In a stunning development, Cuban leader Fidel Castro temporarily ceded presidential power to brother Raul Castro due to 'an intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding' that required 'complicated surgery,' according to a letter read Monday night on Cuban television. The letter, reportedly signed by the Cuban leader at 6:22 p.m. EDT and announced after 9 p.m., said that Castro was assigning his top duties to his brother because Cuba is 'threatened by the United States government.' It is the first time that Castro is known to have ceded power, even temporarily, since he seized control of Cuba on Jan. 1, 1959. His regime, one of the most brutally repressive of modern times, also stood as one of the most enduring. (Kansas City Star ^[1], Tuesday)

Will the Cubans finally demand their freedom?

FEE Timely Classic
La Lucha: The Human Cost of Economic Repression in Cuba ^[2] by Patricia Linderman