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Virginia Dems push anti-ICE bills days after Spanberger rejects detainer for illegal immigrant murder suspect

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Democrats in the Virginia state legislature took steps to advance laws aimed at restricting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts and cooperation with local police just days after Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said a warrantless ICE detainer would not be sufficient to hand a criminal illegal alien suspected murderer with over 30 criminal charges to his name over to federal officials. 

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Several of the Senate and House Democrats who took procedural steps and voted in favor of the anti-ICE bills this week include Democrats whose districts are either inside or partially inside Fairfax County, where Stephanie Minter was allegedly murdered by Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien from Sierre Leone.

Police had warned Democrat Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, Steve Descano, Jalloh needed to remain behind bars due to his violent record. 

However, Jalloh was allowed back onto the streets, and he allegedly murdered Minter. Now, Spanberger is forcing ICE to get a warrant to take Jalloh into custody. 

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Similarly, several weeks ago in Fairfax County, a criminal alien with an ICE detainer was released from jail and allegedly killed a man days later. 

Gov. Abigail Spanberger is facing heat for rejecting a warrantless ICE detainer for a criminal illegal alien murderer, and just days later, Virginia Democrats are continuing to push through anti-ICE cooperation laws.  (Getty Images )

«The tone deafness is unbelievable,» Sean Kennedy, Virginians for Safe Communities’ president, told Fox News Digital. Del. Thomas Garrett, R-56, also called out Democrats this week for officials’ failure to heed warnings to keep Jalloh behind bars, noting he had over 150 interactions with law enforcement and over 30 charges to his name, many of which were subsequently dropped. 

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Garrett also pointed out how DA Descano’s website indicates «wherever possible» he will make charging or plea decisions «that limit or avoid immigration consequences.»

Yesterday, «18 Delegates who represent Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria voted to make it harder — not easier, harder — to turn over not illegals, but violent criminal illegals to ICE,» Garrett said in an impassioned floor speech this week, according to North Virginia news station WJLA. «Gaslight much? They told us we were bad for not joining them in voting that way.» 

Many of these bills were released shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office in January. 

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A slate of bills advanced this week via a litany of procedural votes, which would restrict ICE enforcement operations, include HB 1441. HB 1441, introduced shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office, would require certain conditions that make it more difficult for ICE to file adequate detainer requests to hold criminal illegal aliens. 

Other bills advanced this week include proposals banning ICE from making arrests in courthouses or within 40 feet of a place that serves as a voting location. Another bill would ban ICE officials from wearing face coverings.

POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER

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Fairfax CA Steve Descano

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)

«Most of these people hate Steve Descano, but they’re all playing on the same team,» Kennedy said, referring to some of the Fairfax County-area Democrats who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills just days after Minter’s murder. 

Fox News Digital reached out to several Virginia Democratic legislators, both in the House and Senate, who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills this week. Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s office suggested that their proposed bill aimed at requiring a higher bar for ICE detainers will subsequently prioritize deporting more violent illegal aliens. 

«Our pending legislation is attempting to focus ICE on the president’s campaign promise to focus on capturing and deporting violent undocumented immigrants like Abdul Jalloh who was in ICE custody in 2018 and has been eligible for deportation for 10 years,» Surovell’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

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«Perhaps you should ask ICE why they didn’t deport him the first time Trump’s ICE had him in 2018 or even issue a detainer for him the eight times he was arrested since 2023.»

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger called on to cooperate with handing over illegal immigrant

Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old man from Sierra Leone who DHS says entered the U.S. illegally in 2012, was arrested for allegedly fatally stabbing a 41-year-old woman in Fairfax County and has an extensive prior criminal history. (Department of Homeland Security/Getty Images)

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But Republican state legislators in Virginia have shown they have a different take.  

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«Just weeks after Gov. Spanberger chose to end the commonwealth’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a woman is dead,» Del. Delores Oates, R-31, said on the Virginia House floor this week, according to a recording posted online by WJLA. 

Oates was referring to Spanberger’s executive decision to end 287(g) programs that allowed local police and federal immigration officials to easily cooperate. 

«That’s not a coincidence, that’s a consequence,» Oates said.

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«I’ve heard my colleagues across the aisle say they don’t want ICE making arrests in public places,» Oates continued. «Well, fine. Then let’s do the responsible thing. Work with federal authorities to detain and remove violent criminals while they’re already in custody. That is safer for our communities. It’s safer for law enforcement. And it’s far more the responsible approach.»     

