From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Kidrow-F. This is the Daily.

For more than six decades, the United States has tried and failed to topple the regime in Cuba.

But after ousting Cuba's closest ally, Nicholas Maduro,

and pushing the country into dire economic crisis,

the Trump administration is closer than ever

to forcing radical change on the island.

Today, my colleagues Francis Robles and Michael Crowley

on how this latest escalation is pushing Cuba to the brink

and whether this time, finally, the U.S. government will get what it wants.

It's Tuesday, February 17th.

Frenchie, it's wonderful to have you here on the daily.

Thanks for having me.

So I think it's fair to say you are the New York Times Cuba Whisperer. You've been covering Cuba for how long? Decades. Decades. I actually looked it up today.

I wanted to see what was my first article about Cuba. And it was the summer of 1993.

Wow.

So you obviously have seen this country go through crisis after crisis in that time.

But I think there is something about this moment that feels different,

at least for me looking at what's playing out on the island. Does that feel

right to you? A hundred percent. I interviewed an economist who told me a funny joke that says,

how come Cubans have such short index fingers? Well, I don't know why. Well, it's from banging their

finger on the table for years saying, next year we'll be having roast pork in Havana at Christmas.

They've been saying this for 60 years,

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