INTERNACIONAL
Omar camp breaks silence on fraud probe, blames Walz, Trump as new claims clash with earlier statements
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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has not publicly or privately responded to a top investigative committee in Minnesota’s request for information on her possible ties to the massive fraud scandal, but a recent email from one of her former top staffers to the committee sheds light on how her camp may view the situation and who they blame.
«As the District Director for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from 2019-2022, I read with interest your comments in Session Daily regarding H.R.6187 – MEALS Act,» former Omar District Director Kendal Killian wrote in an email, obtained by Fox News Digital, Wednesday afternoon to the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee Chair Kristin Robbins. The email was also sent to Rep. Dave Pinto, the lead Democrat on the committee.
Killian wrote, «If the quote is accurate, you said, ‘She passed the MEALS Act in March 2020.’ Given that you were elected in 2018, I find it surprising that I need to explain to you how a bill becomes law, but one person cannot unilaterally pass legislation.»
Republicans have long argued that the pandemic-era school meal waivers tied to the MEALS Act, sponsored by Omar, helped create the conditions that enabled the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which federal prosecutors say totaled roughly $250 million.
OMAR ACCUSED BY GOP OPPONENT OF OPENING UP THE DOOR TO MASSIVE MINNEAPOLIS FRAUD: ‘DEEP, DEEP TIES’
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has long been under scrutiny for allegedly marrying her Somali brother. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)
Killian went on to explain to Robbins, who has previously served as a legislative director in Congress, that because Republicans controlled the Senate and the White House when the larger bill was passed, that they have «responsibility for implementation» of the legislation.
«So your characterization that Rep. Ilhan Omar passed this legislation unilaterally (and oversaw its execution) is off base,» Killian said. Killian went further in his effort to distance Omar from the legislation, claiming that the bill critics have been citing «never even passed.»
«Again, it is bizarre to have to explain this to a State Representative, but maybe you need some help,» Killian’s email says. He claimed that Robbins is suffering from «confusion,» because «similar legislative language to that in the MEALS Act was included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.»
ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT ‘SO OUT OF CONTROL’
Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins delivers an opening statement as she testifies alongside Minnesota State Rep. Walter Hudson during a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze $10 billion in child care funds for families with low incomes in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«While the original Meals Act (which never passed) was more similar to universal school meals legislation Omar championed and Representative Sydney Jordan in Minnesota later shepherded, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (supported by McConnell and signed by Trump) added waiver authority that facilitated much of the Feeding Our Future fraud,» Killian wrote. «The fraud was not committed under any bill authored by Omar, but rather under broader COVID-19 legislation and by taking advantage of USDA emergency waivers granted by the Trump administration. Those flexibilities, combined with weak oversight and rapid funding expansion, created conditions that were later exploited in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.»
In bold, Killian wrote that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was not «chiefly sponsored» by Omar and «thus is grossly inaccurate to claim so» and ended the email saying that «perhaps» the committee should subpoena President Trump rather than Omar.
While the MEALS Act itself did not pass as a standalone bill, it is listed on Congress.gov as related legislation to the broader Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which became law in 2020 and included similar school meal waiver provisions. Robbins told Fox News Digital the former Omar staffer is «lying» about the impact Omar had, arguing the core purpose of the MEALS Act, expanding USDA waiver authority, was part of the broader legislation.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN
«I’m talking about the MEALS Act that got incorporated in the larger coronavirus package,» Robbins explained. «In the related bills section it links to the Ilhan bill and lists it as one of the bills included in the Act, the language is identical.»
Congress.gov, the official legislative database run by the Library of Congress, lists Omar’s MEALS Act (H.R. 6187) as «related legislation» to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201).
Robbins pointed to numerous examples of Omar taking credit in messages to her constituents back in Minneapolis for the legislation that did ultimately pass and citing her MEALS Act.