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DHS blasts Spanberger on potential release of illegal migrant with 30+ arrests currently charged with murder

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AAP faces pressure over trans youth care, guiding docs to keep parents in the dark about child’s sexual health

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FIRST ON FOX: A parental rights advocacy organization is sounding the alarm over the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) support for transgender medical procedures for minors and encouragement of healthcare providers to withhold the sexual health and history of underage patients from parents.

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The American Parents’ Coalition compiled a «lookout» showcasing videos and public statements by AAP asserting that «science» supports «gender-affirming care,» which can range from puberty blockers to cross-sex hormones to surgeries for minors. The launch of the online parental notification system comes weeks before AAP is scheduled to hold its advocacy conference in Virginia from April 12 to April 14.

American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré accused AAP of acting like «a political advocacy group, putting ideology ahead of evidence and children’s wellbeing.» The «lookout» states that during AAP’s 2025 Leadership Conference, 98% of its members voted to make protecting sex change treatments its top resolution. 

«Even as health systems abroad rethink experimental gender interventions, the AAP has doubled down on aggressive and irreversible procedures rather than exercise basic caution,» Marre said. «By prioritizing resolutions that elevate transgender interventions and partnering with activist groups, the AAP is acting to protect a political project.»

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HHS UNLEASHES SWEEPING CRACKDOWN ON CHILD ‘SEX-REJECTING PROCEDURES,’ THREATENS HOSPITAL, MEDICAID FUNDING

A girl in a denim t-shirt with a rainbow symbol wears a backpack in a summer park outdoors, in Russia, January 20, 2022 (Iurii Krasilnikov / Getty Images)

In addition to advocating for sex change treatments for minors, AAP advocates for other political agendas, including banning so-called «assault weapons» and red flag laws, which allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others.

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A 2023 blog post on AAP’s website titled «Supporting Our Transgender and Gender-diverse Youth» stresses that doctors must provide «unconditional support» to underage patients, including asking their pronouns, using their preferred name and prioritizing their desires to change their gender over the concerns of parents.

«We have heard from parents, «I just don’t understand» in many of our conversations,» the blog post stated. «When patients and parents disagree about next steps for affirmation, acknowledge parents’ concerns, but always support your patient. When youth are not affirmed, there is a significant increase in depression, anxiety, risky behaviors, and suicide.»

However, at least two research reviews conducted by the United Kingdom and the United States governments indicate that performing transgender medical procedures on minors may not carry significant benefits.

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CHLOE COLE ACT AIMED AT BLOCKING MINORS FROM UNDERGOING LIFE-ALTERING TRANSGENDER SURGERIES, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS

Little boy, who is strugglng with their gender, identifying as a girl 

Little boy, who is strugglng with their gender, identifying as a girl  (Nicoleta Ionescu / Getty Images)

A 2025 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concluded there is a lack of proven benefit that medical and surgical sex-reassignment procedures alleviate a patient’s gender dysphoria. Additionally, a report by the National Health Service England found that a medical pathway may not be the best way to address gender-related stress and advised «extreme caution» for hormonal therapy for minors.

In June 2025, AAP President Susan Kressly criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on providing minors with puberty blockers and hormones, accusing the decision of robbing children of «basic human dignity.»

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THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE

«Gender-affirming care is medically necessary for treating gender dysphoria and is backed by decades of peer-reviewed research, clinical experience, and scientific consensus,» Kressly said in a statement at the time.

Do No Harm Chief Medical Officer Kurt Miceli argued that AAP is misrepresenting «the low quality of evidence» supporting «gender-affirming care,» which «can cause lasting harm» to children.

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«They are among the staunchest supporters of sex-rejecting procedures for minors, vehemently criticizing HHS’s comprehensive evidence review yet refusing to submit a peer review when invited,» Miceli said. «It is now time for the AAP to re-evaluate their policy statement and follow the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in opposing these harmful, unscientific, and dangerous practices on American kids.»

ESSAY EXPOSES CRUMBLING MEDICAL CONSENSUS ON YOUTH GENDER SURGERY

A female doctor in a white lab coat sitting with a mother and her young son in a medical clinic.

