The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba for the 33rd consecutive year, with just seven opposed, including the United States, Israel and Ukraine. The vote came as Cuba was battered by Hurricane Melissa, causing widespread damage. We get an update from the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba with Liz Oliva Fernández, a reporter with Belly of the Beast, who says the U.S. embargo and other economic sanctions make it much harder for Cuba to respond to natural disasters. Nevertheless, it has a robust early warning system, detailed plans for evacuating the most vulnerable and an extensive network of government shelters. Mikael Wolfe, a historian at Stanford University, notes this system is rooted in lessons from early in the Cuban Revolution when another devastating storm killed hundreds of people across the island. The U.S. could learn much from the Cuban government when it comes to dealing with hurricanes, says Wolfe.

October 30, 2025

  • workerONE@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    1 day ago

    I wrote my representative and advocated for lifting the trade embargo and this is what they sent back:

    As your Member of Congress, I am opposed to lifting the embargo. Cuba continues to be under control of a communist regime which suppresses any advancement toward a free and open society. In addition to not providing basic goods and services for its citizens, the Cuban government routinely restricts civil liberties and engages in significant human rights abuses. Specific information can be found by reading the State Department’s 2022 human rights report on Cuba. Cuba continues to undermine the interests of the United States, and most recently a Cuban spy was found to have infiltrated high levels of the U.S. government.