WALZ ACCUSED BY JORDAN OF TRYING TO ‘HIDE BEHIND’ COURT ORDER IN FEEDING OUR FUTURE PAYMENTS
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 28, 2026. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In Omar’s own September 2020 press release, she explicitly says she «passed into law this spring» the MEALS Act provisions and describes them as legislation that «directly authorized these school meal waivers.»
«Ilhan’s MEALS Act, a bill aimed at protecting students’ access to school meal benefits during school closures, was passed into law as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,» Omar’s campaign website reads.
Additionally, Omar publicly pushed back after the Trump administration signaled in the summer and fall of 2020, after the legislation passed, that it would begin scaling back or letting some of the waivers expire and return programs closer to their pre-pandemic rules.
In August, she again linked the legislation she sponsored in the House to the overall situation, saying in a letter to the Trump administration, «In March, Congress authorized the use of waivers in the MEALS Act and the COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response Act in order to continue to provide school meals for children during the pandemic.»
«Absolutely not, it did help feed kids,» Omar said in December when asked if she regreted her support for the MEALS Act.
Killian’s email also directly contradicts his own words in a LinkedIn post from a year ago, reviewed by Fox News Digital, in which he characterized the significance of the legislation differently.
«When I worked in Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office during the pandemic, she wrote and passed the MEALS Act, a vital bill funding schools and feeding all kids,» Killian wrote.
In the same post, Killian described the bill as laying «the groundwork» for broader school meals policy, a contrast to his email to lawmakers in which he argued the legislation «never even passed» and sought to distance it from the framework later used during the pandemic.
Killian’s email to Robbins also included a P.S. with a link to the well-known Schoolhouse Rock «I’m Just a Bill» cartoon that explains to children how bills become law.
«It’s shameful,» Robbins told Fox News Digital about the tone of the email and referred to the situation as Omar’s «henchmen» coming after her.
«We have had no official response from the congresswoman, but they have a former district director, which is the most senior position, and he sent it to me and the Democrat lead on the committee,» Robbins said. «So he’s clearly wanting to have Democrats push back on me and say, ‘Robbins doesn’t know what she’s talking about, this wasn’t really Ilhan’s bill, it never passed,’ which is just BS.»
Notably, Killian’s letter does not address the specific questions the committee asked Omar in a recent letter, which the congresswoman has not responded to, related to the several connections between Omar and individuals in the Somali community charged or implicated in the case.
The committee asked Omar to turn over communications showing how she promoted expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
The request also zeroed in on Omar’s public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that later became linked to the fraud scandal. Robbins cited a Somali-language TV appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and asked for all communications related to the video and the restaurant’s participation.
«She fought to keep the waivers in place during the time that Safari and the other fraudsters were making their money,» Robbins told Fox News Digital.
MINNESOTA’S FRAUD SCANDAL WAS ‘SHOCKINGLY EASY’ TO PULL OFF, IS LIKELY WORSE THAN REPORTED: EX PROSECUTOR
The committee is also seeking records of any contact between Omar and a long list of individuals charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators as well as information about political donations Omar received from individuals later charged in the case, requesting «any and all» communications with those donors.
In a response to Fox News Digital, Killian did not directly say whether his original email was coordinated with Rep. Omar or her office, instead describing it as his personal «perspective.» He acknowledged that «very similar language» from the MEALS Act was included in the broader coronavirus relief package that became law.
Killian also argued that responsibility for the fraud lies with those who implemented the program, placing blame on both federal and state officials, particularly Gov. Tim Walz.
MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS
«It was then overseen by the Trump USDA. And then governors like Walz. Frankly, Governor Walz…deserves the same level of scrutiny as this Fox inquiry,» Killian wrote. «At the end of the day, it was Governor Walz who [expletive] this up.»
Killian further sought to distance the legislation from the fraud itself, arguing that «no fraud took place at actual public schools» and that «the nonprofits did,» adding that «Ilhan’s bill was focused on the former.»
But the same waiver authority allowed meals to be distributed far beyond school cafeterias, including at non-school sites such as restaurants and community locations later tied to the fraud scheme, raising questions about how separate the two systems were in practice.
