Rodríguez Castro: Cuba’s back-channel power broker pushing for a US reset

USA TODAY profiles Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Raul Castro’s eldest grandson and a powerful, unofficial operator known as 'El Cangrejo.' Raised in the revolutionary inner circle, he wields influence via GAESA, argues he can broker a deal with the United States and has sought back-channel diplomacy with the Trump administration, including private meetings and a thwarted letter. He envisions an economically open Cuba while insisting he remains aligned with Cuba’s revolution, but his real authority and the path to a political transition remain uncertain within Cuba’s collective leadership.