Oscar Haza, host of the popular Channel 41 news talk show, A Mano Limpia, scoffs at accusations and criticisms he says the Cuban government has hurled at him recently. One of his favorite: that he’s the grandson of former Cuban president Fulgencio Batista. “While I lived in Dominican Republican, I never met Batista, and as far as I know, neither did my mother.” Haza, who is Dominican, came to Miami from the Dominican Republic 22 years ago. His show has been criticized by Cuba as being “the mouthpiece of the Cuban Mafia in Miami,” he says with a chuckle. Haza says his show worries the Cuban government because it has credibility and presents all sides of an issue. “We inform, and we let people talk.”
Democrat: Menendez Will Help Sway Cuban Voters in '08
Well-known Cuban Democrat Gus Garcia was hanging around the Bay of Pigs monument on Cuban Memorial Boulevard Tuesday to take part in the Ramon Saul Sanchez news conference about the Cuban migrants who might get a chance to come back to the United States. Garcia had time for a cafe at a ventanita across the street. Garcia’s topic of choice: U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, the Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey. Garcia, a childhood friend of Menendez, sees his old pal as playing a key role in helping the Democrats bite off a chunk of the Cuban vote in South Florida in the 2008 presidential election. “We were headed that way in 1996 when Clinton gained 40 percent of the Cuban vote,” Garcia said. “The Elian factor threw them [Cuban voters] off.” Of course, Menendez still has to retain the seat in November elections. Menendez and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson will be in Miami for a town meeting Saturday. Photo: Norman Del Valle from the Democracy Movement and Gus Garcia.
Defector Spills the Dirt on Fidel
As part of Fidel and Raul Castro's inner circle, Delfin Fernandez learned titillating secrets - everything from why the Cuban leader incinerates his dirty underwear to his cravings for "pata negra" Spanish hams. Click below for full story.
New Show Saves Spot for Cuban Defector
Maria Laria and Marta Susana are launching new television shows on Channel 41, which has reaped a loyal following from Cuban exiles. Laria’s new “Arrebatados,” is a talk show on issues that will include as a guest the talkative Delfin Fernandez, a Cuban defector and former Castro insider who is now a bodyguard to some of the biggest stars in Europe, including Antonio Banderas. Larias said of her show: “I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m just having fun. We have great chemistry between us on the show.” Susana’s new show, named after her, will focus on family issues. Photos: Laria on left, Susana on right.
Militant Posada Coming To Town
The U.S. government will not free Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles, who has been detained in a federal immigration facility in Texas since May, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But Posada may be heading to South Florida anyway, according to court records. A U.S. District Judge has authorized lawyers for Santiago Alvarez and Osvaldo Mitat, two friends of Posada who were arrested last year on federal weapons charges, to have Posada brought to South Florida by federal marshals in the next few weeks as a potential witness in the Alvarez case. Photo: Posada's lawyer, Eduardo Soto, at a news conference Wednesday.
Defector: Castro Torches his Undies
After years as part of Fidel and Raul Castro’s inner circle, Delfin Fernandez defected and is now living in Miami. He dishes on everything from Fidel’s appetite for expensive Serrano hams to his incinerating his underwear to foil assassination plots. Such intimate details about the Castro brothers and his life as a Cuban security agent have landed him a spot on a new television show on Channel 41. Pick up the Miami Herald Thursday for more from Delfin.
Hunger Striker Returns to Scene of Victory
Cuban exile activist Ramon Saul Sanchez returned to the scene of his hunger strike victory this week, staging a news conference to declare a victory in the struggle to see 14 Cubans repatriated in January migrate to the United States. “This is a very symbolic place for the Cuban community. And for me, it brings me memories of the days I spent on hunger strike here.” So does all the publicity recently surrounding Sanchez mean he’s thinking about running for office? Impossible. He’s not even a U.S. resident. Sanchez said his legal status is still that of a refugee.
Repatriated Cubans Who Landed on Bridge May Return
The Miami Herald's Jay Weaver reports: "A group of Cubans who landed on an old Florida Keys bridge and were repatriated to Cuba in January may be days away from returning to the United States under a unique agreement with the federal government, a team of lawyers and advocates said Tuesday." AP Photo: some of the Cubans who are awaiting word on their status.
Masterminds Behind Popular Show
A Mano Limpia, one of the most popular shows among Cuban exiles in Miami, is the brainchild not only of Oscar Haza, the show’s host, but of two behind-the-scenes producers: Miguel Cossio and Diego Bas. Cossio, 42, is a Cuban exile who lived in Mexico for several years before coming to Miami. He was the news director of A Mano Limpia for a couple of years, before advancing to be the news director for all of Channel 41. Bas, 35, who is an Argentine, has been living in Miami since 2001, and is now the producer of Oscar Haza, as well as a new show called Arrebatados on the same station. “Politics flows in the blood of Cubans,” Cossio said. “We try to find the center and balance, not that we always achieve it. We’ve been criticized from both sides. But our show gives people new information, and that’s why they watch it.” Photos: Cossio on the left, Bas on the right.
