Gloria Estefan issues passionate plea to Biden administration to provide Cuban assistance amid pro-freedom protests: 'Now they are saying ENOUGH'



Gloria Estefan, Cuban-born superstar, demands that President Joe Biden and his administration condemn Cuban dictatorship, which is leading to dangerous protests across the Cuban nation.

The anti-government protests for freedom began in early July and have been some of the largest in decades on the island.

What are the details?

Estefan, 63, in a Friday Instagram post issued a lengthy, impassioned plea for the United States and other world allies to aid the Cuban people.

Estefan wrote, "FREEDOM FOR CUBA!! My heart hurts for the Cuban people on the island & what they've already gone through for over 62 years…But now they are saying ENOUGH despite the beatings, the murders & incarcerations, the abuses of power, the starvation & the attempted destruction of their spirits! They need our support & that of the democratic & free countries of the world. The United Nations &, very especially, the United States, must strongly condemn the repressive & violent measures being taken by the Cuban government against their own people! Spread the images, spread the word!"

The post included video footage of Cuban protests.

Last week, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the United States embargo was to blame for "politics of economic asphyxiation."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken denies that protests have anything to do with the United States.

"I think it would be a grievous mistake for the Cuban regime to interpret what is happening in dozens of towns and cities across the island as a result or product of anything the United States has done," Blinken said in a statement on the nationwide protests.

What else?

Celebrities including Cuban-American performers Pitbull and Camila Cabello have spoken out about the ongoing crisis.

Pitbull — real name Armando Christian Pérez — proclaimed, "We need to stand up, step up, and if you don't understand what's going on, then you need to wake the f*** up. Not only is this a Cuban event, Cuban thing — this is a world event. This isn't about politics, this is about saving lives. This is about unity, not division, and the bottom line this is about taking action."

He added, "Not only do we live for freedom, we ride for freedom, we die for freedom, but we mother***ing appreciate freedom."

Cabello also shared a social media update about the protests.

"Hey guys, there is a major crisis right now in Cuba and we need your help to spread awareness," she said. "Deaths from COVID are rising rapidly and because of the lack of medicine, resources, basic necessities and even food, many people are dying. "

She continued, "Right now, there are simultaneous protests in more than 5 cities in Cuba. Our brave people took to the streets to protest for this humanitarian crisis and the people of Cuba need our help urgently. Please spread this message by posting #SOSCUBA to your feed to help bring awareness and support to my people."

Florida Republican politicians Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio have also called for the Biden administration to take immediate action to restore internet to the country — which the government reportedly cut in order to stifle news of the melee.

"Technology exists to provide internet access into Cuba remotely, using the innovation of American enterprise and the diverse industries here," DeSantis wrote in a letter to the president.

Rubio added, "American technical capacity, coupled with the physical proximity of Cuba to the United States and its interests, make providing unrestricted access to the island an attainable and morally imperative goal. Today, U.S. companies stand ready and willing to support this effort with the support of the federal government. Bringing free and open internet will help the Cuban people communicate with one another without censorship and repression and show them that the world stands beside them in their quest for liberty."

FCC commissioner says federal government has technology to deliver internet access to Cuba — but Biden needs to approve it



The Republican commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission is arguing that the technology exists to deliver internet to Cuba as the communist regime has restricted access amid ongoing protests there. But he says the plan would need approval from President Joe Biden.

"There's an urgent need right now, [but] a lot depends on the level of federal support," FCC Commission Brendan Carr told the Washington Free Beacon last week, regarding a plan that would leverage a defunct Google initiative to fly high-altitude balloons over Cuba.

The massive balloons, capable of hovering miles above the earth in international airspace, would act as cell towers, theoretically allowing Cubans to acquire enough internet connectivity to share videos and photos on social media.

Google shut down the internet balloon service, called Loon, in January, saying it wasn't commercially viable. But the crisis in Cuba may provide the perfect opportunity to put the project back into use.

"I would say the goal is not universal coverage with speeds that would allow you to download Netflix," Carr noted. "The question is, how do we create the opportunity to continue to share videos and photos?"

Cubans protesting for freedom have reportedly had their internet access restricted in recent days by the communist regime as part of an effort to clamp down on the protests and hide the pro-democracy movement from the outside world.

Last week, as the protests spontaneously broke out, videos of the demonstrations were shared on social media under the hashtag #SOSCuba. But in the days since, the regime has appeared to close off access to popular platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and Twitter.

National political figures, including Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, have urged the Biden administration to support efforts to restore internet access to Cuba. They warned that without internet access, the Cuban people could "more easily be monitored, suppressed, detained, and brutalized by the regime without accountability."

During a press conference Thursday, Biden said his administration is aware of the internet restrictions in Cuba and is "considering whether we have the technology to reinstate that [internet] access."

Meanwhile, momentum has increased behind the push to use high-altitude balloons to do so. The Wall Street Journal editorial board argued in favor of the plan over the weekend, and numerous other outlets have reported on the possibility.

In addition to Project Loon, more than 1 million Cubans have already been granted access to the internet through censorship-circumvention software supported by the U.S., called Psiphon Inc.

WATCH: WH press secretary STUNS reporters by REFUSING to criticize communism



On the latest episode of "The Rubin Report," BlazeTV host Dave Rubin shared a video clip of White House press secretary Jen Psaki refusing to be honest about the protests in Cuba.

In the video clip, Fox News' White House correspondent Peter Doocy tried to get Psaki to admit that the real reason for the Cuban protests and Cuban refugees fleeing the nation is "because they don't like communism."

"I think we've been pretty clear that we think people are leaving Cuba, or not leaving Cuba, or protesting in the streets, all, as well, because they are opposed to the oppression, to the mismanagement of the government in the country," came Psaki's NOT-pretty-clear response.

