What a reporter found when she returned to Cuba after 3 years

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(31 Jan 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Havana, Cuba - 29 January 2026 1. Various of people walking, garbage in street 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dánica Coto, The Associated Press: "Cuba was already in the throes of an economic crisis when the U.S. attacked Venezuela and arrested its president, Nicolas Maduro. As a result, Cubans and some experts say that the island could be facing a potentially catastrophic crisis. This is a result in a halt in oil shipments from Venezuela and now from Mexico." 3. Wide of traffic 4. Woman hanging clothes on balcony 5. People in streets 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dánica Coto, The Associated Press: "U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that Cuba 'is failing' while U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has claimed that the current government is tottering after 67 years of what he called a 'failed revolution'. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the country is backwards. The Cuban government remains defiant, and the Cuban people are going about their business as usual. The slogan, 'Patria o muerte, venceremos', which means, “Homeland or death, we will overcome” still rings true in Cuba." 7. Traffic in streets during power outage ++NIGHT SHOT++ 8. People using flashlights as they walk through streets during power outage ++NIGHT SHOT++ 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dánica Coto, The Associated Press: ++NIGHT SHOT++ "These outages are affecting life every day for Cubans. They are unable to work, they are unable to do their homework, and they are unable to cook. One family in a neighborhood made a makeshift fireplace in front of the building in order to cook their meals and eat every day. Meanwhile, one university student told me that he had to do his homework in the near dark and use a notebook and a pen instead of a computer." 10. People by home using makeshift light during power outage ++NIGHT SHOT++ 11. People walking through street during power outage ++NIGHT SHOT++ STORYLINE: Caribbean correspondent Dánica Coto returned to Cuba in late January, more than three years after her last visit to the island. The landscape and lives in Cuba are now very different, and more changes are anticipated since the fallout of the U.S. attack on Venezuela, Cuba’s strongest ally, has yet to be fully felt. This is an interview of Coto with Associated Press editor Laura Martínez. How has Cuba changed from when you last visited? I’m struck by the amount of garbage piling up in corners at popular tourist spots, and by the occasional Cuban wearing neatly pressed clothes rummaging through it. I observed one clean-cut man step into a pile of soggy rubbish, grab a small plastic container, fish for its lid and walk away with his find. Fuel is hard to come by, and equipment including tractors and garbage trucks are breaking down, with crews unable to find the necessary spare parts. I’ve also noticed that Havana’s beautiful architecture is crumbling more than ever. Once bright facades ranging from baroque to art nouveau are slowly being reduced to rubble in some areas. At nighttime, the skyline is now largely black, with chronic outages, programmed and non-programmed, sinking the capital and beyond into darkness. Alternatively, I was pleasantly surprised to see a handful of dog owners in Havana. I saw Cubans waking up early to walk well-cared for dogs, with the smaller ones sporting T-shirts to protect them from a cold snap in late January. What has struck you the most? Meanwhile, it’s not uncommon for office buildings in Havana to lack toilet paper and for water to be cut by mid-afternoon. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1f2a49e1d727414eb4afcd3b6e200570