A female doctor of Middle Eastern descent sits with a young mother and her son as they discuss the child’s medical needs in Canada on Sept. 28, 2022. (FatCamera / Getty Images)

AAP also created an Adolescent Health Care Toolkit geared toward teaching pediatricians how to engage in sensitive conversations surrounding an underage patient’s sexual activity, their gender identity, and even connecting the patient with emergency contraception based on understanding that this information will not be relayed back to the patient’s parents.

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In one of the videos, Kelsey, a 17-year-old «patient,» talked about having sex with her «girlfriend» named Mary, who had a penis. At the beginning of the video, the doctor ensured with Kelsey that their discussion «stayed between the two of us» unless there was a concern for her safety or another person. The doctor discussed plans for birth control and ways to prevent a sexually transmitted infection. 

In another training video, a 15-year-old girl told her doctor that she was a «gender-queer-demi-boy.» The girl said she had not shared this information with her parents, and the doctor assured her he would keep it between the two of them.

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In 2025, AAP received roughly $19 million in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Trump administration terminated $12 million in grants, with HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. accusing AAP’s recommendations of being «just a pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions.» AAP sued, and a federal judge restored the grants as the litigation plays out in court.

Fox News Digital reached out to AAP for comment.

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Los médicos afirman que los pacientes cubanos están muriendo a causa del bloqueo estadounidense

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LA HABANA — Mientras el apagón nacional en Cuba se prolongaba por segundo día consecutivo el pasado fin de semana, la situación se volvía cada vez más crítica para Jorge Pérez Álvarez.

Este joven de 21 años padece una enfermedad genética que impide que sus pulmones bombeen aire por sí solos.

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Necesita un respirador artificial en todo momento para poder respirar.

Se supone que la batería de respaldo de su respirador dura más de un día, pero esto se ha puesto a prueba repetidamente en las últimas semanas, incluso durante tres apagones a nivel nacional que la llevaron al límite.

Y con cortes de luz que duran horas cada día, apenas hay tiempo para recargarla.

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“No sé cuánto tiempo más podremos seguir así”, dijo su madre, Xenia Álvarez, de pie junto al cuerpo inerte de su hijo en su habitación en un barrio pobre de La Habana.

“Su vida depende de la electricidad”.

El bloqueo petrolero estadounidense a Cuba, que comenzó en enero, está agotando rápidamente las reservas de combustible del país, provocando apagones diarios, escasez de alimentos, cancelación de clases y precios de la gasolina en el mercado negro que se acercan a los 40 dólares por galón.

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También está paralizando el sistema universal de salud cubano, una institución estatal que alguna vez fue considerada un triunfo para una nación pobre, pero que ahora lucha por brindar atención básica.

En entrevistas, seis médicos cubanos afirmaron que el rápido deterioro de las condiciones en los hospitales y clínicas de toda Cuba estaba provocando muertes que, de otro modo, serían evitables.

“No puedo decirles cuántas muertes hay, pero estoy seguro de que son más que en el mismo período del año pasado”, dijo el Dr. Alioth Fernández, jefe de anestesiología del hospital pediátrico más grande de La Habana.

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“Lo veo en los relevos de turno, en los comentarios de mis colegas y en los niños a los que he operado”.

Los efectos del bloqueo se están extendiendo por todo el sistema.

Los hospitales están cancelando cirugías y enviando pacientes a casa porque los médicos y enfermeros no pueden desplazarse a sus puestos de trabajo.

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Las clínicas tienen dificultades para administrar tratamientos como la quimioterapia y la diálisis debido a los cortes de electricidad.

Muchas ambulancias están estacionadas porque los conductores no encuentran combustible.

Las farmacias están prácticamente vacías porque el estado, prácticamente en bancarrota, tiene dificultades para comprar medicamentos.

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La producción de medicamentos se ha paralizado casi por completo porque las fábricas funcionan con diésel.

Los fabricantes de vacunas buscan ingredientes porque los vuelos que antes los transportaban se han cancelado por falta de combustible para aviones.

Además, las reservas de vacunas refrigeradas podrían estropearse pronto si continúan los apagones.

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“Esto no es sutil; es extremo”, afirmó Paul Spiegel, experto en salud pública de la Universidad Johns Hopkins, quien ha liderado las respuestas de salud pública en Afganistán, Ucrania y la Franja de Gaza.

“Ya se observa que los hospitales están cambiando su funcionamiento”.

