Miami's Cuban Connection

Cuba's Population Drop

Cuba's population dropped last year for the first time since the Mariel boatlift, a demographic trend attributed to low birth rates and an aging population.

Chaos After Fidel?

Havana Journal states 14 reasons why there might be chaos after Fidel:

1. Fidel’s people will fight for what they have worked for.

2. Many Cuban people respect Fidel and won’t want Raul or anyone else in as President.

3. If Raul opens up the economy too quickly it may spin out of control.

4. Raul may have to lock down the country for a prolonged period time.

4a. Raul leaves Cuba “Batista style” on short notice and the “rebels” aka dissidents could take over.

5. Fidel’s funeral will draw MILLIONS of people to Havana...

A Slow Evolution

Fascinating multimedia presentation about what's going on in Cuba politically, economically and on a human level.

Will Cuba Angle Kill Port Tunnel?

Turns out the company that won the bid to build the highly anticipated tunnel from the Port of Miami to Watson Island has business ties in Cuba. So do the other companies that bid on the project.

Will one of Miami's most complex infrastructure projects ever disintegrate in the minefield of exile politics?

Cigar Aficionado On Cuba

Cigar Aficionado Magazine dedicates its June issue to Cuba, "the forbidden fruit of travel."

"Although the political debate rages on over relations between Cuba and United States and getting there seems to be more difficult than ever, there is promise in recent happenings and the hope for a better tomorrow."

"In the June issue, Cigar Aficionado magazine delves into the island nation from all angles. We sit down with top U.S. politicans, both Democrat and Republican, as well as government insiders, from Cuba and the United States, to examine the policy divide that splits Washington along party lines and two nations separated by a 90-mile stretch of sea."

Michael Moore's Cuba Problem

Michael Moore, who recently took 9/11 workers to Cuba for treatment to shed light on US health care problems, may be in trouble for his Cuba trip.

UPDATE: U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen weighs in: "Again we see this Hollywood director interjecting himself in politics for the sake of promoting his films. It is preposterous to compare the healthcare systems of the US and Cuba. In Cuba there exists TWO health care systems-- one for tourists, as well as Communist Party officials, and another for Cubans, who are forced to take with them even the most basic necessities when visiting a Cuban hospital; even aspirins are scarce. Does Moore report that in his film? NO."

LA Times: Pressure to Prosecute Posada

"Amid scandals that have plagued the U.S. Justice Department, the Posada case has drawn little national attention beyond the exile community in Miami. But pressure is mounting, both domestically and abroad, to expose Posada for a lifetime of alleged transgressions, even if some were committed on behalf of or with the full knowledge of U.S. officials."

Posada Walks; Judge Throws Out Case

Luis Posada Carriles plans to return to Miami a free man after an El Paso federal judge dismissed immigration fraud charges against the Cuban exile militant Tuesday. The reason: The government translator botched the English-Spanish interpretation of his citizenship interview.

In her 38-page written order scrapping the indictment, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone accused the United States government of engaging in ''fraud, deceit and trickery'' to indict Posada. She called the government's citizenship interview a ''pretext for a criminal investigation'' so it could charge Posada.

Congressional Reps Go to Bat for Posada

South Florida's Three Cuban American Congressional Representatives today issued a statement condemning the FBI for cooperating with Cuba to build a terror case against exile militant Luis Posada Carriles.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said:

"By asking a state sponsor of terrorism for "evidence" regarding terrorism, the Bush Administration Justice Department demonstrates a shockingly profound ignorance of the nature of terrorism, of its origins, and its state sponsors. The only "evidence" that the terrorist regime in Havana could provide the United States with regard to the twice-acquited-in-Venezuela-Mr. Posada or anyone else, would be fabricated evidence. The evidence that the Bush Administration Justice Department needs to bring forth and stop ignoring is of the murder of U.S. citizens and other crimes committed with impunity by the Castro brothers and their henchmen."

FBI, Cuba Cooperating on Posada

The FBI office in Miami has been quietly gathering evidence on a 1997 bombing that killed an Italian man at a Havana hotel, with agents traveling to the Cuban capital recently to see if they can link Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles to the attack.

The extraordinary effort at cooperation between the two countries underscores their shared goal to pin the plot on Posada, the focus of a federal grand jury probe in Newark, N.J. Posada, a former CIA operative trained in explosives, is under house arrest at his wife's West Kendall apartment as he awaits trial on immigration fraud charges unrelated to the bombing.