Earlier this month, I reported that the U.S. Agency for International Development and and the National Endowment for Democracy had spent around $73 million toward Cuba projects since Donald Trump took office. On Friday, I discovered I made a mistake. I redid my calculations and now believe that USAID, the State Department and NED have … Read more
Economic and social conditions have gotten worse for Cubans over the past year, according to a new survey by Observatorio Cubanos de Derechos Humanos. The survey of 1,249 Cubans said: 42% of respondents said they “experience difficulties even to buy the most essential goods for survival.” 35% say they “have enough income to survive, but … Read more
Six months after Alexander Alazo attacked the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., some details about the incident remain secret. A State Department Special Agent and a State Department Joint Terrorism Task Force officer interviewed Alazo after he stopped in front of the embassy on April 30 and blazed away with an AK-47, firing 32 rounds … Read more
In June 2019, U.S. authorities ended people-to-people travel to Cuba. “These actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared. The move also hurt South Florida travel businesses that helped arrange trips to Cuba. Less than a year later, COVID-19 hit, … Read more
The U.S. Agency for Global Media paid $38,280,250 to artists, writers, performers and musical groups from 2018 to 2020, records show. Nearly half – $19,106,558 – were identified as “miscellaneous foreign contractors,” making it almost impossible to identify the recipients. Records named the remaining 258 contractors, who received a total of $19,173,692. The top three … Read more