Como sucedió durante las crisis en esos otros lugares, explicó que las condiciones están obligando al personal sanitario cubano a priorizar a los pacientes en todo el sistema.

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“La magnitud y quiénes se verán afectados dependerán de estas terribles decisiones que tengan que tomar”, concluyó.

El bloqueo petrolero está agravando los problemas que ya se estaban acumulando en el sistema de salud cubano.

Si bien la economía cubana, estancada y planificada por el Estado, y su aislamiento internacional han alimentado décadas de pobreza generalizada, el sistema de salud pública del país ha sido durante mucho tiempo un punto positivo.

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Esto se debe, en parte, a que el gobierno ha destinado aproximadamente una quinta parte de su presupuesto a la salud, casi el doble del promedio mundial, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Hasta la pandemia de COVID-19, la esperanza de vida y las tasas de mortalidad infantil en Cuba eran comparables a las de los países desarrollados, mientras que la proporción de médicos por paciente se encontraba entre las mejores del mundo, según el Banco Mundial.

Sin embargo, las sanciones estadounidenses más estrictas contra Cuba, que comenzaron durante la primera administración Trump, han planteado importantes desafíos.

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Han impedido que los hospitales reemplacen equipos obsoletos, han complicado los pagos y la logística internacionales, y han provocado que proveedores médicos estadounidenses y europeos suspendan contratos por temor a infringir las normas estadounidenses.

Los economistas estiman que las sanciones también le han costado al Estado miles de millones de dólares en ingresos perdidos.

El Centro de Cardiología Pediátrica William Soler en La Habana, durante un apagón el 14 de marzo de 2026.  (Jorge Luis Baños/The New York Times)

Las sanciones, junto con la pandemia y las fallidas políticas económicas de Cuba, han provocado una profunda recesión.

La gran apuesta del Estado por el turismo, que incluía millones de dólares invertidos en hoteles de lujo, resultó contraproducente.

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Las políticas monetarias inoportunas destruyeron el valor del peso cubano, reduciendo el ya minúsculo salario estatal promedio al equivalente de 13 dólares al mes.

Y a pesar de una lenta reapertura de la economía, la represión política del gobierno comunista ha paralizado las verdaderas alternativas económicas.

En 2018, la tasa de mortalidad infantil en Cuba era de cuatro por cada 1.000 nacimientos, inferior a la de Estados Unidos.

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Para 2025, esa tasa se había duplicado con creces, llegando a 10 muertes, casi el doble que la cifra estadounidense.

Las consecuencias de las sanciones tardaron varios años en repercutir en el sistema sanitario, afirmó Ruth Gibson, médica de la Universidad de Stanford que estudia el impacto de las sanciones en la salud pública.

El impacto del bloqueo petrolero, añadió, «probablemente será exponencialmente más grave».

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Daños

La doctora Liliam Delgado Peruyera, obstetra-ginecóloga del principal hospital de maternidad de Cuba, afirmó que los daños ya eran evidentes.

Las sanciones han provocado escasez de antibióticos, medicamentos y equipos en el hospital, mientras que la falta de alimentos ha derivado en un mayor número de mujeres embarazadas y recién nacidos con bajo peso.

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Ahora, médicos, enfermeras, personal de limpieza y madres tienen dificultades para llegar al hospital debido a la falta de combustible.

Esto se traduce en salas de parto más sucias, menos personal sanitario para atender los partos y madres que llegan cuando el trabajo de parto está peligrosamente avanzado.

“Estamos recibiendo casos mucho más graves”, dijo Delgado Peruyera, y señaló que tres recién nacidos fallecieron en febrero, la mayor cantidad que recordaba en un solo mes.

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“Sobre todo en las últimas semanas, la prematuridad extrema nos ha afectado mucho”.

Atribuyó el aumento de nacimientos prematuros en parte al incremento de las infecciones debido a la escasez de antibióticos.

El gobierno cubano informó este mes que 96.400 pacientes estaban en lista de espera para cirugía, aunque no se especificó cuántos se sumaron a la lista tras el bloqueo.

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La escasez de combustible ha retrasado la vacunación de más de 30.000 niños, agregó el gobierno, y ha provocado interrupciones en la radioterapia y la diálisis renal para casi 20.000 pacientes.

Los medicamentos también escasean gravemente.

