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HAVANA — <\/span>The Trump administration made clear Tuesday that it sees Cuba as the next country where the U.S. can play out its desires on the world stage. <\/p>\n A day after Cuba’s third nationwide blackout in four months as the socialist island’s economy suffers under U.S. sanctions, President Donald Trump said, \u201cCuba right now is in very bad shape.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAnd we\u2019ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,\u201d the president added.<\/p>\n The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel<\/a> to leave as the U.S. continues negotiating with the Cuban government, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of talks between Washington and Havana. No detail has been offered about who the administration might like to see come to power.<\/p>\n Many Cubans do not believe that D\u00edaz-Canel holds much power in Cuba, anyway, as opposed to revolutionary founding father Ra\u00fal Castro and his family. <\/p>\n Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some homes Tuesday afternoon, but officials warned that the crumbling power network could fail again.<\/p>\n The government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned<\/a> of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. <\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the island \u201chas an economy that doesn\u2019t work in a political and governmental system. They can\u2019t fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n A Cuban official said Monday that Cuba is open to trading with U.S. companies, but such promises have been made before. <\/p>\n \u201cSo they have to change dramatically,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cWhat they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It\u2019s not going to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trump administration is also demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also raised the possibility of a \u201cfriendly takeover of Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn\u2019t been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble.<\/p>\n Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the island had restored the electrical system in the western town of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern province of Holguin and that some \u201cmicrosystems\u201d were beginning to operate in various territories.<\/p>\n State-owned media reported that by late Monday power had been restored to 5% of residents in the capital, Havana, representing some 42,000 customers.<\/p>\n The city’s residents are concerned about food spoiling and simply trying to maneuver in homes with no lighting. <\/p>\n \u201cThe power outages are driving me crazy,\u201d said 48-year-old Dalba Obiedo. \u201cLast night I fell down a 27-step staircase. Now I have to have surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.\u201d<\/p>\n Havana resident Tom\u00e1s David Vel\u00e1zquez Felipe, 61, said the relentless outages make him think that Cubans who can should just pack up and leave the island. \u201cWhat little we have to eat spoils,\u201d he said. \u201cOur people are too old to keep suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n ____<\/p>\n Seung Min Kim and Aamer Madhani contributed from Washington. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n