Telling Cuba’s untold stories, from the inside, through hard-hitting journalism and stunning cinema.
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Cuban-American Sen. Bob Menendez announced he will resign from Congress next month after receiving pressure from the Democratic colleagues, according to . Menendez was found guilty last week of bribery and working as a foreign agent of Egypt.
Know more: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/23/nyregion/menendez-letter.html
Cuba will be represented at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by 61 athletes, including 18 in track and field. Cuba finished 14th on the 2020 medal table in Tokyo.
The United Nations System’s resident coordinator in Cuba Francisco Pichón said that the U.S. embargo and Cuba’s inclusion in the U.S. State Sponsor of Terrorism list is affecting the financing and management of UN projects in Cuba.
The AFL-CIO in California, which represents more than two million workers, unanimously passed a resolution calling on Biden to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, because it inflicts “daily hardships and deprivations on the Cuban people.”
Cuban-American Sen. Bob Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts including conspiracy to commit bribery, extortion and acting as a foreign agent in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and other payments from three New Jersey businessmen.
We tracked Menendez's rise to power, his ties to terrorism and his outsized influence over Cuba policy in our groundbreaking doc HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON.
WATCH: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
Cuban-American hardliner members of Congress from Florida responded in unison to the assassination attempt of Trump.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar: “Si Dios contigo, ¿quién contra ti”
Sen. Marco Rubio: “God protected President Trump”
Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart: “Grateful to God for protecting him.”
Three years ago this Thursday, thousands of people took the streets in Cuba’s largest anti-government demonstrations in decades. The historic protests lasted only one day, but Cuba is still facing ruinous fallout in the form of unrelenting economic warfare waged by the Biden administration.
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🇨🇺⚾️ Dayron Varona’s journey comes full circle as he returns to Cuba with . In 2016, Varona became the first Cuban baseball player to defect and then return to play in Cuba when he represented the Tampa Bay Rays in the historic ballgame in Havana attended by Obama. Even as U.S. policy did a U-turn under Trump, Varona has remained committed to reconnecting with his roots.
Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates and stories from inside Cuba: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/signup
Wayne S. Smith, a former U.S. diplomat and lifelong critic of U.S. policy toward Cuba, died recently in his home in New Orleans at 91. In 1982, he resigned from the State Department in protest of U.S. Cuba policy under the Reagan administration.
https://www.wlrn.org/americas/2024-07-08/wayne-s-smith-a-leading-critic-of-the-embargo-on-cuba-dies-at-91
ACERE: “U.S. concerns over labor exploitation in Cuba’s medical missions are a disingenuous pretext” intended to deny Cuba access to “much-needed resources at home.”
https://acere.org/human_trafficking_2024/
“Obama had it right, and Menendez’s displeasure is no longer an excuse. It’s time to resume normalization of Cuba relations,” writes Robert Kuttner for The American Prospect , while citing our new documentary HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON.
https://prospect.org/world/2024-06-25-bob-menendez-bidens-cuba-policy/
Watch HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
The D.C. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies has revived speculation from The Wall Street Journal that China is operating spy bases in Cuba.
Cuba military expert Hal Klepak: "I've seen no evidence of any kind” of Chinese spy bases in Cuba.
Sign up to our newsletter to see the full interview: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/signup
A group of House progressives is forming a caucus on “Global Migration” aimed at shifting the focus from the Southern border to migration’s root causes. Democrats have done a “terrible job” talking about immigration, according to Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-IL), one of the chairs of the caucus. Greg Casar Sydney Kamlager-Dove
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4741002-house-progressives-global-migration-caucus/
The U.S. blockade against Cuba is "a violation of international law,” said the United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis in Havana yesterday. Every year, nearly every country in the world votes to condemn the blockade (or "embargo") in the UN General Assembly. Only the U.S. and Israel consistently vote no.
Six years ago, cruise ships from Miami were dropping off boatloads of U.S. visitors at Havana’s port on a daily basis. They've since been replaced with Russian warships and a submarine.
So…how did this happen?
Six years ago, cruise ships from Miami were dropping off boatloads of U.S. visitors at Havana’s port on a daily basis. Since then, Carnival and Royal Caribbean have been replaced with Russian warships and a nuclear-powered submarine. So…how did this happen? Trump, and now Biden, have hammered Cu...
William LeoGrande is a go-to voice when it comes to Cuba-U.S. relations. Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández sat down with LeoGrande in Washington D.C. to discuss the U.S.’s ongoing economic war against Cuba.
Watch the full interview: www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/interview-william-leogrande
See why people in the United States are calling Belly of the Beast "amazing" and a "huge resource," and how we have completely changed the way they see Cuba.