"Why won't she say the c-word? Why won't she just say, 'yes, people are obviously protesting communism'?" Dave asked. "Like, communism [is] bad. Capitalism, freedom, liberty [is] good. Why won't she just say that?"

"This is this is really disturbing, but it shouldn't surprise us. Because, if you think that this is your parents' Democratic Party, if you think there's any moderate left in the party — there might be some who are privately moderate but unless they stand up against the radicals, they don't really exist — so, show me, please. I mean, I would love to see it. Show me a Democrat, who is an elected official in the United States, who will forcefully come out against communism and for the people of Cuba."

Watch the video clip below to hear more from Dave Rubin:


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Why are leaders in America SO out of touch with rest of the world?

Why are leaders in America SO out of touch with rest of the world?

While Biden does little, Florida boat owners are running supplies to Cubans fighting for freedom



As the federal government appears to be standing pat amid pro-democracy protests in Cuba offering little more than words, local boat owners in Florida are taking action by running food and supplies to Cuban protesters fighting for their freedom.

What are the details?

A large group of boat owners inspired by the protests packed food, water, and medicine and started making trips to the island on Monday, WBFS-TV reported.

"We are just bringing supplies. They are trying to create a group to take on water, food, medicine, whatever we can to take a Cuba," one boat owner, Dennis Suayero, told the news outlet. "We are just waiting for the approval so we can enter and give it to them."

They reportedly said that if they're allowed to get close enough, they plan to hand over all the food and water to the protesters. Even if they can't get close enough, though, they hope their gesture will be an encouragement.

Coast Guard Warning Isn't Stopping Local Boat Owners From Attempting To Take Supplies To Cuba youtu.be

"We're going to Havana. If we have to intervene, if we have to stay, we'll do what we have to do," another participant, Santiago Rivero, posted on his Instagram, according to the Miami Herald. Rivero is reportedly a local Cuban American influencer with a large following.

"The [U.S.] president has done nothing, supposedly. At a minimum, we want to stand at the border of what are the Havana limits," he added.

What else?

The group's brave humanitarian actions come in the face of resistance from the federal government, as the U.S. Coast Guard this week warned Floridians not to make the trip.

#ThisJustIn - Please read Rear Admiral Eric C. Jones, Commander, @USCG Seventh District & Director, DHS Joint Task… https://t.co/l6BLxPjZ5B

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) 1626132007.0

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, himself the son of Cuban immigrants, declared that the U.S. would not accept Cuban refugees seeking escape from the communist country.

"Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States," Mayorkas said in a speech Tuesday.

"If individuals make, establish a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, they are referred to third countries for resettlement," he added. "They will not enter the United States."

Many in the U.S. are urging the Biden administration to take action in support of the Cuban people and against the oppressive communist regime, especially as reports have surfaced indicating the regime has begun cracking down on the protest movement by shutting off the internet and violently rounding up protesters.

So far, however, the Biden administration has only offered words of support.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), whose parents escaped Cuba in the 1950s, is asking for more:

After our meeting with @WhiteHouse yesterday we wrote a follow up to @Potus on 4 specific actions on #Cuba… https://t.co/eoIWmKlPMr

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) 1626312450.0

VIDEO: Cubans wave American flag, chant 'Liberty!' in mass protests against communist dictatorship



In what some are calling the largest mass demonstration in 50 years, thousands of Cubans flooded the streets on Sunday in protest of the country's oppressive communist regime.

What happened?

Protesters in dozens of cities — from San Antonio de los Baños to Palma Soriano to the nation's capital, Havana — reportedly chanted "Liberty!" and "Freedom!" while they marched against the country's failed communist dictatorship.

"The people are dying of hunger!" one woman reportedly shouted during a demonstration in Artemisa. "Our children are dying of hunger!" Still others reportedly chanted, "We are not afraid!"

In at least one widely circulated video on social media, protesters can be seen carrying and waving the American flag as they shouted for freedom.

#Soscuba #Cuba Protestas en La Habana contra el régimen castrista, EL PUEBLO PIDE LIBERTAD! #Americateve… https://t.co/Nq1HqHKMOA

— Americateve (@Americateve) 1626036848.0

Reflecting on the video, conservative media strategist and former writer for TheBlaze Giancarlo Sopo wrote, "This is deeply moving. Watch as Cubans wave the American flag while marching against the island's 62-year-old communist dictatorship on the streets of Havana."

"Never forget what America represents to millions across the world," he added.

Several other commentators on social media also noted how the Cuban people — who have experienced firsthand the persecution that communism brings — still view the American flag as a symbol of hope and freedom.

Yet sadly in America and largely within the Democratic Party, there are many who view the flag much differently. They have some to see it as a representation of oppression and white supremacy.

JUST IN - Mass protests erupt in several cities in #Cuba over the poor state of the socialized medical system. Prot… https://t.co/huKMMmWFs7

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1626034090.0

What else?

The spontaneous mass protests were considered shocking to many since the communist regime in Cuba is known for forcefully cracking down on dissent.

But based on photos and videos posted to social media, in many areas the sheer size of the crowds overwhelmed police. In one city, protesters appeared to overrun and take control of a local communist party office.

We have NEVER seen a day like today in #Cuba 62 years of misery, repression & lies boiling over into organic, gra… https://t.co/rP3RGMoVFE

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) 1626049065.0

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, warned that the communist regime will likely move to shut off internet and cell phone service in the country in response to the freedom rallies.

He also requested on Twitter that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken call on members of the Cuban military not to fire on demonstrators.

In a statement obtained by the McClatchy news group, Biden reportedly expressed support for the Cuban people.

"We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime," the president said.