Marco Rubio is Now Targeting Activists in the U.S. Who Support Cuba

Imagine a big school where the principal (the U.S. government) is pointing fingers at some kids (activists) and saying they are troublemakers because they are friends with another school (Cuba). Let’s break down what is happening in a super simple way.

What Started This Story?

A news site called Breitbart News wrote a story. Breitbart is a conservative (right-leaning) media outlet that is very popular with the MAGA movement (a political group that supports Donald Trump). The U.S. State Department (the team that handles relationships with other countries) shared that story.

The story says that activists like:

• Medea Benjamin (from a group called Code Pink)
• Manolo de los Santos (leader of The People’s Forum)

are spreading “leftist agitation in the United States” (that just means they are pushing for left-wing ideas) with help from the Cuban government.

Important Point: A day before this, Donald Trump (the U.S. president) said again—without proof—that Cuba might have drones (flying robots used for spying or attacking) from Iran (a country in the Middle East).

The State Department’s Planned Report

The State Department told Breitbart that soon they will release a report about “close ties” between:

• The “Cuban communist dynasty of Castro” (Cuba’s leaders from the Castro family)
• “The radical left” in the United States (people with far-left political views)

An official said:

“The report concludes that, for nearly seven decades, the Cuban regime has played an indispensable role in virtually every major far-left insurgencies, revolutions, and militant movement in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.”
(Translation for kids: For almost 70 years, Cuba has been a big helper in left-wing uprisings and movements across the Americas and the world.)

The report also names Medea Benjamin and Manolo de los Santos as part of this.

A Busy Week in Washington

This all happens in a week where:

• Washington attacked the International Criminal Court (a global court for serious crimes)
• Trump accused Cuba of having Iranian drones (with zero evidence)
• It sets the stage for a meeting on July 16 at the State Department about “transnational far-left terrorism” (far-left violence across borders)

Marco Rubio’s Summit Against “Far-Left Terrorism”

Marco Rubio (the head of the State Department) invited about 60 countries to a meeting in Washington on Thursday. He calls it a summit against “transnational far-left terrorism.”

This is the third try:

1. First meeting – Late May in The Hague (a city in the Netherlands). It was for counterterrorism officials, not top leaders. The Dutch government said “no thanks” to co-hosting, so it was at the U.S. embassy. Mostly European reps came. Many said they didn’t agree with the U.S. that this threat is big.
2. Second meeting – Early June at the U.S. Institute of Peace. A seminar for State Department staff to convince them to make “far-left terrorism” a priority. Hardly anyone showed up; they even emailed more people mid-event to come.
3. Third try – Mid-June, Rubio sent a cable (a formal message) to 20+ U.S. embassies (in Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Albania, etc.) asking for info on far-left groups. Embassies replied, but none fully agreed with Washington.

The “Antifa Hunt”

In recent weeks, Trump and Rubio have been criticizing “communism” (a system where the government owns stuff) and using that word for people like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and some Democratic lawmakers (they say these folks are backed by immigrants).

• The Trump team has charged protesters (people who march against anti-immigrant rules) with domestic terrorism (terrorism inside the country).
• A Texas court gave one protester a 100-year prison sentence for clashing with police over immigrant policies, saying they were linked to “antifa.”

Important Point: “Antifa” means “antifascist.” It is NOT one big group. It is a loose collection of small groups with no single leader. But last September, the White House (Trump’s team) called Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” by executive order (a president’s command). In November, they labeled four European groups as terrorists too, putting them in the same bucket as Al Qaeda or a drug cartel.

Sebastian Gorka (a top counterterrorism official) talked about tying Antifa to foreign terrorist groups.

The Breitbart Version (What They Claim)

Breitbart is seen as the media voice of the Alt-Right (a mix of white supremacists and ultranationalists; Steve Bannon is a known face). The State Department shared their article, which says:

• Cuba supports “Marxist causes” (ideas from Karl Marx about workers owning things) in the U.S.
• Cuba is friends with prominent Democrats and left-wing agitators.
• In March, a “freedom convoy to Cuba” (a trip with aid) was really just anti-Israel fun; they say travelers (including Code Pink and a gamer named Hasan Piker) made hungry kids dance for cookies.

They highlight:

• Medea Benjamin: founded Code Pink, backed the “Free the Cuban Five” campaign (to free spies).
• Code Pink gets money from Neville Roy Singham (a billionaire in China). A book called Blood Money says he funds U.S. leftist agitation.
• After funding, Code Pink became aligned with China and anti-U.S. states.
• Singham’s big gift is to The People’s Forum (led by Manolo de los Santos, a Cuba fan). They say it links to a Columbia University building takeover in 2024 after an attack in Israel.

Before That: The “Iranian Drones” Claim

On Monday, Trump said the U.S. is checking if Cuba has Iranian military drones and threatened to “act swiftly.” A reporter asked if he’d invade Cuba; he said “If they have them, we’ll take care of it.”

Back on May 17, Axios (a leak-based news site) said Cuba got 300+ drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, and some talked of hitting U.S. sites. But those same officials said the drones were not for that, and no attack prep was seen.

Image credit: Activist Manolo de los Santos in Cuba. Photo @manolo_realengo.
Source: www.cubainformacion.tv

Summary

To sum it all up like a bedtime story:

• The U.S. State Department shared a Breitbart article saying Cuba helps U.S. left-wing activists like Medea Benjamin and Manolo de los Santos.
• Marco Rubio is hosting a 60-country summit on “far-left terrorism” after two failed tries.
• Trump and team are going after Antifa (a leaderless movement) as terrorists and gave huge prison sentences to protesters.
• Trump also claimed Cuba has Iranian drones with no proof.
• All of this is based on reports from conservative media and leaks, with many other countries disagreeing.

FAQ

1. What is Antifa?
Antifa means “antifascist.” It is not a single club with a boss. It is many small groups who hate fascism (a strict, cruel government style) and have no central leader.

2. Who is Marco Rubio?
He is the head of the U.S. State Department (the country’s top diplomat) under President Trump, and he is organizing the summit against left-wing groups.

3. Did Cuba really send drones to attack the U.S.?
No evidence shows that. Trump said he is “investigating,” but officials quoted in Axios said there were no plans for attacks and no proof of imminent threat.

4. Why does this matter to regular people?
Because the government is using these claims to label protesters as terrorists and give long jail times, which can affect free speech and activism in the U.S.

5. What is Breitbart News?
It is a conservative website that is very pro-MAGA and Alt-Right, and its stories are being used by the State Department to support these claims.