Killian also dismissed inconsistencies over whether the MEALS Act «passed» as a matter of «casual» or imprecise language, without directly reconciling his emailed statement that the bill «never even passed» with his prior description of Omar as having «wrote and passed» it.
Omar’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Omar was given a deadline of May 5 to respond to the committee, which she did not meet, and has yet to give any public response.
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After Omar missed the deadline, the committee attempted to subpoena her for the, information but was blocked by Democrats on the committee in a party-line vote.
«It’s the same story every time,» Robbins posted on X after the vote. «Fraud is committed, information is suppressed, and the dysfunction continues.»
somali immigrant community, ilhan omar, minnesota fraud exposed, bills, dept of education
INTERNACIONAL
How a Rhodes Scholar with ties to Cuba’s president organized the convoy that brought Hasan Piker to Havana
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This article is the third installment in a three-part Fox News Digital investigative series examining allegations that the Communist Party of Cuba built and cultivated transnational influence networks inside through nonprofits, activist organizations, solidarity campaigns, labor unions, educational exchanges and political delegations.
When President Donald Trump intensified sanctions pressure on Cuba’s communist government earlier this year, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said he turned to a friend for advice.
«I hit my friend up, David Adler, and I was like, ‘What do we do?’» Piker recalled in an online interview. «And he’s like, ‘I’m already working on it.’»
What followed, according to Piker’s own account, was the assembly of a transnational convoy that brought hundreds of activists, politicians, journalists and organizers from dozens of countries to Cuba, delivering an estimated 40 tons of supplies as part of a campaign branded «Nuestra América Convoy,» or «Our America Convoy.»
Progressive International’s general coordinator David Adler speaks during an event at the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples in Havana on March 21, 2026. (Ernesto Mastrascusa/AFP)
The remarks offer one of the clearest public disclosures to date of how the popular streamer became involved in a trip that is now drawing scrutiny from federal investigators. Fox News Digital exclusively reported a week ago that Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently issued administrative subpoenas to Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, seeking records related to their Cuba travel, communications and financial activity connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The requests sought travel records, communications and financial records related to Cuba activities, including possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities.
Public attention surrounding the trip has largely focused appropriately on CodePink, Piker, Shanghai-based American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, and Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, who posted a selfie photo with Piker in Havana. On Monday, Piker raised the attention of even U.S. officials when he said he believes the «real goal» of the Treasury Department investigation is Singham, because he funds «political operations» in the U.S.
But an analysis of hundreds of hours of Piker’s livestreams and interviews compiled by computer engineer Jennica Pounds, a data scientist known online as «Data Republican,» repeatedly points to a lesser-known organization that played a central role in planning the mission: Progressive International, run by Piker’s friend, Adler.
«What makes Progressive International so dangerous is that, by co-opting progressive values, it provides political legitimacy to authoritarian regimes with longstanding records of repression and gross human rights violations, and whose purpose is to destroy the United States,» said Gelet Martinez Fragela, a Cuban American journalist based in Boca Raton, Fla.
«That is precisely the propaganda strategy of the Cuban regime, which has historically used solidarity groups and activist networks as cover to build alliances, raise funds and maintain power while continuing to embed itself within illicit and anti-democratic networks around the world,» she told Fox News Digital.
Born in Cuba, Martinez Fragela has been investigating the government of Cuba’s influence in the Western Hemisphere for years, mapping the network it builds activists, nonprofits and governments to activate support for the Communist Party of Cuba. Her website, ADNCuba.com, is blocked on the island.
HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER
Progressive International is one of the most important of the 145 nonprofits, labor groups, advocacy organizations and activist collectives that Fox News Digital identified as part of a network, mobilizing in support of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba. Together, the organizations report about $1 billion in combined annual revenue. They are rallying this week to run to the streets in support of Cuba if the U.S. wages military action on the country.
