Photos of Cubans getting by without power as outages persist and tensions with US escalate

SANTA CRUZ DEL NORTE, Cuba (AP) — Much of Cuba remains hit with constant power outages, stemming from aging infrastructure and fuel shortages at power plants. Uncertainty looms over potential aid from Russia or Mexico, after the U.S. attacked Venezuela, disrupting oil shipments. As families cope with long blackouts, food scarcity and difficult choices, some continue to find small moments of joy amid worsening conditions.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A woman walks through Havana, Cuba, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Solar panels cover the roof at the home of Felix Jose Morfi where mechanics push his broken down Lada car in Regla, Havana province, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A man drives a classic American car in front of the Capitol in Havana, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Farmer Lazaro Sanches harvests lettuce on his land in Minas, Havana province, Cuba, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Drivers wait in a long line to enter a gas station in Bacuranao near Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

People take photos at El Morro in Havana, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A man walks in the dark during a scheduled outage as part of energy rationing in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, late Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Minorkys Hoyos Ruiz lights coals to cook dinner during a scheduled blackout to ration energy in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, late afternoon Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

People celebrate a birthday during a scheduled power outage in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, late Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Smoke rises from the chimney of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba, at sunset Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

A family travels on their electric motorbike during a power cut in Santa Cruz del Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Youths use their cell phones during a scheduled blackout to ration energy, at their home in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Gladys Delgado walks outside during a scheduled power outage in Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba, early Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Former baseball player Juan Alberto Varona washes clothes in the street during a scheduled power outage in Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba, late afternoon Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Women use a cell phone flashlight as they chat through a window during a scheduled power outage as part of energy rationing in Santa Cruz del Norte, home to one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, late Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — There was no public sign early Thursday of a response to NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s message to her 84-year-old mother’s kidnapper.

Guthrie said her family is ready to talk but wants proof that Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken from her home in Arizona against her will, is still alive. Guthrie said in a heart-wrenching video posted on social media Wednesday that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter.

“We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,” Savannah Guthrie said while reading from a prepared statement. “We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us.”

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night, when she was dropped off at her Tucson home by family after having dinner with them, the sheriff’s department said. She was reported missing about 14 hours later on Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.

At least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department has said it was taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.

A note emailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN. It also included a dollar amount and a deadline, she said.

“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.

The family posted their plea after police searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home for several hours Wednesday.

Investigators returned for the follow-up investigation after being at the home earlier in the week for a couple of days, said Kevin Adger, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. He said the sheriff’s department was not commenting on the family's video message.

Savannah Guthrie was emotional during the recording, with her voice cracking. She addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.

“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter,” she said.

Savannah Guthrie described her mother as a “kind, faithful, loyal, fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” and said she was funny, spunky and clever.

“Talk to her and you’ll see,” she said.

Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron.

“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.

Authorities are expected to give updates on the investigation at a news conference Thursday. The Pima County Sheriff's office has said no suspects or persons of interest had been identified.

There were signs of forced entry at the home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood. Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials don't believe she left on her own. A sheriff's dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure, a pacemaker and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.

The neighborhood's desert terrain can make looking for people difficult, said Jim Mason, longtime commander of a search-and-rescue team in Maricopa County that isn't involved in the search. He said it can be hard to see into areas dense with mesquite trees, cholla cactus and desert brush.

“Some of it is so thick you can’t drive through it,” Mason said.

President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can, after the White House said he spoke with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday.

A couple hundred people prayed and placed lit candles on an altar during a vigil at a Tucson church.

Jeremy Thacker had tears in his eyes as he described the heartbreak and helplessness. He worked with Savannah Guthrie at an Arizona news station. They shared losing their fathers at a young age, and his own sister was kidnapped when he was young.

Thacker said he knew Nancy Guthrie to be sharp, grounded and earnest.

“We’re all holding our breath,” Thacker said.

Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Darlene Superville in Washington and Julie Walker in New York contributed.

Law enforcement officers are present outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, near Tucson, Ariz., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

FILE - Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)