American University
Professor of Government and former Dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University and author of numerous books on US-Cuban relations and US policy toward Latin America; co-author of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana
90 Years of History 90 Miles Away After yesterday's landing in Cuba , just 90 miles from American shores, President Obama spoke at the newly reopened US embassy. "It's been nearly 90 years since a US President stepped foot in Cuba. It is wonderful to be here." But his trip hasn't left controversy behind. The President's criticized for encouraging business deals without demanding important concessions. Meantime, the Castro regime is cracking down on the wives and daughters of political prisoners and telling dissidents Obama wants to meet to stay home. Cuba wants the end of America's economic embargo. We hear how the historic visit is going.
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?
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?
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
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.