Este mes, una farmacia en un barrio pobre de La Habana permaneció cerrada en pleno horario laboral, y sus estantes vacíos se podían ver a través de una ventana entreabierta.

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Unos carteles escritos a mano en la puerta advertían a los clientes que las compras estaban estrictamente limitadas.

“Se ha informado de que hay personas que revenden medicamentos, por lo que avisaremos a la policía”, decía un cartel.

Al otro lado de la ciudad, el Hospital Pediátrico William Soler estaba inquietantemente silencioso.

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El hospital funciona con un personal mínimo, y muchos médicos, enfermeras y pacientes caminan kilómetros bajo el sol caribeño para llegar hasta allí.

El gobierno prioriza el suministro eléctrico para los hospitales, lo que ayuda a mantener las luces encendidas cuando otras partes de la ciudad están a oscuras.

Sin embargo, este mes, los hospitales han tenido que recurrir a generadores de respaldo durante tres apagones a nivel nacional.

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Fernández, jefe de anestesiología del hospital pediátrico más grande de La Habana, estaba sedando a un bebé de dos meses durante una cirugía cuando se produjo un apagón.

Las luces y los equipos que monitoreaban las constantes vitales del bebé se apagaron repentinamente durante unos minutos, hasta que se activó el generador.

«Cuando estás en medio de la operación», dijo el médico, «parece una hora».

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En otra parte del hospital, médicos y enfermeras corrían hacia los respiradores que bombeaban aire a los pulmones de los recién nacidos enfermos.

Las baterías de las máquinas se agotaron hace años, por lo que el personal sanitario tiene que accionar una bomba de goma para mantener a los bebés respirando hasta que los generadores empiecen a funcionar.

Ante la escasez de combustible, los generadores de gas podrían ser solo una solución temporal.

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Las enfermeras de la unidad neonatal del hospital comentaron que ya tienen planes para un hospital completamente sin electricidad: envolver a los recién nacidos en mantas y volver a colocarlos en incubadoras apagadas, con la esperanza de que se mantengan lo suficientemente calientes para sobrevivir.

El último cargamento de petróleo cubano llegó el 9 de enero.

Futuro

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Varias naciones habían suspendido los envíos tras las amenazas del presidente Donald Trump, pero ahora todas las miradas están puestas en un petrolero ruso que podría llegar a principios de la próxima semana.

El presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel ha advertido a los cubanos que la red eléctrica del país es profundamente inestable y que es probable que la situación empeore.

En respuesta, el gobierno ha instalado paneles solares en clínicas de salud comunitarias y residencias de ancianos, así como en los hogares de 120 niños enfermos que necesitan aire acondicionado.

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El gobierno también informó que ha proporcionado paneles solares a 10 000 trabajadores de la salud y la educación para que puedan trabajar a distancia.

Pero están surgiendo nuevos problemas en toda la isla.

Los grifos se están secando porque las bombas de agua dependen de la red eléctrica, que está fallando.

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El saneamiento está empeorando.

Y cada vez es más difícil encontrar alimentos, según el máximo responsable de las Naciones Unidas en Cuba.

Una característica distintiva del sistema de salud cubano eran los paquetes regulares de alimentos, suplementos y medicamentos para madres primerizas y bebés.

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Como resultado, hasta la pandemia, Cuba tenía una de las tasas más bajas de desnutrición infantil en la región, según UNICEF.

Las madres cubanas y sus médicos afirman que las entregas mensuales de leche materna son cada vez más pequeñas y menos frecuentes.

La doctora Roxana Martínez Rodríguez, médica comunitaria en un barrio de La Habana, comentó que este año sus pacientes no han recibido leche ni suplementos como ácido fólico, que el Estado solía proporcionar regularmente.

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Esto ocurre mientras los precios generales de los alimentos se han disparado desde enero, otra consecuencia del alza vertiginosa del precio del combustible.

“Un sueldo apenas alcanza para desayunar”, dijo Martínez Rodríguez.

“Comprar una col es un lujo”.

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Dijo que, como consecuencia, estaba viendo un mayor número de bebés desnutridos.

Martínez Rodríguez afirmó que su número de pacientes se ha duplicado en los últimos años, llegando a 1930, debido a que muchos médicos y enfermeros han abandonado el sistema de salud en busca de mejores salarios en el creciente sector privado, mientras que otros han emigrado de la isla.