Founded in 2020, Progressive International emerged from a political initiative launched by Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the increasingly powerful Democratic Socialists of America, and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, a far-left politician, after a gathering of activists in Burlington, Vt., from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1, 2018, where organizers called for a new «international progressive movement.» Adler was at the meeting.
Today Adler leads a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Progressive International Exchange Inc., based in Calabasas, Calif., with EIN 93-3021918. Its most recent IRS Form 990 reported only $261,039 in annual revenue and $215,772 in net assets. It isn’t clear if the U.S. nonprofit is related to the «Progressive International» coalition, which is based in Athens, Greece, coordinating massive mobilizations, like the Cuba convoy, conferences and public actions. Progressive International and Adler didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Portrait of David Adler, member of DiEM25´s Coordinating Collective and coordinator of the Progressive International movement before a panel discussion of DiEM25 on January 24, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Till Rimmele/Getty Images)
At the center of the organization is Adler, who was born in Encino, Calif., graduated from Brown University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and trained at Oxford University as a political economist. He previously directed policy for Varoufakis’ «Democracy in Europe Movement,» known as «DiEM25,» and served on Sanders’ foreign policy advisory team before becoming Progressive International’s general coordinator.
In 2024, Germany actually barred Varoufakis for leading polarizing anti-Israel protests with local Palestinians. Varoufakis wrote that the decision reflected Germany’s «turn to repression.»
According to the public record, Adler occupies an unusual position inside the Cuba solidarity movement, with close ties with the Communist Party of Cuba. Last year, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly intervened on Adler’s behalf when Israeli authorities detained him when he joined a flotilla to Israel, supposedly carrying «aid» to Palestinians in Gaza. A Jewish American, Adler shared a video of himself from the boat awkwardly calling his parents to tell them that he was on the flotilla to Gaza.
Qatar’s state-funded anti-Israel TV network, Al Jazeera, shared the video on social media with childhood photos of Adler and its own propaganda spin, writing, «David Adler called his parents from the deck of a flotilla boat to tell them he had joined the mission to Gaza. He is one of many Jewish activists who say they can no longer stay on the sidelines.»
In much the same way, the convoy to Cuba was blasted to the world from Havana with an anti-U.S. propaganda theme, criticizing America’s «imperialism.»
During the convoy’s visit to Cuba in March, Adler could be seen in a VIP seat beside Díaz-Canel, as the president listened politely to Adler and later pumped his fist in the air during an event sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, known as ICAP.
As reported, generations of activists traveled to Cuba through labor brigades, educational exchanges, solidarity delegations and political tours organized through institutions connected to the Cuban state, including the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP, and the Venceremos Brigade, now a fiscally-sponsored project of the People’s Forum in the Singham network. It’s led today by Fernando González Llort, one of the «Cuban Five» intelligence officers convicted in the United States on espionage-related charges.
A spokesperson from the Embassy of Cuba told Fox News Digital that it isn’t engaged in any operations of malign foreign influence and is simply trying to protect the state’s sovereignty.
LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S.
An advisory council of Progressive International includes Mariela Castro Espín, a member of Cuba’s National Assembly and the daughter of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, indicted earlier this month by the U.S. for murder.
«That fact that Mariela Castro has a position of power with Progressive International is not insignificant,» said Martinez Fragela, the Cuban American journalist. «In plain terms, it means that a member of the Castro family, a senior figure within the Cuban Communist Party, a member of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, and part of the broader Cuban political apparatus is involved in guiding the direction of the organization.»
In one interview, Piker described himself as «good friends» with Progressive International organizers. In another, he identified Adler and Varoufakis by name when discussing the organization. Adler later appeared on Piker’s livestream, where Piker described him as «someone who I have the honor of calling a comrade.»
Adler replied, «Thanks, brother. It’s a pleasure to be here.»
The organization’s role in the March convoy was extensive.
The Nuestra América Convoy wasn’t a spontaneous jaunt. Progressive International described it as an international operation involving approximately 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The mission combined charter flights, maritime flotillas and aid shipments carrying food, medicine, medical supplies and solar panels to Cuba.
