April, 14 2015, 04:30pm EDT
![CODEPINK](https://assets.rbl.ms/32012681/origin.jpg)
CODEPINK Statement on Cuba's Removal from the US Terrorist List
We applaud President Obama for the announcement today that Cuba will be taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In addition to the economic embargo imposed in 1962, Cuba has unjustly languished on the U.S. State Department's state-sponsored terror list since 1982--despite posing no threat to the United States' national security. Today, we are happy to note that this has finally changed.
WASHINGTON
We applaud President Obama for the announcement today that Cuba will be taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. In addition to the economic embargo imposed in 1962, Cuba has unjustly languished on the U.S. State Department's state-sponsored terror list since 1982--despite posing no threat to the United States' national security. Today, we are happy to note that this has finally changed.
It was President Ronald Reagan who put Cuba on the terrorism list. He sought to blacklist Cuba's support for leftist movements in Central and South America, movements that challenged US hegemony in the region. And after denouncing Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism, Reagan pursued his own campaign in Central and South America--funding the extreme right, conducting covert military actions, brokering illegal arms deals, and attempting coup d'etats.
The infamous US terror list includes only three other nations: Iran, Sudan, and Syria and curiously omits North Korea. Many people around the world found it hypocritical for the United States to single out Cuba while ignoring support for terrorism by U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Israel, especially since Cuba is known for exporting doctors, musicians, teachers, artists, and dancers -- not terrorists. They could also argue that US actions--such as invading Iraq on the basis of lies or killing people by drones with no due process--would merit labeling the US itself as a state sponsor of terror.
President Obama's announcement that Cuba will be taken off the terror list follows the historic announcement on December 17, 2014 that the U.S. and Cuba would seek to normalize relations. Why the drastic change after decades of bitterness? As Obama said during his State of the Union speech, "When what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new."
Cuba's removal from the list will hopefully warm efforts to normalize relations between the two nations. The terrorism designation was Cuba's primary demand in reestablishing diplomatic ties. Serving as a point of contention during diplomatic talks, the dispute has even snarled progress towards opening embassies.
So now that Cuba is off the terror list, what happens next? Hopefully, the "Interest Sections" in both countries will be turned into embassies. It will be easier for international banks to do business with Cuba and the staff of the soon-to-be re-minted Cuban Embassy will finally be allowed to bank in the United States instead of having to conduct all their transactions in cash. But sadly, not much will change until the economic embargo is lifted. The president himself can make further changes by executive authority, but ultimately the lifting of the embargo must be done by Congress.
President Obama's announcement to remove Cuba from the State Department's state-sponsored terror list is a step in the right direction, but we still have a long road ahead. As Cuba's removal from the list opens the pathway to opening embassies, we must now turn to Congress and demand that they further the president's actions by ending the American travel ban to Cuba and the entire economic embargo.
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
(818) 275-7232LATEST NEWS
'Largest IT Outage in History' Sparks Global Chaos
"This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time."
Jul 19, 2024
This is a developing story… Please check back for possible updates...
A global technology outage attributed to a software update by the U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike sparked chaos around the world Friday as flights were grounded and healthcare, banking, and ground transportation systems experienced major disruptions.
George Kurtz, the president and CEO of Crowdstrike, said in a statement Friday morning that the company is "actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts"—a glitch that affected Microsoft users around the world.
"This is not a security incident or cyberattack," Kurtz added. "The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they're communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers."
The Financial Timesexplained that Crowdstrike is "one of the world's largest providers of 'endpoint' security software, used by companies to monitor for security problems across a huge range of devices, from desktop PCs to checkout payment terminals."
Troy Hunt, a security consultant, wrote on social media that "this will be the largest IT outage in history."
"This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time," Hunt added.
The impacts of the outage cascaded rapidly. Wirednoted that "in the early hours of Friday, companies in Australia running Microsoft's Windows operating system started reporting devices showing Blue Screens of Death (BSODs)."
"Shortly after," the outlet continued, "reports of disruptions started flooding in from around the world, including from the U.K., India, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S.: TV station Sky News went offline, and U.S. airlines United, Delta, and American Airlines issued a 'global ground stop' on all flights."
As The New York Timesobserved, the National Health Service in the United Kingdom "was crippled throughout the morning on Friday, as a number of hospitals and doctors offices lost access to their computer systems."
Keep ReadingShow Less
After RNC Speech, Critics Say: 'Trump Hasn't Changed. He's Only Gotten More Extreme'
"Donald Trump is a scab and a billionaire and that's who he represents," said the United Auto Workers.
Jul 19, 2024
The former president who sparked a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol less than four years ago took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Thursday night claiming to desire an end to the "discord and division in our society."
