Is Trump about to invade Cuba?

GZERO Staff

May 21, 2026

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Is Cuba next?

Yesterday the Trump administration indicted Raúl Castro.

Now the question—in Washington as much as Havana—is if Trump is preparing another regime change campaign in the Caribbean. But he’d do well to remember that Cuba is not Venezuela, says Eurasia Group’s Latin America expert Risa Grais-Targow.

cubatrumpraul castrothe debrief

Max Larkin

Harvard Staff Writer

May 26, 2026 5 min read

Phi Beta Kappa speakers urge Harvard grads to build character 

Part of theCommencement 2026 series

A collection of features and graduate profiles covering Harvard’s 375th Commencement.

Sanders Theatre swelled with poetry and music, orations and awards on Tuesday morning, at the unofficial kickoff to Commencement week.

These were the 234th literary exercises of the University’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, inaugurating Harvard College’s top-performing juniors and seniors into one of the nation’s oldest academic societies.

But the celebrations were cut liberally with injunctions and warnings — sometimes stern — about the great responsibilities that fall upon new chapter members, half of whom are poised to graduate on Thursday.

The intellect and drive of these students are not in question: The chapter admits, at most, only one in 10 undergraduates based on their academic performance. But throughout the 90-minute program, speakers insisted that, on their own, intellect and drive are not enough — for responsible citizenship, or even for a meaningful life.

The chapter’s new members were enjoined to keep, and cultivate, their intellectual courage, in an opening invocation by the Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, the Pusey Minister, and by Meghan O’Rourke, the exercises’ poet. 

Potts’ invocation followed on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous address at the 1837 exercises. “The scholar’s basic task is a form of bravery,” Potts said. “The scholar turns toward danger, and by taking courage to comprehend that danger, defies it.”

O’Rourke — herself a PBK graduate of Yale, and now a professor and editor on that campus — noted that as she joined the society ahead of graduation, she felt “proud to have done what was asked of me, and done it well.” 

The difficult part comes next, she said, as each young person figures out “what you are going to ask of yourself.” 

It is frightening work, she said, drawing upon the tradition of James Baldwin, who was a teenage preacher long before he was a writer. 

Baldwin came to see the two roles as almost antithetical, she noted: “‘When you are standing in the pulpit, you must sound as if you know what you’re talking about. When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something that you don’t know … [even] what you don’t want to know.’”

O’Rourke read three poems, the last of them a recently finished reflection on holding her young son in the predawn hours: “Did You Use Your Time?”

It was long in coming, she said, begun in the immediate aftermath of mass killings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. 

My son’s skin, water-soft, is still unmarked
And he holds a bear in his left hand
And looking at it, he says,
“I love you, Mr. Bear.”
And what can I say?
I can’t say, “The love you have for animals
Doesn’t stop you from eating them.”
We have already compromised you.
There is everything you can do
And nothing to do, and everything to do.
And when you are old …
To whom will you tell 
How much you loved the world?

Then came the formal address, delivered by President Emeritus Larry Bacow. As he looked over the crowd of mortar-boarded students, Bacow smiled and said: “You are some of the most ambitious people in the world.

“I don’t say that as a criticism. Ambition is not a vice; it is in many ways what brought you here, not just to Harvard, but here, today, to Phi Beta Kappa.” Bacow added. (He was himself part of MIT’s inaugural PBK class in 1972.) 

“But there’s a version of ambition [that] curdles into something else: an ambition that is never satisfied, that treats every achievement as merely a platform for the next one,” he said.

At times, Bacow — an economist and administrator, a lifelong student of institutions — sounded despairing about the current political moment. 

Things he thought of as sources of consensus — like truth and universal human dignity, kindness and the rule of law — are “not as secure as we once believed.”

Bacow’s talk turned on the teachings of Simeon ben Zoma, a second-century Talmudic sage, who sought to overturn the commonplace understandings of power and achievement of his time.

“Who is wise?” ben Zoma asked. “One who learns from all people. Who is wealthy? One who rejoices in his portion.”

The powerful, ben Zoma found in turn, are those who “exercise self-control.” 

It was that teaching that Bacow wanted to stress, given the moment. 

The class of 2026, who came to Harvard amid the most profound disruptions associated with the pandemic, will leave campus with war raging in the Middle East, and as AI begins an unpredictable upheaval of the human intellectual enterprise as it has played out for millennia.

In remarks aimed — though never by name — at some among the nation’s ruling class, Bacow said, “We are surrounded by people who have confused the ability to compel others with genuine strength.”

Self-control, then, Bacow said, is not just a private virtue but a public duty — critical to finding remedies for our most urgent crises.

“Your election to Phi Beta Kappa tells us something about your minds. What you do next will tell us about your character,” Bacow said. “The world does not need you to be merely clever. It needs you to be good.”

