Raúl Castro, younger brother of Fidel, has been synonymous with the Cuban regime that has frustrated and confounded American presidents for decades. Though he stepped back from official duties in 2021, he continues to serve as a symbolic leader and as the general of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. But Castro is ringing in his birthday with an unwelcome present from the US. Late last month, the US Justice Department charged him with murder in connection with the 1996 downing of a civilian aircraft near the Caribbean island. The charges come amid the Trump administration's broader effort this year to squeeze the communist regime through a mix of sanctions and a de facto blockade on its oil shipments.
Hard Numbers
Cuba’s old guard gets even older
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickJune 03, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
