use it, but sometimes you have to use it. And Cuba's next, by the way, but pretend I didn't say that, please. Pretend I didn't say that. Please, please, please, media, please disregard that statement. Thank you very much. And then Russia's like, whatever. And by the way, Cuba's deputy foreign minister says the country is preparing for the possibility of military aggression.

24:23Ben Meiselas:And you better believe that Russia is helping them. By the way, Russia is probably sending its special forces into Cuba right now to help train the Cubans and show the teachings of what's going on in Iran. I don't have to even see what our intelligence is. I know that's happening. It's common sense that that's what's taking place. And now that's right off the coast of Florida. I mean, this is not being reported really anywhere with the kind of moral clarity of what Zelensky is saying, which is Trump has lifted the sanctions on Russia while Russia helps Iran kill Americans and destroy American military bases.

24:59Ben Meiselas:And the Russians are in Washington, D.C., meeting with the State Department and Republican Congress members when the Russians wanted to go to Cuba while Donald Trump was acting all tough and strong and saying, nobody beats our blockade. Putin's like, hey, I'm going to just go bypass your blockade. Trump's like, okay, okay. Oh, it sounds good. Again, I don't get how anybody at all can look at this and say, oh, that's Donald Trump. You know, he's strong unless you love Putin. Like at the end of the day, if you're a big Putin fan or you generally root against the United States, like that's the only way you can possibly be applauding what Trump is doing, because it's the most weak and pathetic thing ever.

25:35Ben Meiselas:And I'm just speaking objectively. Final. My glasses are going everywhere. final, final point I want to make. I know I showed you a video of March 17th and then February, and then we went back. I'll show you a video from Marco Rubio. When was this? In the past 48 hours when Marco Rubio, as Ryan Grimm says, the number of obvious lies in this from Rubio suggest he's feeling actual pressure. This was before it was announced that Trump was going to let the Russians get into Cuba. And Marco Rubio claims Cuba wants oil for free and the U.S. isn't blocking it. And that that's really the issue, that the whole issue here is that Cuba wants free oil, that there's really no blockade at all, and that if anybody wanted to give free oil, they could do it.