The “avalanche of sanctions” on Cuba imposed by Trump and maintained by Biden has caused “an acute humanitarian crisis,” exacerbating shortages of basic staples and “contributing to widespread suffering and migration.” for
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/biden-foreign-policy-world-rhodes
A new immigration bill in Cuba’s parliament would eliminate a regulation by which Cubans living abroad lose their Cuban residence if they don’t return to the island within two years. The bill also opens the door for Cubans abroad to invest in Cuba’s growing private sector.
https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/migration/new-immigration-law-to-eliminate-limit-of-24-months-abroad-to-reside-in-cuba/
Cuba announced its roster for the coming Baseball5 World Cup Qualifiers, led by some of the players that won the world title in 2022 like Briandy Molina and Chakira Aspiazú. Baseball5 is a mixed-gender sport. Cuba is the current world champion of the youth tournament as well.
https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/cuba-announce-star-studded-roster-for-wbsc-americas-baseball5-world-cup-qualifier
Cuba as a destination for LGBTQ travelers, according to Travel + Leisure. The article praises legalized same-sex marriage and adoption in 2022 and Cuba creating a vibrant LGBTQ focused culture.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/cuba-lgbtq-travel-destination-8647747
Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel's massacre in the Nuseirat Refugee camp, which left more than 250 dead.
This massacre is “another evidence of the genocide committed with impunity by Israel against the people of Palestine,” the Minister said.
Our new documentaries HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON and UPHILL ON THE HILL were reviewed by for
Watch UPHILL ON THE HILL: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill
Watch HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
https://www.blackagendareport.com/hardliner-hill-senator-bob-menendez-and-us-cuba-policy
A Belly of the Beast documentary follows Afro-Cuban journalist Liz Oliva Fernández as she explores the Cuban American community and its relation to the long-running embargo on her country.
As he faces federal bribery charges, Cuban-American Senator Bob Menendez has filed to run for re-election as an independent. To learn more about Menendez’s rise to power, double standards on human rights and much more, watch our documentary HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON.
Watch full film: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
Read more:
https://www.cfpublic.org/2024-06-04/new-jersey-sen-bob-menendez-to-seek-independent-reelection-bid-amid-corruption-trial
Mexico will resume oil shipments to Cuba after a three-month halt, Reuters reports.
Cuba is going through a fuel crisis driven in part by U.S. sanctions, with scarcities affecting transportation and power across the island.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-resume-oil-exports-cuba-after-3-month-pause-data-2024-05-29/
"For me, US sanctions are the biggest issue for Cubans’ lives and for the Cuban economy," Belly of the Beast reporter Liz Oliva Fernández tells Jacobin in an interview discussing our new documentaries UPHILL ON THE HILL and HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON.
In the films, Liz travels to the US to investigate why the U.S. is waging an economic war against Cuba.
https://jacobin.com/2024/05/cuba-sanctions-biden-belly-of-the-beast
Watch UPHILL ON THE HILL: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill
Watch HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
The U.S. Treasury has authorized Cuban entrepreneurs to operate U.S. bank accounts, among other measures that could benefit Cuba’s private sector.
The announcement comes after months of delay allegedly due to resistance from members of Congress, like the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, Cuban-American Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2374 #:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20Today%2C%20the%20Department%20of,support%20for%20the%20Cuban%20people
Biden has agreed with Trump that Cuba is a State Sponsor of Terrorism – but his administration can’t give a straight answer when asked for evidence that Cuba sponsors terrorism.
We look at what is driving Biden's Cuba policy in our documentary UPHILL ON THE HILL
Watch full film: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández interviewed a close ally of Bob Menendez: Cuban-American hardliner and former Congressman Albio Sires.
Find out more about Menendez, his political allies and his rise to power in New Jersey in our new doc HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON:
https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism is “tantamount to a human rights violation,” according to Congressman Jim McGovern
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández interviews McGovern in our new documentary UPHILL ON THE HILL.
Watch full film:
https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill
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Discover how Cuba helped Angola gain independence and contributed to ending apartheid in South Africa in the documentary film 'CUBA IN AFRICA,' directed by Negash Abdurahman. 🎬
🇨🇺⚾️ Dayron Varona’s journey comes full circle as he returns to Cuba with @thevaronabulls . In 2016, Varona became the first Cuban baseball player to defect and then return to play in Cuba when he represented the Tampa Bay Rays in the historic ballgame in Havana attended by Obama. Even as U.S. policy did a U-turn under Trump, Varona has remained committed to reconnecting with his roots. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates and stories from inside Cuba: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/signup #CubanBaseball #DayronVarona #Homecoming #BellyOfTheBeast
🌍 Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández sits down with Hal Klepak to put into context the recent visit of Russian warships to Cuba. Klepak, an expert on the Cuban military and former advisor to Canada’s foreign and defense ministers, discusses how the U.S. government’s economic war against the island has pushed Cuba closer to Russia. 📚 Klepak has written numerous books about the Cuban military and other Latin American militaries. 🎙️Despite the U.S. government’s policy of hostility, Cuba wants “a normal relationship with the United States," Klepak explains. 📩 Sign up for our newsletter to watch the full interview!