Piker documented part of the operation himself and part of his defense against scrutiny for making the trip to Cuba is that he went as «a journalist.»
PROGRESSIVE STREAMER BACKING MAMDANI SAYS CUBANS ARE ‘PARTYING IN THE F—— STREETS’ AMID ENERGY CRISIS
Hasan Piker and Jodie Evans and Neville Roy Singham (Getty Images)
In his Cuba documentary, he showed himself boarding what he described as a «special plane» departing from Miami. It was the same plane that CodePink’s Benjamin filmed as the one CodePink’s delegation was flying to Cuba. In the film, Piker credited Progressive International, CodePink and the ANSWER Coalition for organizing the effort.
«Shout out Code Pink, Answer Coalition, Progressive International,» Piker said. «They set up a flight with medical aid, solar panels, food, numerous things that the Cuban population desperately needs.»
The participants included former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, CodePink activists, labor organizers, international delegates and public figures from multiple countries. Before traveling, Piker said he consulted Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama and a central figure in the administration’s Cuba normalization effort.
«I had talked to Ben Rhodes prior to going,» Piker said. «And he said to me like, ‘You’re going to be very sad when you see it.’» Piker repeated the story in multiple interviews and public appearances after returning from Havana.
After arriving in Havana, Piker said he largely embedded with «Belly of the Beast,» a media organization named for a term that is used by communists and far-leftists to describe operating inside the U.S., the so-called «beast» in their propaganda.
REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP
Hasan Piker, a Democratic Socialists of America member, and CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans meet in Havana, Cuba, as part of a «United Front» supporting the communist regime. (CodePink via Storyful)
«I locked in with Belly of the Beast,» he later said. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Center for American Documentary Inc., based in Newton, Mass., serves as the fiscal sponsor for Belly of the Beast Films LLC, based in Ketchum, Idaho, according to public records. Tax filings show that Center for American Documentary gave Belly of the Beast $188,043 in 2024 for «film production services.»
Piker’s resulting propaganda documentary from Cuba features interviews with several senior Cuban officials and institutional leaders, including Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s vice minister of foreign affairs, one of the country’s highest-ranking diplomats, representing the Communist Party of Cuba. Piker also interviewed officials connected to Cuba’s international medical missions as well as researchers working in the country’s health-care and energy sectors.
The convoy itself reflected a model that has existed inside the Cuba solidarity movement for decades.
Investigators examining the modern Cuba solidarity movement increasingly view the Nuestra América Convoy as the latest evolution of that infrastructure, using the cover of «humanitarian aid» for political advocacy, propaganda generation and distribution and activist networking in a single international operation.
The trip to Cuba was only one part of Progressive International’s activities.
In October 2025, when Adler participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, he was detained by Israeli authorities after vessels attempted to challenge Israel’s blockade. Following his release, Adler appeared on Piker’s livestream and described another Progressive International initiative known as the Hague Group.
«One of the things that we do at the Progressive International is help to coordinate a group that’s called the Hague Group,» Adler told Piker’s audience. He described it as a coalition of countries committed to taking action on behalf of international law and the Palestinian cause.
By March 2026, the Hague Group had grown into a coalition of approximately 40 countries coordinated through Progressive International’s organizational infrastructure.
WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS
The overlap illustrates how the same organization that helped bring Piker to Cuba also operates across a broader network of international campaigns involving Cuba, Gaza and anti-sanctions activism.
Federal investigators aren’t examining protected political speech. Across thousands of transcripts, Piker consistently described the Cuba trip as a «humanitarian» mission and repeatedly stated that participants traveled under procedures authorized by Treasury. He has publicly maintained that he signed OFAC paperwork and complied with federal requirements.
Instead, investigators are examining communications, financial records, travel logistics and possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.
For investigators, the significance of the convoy extends beyond a single influencer’s trip to Havana.
