Politics

Yesterday, Democracy Now! explored the case of Assata Shakur in the context of the recent developments between the United States and Cuba.

Editor’s Note: Jimmy C is a blogger focusing on Cuba. He has given us permission to publish his latest thoughts about the United States and Cuba. Part I: Some Background I wasn’t alive when Cuba took its first steps towards trying to punish the people of the United States. That was over 50 years ago. […]

No one saw it coming. And when news started circulating just 56 hours ago that something big was happening about US Cuba policy, we all couldn’t believe it. The United States of America would actually begin to change a 54-year-old policy towards an island that was once its neighbor, its conquest, its playground and most recently […]

“Wowwwwwwwwwww” This was the first text message I got. Confused, I replied, “?” And then suddenly, my phone was exploding with text messages. So many people came to me, a Cuban-American musician, to get my take on President Obama’s new Cuba policy. I went online to find a range of opinions, from angry takedown pieces […]

The prison door creaks open and history is made. Cold turned lukewarm in a spy swap worthy of a Graham Greene novel. Church bells rang in the Cuban capital as President Raúl Castro, dressed in a military uniform and not his usual guayabera, announced the thaw in relations with the United States. Simultaneously, President Obama […]

The short of it: On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab, an appointee of George W. Bush, declared President’s Obama’s executive action on immigration unconstitutional. As in struck down. Illegal. Void. Invalid. No good. The long of it: The decision is procedurally strange at best, and indefensible at worst. Meaning that it’s highly likely an […]

To see my 92 year-old father’s morning face on waking up to news of President Obama’s announcement about U.S.-Cuban relations was to see the future of U.S. politics. “What?” he asked in the crackly, sleepy voice that’s taken on a sadder cadence since my mother María, his partner of 60-plus years, died last year. “Obama […]

Last week, the law firm of Amoachi & Johnson produced a legal document chronicling alleged abuses to individuals behind held in immigration detention centers. Today, an affidavit from a 17-year-old mother of a 9-month-old child shared more details about what can only be described as torture conditions: As the law firm’s blog post states: “We […]

In a short order, the U.S. Supreme Court today denied Arizona’s last-ditch request to block issuance of driver’s licenses to undocumented students granted deportation relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This lawsuit has been moving through the courts for years. Shortly after DACA was announced in 2012, the administration of outgoing Gov. […]

This is the full video of the changes to Cuba policy President Obama shared earlier today from The White House. The White House also released a transcript (below) right about an hour after the president spoke. The White House also issued a fact sheet, as well as a statement from Secretary of State John Kerry. […]

This past Saturday I joined thousands and thousands of people from all colors, races, ethnicities, religions and ages for the New York City edition of the “Millions March.” As most of you know, the event was part of simultaneous marches and demonstrations throughout the U.S., with the main event held in Washington, D.C. Racism, police […]

In case you missed it today, HuffPost Live discussed Iguala and the report implicating Mexican federal police.

Yesterday we received the following document from the Law Offices of Amoachi & Johnson, PLLC: Obama’s torture of children at the border from amjolaw Amoachi & Johnson’s blog explains: The following document is a legal request made to an immigration judge to terminate the deportation of our unaccompanied child client. Under United States law, we […]

The assertion that cartels own the Mexican government is not hyperbole. This is a fact. A well known, well documented fact that isn’t even part of this developing 21st century Mexican story, but is the whole story altogether and the crux of this so-called Mexican Awakening. How then does a country negotiate, peacefully, with a narco-state? Some might balk […]

This week the parents of the disappeared Ayotzinapa students met with Mexican senators to express their demands for actions regarding their children’s case. Among these were: For the remaining 42 students to be presented alive. For the State to give an exemplary punishment to those involved in the crime. For the living victims of the […]

In the wake of several high-profile cases of excessive police force and a damning CIA torture report, we in the U.S. are reminded that the instruments of government policing are often times no better than the criminals we indict. And while those criminals are typically of Black and Brown descent, we are juxtaposed by the […]

I write this response not looking to antagonize anyone, for I mostly agree with Luis Gallardo Rivera’s “Why Statehood Is Bad for Puerto Rico” essay. Division and bickering among us will accomplish nothing. I also write this response to not favor any specific political solution to Puerto Rico’s colonial situation. I favor decolonizing the island […]

During a one-on-one interview this morning with MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart, President Obama offered his first public comments about #Ayotzinapa. As you can see, the President didn’t really Díaz-Balart’s direct question about US aid to Mexico, saying that the U.S. values Mexico as a friend and partner. He also said that corruption in Mexico “does affect […]

Typical of the U.S. media mainstream, we are in the throes of 24/7 media outrage coverage of yesterday’s CIA Torture Report. Suddenly, the U.S. media and Americans are now shocked to know that the CIA practiced torture techniques in a post 9/11 world. US media yesterday: wait! The CIA brutally & systematically tortured people? That’s […]

This is the full video of the immigration town hall meeting President Obama hosted in Nashville.

Wake up and rise up, Mexico. This song was uploaded yesterday on YouTube. It is a group of youth expressing indignation towards the recent events in Mexico.