The Cradle

@TheCradleMedia

Iranian president says economic resilience is the primary battle against the US and Israel —— Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced on Wednesday that the ongoing battle with the US and Israel has shifted away from direct military confrontation, designating the domestic economy as the primary battleground. In statements carried by Tasnim news agency, Pezeshkian asserted that western adversaries, having failed to secure their objectives through military force, are now deliberately targeting Iran’s economic stability and the livelihoods of its citizens. The shift highlights a coordinated strategy by the US and Israel to cripple Tehran’s financial foundations through persistent economic containment. Addressing members of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, the president called for a robust mobilization of the private sector to fortify the country’s economic baseline against external shocks. Pezeshkian emphasized that expanding private industry and maximizing domestic production are essential prerequisites to projecting national power and resisting foreign threats. The administration’s focus underscores a broader state effort to transition toward a sanctions-resistant model capable of sustaining the country’s regional alignment despite severe financial blockades. This economic focus arrives as Iran navigates highly sensitive ceasefire negotiations aimed at securing relief from western sanctions and restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ireland. Asbestos in apartment blocks. Expensive work do the Government give any grants

Thought for 52s

No, the Irish Government does not provide dedicated grants specifically for asbestos removal in residential apartment blocks (or other private homes). This has been consistently confirmed in parliamentary answers over many years (including as recently as 2022), and current official sources and specialist sites state there is still no targeted asbestos remediation grant scheme for residential properties.

reddit.com Asbestos removal in homes is treated as a private responsibility. It must be carried out safely by licensed specialists due to strict health and safety rules.

Limited Indirect Options Where Asbestos Removal Might Be Supported

In specific situations, costs can sometimes be included as part of other grants:

1. Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (VPRG / Croí Cónaithe) — Most relevant option
   • Up to €50,000 for refurbishing a vacant property (or €70,000 if it qualifies as derelict).
   • The property must have been vacant for at least 2 years and built before 2008.
   • Asbestos removal is eligible under the category “Demolition work and site clearances, including removing hazardous materials.”
   • It can apply to individual houses or apartments meeting the criteria (including some conversions of vacant buildings into apartments).
   • Not typically suitable for occupied apartment blocks or common areas in a multi-unit development — it is aimed at bringing vacant properties back into use.
   • Apply through your local authority. You need proof of vacancy/ownership, quotes, and usually a Refurbishment/Demolition Asbestos Survey (RDAS). Works must be approved before starting.
2. Apartment & Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme (Interim scheme running; full statutory scheme in development)
   • Covers apartments and duplexes built 1991–2013 with specific fire safety, structural safety, or water ingress defects caused by poor construction.
   • Grants can cover eligible remediation works (potentially a high percentage or 100% under the full scheme).
   • Asbestos is not a covered defect on its own. However, if asbestos removal is necessary as part of fixing one of the eligible defects (e.g. during structural or fire safety works), it may be included in the funded costs.
   • Many buildings are affected and waiting times have been long. Check eligibility via the Housing Agency if your block has qualifying defects.
3. SEAI Solar Grants (limited context)
   • If you are removing asbestos roofing specifically to install solar panels, domestic homeowners may receive support of up to around €1,800 towards the asbestos removal costs as part of the solar project.
   • Not available for general asbestos removal.

Important Practical Advice for Apartment Blocks

• Apartment blocks are usually managed by an Owners’ Management Company (OMC) or agent. Asbestos issues in common areas are typically funded through the sinking fund or a special levy voted on by owners. There is no automatic government grant to cover this.
• Never disturb or remove asbestos yourself — it is illegal for non-licensed persons and extremely dangerous. It must be done by competent, licensed contractors (check the Health and Safety Authority register).
• Start with a professional asbestos survey (management survey or refurbishment/demolition survey) by a specialist company. This identifies what is present and whether it needs removal or can be safely managed in place.
• Proper removal involves licensed contractors, containment, specialist waste handling, and disposal (Ireland has no dedicated asbestos landfill, so it involves licensed transfer stations and often export).

Who to Contact

• Local authority — For VPRG applications, environmental health advice, or general queries.
• Health and Safety Authority (HSA) — Asbestos regulations, licensed contractors, and workplace/home work rules.
• Housing Agency — Information on the Apartment & Duplex Defects Remediation Scheme.
• Citizens Information or your local Citizens Information Centre — For grant details and forms.
• Specialist asbestos surveyors/contractors for quotes and surveys.

Bottom line: For most occupied apartment blocks, owners will have to fund asbestos work themselves (or via the OMC). The main possible supports are the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (only if vacant) or incidental coverage under the defects remediation scheme (only if your block has qualifying construction defects). Check directly with your local authority and/or the Housing Agency with details of your specific situation, as eligibility depends on the property’s status. Schemes and rules can be updated, so official sources are best. If you provide more details (e.g. whether the apartments are vacant, build year, or if there are known defects), I can help narrow it down further.

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Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant eligibility

Apartment Defects Remediation Scheme