Cuba News - A Daily Roundup

How Trump and Bolsonaro Broke Latin America’s Covid-19 Defenses
The two presidents drove out 10,000 Cuban doctors and nurses. They defunded the region’s leading health agency. They wrongly pushed hydroxychloroquine as a cure.

Cómo América Latina nos preparó para Trump
La democracia en Estados Unidos está a prueba. Quienes hemos vivido o trabajado en la región, conocemos bien de mandatarios que juegan con los límites de su poder. Adiós al “excepcionalismo estadounidense”.

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 11/20/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you’re all doing well. Today CDA joined forces with seven other organizations to denounce the Trump administration’s latest Cuba remittance restrictions which have resulted in Western Union, Cuba’s main remittance sender, announcing the closure of its Cuba operations. The statement is available on our website in English and in Spanish. Cuba […]

U.S.-Cuba New Brief: 11/13/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you’re all doing well. Cuba experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases this week, with 430 active COVID-19 cases at the time of publication. Cuba’s total number of deaths since March is 131. For a graph of case numbers since March, see here. For a detailed breakdown of all COVID-19 data, visit […]

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 11/06/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you and yours are safe and healthy. Cuba experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases this week, with 554 active COVID-19 cases at the time of publication. Cuba’s total number of deaths since March is 130. For a graph of case numbers since March, see here. For a detailed breakdown of all […]

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 10/30/2020
Dear Friends, We wish you and yours a fun and safe Halloween weekend. Also, for those eligible, please VOTE! Visit vote.org for polling place locations, hours, and ballot information. Cuba experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases this week, with 493 active COVID-19 cases at the time of publication. Cuba’s total number of deaths since March is 128. For a graph of case […]

Cuba Says US Restrictions Will Force Western Union Offices to Close, Limit Remittances
The moves could severely restrict the flow of remittances from abroad and worsen a profound economic crisis on the island.

¿Los cubanoamericanos le darán el triunfo a Trump en Florida?
Sesenta y dos años después de la Revolución cubana, las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y la isla cobran gran importancia.

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 10/23/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you and yours are safe and healthy.  The Americas Society/Council of the Americas is hosting an online event called Cuban Entrepreneurship in 2020 on October 28 with three Cuban entrepreneurs based in Havana. The event will feature Marta Deus, Co-Founder of Mandao, Lauren Fajardo, Co-Founder of Dador, and Liber Puente, Founder & CEO of TostoneT. More information […]

U.S. Still Unsure of Havana Syndrome's Cause Years Later
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said officials continued to investigate the episodes, which began in 2016, but diplomats and C.I.A. officers have accused the administration of a cover-up.

U.S. Diplomats and Spies Battle Trump Administration Over Suspected Attacks
American officials in China, Cuba and Russia say U.S. agencies are concealing the true extent of the episodes, leaving colleagues vulnerable to hostile actions abroad.

How Mexico Shaped Randy Arozarena, the Rays’ Cuban Star
“I’m Cuban, but it’d be an honor for me to represent Mexico,” said Randy Arozarena, the rookie who has taken the postseason by storm.

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 10/16/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you and yours are safe and healthy. At CDA, we know that, despite challenges, the U.S. and Cuban people are united and our new video #WeAreTogether (#EstamosJuntos) reflects this. During a time of so much rancor and division, we want to highlight the things that bring us together. Join us and […]

Trump’s False Claims as He Resumes His Rallies After Hospitalization
In Florida, the president made a series of inaccurate claims about his election opponent, the coronavirus pandemic, the Nobel Peace Prize and Cuba, among other topics.