Liagny Acosta sostiene a su bebé de dos semanas, Aíran, hospitalizado por una enfermedad respiratoria, en el Hospital William Soler de La Habana, el 22 de marzo de 2026.  (Jorge Luis Baños/The New York Times)

Los trabajadores de la salud que permanecen están agotados, sobre todo porque deben afrontar los mismos desafíos cotidianos que sus aproximadamente 10 millones de compatriotas cubanos.

“Sufrimos los mismos apagones que el resto de la población; nos enfrentamos a la misma escasez”, dijo.

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“Y, lo quieras o no, te va a afectar”.

c.2026 The New York Times Company

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Battleground Dem candidate linked public displays of faith to political violence in 2023 speech

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A Democratic House candidate running in a battleground seat in southwestern Iowa linked faith to political violence while warning against religion in public life, according to unearthed audio reviewed by Fox News Digital.

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«We have seen religion and political violence showing up more and more in our public spaces,» Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott said in a 2023 speech at a Methodist church. «It’s something that is just very in our faces and something that we’re very concerned about, and something that feels very threatening right now at this time.» 

Trone Garriott, a state legislator and Lutheran minister, is running to defeat Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, in November’s midterm elections. Prior to launching a House bid, Trone Garriott fashioned herself as a fierce opponent of Christian nationalism — a term some conservatives have argued that critics use to paint some Christians as prone to violence and hostile toward democracy.

In the speech, Trone Garriott said it was «a good thing to talk about religion and politics together» and spoke positively about living out one’s faith in their community. However, she repeatedly voiced discomfort about seeing public Christian displays and suggested it was something to be rooted out.

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Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and former Iowa state senator, warned against a rise in public displays of faith in a 2023 speech. (Krysta Fauria/AP Photo)

AMERICA’S CHURCHES UNDER SIEGE AS VIOLENCE INCREASINGLY INVADES SACRED GROUND

An image of a woman holding a sign with the phrase «one nation under God, indivisible» found in the Pledge of Allegiance, according to Trone Garriott, was one of several «pretty uncomfortable ways that faith and political power have collided.» The Iowa Democrat also called attention to Christian displays at one of President Donald Trump’s rallies and during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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«This is not a Christian nation. It’s a nation for all of us,» Trone Garriott told the church congregants. «Spaces and proceedings need to be for all people, and we need to work on reminding folks of that.»

As a state senator, Trone Garriott said she intentionally sought out opening prayers that were not from the «White American Christian variety,» but from atheist, secular and other non-Christian perspectives.

Trone Garriott also spoke critically of parental rights in education and private Christian schools. She charged that both stemmed from racist opposition to the integration of public schools when parents desired to create a «White enclave» for their children.

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«So maybe some of these things sound familiar today,» Trone Garriott said in her remarks. «It’s nothing new.»

The Iowa Democrat then proceeded to tie White men to her criticism of legislation barring biological males from women’s sports or preventing children from reading sexually explicit material. She notably opposed a bill keeping men out of women’s sports while serving in the state Senate.

«It’s really couched in the language of there’s a threat against women and White men are responsible to protect women from threats,» Trone Garriott said. 

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Trone Garriott’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

California girls' track and field athletes at a protest

California girls’ track and field athletes protest trans inclusion in girls’ sports at a postseason meet at Yorba Linda High School on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Courtesy of Sophia Lorey)

DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN

Nunn, who is seeking a third term in November, slammed Trone Garriott’s comments in the resurfaced video in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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«I was raised around Iowans who go to church every week and show up for their neighbors,» Nunn said. «Sarah Trone Garriott can’t walk into a church without delivering a lecture about how their faith is threatening and their schools are racist.»

«She’s made it clear that the values Iowa families live by every single day are the ones she’s running against,» he added.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), House Democrats’ campaign arm, said Trone Garriott is working to unify Iowans in the 3rd Congressional District and condemns political violence.

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Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn attends orientation

Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, sharply criticized Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott’s remarks, arguing she does not embody the values of the constituents she’s seeking to represent. (Michael A. McCoy/Reuters)

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«Sarah is a mom and minister who has served her community as a hospital chaplain and a parish pastor — public display of her faith has been a guiding force in Sarah’s life and continues to be to this day,» DCCC spokesperson Katie Smith said. «Sarah has always condemned political violence however it rears its ugly head and will always work to bring Iowans together.»

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest for the Republican-held seat as a «toss-up.»

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