Secret talks, a firefight off Cuba and 72 hours of near silence from Trump

Exactly what unfolded when 10 men got into an open-water firefight with Cuba's military on the island's northern coast Wednesday morning remains unclear — but the Trump administration's muted response points to the potential implications in the high-stakes relationship between Washington and Havana. The timing of the shootout raises questions, falling on a pivotal day for U.S.-Cuba relations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team was holding secret talks Wednesday with Raúl Castro's grandson and right-hand man, Col. Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, about gradually easing crippling U.S. sanctions in exchange for Cuban leaders enacting changes on the island.