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 10/09/2020
Dear Friends, We hope you and yours are safe and healthy. At CDA, we know that the U.S. and Cuban people are united and our new video #WeAreTogether (#EstamosJuntos) reflects this. Join us and share how you are connected to the Cuban people. Submit your video to info@democracyinamericas.org and we may feature it on our […]

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 10/02/2020
Dear Friends, Happy October! We wish everyone a restful weekend. The Florida International University 2020 Cuba Poll was released today. The Cuba Poll has been tracking the opinions of South Florida’s Cuban American community since 1991. Read our U.S.-Cuba Relations section for highlights. Cuba experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases this week, with 624 active […]

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 09/25/2020
Dear Friends, We wish everyone a happy fall! This week, we are so pleased to celebrate CDA’s Director of Programs, María José Espinosa who was recently named one of the 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders by the New America Foundation. Join us in celebrating this very well-deserved accomplishment! Our friends […]

Cuba’s Economy Was Hurting. The Pandemic Brought a Food Crisis.
The island was able to control the coronavirus, but the dearth of tourists in the pandemic’s wake strangled an economy already damaged by mismanagement and U.S. sanctions.

U.S.-Cuba News Brief: 9/18/2020
Dear Friends, We wish everyone a relaxing and safe weekend. The Care Lab is a new project under development by the team of CDA’s close colleagues, the Platform for Innovation and Dialogue with Cuba. The Care Lab is currently hiring a remote Digital Media/Communications Intern. The application is due October 1. For the full position […]

How to Win the Latino Vote
A podcast debate over the political future of the growing demographic of voters.

COVID in Cuba: Havana Monkey Wrench
Let’s talk more about coronavirus!…No one said ever. Personally, I’m fucking sick of it and I’m guessing you are too. In addition to the ad nauseam data, studies, news (and “news”), conspiracies theories, spin, and chatter around the mono-topic, as … Continue reading →

COVID-19 & Cuba: The Good
Greetings readers. I hope you’re as well as you can be given the shit show that is Planet Earth, 2020. In my first chronicle about the coronavirus in Cuba, I led off with a (necessarily short) paragraph about some of … Continue reading →

COVID-19 & Cuba: The Not-So-Good
Some of you have noticed that I’ve taken a long hiatus from here. The reasons are tragic and painful and pre-date this pandemic de mierda. For those readers looking for something upbeat, you get the following paragraph. After that? Buckle … Continue reading →

The Not-So-Slow Leak
Almost 18 years living here and to some things I cannot adapt. The Farmer Hanky. Public zit popping. The heat. Other things I’ve been forced into accepting and conceding. The tedious bureaucracy. The piropos. And the leave-takings. Emigration is complicated. … Continue reading →

Travel to Cuba, Trump Style
I’ve got some shit to get off my chest so best buckle up. Pour a stiff one, bust out the vape or tuck in with a nice, hot chai – whatever helps you chill and focus. A lot has been … Continue reading →

Twisters & Twinks: Mobile Data Mobilizes Cuba
Confession time. I’m something of a Luddite. If you know me, you know I was one of the last to relinquish my flip phone. I still rely on a pocket digital camera to document my frequent adventures and I’ve only … Continue reading →

Periodo Especial: The Sequel?!
I don’t know how the Special Period felt coming on, but I do know how it manifested once in full swing. Transport was so scarce and overcrowded, passengers lunged from bus windows at their stop or simply rode on the … Continue reading →

Jail, Cafe Closure & Strawberries?!
Usual excuses aside (overworked; procrastination; writer’s block), the transition from 2018 to 2019 was, as we say here, ‘de pinga’ – and not in a good way. I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say I’ve been waiting for … Continue reading →

Cuba Libro – In Peril?
I’ve always had an inkling, but now I know up close and personally why people shun and malign journalists. This new knowledge is particularly ironic given the fact that I’ve been a full-time, accredited journalist here in my adopted home … Continue reading →

Inside a Cuban Prison: Part IV
It’s dark, a bit damp, the birds aren’t awake or even singing, let alone my neighbors. I rush to make coffee and walk Toby before the horizon lightens over Vedado way. It’s 5am – too early for me, except on … Continue reading →