Secretary of State Marco Rubio

The federal trial of a former Miami congressman accused of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's government during the first Trump administration begins Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to testify over his interactions with his old friend.

The rally comes at a time when President Trump and top administration officials have been pressing for dramatic change in Cuba and an end to its communist government.

The Associated Press was given access to Cuban military officials and shown the items displayed at the headquarters of the former Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ahead of a program that showed them to the public for the first time.

A stolen boat, with 10 people aboard, loaded with weapons, departs the Florida Keys but gunfire erupts before reaching Cuba. The explanation, according to the Cuban government, is the men aboard were terrorists who wanted to infiltrate the country.

Word from the Cuban government of a deadly encounter between its troops and a boat carrying armed expatriates is casting a spotlight on Cubans living in the U.S. who still harbor aspirations of a counter-revolution 67 years after a guerrilla uprising ushered in communism.

Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism. U.S. officials said they are reviewing the incident.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has used public comments and private briefings to lawmakers to tone down bombastic remarks from the president and other top officials even as he offers a full-throated defense of Trump’s more audacious plans.

Military officials, diplomats and analysts say a main purpose of the force is to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, as top figures in the Trump administration call him an illegitimate leader and accuse him of directing the actions of criminal gangs and drug cartels.

As part of its crackdown on immigration, the U.S. State Department announced that it would start requiring travelers from certain countries to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, said Friday that she and more than 30 congressional colleagues signed a letter with their recommendations to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

Over 260 people were released from prisons in El Salvador and Venezuela. Now they face the challenge of coming home.

The Trump administration has taken a harder line against Cuba's government than the Biden administration.