Transcript of Cuba Latest, Louisiana Primary, World Cup Travel

2026 crawfish races.

Here we go.

It is down to the wire today in Louisiana, but not for the crawfish.

It's primary day for an embattled U.S. senator. I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

And I'm Alyssa Nadworny. And this is Up First from NPR News.

The voting today is yet another test of President Trump's hold on the Republican Party. We take a look at who's on the ballot.

Also, protests in Havana and empty oil reserves. We have the latest on Cuba.

And World Cup fans confront U.S. travel bans. We've got FIFA and visas today on the podcast.

So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend.

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First up today, Cuba.

This week, the island ran out of oil, causing massive blackouts across the country and a night of protests. Havana also got a visit from the CIA director.

He was there for negotiations, starting with a tough choice for Cuba's leaders: change, or the U.S. will act. NPR international correspondent Ader Peralta is following it all and joins us now. Good morning, Ader.

Hey, good morning, Alyssa.

So let's start with more details from what looks like a week with a lot going on in Cuba.

Yeah, I mean, we're reaching summer there, so it's really hot. And it so happens that the lights went off for more than 24 hours this week. So on Wednesday, very unhappy people took to the streets of Havana. They banged on pots and pans demanding that the government turn the lights back on. And the government didn't offer much hope. The country's energy minister, Vicente de la Olevi, came on TV and said that the 100,000 tons of Russian crude that arrived in April has been used up and that the grid is now operating essentially without reserves. And remember that Cuba has received precious little oil because the U.S. is running a de facto oil blockade. Cuba has been investing in solar power, but the grid is so old, so frail, so lacking in maintenance that it can't handle the voltage fluctuations that happen with solar energy. So that means that the long blackouts that are making that make life miserable on the island are here to stay.

And while all this is happening, the director of the CIA lands in the country.

Yeah, Cuba says that the US asked for a high-level meeting and a delegation headed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe landed in Havana on Thursday. The Cubans say they made it clear that they don't pose a security threat to the US. They say they don't host any foreign military or intelligence bases on the island. The US readout of the visit came out from a CIA official speaking to NPR on condition of anonymity, and that official said that Ratcliffe came with a message for Cuba, and that's that the US wants to, quote, "seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes." I've spoken to Cuban officials, and they have been fairly consistent in saying that they are open to economic reforms on the island. They're even open to US investment, they say, but that they will not, especially not under pressure from the United States, give up their president or change their one-party system, or for that matter, their socialist ideology. I think the question is, whether those things are the changes that the US considers fundamental.

So what? I mean, does this point to a stalemate? Neither side is going to budge?

I think you could read it that way, um, and that's consequential because President Trump has threatened military action. But I had a conversation with Lilian Guerra, a Cuban historian at the University of Florida, and she sees both sides softening. The Vatican, for example, uh, has been instrumental in bridging gaps between the US and Cuba, and It's notable that Secretary of State Marco Rubio met recently with Pope Leo. The US has also offered Cuba $100 million in aid, and Cuba has said they would take it. And importantly, Cuba also released a high-profile prisoner on Thursday. Guerra's read is that the situation is so dire in Cuba that both sides are afraid of an explosion, one that could leave Cuba grappling with a popular uprising, and it could leave the US facing a humanitarian and migrant crisis. I think there's a bit of a desperation, I would say, on all sides, because we've got basically Cuba experiencing a cardiac arrest and everybody keeps trying to treat that with a Band-Aid. And basically what Guerra is saying is that Cuba is at a tipping point and something has to give. And maybe, just maybe, that means a deal between the US and Cuba.

That's NPR's Aider Peralta. Aider, thank you so much.

Thank you, Alyssa.

Now to Louisiana.

Voters there go to the polls today in a primary election testing President Trump's control of his party. Bill Cassidy was one of 7 Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the January 6th insurrection.

Now Cassidy is trying to beat two primary challengers, including one with Trump's endorsement. NPR congressional reporter Sam Greenglass has just returned from the campaign trail and joins us now. Hi, Sam.

Hey there.

So tell us about being on the ground in Louisiana in the lead-up to this election.

Well, there's a lot of confusion right now because of changes to the primary election process. You know, historically, Louisiana's primaries have been open, and that means voters can select either party ballot no matter how they're registered. But that was until state lawmakers moved Louisiana to a closed primary this year, preventing registered Democrats from voting in the Republican primary to help Cassidy. And then separately, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional districts and the state halted the primaries for the House but not the Senate so lawmakers could redraw the map. And so some voters are not sure what elections are on and which ones are off.

So you followed Cassidy and his Trump-backed opponent while all of this chaos over the election was happening. What did you hear?

Yeah, Cassidy's telling voters if they care about the future, not the past, they should vote for him. He says he doesn't know if Trump likes him, but they still work together. And on the trail, Cassidy's been emphasizing the billions of dollars in federal funds he brings home to Louisiana and does not talk much about his vote to convict Trump, though he does nod at his occasional willingness to break with his party.

It takes courage. You're going to get criticized. You got to have some spine and some backbone. But I've proven I've had that.

Cassidy's Trump-endorsed opponent is Congresswoman Julia Letlow. She is a former college administrator who won a special election for the House seat her husband was set to assume before he died of COVID in 2020. Letlow said she had not been planning to run for the Senate.

And then I get a call from the big man, And by that, I don't mean the Lord. I mean President Trump himself.

And he encouraged her to get in the Senate race. I should note, though, there is a third candidate running. That is the hard-right state treasurer, John Fleming.

What did you hear from voters while you were in Louisiana?