The same organizations that organized the March mission — Progressive International, People’s Forum, CodePink and the ANSWER Coalition — repeatedly appear throughout the broader Cuba «solidarity» infrastructure. What began decades ago through organizations such as ICAP and the Venceremos Brigade now operates through a modern network of nonprofits, media projects, international delegations, activist campaigns and political organizations.
The March convoy that brought Piker to Cuba represents one of the most visible examples of that system in action, say Cuban Americans challenging the regime.
And, to them, Piker’s «comrade,» Adler, represents a critical part of the network trying to keep communism alive in Cuba.
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Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.
cuba, caribbean, fox news investigates, travel, globalism
INTERNACIONAL
José Daniel Ferrer, líder opositor cubano, ve “replicable” el modelo de Venezuela en Cuba para derrocar al régimen castrista
El líder opositor cubano José Daniel Ferrer sostuvo que la estrategia utilizada por Estados Unidos para remover de sus funciones al ex dictador venezolano Nicolás Maduro en Venezuela podría aplicarse en Cuba e, incluso, con mayor rapidez. “No vemos otra opción que sacar al régimen por la fuerza”, aseguró Ferrer, convencido de que “sobrarán los Delcy Rodríguez” dispuestos a tomar el relevo tras la salida del castrismo.
Según el líder de la Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU), la presión interna es insostenible tras décadas de privaciones. Ferrer, quien estuvo encarcelado en la Primavera Negra de 2003 y fue nuevamente apresado tras las protestas de julio de 2021, vive ahora en el exilio, tras ser liberado y desterrado a Estados Unidos en octubre de 2025. Desde allí, describe una sociedad marcada por “la opresión y miseria extrema”, especialmente para los presos políticos.
Cerca de dos tercios de la población, estimó Ferrer en una entrevista con Europa Press, apoyarían la salida del régimen, dentro y fuera del país. Bajo su mirada, la alternativa venezolana —donde la detención de Maduro dio paso a Delcy Rodríguez con el respaldo de la administración Trump— es “replicable” en Cuba, con la diferencia de que el proceso podría acelerarse debido al “desgaste” acumulado que sufren los isleños.
En los últimos meses, diversas voces en la oposición cubana señalaron que la crisis política y económica del país deterioró el respaldo al régimen, incluso entre las filas del gobernante Partido Comunista. Muchos militares de rango medio y bajo “no van a hacer lo más mínimo por defender” a las autoridades cubanas, observó Ferrer, quien recalca que “están tan deseosos como sus familiares por que el régimen termine y Cuba pueda salir de la situación” actual.
El opositor subrayó que la cohesión interna del castrismo “se ve fundamentada en el terror, en el miedo, en la desconfianza”. Durante la entrevista, recordó episodios en los que figuras de alto perfil, como el ex vicepresidente Carlos Lage y el ex canciller Felipe Pérez Roque, fueron apartadas tras perder la confianza del núcleo del poder.
“Si eso ha ocurrido en tiempos más cómodos para el castrismo”, señaló, la situación actual, bajo “inminente colapso”, anticipa que “van a sobrar los Delcy Rodríguez tanto a nivel de figuras políticas como de mandos militares”.
En este contexto, la falta de una oposición asentada, como la que existía en Venezuela, podría ser, según Ferrer, una ventaja en Cuba. “La desventaja termina siendo nuestra ventaja”, argumentó el dirigente, que destaca la existencia de un exilio “poderoso, política y económicamente hablando” en Estados Unidos y bien coordinado con la disidencia interna.
La relación entre el exilio y la oposición dentro de la isla, explicó Ferrer, es cada vez más sólida. “Las estructuras que no tenemos dentro de la isla, sí las tenemos en el exterior”, afirmó, refiriéndose a una “oposición latente, creciente, muchas veces silenciada, clandestina”.
El dirigente opositor destacó la figura del secretario de Estado norteamericano, Marco Rubio, como un aliado clave.