The D.C. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies has revived speculation from The Wall Street Journal that China is operating spy bases in Cuba. Cuba military expert Hal Klepak: "I've seen no evidence of any kind” of Chinese spy bases in Cuba. Sign up to our newsletter to see the full interview: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/signup
The U.S. blockade against Cuba is "a violation of international law,” said the United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis in Havana yesterday. Every year, nearly every country in the world votes to condemn the blockade (or "embargo") in the UN General Assembly. Only the U.S. and Israel consistently vote no.
William LeoGrande is a go-to voice when it comes to Cuba-U.S. relations. Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández sat down with LeoGrande in Washington D.C. to discuss the U.S.’s ongoing economic war against Cuba. Watch the full interview: www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/interview-william-leogrande
See why people in the United States are calling Belly of the Beast "amazing" and a "huge resource," and how we have completely changed the way they see Cuba.
Biden has agreed with Trump that Cuba is a State Sponsor of Terrorism – but his administration can’t give a straight answer when asked for evidence that Cuba sponsors terrorism. We look at what is driving Biden's Cuba policy in our documentary UPHILL ON THE HILL Watch full film: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill#uphill
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández interviewed a close ally of Bob Menendez: Cuban-American hardliner and former Congressman Albio Sires. Find out more about Menendez, his political allies and his rise to power in New Jersey in our new doc HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner#hardliner
Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism is “tantamount to a human rights violation,” according to Congressman Jim McGovern Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández interviews McGovern in our new documentary UPHILL ON THE HILL. Watch full film: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill#uphill
Antony Blinken once again says the Biden administration has “no intent” to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List – at least not until July – despite just removing Cuba from the list of countries “not fully cooperating” with U.S. counterterrorism.
Bob Menendez cites human rights abuses in justifying sanctions on Cuba. Meanwhile, he is accused of taking bribes to send arms to Egypt’s government, which massacred 1,000 people in one day. We look at this and more on Menendez in our new documentary HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner#hardliner
Do people in the U.S. agree with the Biden administration’s designation of Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism?” We asked them in our new film UPHILL ON THE HILL. Watch full film here: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/uphill#uphill
The Biden admin still can't explain why Cuba is a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" even after removing it from the list of countries that don’t “cooperate fully” with anti-terrorism efforts. Meanwhile, the State Department's spokesperson affirmed the Biden administration's embrace of its "incredibly comprehensive embargo" on Cuba.
Senator Bob Menendez claims to represent Cuban Americans in New Jersey. Hear what they have to say about him and his hard-line Cuba policy in our new documentary HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON Watch full documentary: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner#hardliner
Like father, like son? As Sen. Bob Menendez stands trial for bribery, his son Rob is seeking re-election to Congress in New Jersey’s 8th district, a seat he won thanks in part to his father's support despite little experience in politics. We catch up with Rob - and Bob - in our latest documentary HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/hardliner
Uphill on the Hill premieres virtually on May 20th! Liz Oliva Fernández travels to Washington, D.C., to find out why Joe Biden has embraced Donald Trump’s Cold War-era policy toward Cuba, devastating the island’s economy and fueling unprecedented migration to the U.S. border with Mexico. Full video will be released on May 20th at 7pm ET followed by a panel with Liz and several members of Congress. Sign up to attend and stay informed about the event here: https://bit.ly/uphillonthehill
The trailer for our latest film HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON is now available. Liz Oliva Fernández visits Union City, New Jersey, where embattled Sen. Bob Menendez rose to political power. Liz looks into his political history, revealing the disconnect between Sen. Menendez’s New Jersey constituents and his hardline Cuba policy. Full video will be released on May 13th, when Menedez’s federal trial on corruption charges begins. Sign up to our newsletter for new video announcements: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/contact
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, is a root cause of the migration: U.S. sanctions.
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 extremely difficult if not impossible. Indiana Ag. Director Don Lamb: “We're close neighbors and there ought to be opportunities for us to trade.”
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Belly of the Beast tells Cuba’s untold stories. Through hard-hitting journalism and stunning cinematography we inform and inspire, opening eyes and hearts to a country with a unique past and a wide-open future.