I talked to voters across the state, not just at campaign rallies, also at places like an LSU baseball game. I even went to a crawfish festival. And that is where I met Kevin Dupree, who told me Cassidy's vote to convict Trump felt like a betrayal, and he will support any Republican but Cassidy.

I'm the type of person, if you cross me, I probably won't trust you anymore. So I think his political career in Louisiana is finished.

But there are also folks like Kelby Daigle, who chairs the Saint Martin Parish GOP. At the crawfish festival, he told me he has two really unpopular positions. He does not like crawfish and he is voting Cassidy. He worries, though, about what Trump has done to the Republican Party.

Conservatism is about ideas and principles, and they always make it about Trump. What you going to do when he's no longer in the picture?

Well, well, let's dig into that a little bit. I mean, explain more about why this election matters beyond Louisiana.

So, yes, Cassidy voted to convict Trump, but he also cast the crucial vote to advance Robert F. Kennedy's nomination to lead HHS. Despite Cassidy's background as a physician and his concerns about Kennedy's vaccine skepticism, At that LSU baseball game, former Republican Lieutenant Governor Jay Darden told me Cassidy is squeezed in a vise.

He's got a push from both sides. Those who want unqualified fealty to Trump and those who want somebody who will stand up to Trump on the other side. Bill has tried to be both things, and it may wind up costing him.

And it may also mean one less Republican senator open to breaking with Trump at a time when Congress has been more than willing to defer to the president.

Sam, I hear there was a crawfish race at that festival you went to. Which one won?

There were 3 rounds, and there were a bunch of different names. They had all crazy names. They were named by kids, so I'm not sure any of the crawfish would describe it as winning, but for whatever kid won that race, they were very excited.

Okay, good, good, good. NPR congressional reporter Sam Greenglass Sam, thank you so much.

You're welcome. Moving on to Heat 2, we have Princess Pitcher, Adrian Landon, and Blanco Jr.

Finally today, getting or not getting to the World Cup. The start of FIFA's big tournament is less than a month away. 48 national teams will face off in matches in Canada, Mexico, and the US.

The Trump administration's immigration policies, including travel bans, have created concerns. But Washington now seems to be relaxing some restrictions. NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran joins us to explain. Good morning.

Hey, Alisa.

So remind us about this travel ban imposed by President Trump earlier this year.

Well, there are 39 countries who are under either a full or partial travel ban. For 19 of those countries, the State Department has suspended issuing all visas. For the rest, it has partially suspended it. The Trump administration has said they are doing this to, quote, ensure that individuals approved for a visa do not endanger national security or public safety. Now, Elisa, the issue is that 4 countries in those lists are expected to play in the FIFA World Cup and play matches here in the US. I'm talking about Iran and Haiti, who are under the full travel ban, and Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, who are under the partial ban.

Okay, so how does the ban apply to the players and coaches then?

Well, this applies mostly to the people in those countries, the visitors, you know, who are looking to come to the US to see family or attend the games, not the teams. However, in the case of Iran, things are complicated because of the war against that country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iranian players are welcome as long as they have not served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This means that Iran's team captain Mehdi Taremi might not be granted a visa since he completed his mandatory military service in the Guard I talked to Jamal Abdi. He's the president of the National Iranian American Council. He says the ban has created an untenable situation for many Iranians.

It would be really great if Iranians and Iranian Americans could, uh, see one another and the people of our two countries could actually have a venue to celebrate. But we are not even able to have Iranians have basic immigration processing move forward because of that suspension, not to mention the total ban.

Abdi also worries about the threat of violence against Iranian Americans outside of the stadiums.

So what are the implications of these bans on tourism?

Well, we're starting to see how Trump's immigration policies are having an impact on tourism for the World Cup, Elisa. The American Hotel and Lodging Association released a survey earlier this month that found hotel bookings in many host cities are running far below projections, in part because of a perception that international travelers may face lengthy visa wait times, increased visa fees, and lingering uncertainty around entry processing. So the impact could go beyond just people who would be traveling from countries included in the ban. That's what Victor Matheson told me. He is a big soccer fan and a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross.

I think you're going to see a lot of fans from European countries who have been at the butt of President Trump's antagonistic words say, look, I love the World Cup, but you know, maybe I'll sit this one out and save my money for 2030 when the event comes to Spain and Portugal.

Okay, so another barrier from the Trump administration is a visa bond program. So nationals of 50 countries will have to pay up to $15,000. That will be refunded when the person departs the US. Has that changed this week?

Yes, the visa bond posed a huge barrier for people wanting to visit the US. This week though, the Trump administration said the bond will be waived for those who have already purchased a FIFA World Cup ticket, but that might be too late. I mean, by now Buying a plane ticket now can be crazy expensive, especially because of the soaring jet fuel prices.

NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran, thanks.

You're welcome. And that's Up First for Saturday, May 16th, 2026. I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

And I'm Alissa Nadworny. Michael Radcliffe produced today's podcast with help from Fernando Naro and Ryan Bank. Our editor was Ed McNulty, assisted by Hadeel Al Shalchi. DeeDee Skanky, Kelsey Snell, and Jennifer Portman. In the studio today is our director, Andy Craig, and our technical director, David Greenberg, who has engineering support from Simon Laszlo Jansen, Zoe van Genhoven, and Jay Sizz.

Shannon Rhodes is our senior supervising editor. Our executive producer is Evie Stone. Jim Cain is our deputy managing editor.

Tomorrow on The Sunday Story, standing in the way of luxury condos in Lagos, Nigeria.

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