“Tiene el tema de Cuba como algo prioritario, como algo personal para él”, subraya Ferrer, quien confirma contactos “constantes y fluidos” tanto con Rubio como con el Departamento de Estado. El propio Ferrer, junto a otros opositores en el exilio como Rosa María Payá y Orlando Martínez, así como figuras dentro de Cuba como Berta Soler y Ángel Moya, participan de estos intercambios.
En cuanto a la situación política, el líder opositor sostuvo que el régimen “está sentenciado” y aseguró que el desenlace podría producirse “en cualquier momento en los próximos meses”.
Para entender la situación actual en Cuba, es clave saber que el régimen enfrenta un rechazo social amplificado por la crisis económica, la persecución política y la existencia de una oposición interna y en el exilio, mientras Estados Unidos muestra una postura firme a favor de un cambio de gobierno. El liderazgo de Ferrer y la coordinación con figuras clave en Washington refuerzan las posibilidades de una transición política inminente.
(Con información de Europa Press)
Domestic,Politics,South America / Central America,Government / Politics
INTERNACIONAL
Donna Brazile brushes off Biden’s stroke fears, says Democrats must ‘focus on the future’
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Former acting chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Donna Brazile was not interested in talking about former first lady Jill Biden’s comments on being «frightened» watching her husband in the 2024 presidential debate.
Jill Biden recently told CBS that while watching her husband’s debate performance against President Donald Trump, she feared he was suffering a medical emergency and thought he might be having a stroke. Her comments renewed attention on concerns about then-President Joe Biden’s age and health, which intensified after his widely scrutinized debate performance.
JILL BIDEN SAYS SHE THOUGHT JOE WAS HAVING A STROKE DURING HIS DISASTROUS 2024 DEBATE PERFORMANCE
«I don’t want to talk about Jill Biden right now,» Brazile said when Fox News Digital asked her to share her thoughts on the former first lady’s recent comments on her husband’s debate.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden speak to supporters at a watch party for the CNN presidential debate in Atlanta, June 27, 2024. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital pressed Brazile to respond as conversations have been circulating around the 2024 election and what went wrong — particularly following the calling for and release of the 2024 DNC autopsy report, an internal review of the party’s 2024 defeat and the factors that contributed to it.
Brazile, referring to herself in the third person, urged Democrats to deny any calls to look to the past, and instead focus on the future of the party and upcoming elections.
«Donna Brazile will not focus on the past,» she said. «Donna Brazile want to focus on the future.»
She argued Democrats already made their decision in 2024 when Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE FLIP FLOPS, PULLS PLUG ON ITS 2024 ELECTION ‘AUTOPSY’
There has been widespread criticism over how Democrats handled concerns about Joe Biden’s age and his cognitive health, and whether that impacted the party’s performance in 2024. (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)
«We made that decision in 2024 when the then-president decided to step down and pass the torch to Kamala,» Brazile said.
A longtime Democratic strategist, Brazile served as interim chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2011 and again in 2016. She has remained an influential voice within Democratic politics through multiple presidential election cycles and has frequently weighed in on the party’s direction following major electoral setbacks.
There has been widespread criticism over how Democrats handled concerns about Joe Biden’s age and his cognitive health, and whether that impacted the party’s performance in 2024.
DEMS FACE A LITMUS TEST OVER BIDEN’S COGNITIVE ABILITIES
Jill Biden recently told CBS that while watching her husband’s debate performance against President Donald Trump, she feared he was suffering a medical emergency and thought he might be having a stroke. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
There has been continued debate within the Democratic Party about how it handled concerns about Biden’s age and cognitive health for office before he ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris.
Brazile’s comments highlight a divide between Democrats seeking a fuller accounting of the events that led to Biden’s withdrawal and the party’s 2024 loss and those who believe the focus should shift toward rebuilding ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and future presidential contests.
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But Brazile made clear where she stands.
«Anyone who’s focusing on the past is not focused on the future,» she said. «I’m actually focused on ’26, ’28, ’32.»
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