Dean of the School of Public Affairs, American University
Director of the Center on Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami
PROFILE
Susan Kaufman Purcell
Guest
FROM Susan Kaufman Purcell
Which Way, L.A.?
Fidel Castro Says He’s Stepping Down After 49 years as the leader of Communist Cuba, Fidel Castro has stepped down . Less than a week before the National Assembly will meet to select a new head of state, Castro says he is no longer “in the physical condition" to run the government, but expressed confidence in “elements of the old guard" and “others who were very young when the first stage of the revolution began." Speaking from Africa today, George W. Bush called for the release of political prisoners . The resignation of the 81-year old leader, who served during the terms of ten US presidents, is big news in the streets of Miami, where Cuban refugees and their descendents dominate local politics. Will Castro's brother, Raul, continue Cuba's current regime or will a younger generation embrace democracy as the US demands?
To the Point
Fidel Castro Says He's Stepping Down After 49 years as the leader of Communist Cuba, Fidel Castro has stepped down . Less than a week before the National Assembly will meet to select a new head of state, Castro says he is no longer “in the physical condition" to run the government, but expressed confidence in “elements of the old guard" and “others who were very young when the first stage of the revolution began." Speaking from Africa today, George W. Bush called for the release of political prisoners . The resignation of the 81-year old leader, who served during the terms of ten US presidents, is big news in the streets of Miami, where Cuban refugees and their descendents dominate local politics. Will Castro's brother, Raul, continue Cuba's current regime or will a younger generation embrace democracy as the US demands?
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?