{
  "id": 15000933,
  "title": "U.S. embargo, sanctions on Cuba impacting power, access to medicine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/u-s-embargo-sanctions-on-cuba-impacting-power-access-to-medicine",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T17:03:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-embargo-sanctions-cuba-power-medicine/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Havana, Cuba - Cubans are grappling with frequent power outages and limited access to essential medicines due to the stringent U.S. embargo and sanctions imposed on their Communist government. The Trump administration's aim is to dismantle Cuba's regime, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasizing that the economic campaign is designed to make the government feel trapped, a sentiment echoed by those living in Cuba. A complete U.S. embargo on oil imports has left Cuba's electrical grid in a precarious state, with most regions, including Havana, receiving only a few hours of electricity daily, often less than that. This energy crisis has driven up the cost of basic goods, causing significant strain on the population.\n\nThe collapsing infrastructure, coupled with the power outages, has resulted in skyrocketing prices for essential items. Parents queue up at a children's hospital, but doctors from Cuba's once-prestigious health system report that they can no longer obtain critical, life-saving drugs for pediatric patients. Some have resorted to free community-run pharmacies, while others turn to illicit black-market vendors. Retiree Sara Emilia Marquez shared her experience of receiving prescriptions only once every three months, if at all, and how others have resorted to buying from street vendors.\n\nThe Trump administration has intensified its pressure campaign against Cuba in recent months, imposing new sanctions on the state-run bank on Thursday, alleging ties to Iran. Cuba's foreign minister insists the bank is legitimate and deems the move as collective punishment. For about two-thirds of Cubans employed by state entities, the sanctions have created additional hurdles in securing income. Pensioners often wait in long lines to collect their government wages, with some admitting to going hungry. At a bread line in an upscale neighborhood of Havana, a woman was purchasing several loaves for herself and friends, remarking on how bread prices have risen tenfold this year. Despite the government's monthly salary being less than $20, she struggles to make her baguette last for more than two days.\n\nCuba has implemented a series of economic reforms to stimulate the private sector, but leaders have firmly stated that political reform is not on the agenda. While they have expressed willingness to negotiate with the U.S. government, current talks seem to be stalled.",
  "summary": "Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the campaign is engineered to make the government feel like there are no escape valves, which is how people in Cuba describe feeling.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Life in Cuba worsens amid U.S. sanctions and electrical grid chaos",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/life-in-cuba-worsens-amid-u-s-sanctions-and-electrical-grid-chaos",
        "published": "2026-10-16T14:45:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}