MEXICO CITY — Cuba has begun direct talks with the United States in an effort to solve “bilateral differences” between the two countries, Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel said Friday.

The comments, broadcast nationwide in Cuba, are the first confirmation of bilateral talks between the Trump administration and Cuban government. The U.S. and Cuban governments have been fierce adversaries for almost 70 years, since Fidel Castro’s revolution toppled the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

What exactly the talks are about remains unclear, but the Trump administration — which has choked off oil supplies to the island, triggering a severe energy crisis — has been insisting that Cuba’s communist government must change.

Díaz Canel’s comments were deliberately vague, but clearly indicated that the nation’s energy-driven crisis — and President Trump’s insistence on a change — had brought Havana to the table. He insisted that the “sovereignty and self-determination” of Cuba would be respected.

“The aim of these talks is, in the first place, to identify which are the bilateral problems that need a solution,” Diaz Canel said. “And, on the other hand, find solutions for those problems that have been identified.”

From the perspective of Trump, the principal bilateral “problem” is an entrenched communist bureaucracy that has not adjusted to the modern era.

Cuban officials have long blamed the more than 60-year U.S. trade embargo for its economic woes.

The Cuban announcement comes 13 days after the U.S. attacked Iran and two months after U.S. forces, deployed by Trump, deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime Cuban ally, and brought him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Speculation about a political transition in Havana has centered on a Venezuela-type scenario in which leadership viewed as antagonistic to Washington is somehow sidelined in favor of a Trump-friendly replacement.

Many Cuba-watchers have wondered who among the leadership could possibly emerge as kind of Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president of Venezuela. She has been following Trump’s dictates since the U.S. special forces raid on Caracas captured Maduro and his wife.

Rumors of direct talks between Cuba and the United States have been circulating for months, but neither Washington nor Havana had confirmed the talks until now.

On Tuesday, the Cuban ambassador to the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, told The Times that the Cuban government was “ready to engage with the U.S. on the issues that are important for the bilateral relations, and to talk about those in which we have differences.”

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, have been insistent that the current government must change.

“It may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover,” Trump told Latin American leaders gathered in Florida on Monday.

“It wouldn’t matter because they’re down to, as they say, fumes. They have no energy. They have no money. They’re in deep trouble,” Trump said.

Trump responded to the Cuban leader’s willingness to negotiate on Friday morning by amplifying a news article with the headline: “Cuba confirms talks with Trump officials, raising hopes for US deal.” He posted that on his Truth Social account.

Rolling blackouts, shortages of food and medicine, a lack of gasoline and other shortfalls have become everyday occurrences on the island, home to 10 million. Images of uncollected garbage rotting on Havana’s streets have been broadcast across the globe. A lack of jet fuel has bludgeoned the critical tourism sector.

“The status quo is unsustainable,” Rubio said last month. “Cuba needs to change… And it doesn’t have to be change all at once. It doesn’t have to change from one day to the next.”

In his 90-minute address, Díaz Canel said that discussions with Washington were based on “respect for the political systems of both countries, sovereignty and our government’s self-determination,” suggesting that from Cuba’s perspective, sweeping political changes in the Communist country were not being considered.

Michel Fernandez Perez, vice director of the Florida-based NGO Cuba Proxima, which pushes for democratic change in Cuba, said he believes leaders in Havana will agree to economic and other changes if it allows them to maintain some degree of political power.

Fernandez said most Cuban Americans are hoping for a full democratic transition in Cuba, where a range of political parties would be able to compete in elections, as well as a free market transformation.

But he said his group, at least, would support less sweeping changes as long as they improved the lives of people living on the island.

“If it means that Cubans live in less misery and have more opportunity, we would support that,” he said.

It is impossible to say what will happen in the negotiations, he said, because Trump is so unpredictable.

“It’s hard to predict what the United States wants or will achieve,” he said. “The [Trump] government is not guided by principals or laws, but the whims of the president and his personal desires and interests.”

McDonnell and Linthicum reported from Mexico City and Ceballos from Washington. Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., on Thursday renewed the push for his bill to expand the denaturalization process for people who commit fraud, serious felonies or join terrorist organizations.

Schmitt brought up his legislation, the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act, after a naturalized citizen originally from Lebanon allegedly rammed his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and a naturalized citizen originally from Sierra Leone allegedly opened fire at Old Dominion University in separate incidents on Thursday in the latest violent attacks in the U.S. committed by naturalized citizens.

“After the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans,” Schmitt said on X, referring to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require voters in federal elections to prove citizenship by providing a photo ID and other documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate.

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“We must denaturalize those who shouldn’t be here,” the senator continued.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, was shot and killed by security officers on Thursday after driving through Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit before the vehicle caught on fire, according to authorities.

Ghazali arrived in the U.S. 15 years ago on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and was granted citizenship in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security said.

