Marco Rubio’s Rise: What Awaits Cuba in the New Trump Era?

Many analysts predicted that tough times were ahead for relations between Cuba and the United States. They argued that Donald Trump’s election, by itself, was enough to foresee the return of a hardline policy toward the island. The appointment of Marco Rubio as the candidate to head the State Department under the new Administration —which begins on January 20, 2025— only confirms these expectations.

Strong Earthquakes Worsen the Crisis in Eastern Cuba

On the morning of Sunday, November 10, 2024, a pair of high-intensity earthquakes shook the southern part of eastern Cuba. The tremors were recorded by the National Center for Seismological Research (Cenais) and the United States Geological Survey.

What Could a New Trump Presidency Mean for Cubans?

The election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was decided in the early hours (local time) of November 6, 2024. Trump won the “swing states” of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, giving him the necessary electoral votes to gain the presidency.

Kamala or Trump: Who Do Voting Cubans Prefer?

When it comes to personal preferences and assessments in uncertain scenarios, there isn’t one correct answer. For this reason, when discussing preferences and probabilities in the electoral arena, it’s advisable to first focus on the priorities of those eligible to vote.

Cubans Offer Help in Guantánamo to Hurricane Oscar Victims

Around Yainet, there’s only muddy clothes, dirty bottles, and pieces of wood. Two single mattresses lie on the damp ground. She holds her oldest daughter by the hand and has a baby in her other arm. They are barefoot. They survived Hurricane Oscar, but the structure of what they knew as home broke apart in the early hours of October 21, 2024.

One Hundred Years of Celia Cruz: Two Shores and One Emotion

Celia Cruz (1925-2003) never stopped singing her truth to the world. That’s why now, as tributes begin for the 100-year anniversary of her birth, her songs continue to resonate in Havana, Miami, Paris, and Madrid.

Hurricane Oscar and Delayed Rations in Guantanamo, Cuba

Abandoning state paternalism, when the government is unable to ensure the minimal functioning of the country, means leaving people to their fate, bound hand and foot. One need not wait for disaster situations to confirm this.

Cuba in Darkness: Government Admits No Solution in Sight

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, more than half of Cuba was without electricity, according to data from the state Electric Co. (UNE). On the same day, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero appeared on national television to address the energy “emergency” in a broadcast that was delayed due to “technical difficulties”.

Former Swiss Ambassador to Cuba Speaks Out

Swiss diplomat Mauro Reina, currently ambassador to Denmark, denounced the situation of repression that Cubans experience on the island on October 1, 2024, in Madrid, Spain.

New Repressive Action Underway Versus Cuban Civil Society

Using statements obtained under coercion and interrogation sessions lasting between eight and 12 hours, filled with threats and blackmail, the scriptwriters of State Security’s Villa Marista headquarters will pretend to have conducted a criminal investigation with guarantees and to have uncovered a new “conspiracy against Cuba.” The reality, however, is quite different.

The Cuban State Has Gone AWOL

The Cuban state left the country. I don’t know if it took the opportunity to stay with some sports delegation at a competition somewhere or if it dared to endure the odyssey of volcanoes and jungles, or if it abandoned a medical mission in Africa or South America. However, I know it didn’t leave on a raft because it hasn’t been sent back. It left, and it didn’t say goodbye.

Cubans in Limbo in Russia Between Raids and Scams

Some shouts in Russian followed by a loud bang, woke Yoel on a cool early morning of the Moscow summer. The hostel where he was staying, in the Vidnoe area, south of Moscow, was the epicenter of one of the frequent police raids on places that house migrants. More than 75 Cubans, including women and some minors, mostly in irregular situations, ended up that night in a police station.

Cuba’s Customs Extends Exemption on Food & Medicines

The Cuban government has once again extended the date for importing non-commercial food, hygiene products, and medicines without customs duties. The Custom’s decision was published on Saturday, September 28, 2024, just two days before the current permit was set to expire.

Cuba’s Banks Unable to Pay Certificates of Deposit

Almost four years after the monetary unification that forced many Cubans to convert their “foreign currency savings accounts” into “certificates of deposit”. The excuse given to Daymi, Iran, and other clients of any Cuban bank is almost always the same: “we don’t have liquidity.”

Mass Exodus of Cuban Women Is Shaping the Country’s Future

The current fiscal year has surpassed the record for the last five years in the number of Cuban families arriving in the United States. From October 2023 to July 2024, 65,867 people accompanied by their close relatives arrived from Cuba, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.