For the last two years, U.S. and Cuban officials have been meeting to discuss how to stem the unprecedented migration of Cubans to the U.S. border. What’s not on the negotiating table, according to Johana Tablada de la Torre , is a root cause of the migration: U.S. sanctions.

Cuba and the U.S. held migration talks today in D.C. Carlos F. de Cossio said there was “common ground” and also disagreement about the U.S. embargo: “The policy of the U.S. aimed at repressing the standard of living of Cuban citizens…motivates Cubans to want to leave Cuba to the…

The 24th edition of the Havana Film Festival New York started last Friday and will be held until April 18th. This year it features over 35 films from all over Latin America and honors Cuban filmmakers Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Nicolás Guillén Landrián.
hffny.com/_files/ugd/8bb…

Former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as a foreign agent of Cuba for decades.
Rocha worked for the State Dept. for more than 20 years in several countries, including Cuba. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia…

Drug abuse has increased in Cuba in recent years, especially among young people, as Cuba’s economic crisis (fueled by U.S. sanctions) has hindered the govt.’s ability to treat addiction, according to Centro Habana’s Mental Health Center Director.
aol.com/cuba-says-drug…

“Trying to make sense of U.S. policy toward Cuba is like trying to make sense of a play in the theater of the absurd.” William M. LeoGrande in Responsible Statecraft responsiblestatecraft.org/congress-cuba/
“A small group of conservative Cuban American legislators, obsessed with reducing Cuba to penury, have been…

Five banks refused to process financial transactions from Cuba last year due to its inclusion on the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism List, according to Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade. The transactions were for food purchases destined to the regulated family food basket,…

A bipartisan delegation of agriculture commissioners from seven U.S. states, three Democratic and four Republican, traveled to Cuba to meet Cuban farmers and explore business opportunities.
But they say their hands are tied due to U.S. sanctions, which make trade and investment…

An op-ed by Micho Spring for The Boston Globe calls on the Biden admin to support Cuban entrepreneurs and remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List to alleviate Cuba’s economic crisis.
bostonglobe.com/2024/04/01/opi…

The Pentagon has confirmed a senior official reported “Havana Syndrome” symptoms, which could mean...almost anything. Reported symptoms include headaches, nausea and dizziness.
apnews.com/article/havana…
Two recent NIH studies found no brain or physical injuries in U.S. personnel…

A group of Maryland organizations and individuals sent a letter to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md) Tuesday calling on him to use his power as Chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee to end the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
thehill.com/latino/4569992…
Cardin replaced embattled…

U.S. music promoters struggle to book Cuban musicians because the visa process is drawn-out and “unpredictable.' Cultural exchanges flourished under Obama, but were stamped out by travel restrictions imposed by Trump and kept on by Biden. PBS NewsHour
pbs.org/newshour/show/…

Former Congressman Bill Delahunt, who represented Massachusetts's 10th congressional district from 1997 to 2011, died at 82 this weekend. He long opposed the U.S. embargo against Cuba and traveled to the island several times.
bostonherald.com/2024/03/30/wil…

Ex-CIA analyst Fulton Armstrong to DW Español : The U.S. “has spent $600 million” to overthrow the Cuban govt. via programs disguised as “democracy promotion.” Armstrong said Cuba's July 11, 2021 protests, while rooted in authentic demands, were “well-planned” with U.S. support.

Former Orioles owner Peter Angelos died at 94 last week. 25 years ago this month his Orioles became the first MLB team to play a Cuban team since 1959.

The score was 3-2 for the Orioles in Havana. The Cuban team won the second game 12-6 in Camden Yard. It would take another 17…

An op-ed by Bhaskar Sunkara Bhaskar Sunkara for The Guardian analyzes the U.S.’s long history of aggression against the Cuban people and slams Biden’s Cuba policy. “Our message should be simple: let Cubans decide the future of Cuba without coercion.”
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

The 2024 U.S. Appropriations law bolsters the U.S. government’s Cold War-era policy toward Cuba.

It proposes sanctions against governments and institutions employing Cuba’s world-renowned medical missions, which provide care to millions of people in dozens of countries,…