Biden takes Cuba off the "terrorist" list.

Better late than never.

Some good news…

President Biden announced he will remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism as a part of a deal that is expected to free some Cuban dissidents jailed during the 2021 anti-government protests. Removing Cuba from the list would typically raise expectations of improved relations between Washington and Havana and renewed hope for economic investment and cultural exchanges with Cuba.

But Biden’s decision is likely to be overturned by Trump and the MAGAs, especially with Marco Rubio sitting as his new Secretary of State and Cuba-hater Mauricio Claver-Carone as his envoy for Latin America.

The Obama administration tried to remove Cuba's terrorism designation as part of a broader effort to normalize relations. But days before Trump left office in 2021, his administration placed Cuba back on the list.

I started out laughing at this. But then…

John S. Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a right-wing business group, said American companies won’t make any changes to their stance on Cuba since the move would probably be reversed as soon as Rubio “hands President Trump a pen.”

It’s too bad Biden waited until the last minute to make this policy shift and left it for Trump to implement. You can tell where DT’s Latin American foreign policy is headed from his threat to seize the Panama Canal by force and by his invitation to Brazil’s overthrown right-wing dictator, Jair Bolsonaro, to attend his inaugural fascist fest.

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No business as usual

Speaking of DT’s inaugural fascist fest, Michelle Obama announced that she won’t be attending. Michelle had previously declined her invitation to Jimmy Carter’s funeral when she learned that she was to be seated next to Trump. Barack Obama ended up next to him instead and could be seen happily chatting it up with the man party leaders and media people had been calling a “fascist” and a “threat to American democracy.” This, even though Trump refused to stand for Obama when Barack was greeting all the former presidents.

Thanks, Michelle, for setting a good example.

Not a pretty picture.

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The road to fascism is littered with banned media and burnt books.

TikTok will cease operations in the United States on January 19, 2025, unless the Supreme Court intervenes with an injunction against the ban. The app will become inaccessible to U.S. users, even if already installed, and alternatives like RedNote and Lemon8 are rising but face similar scrutiny.