U.S. Cutting Embassy Staff In Cuba In Wake Of Health Attacks

>>> WE WANT TO BRING YOU SOME NEW REPORTING OUT JUST THIS
MORNING FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ON THIS BIZARRE DEEPENING
INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY
MULTIPLE U.S. AGENT SIS. REMEMBER THE STATE DEPARTMENT?
IT CONFIRMED IN AUGUST THAT A NUMBER OF AMERICAN DIPLOMATS
WORKING IN CUBA WERE HAVING THIS REALLY WIDE RANGE OF STRANGE
MEDICAL SYMPTOMS. THE CAUSE?
NOBODY KNOWS. WE DO KNOW THAT ALL OF THIS
STARTED IN LATE 2016. AND OFFICIALS AT THE HIGHEST
LEVEL OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT SAY CUBA IS NOT BEHIND THESE
INCIDENTS OR THESE ATTACKS. AND TODAY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAS NEW DETAILS ON HOW THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONDING TO
THIS. JOINING ME NOW IS ONE OF THE
REPORTERS ON THAT STORY. JOSH LEIDERMAN, FRIEND OF THE
SHOW AND FOREIGN POLICY REPORTER FOR THE AP.
SO JOSH, SCOOP FOR YOU GUYS TODAY.
WALK US THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THESE
CUBA -- THIS CUBA INCIDENT? >> MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS
TODAY. THE U.S. IS GOING TO DRIVE DOWN
MORE THAN HALF OF THE EMBASSY IN HAVANA.
WE DO NOT THINK TOURISTS AND TRAVELERS SHOULD GO TO CUBA.
I IT MAY NOT BE SAFE. SO FAR NO CASES OF TOURISTS
BEING HIT BY THE MYSTERIOUS HEALTH ATTACKS.
BUT OUR DIPLOMATS HAVE BEEN HIT IN HOTELS IN HAVANA IF YOU
TRAVEL AS A TOURIST WE CAN'T SAY YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAFE.
>> 21 DIPLOMATS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY WHATEVER THIS IS.
WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT, IT WAS SONIC ATTACKS.
LIKE HEADACHES AND HEARING LOSS. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
HEARING LOSS. WE LEARNED ABOUT EVEN MORE
EXTREME SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES. CONCUSSIONS.
PEOPLE HAVING PROBLEMS CONCENTRAING AND OTHER
COGNITIVE ISSUE ZBLPS THE DIPLOMATS ARE BEING WITHDRAWN
FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY AT THIS POINT.
IT'S NOT A PUNISHMENT. IT SEEMS AT THIS POINT TO CUBA
BECAUSE THE STATE DEPARTMENT DOES NOT KNOW WHO'S BEHIND IT.
>> THEY'RE SAYING IN OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAVE A
NATURAL DISASTER OR PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, WE PULL OUT OUR
STAFF TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE. >> I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT
THE SPOKESPERSON HAD TO SAY. THIS HAS COME UP.
THIS HAS COME UP QUITE A BIT. AND HERE IS WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT
SECRETARY TILLERSON'S REVIEW OF ALL THIS.
>> THE SECRETARY CONTINUED TO EXPRESS HIS PROFOUND CONCERN FOR
AMERICANS WHO ARE EMPLOYED BY THE U.S. EMBASSY IN HAVANA.
THE U.S. SECRETARY IS REVIEWING ALL OF HIS OPTIONS.
WE ARE REVIEWING HOW TO BEST PROTECT OUR AMERICAN PERSONNEL.
>> AND IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THIS WITHDRAW IS HOW THE STATE
DEPARTMENT HAS DETERMINED TO DO THAT.
>> AND A WARNING TO TOURISTS NOT TO GO TO CUBA.
WELL, TOURISM IS A BIG PART OF CUBA'S ECONOMY NOW.
THE DOOR OPENING TO AMERICAN TOURISTS WAS A BIG DEAL.
SO IF PEOPLE WERE TO CHANGE THEIR TRAVEL PLANS, THAT COULD
BE BIG. >> NBC NEWS HAS NOT CONFIRMED
YOUR REPORTING AT THE AP, BUT IF IT TURNS OUT AS THEY'RE LOOKING
INTO WHO'S BEHIND THIS THAT CUBA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE, ISN'T THAT
PRETTY OMINOUS? >> IT'S REALLY CONCERNS.
I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE EXPELLING
CUBAN DIPLOMATS FROM THE U.S. WE DID THAT -- TWO OF THEM IN
MAY. WE'RE A LONG WAY FROM 2015 WHEN
RAUL CASTRO AND OBAMA, YOU KNOW, OPENED THE DOOR TO THESE TWO
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSHIPS. >> HE MAKES A REALLY GOOD POINT.
THIS IS -- THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF HOPE FOR THE FACT THE U.S.
WAS MAKING PROGRESS WITH CUBA. 50 YEARS OF PROBLEMS STARTING TO
FADE. AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE
BARELY A SKELETON STAFF AT THE EMBASSY.
A BIG KNOCK TOWARD THE CUBAN ECONOMY.
THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY DIFFICULT.
>> WHAT IS THE STATE DEPARTMENT DOING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHO
IS ACTUALLY BEHIND THIS? HOW DO THEY SLEUTH THIS OUT?
>> THERE'S BEEN A MASSIVE INVESTIGATION GOING ON FOR CLOSE
TO A YEAR NOW. THE FBI HAS GONE DOWN TO HAVANA.
HAS THE MOUNTIES BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN CANADIAN DIPLOMATS
HIT. THEY BROUGHT IN PUBLIC HEALTH
AGENCIES. ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.
AND THEY HAVE NOT FOUND OUT WHAT DID THIS OR WHO DID THIS.
>> THAT IS SO STRANGE. >> IT'S BIZARRE.
IT'S SCARY. AND FOR OUR
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U.S. Cutting Embassy Staff In Cuba In Wake Of Health Attacks | MSNBC

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