Castro Reign Ends
No Bull With Raging Robert.
Raúl Castro announced his resignation as head of the Communist Party of Cuba Friday, stepping down as the de facto leader of the country. The 89-year-old politician made public his decision at a speech Friday opening the eighth session of the party’s congress.
The news marks the end of more than six decades of rule by Raúl and his brother Fidel, who took power following the 1959 revolution (see timeline). While a successor was not immediately identified, observers believe Miguel Diaz-Canel, who has served as president since 2018, to be the likely candidate. Despite being 60 years old, Diaz-Canel is viewed as a party traditionalist who can appeal to a younger generation of Cubans while favoring a moderate amount of economic opening.
The change comes as Cuba faces one of its worst economic crises in recent history, battling the dual impact of renewed US sanctions and the pandemic. The country’s economy shrank by an estimated 11% last year, and about 16% of the migrants arriving at the US southern border in February were Cubans seeking asylum.
FedEx Shooting
The gunman who went on a rampage in an Indianapolis FedEx facility late last week was a 19-year-old former employee, according to new details released by authorities. Eight people were killed in the attack, with seven others injured; see a list of the victims here.
Reports suggest the gunman, Brandon Scott Hole, used at least a pair of assault rifles that were legally purchased last year. Hole’s family noted he had a history of mental illness, expressing their regret for the attack and noting they had attempted to provide mental services to their son. Police officials say they confiscated a shotgun from Hole during a mental health call last March.
Hole died by suicide at the scene before police arrived — no motive has been identified as of this morning.
Separately, a search is underway in Austin, Texas, for a suspect who shot and killed three people yesterday.
‘Hoping for a Miracle’
The US Coast Guard recovered two more bodies over the weekend from a lift boat that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico earlier last week. Six people were initially rescued from the vessel, with almost a dozen missing, which was supporting underwater oil and gas operations in the region. The accident is one of the worst maritime disasters in the Gulf in recent memory.
The boat, also known as a jack-up rig due to its extendable legs that can reach the seafloor, flipped over amid stormy weather with wind gusts nearly equivalent to a hurricane (see a video of conditions from a different ship). Families of the deceased criticized the company for operating during the line of storms. Four bodies have been recovered so far.
Officials are still attempting to enter the ship in the hope that any potential survivors have found air pockets within the upturned vessel.
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LIKE BUYING NETFLIX IN 2007?
What do Netflix and an internet company 1/50th the size of Google have in common? Well, for starters, they’re both smaller than Google (ha!). But they also both have a special connection with our pals, Tom and David Gardner.
The Gardner brothers founded The Motley Fool back in 1993, and every month since then, Tom and David have searched far and wide with their independent teams to release their most promising stock picks. Because these teams work independently of each other, their picks are — more often than not — very different. But every once in a while, they’ll arrive at the same recommendation. Which brings us back to Netflix. Back in 2007, both Tom and David recommended the little-known DVD-subscription site, and returns have been a whopping 19,566%. In fact, their teams have only arrived at the same pick 28 times in the entire history of The Motley Fool, with average returns of 1,486%.
And recently, Tom and David arrived at another pick independently. Like we hinted at, it’s a small internet company roughly 1/50th the size of Google, with massive potential to grow within the entertainment advertising space. Motley Fool Stock Advisor members can check out the report for free — sign up now.
Returns as of 4/15/21
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IN THE KNOW
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> Founding member of the Oath Keepers, a collection of antigovernment militia groups, becomes the first defendant to plead guilty in connection with the Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol; Jon Ryan Schaffer to cooperate with prosecutors (More) | Officials say Schaffer stashed weapons in hotel anticipating violence (More)
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
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