President Trump has ordered what he called a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, as the United States escalates pressure on the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The move comes amid a major U.S. military buildup in the region and days after U.S. forces seized an oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Since September, the U.S.
Source
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…
Source
The people of Jamaica are making emergency preparations on Monday as Hurricane Melissa intensified overnight, with meteorologists in awe of the scale and shape of the “monster” storm now bearing down on the island nation, already saturated from previous rains and bracing for what could be a major climate-related catastrophe. In a 5:00 am EDT advisory on Monday, the U.S.
Source
The recent passing of Black Panther and Black Liberation Army leader Assata Shakur unleashed more than a sense of loss. It sparked a sense of pride in her defiance, a sense of gratitude for the movements and organizations that sustained her and a flowering of hope that the freedom she fought for could one day be real for the rest of us. The collective grief is still fresh following Assata’s…
Source
Ceremony on Capitol Hill honors Cuban dissident’s enduring legacy of faith-fueled resistance and democratic leadership Washington, D.C., July 22, 2025 — This evening, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) posthumously awarded its highest honor, the Democracy Service Medal, to Oswaldo Payá, one of Cuba’s most principled advocates of peaceful democratic change on the anniversary of…
The 2025 Democracy Service Medal was bestowed posthumously to Oswaldo Payá in recognition of his life’s work and sacrifice for freedom in Cuba. Accepting on his behalf were his wife, Ofelia Acevedo, and daughter, Rosa María Payá—who reflect the resilience of a family and a movement that continues to confront authoritarianism in pursuit of justice. Oswaldo Payá embodied the extraordinary power of…