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Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, served in the Virginia National Guard from 2009 until he received an honorable discharge in 2015. Previously convicted of attempting to offer material support to the Islamic State, Jalloh reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University on Thursday, killing one person and wounding two others. The gunman was also killed.

In another incident earlier this month, a shooting was carried out outside a bar in Austin, Texas, by a naturalized citizen, Ndiaga Diagne, 53, who was born in Senegal, leaving three people dead and more than a dozen wounded.

Schmitt’s SCAM Act was originally introduced in January in response to allegations of fraud by Somalians in Minnesota.

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“American citizenship is a privilege, and anyone hoping to be a part of our great nation must demonstrate a sincere attachment to our Constitution, upstanding moral character, and a commitment to the happiness and good order of the United States,” he said at the time.

“People who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations like drug cartels shortly after taking their citizenship oaths fail to uphold the basic standards of citizenship,” the lawmaker added. “They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place. We must protect and restore the institution of American citizenship.”

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta called out the federal government for largely vacating its role as antitrust regulator, saying it’s now up to California and other states to look out for consumers’ interests.

Bonta, the state’s top law enforcement officer, spoke Thursday at a Capitol Forum conference in Beverly Hills on antitrust issues and the future of Hollywood. His appearance came just days after the U.S. Department of Justice settled its case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster a week into a high-stakes trial, leaving state attorneys general to try to continue to fight that battle on their own.

The Justice Department’s about-face revealed a major fracture in antitrust enforcement. State attorneys general — particularly in Democratic-controlled states — say their role is becoming increasingly important to challenge alleged anti-competitive behavior.

President Trump has “abdicated the federal administration’s responsibilities to hold big corporations accountable to the law and protect a competitive marketplace,” Bonta said.

Bonta’s appearance comes as another major Hollywood merger appears to be sailing through its federal review with Trump’s tacit approval: Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110-billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The merger, announced late last month, has rattled Hollywood unions and some antitrust experts. It would combine legendary film studios, robust television production units and two prominent news organizations, CBS News and CNN, as well as dozens of cable channels.

“Paramount and Warner Bros. haven’t cleared regulatory scrutiny,” Bonta said. “My office has an open investigation into [the deal] and we intend to be vigorous in our review.”

California could bring its own lawsuit to block Paramount’s takeover, or join with other state attorneys general to launch legal proceedings to try thwart the deal or extract concessions — even if the Justice Department ultimately clears David Ellison’s deal.

Bonta outlined various concerns, including a continued contraction of Hollywood’s labor market, the consolidation of streaming services — Paramount+, HBO Max, Pluto and Discovery+ — and potentially higher prices and lower wages.

“There’s no industry as iconically California as the entertainment industry,” Bonta said. “It’s baked into California’s DNA.”

Paramount filed for Justice Department approval in December.

The maneuver started the regulatory review clock. And last month a key deadline for the Justice Department to raise concerns about Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner passed without comment from Washington.

Paramount has said it could finalize its deal by the end of September.

The architect of Paramount’s strategy, Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim, delivered his own keynote address, saying the Ellison family’s acquisition of Warner Bros. would not reduce competition and instead would be “a huge win for the creative community.”

“Paramount’s transaction with Warner is an opportunity to expand output, to grow the number of movies, shows and other content we are offering to the consumer,” Delrahim said, adding that will result in “more job opportunities,” including in Southern California, which is reeling from a production flight to other states and countries.

Delrahim conceded that Paramount was driven to buy Warner Bros. — it prevailed after Netflix bowed out — because Paramount is not big enough to compete in an industry dominated by technology giants.

He criticized the proposed Netflix deal, saying he doubted it would have passed regulatory muster due to Netflix’s strength in the streaming market.

Paramount still needs to win the support of Warner shareholders, and also gain regulatory approvals from the Justice Department, state attorney generals and overseas governments.

“This deal is a big win for Los Angeles, for California and for all communities that embrace filmmaking,” Delrahim said.

Tech mogul Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed the $45.7 billion in equity needed for the transaction. The company would have to take on more than $60 billion in debt — raising concerns among Hollywood workers about large-scale cost cuts and layoffs.

“Paramount is investing $110 billion to take out a rival,” said attorney Ethan E. Litwin, a former lawyer for TV networks, who also spoke at the conference. “When you take out a major rival in a highly concentrated industry … you are taking out competitors for projects. “

Bonta declined to say whether he would try to stop the Paramount-Warner merger.

Progressive State Leaders Committee, an affiliate of the Democratic Attorneys General Assn., in December hired Rohit Chopra, a former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and former commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, as a senior advisor. He will help coordinate efforts as the group, including Bonta, wages antitrust enforcement battles.

“The federal government is just not enforcing the law,” Chopra said during Thursday’s conference. “Our states are really the last line of defense.”