But Donald Trump's record, rhetoric throughout the 2024 campaign, insidious plans for a second term, and remarks as he accepted his party's presidential nomination give the lie to his fleeting attempt to posture as a unifying figure, critics said in the wake of the former president's speech, which came days after an attempt on his life in Pennsylvania.
"What we witnessed tonight were just empty words," said Christina Harvey, executive director of Stand Up America. "This is the same twice-impeached, convicted felon who botched the Covid response, repeatedly tried to take healthcare away from millions of Americans, incited an insurrection to cling to power after voters rejected him, and to this day brags about appointing the justices that 'killed' Roe v. Wade."
"Let's be clear—Trump hasn't changed. He's only gotten more extreme," Harvey added. "If elected, he will enact the radical Project 2025 plan that allows employers to stop paying overtime, takes away health protections for preexisting conditions, and lets the government monitor Americans' pregnancies to potentially prosecute them if they miscarry. The damage of a second Trump term won't just last for four years. Trump would appoint more MAGA justices to the Supreme Court who will continue eroding our freedoms for decades. We must vote this November to keep Trump out of the Oval Office and protect our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
Not long after pledging to "be president for all of America, not half of America," Trump reverted to well-worn falsehoods about his 2020 election defeat, claiming that the Democratic Party "used Covid to cheat."
The former president also decried the supposed "invasion at our southern border" and reiterated his disastrous plan to "launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country" as convention attendees hoisted signs that read, "Mass Deportation Now!"
"This is a very bad speech by a very weak, beatable candidate."
While claiming to support the working class, Trump—whose campaign is backed by more than a dozen billionaires—launched into an attack on United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain, declaring that the labor leader who helped guide his union to historic contract victories at the nation's largest car manufacturers "should be fired immediately."
The UAW said in response that "Donald Trump is a scab and a billionaire and that's who he represents."
"We know which side we're on," added the union, which endorsed President Joe Biden earlier this year. "Not his."
To progressive observers, Trump's rambling, lie-filled, often incoherent convention address underscored that the November election is very much winnable for Democrats and that fatalism about the outcome is deeply wrongheaded.
"This is a very bad speech by a very weak, beatable candidate," said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible.
Those who have urged Biden to exit the race and pave the way for a candidate perceived as a stronger matchup against Trump—a deeply unpopular figure—reiterated their case during the former president's speech, which dragged on for more than 90 minutes.
"The party that runs someone who isn't Trump or Biden will win this election," wrote progressive organizer Aaron Regunberg. "We just need to make sure that's our party."
In recent days, Democratic congressional leaders and prominent members of the party—including former President Barack Obama—have expressed concerns about Biden's ability to defeat Trump in November. A survey released this week found that 65% of Democratic voters want Biden to drop out of the race.
One unnamed senior Democrat toldThe Financial Times on Thursday that the pressure on Biden to exit has become "insurmountable" and predicted he would be "out by Monday."
"Other people close to the party leadership said it could happen earlier," the newspaper added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Chaos-Causing Court Sides With GOP Attack on Biden Student Debt Relief Plan
Advocates are calling for "shutting the student loan system down until borrowers have access to the rights they were promised."
Jul 18, 2024
Student debt cancellation advocates on Thursday responded to a federal appeals court blocking implementation of one of U.S. President Joe Biden's relief programs by demanding a shutdown of the whole system to spare borrowers and the economy.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit's temporary ruling against the administration's Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan comes just over a year after the Supreme Court struck down Biden's sweeping student debt cancellation proposal.
Although the high court's right-wing supermajority has thwarted Biden's attempt to deliver his promised broad relief, the administration has pursued initiatives including the SAVE program, which sets monthly payments based on borrowers' income.
Over half of the more than 8 million borrowers who have enrolled in the program have a $0 monthly payment, according to the U.S. Department of Education. SAVE also enables borrowers to have their balances canceled after 10, 20, or 25 years.
GOP state officials led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach challenged the program, leading to Thursday's ruling—just the latest in a series of various decisions about the program. The 8th Circuit issued a stay until the court rules on a request for a preliminary injunction.
"Today's extreme, unsigned, single-sentence order from a judge out of Missouri's 8th Circuit Court of Appeals just sent the student loan system into chaos and borrowers will be forced to pay the price," warned Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) executive director Mike Pierce in a statement.
"It is clear that the Biden administration can and must protect borrowers from this partisan lawfare—that means shutting the student loan system down until borrowers have access to the rights they were promised under the law," he argued.
In addition to echoing Pierce's call for shutting down the system "to mitigate the widespread economic harm that could be imposed on borrowers," SBPC deputy executive director Persis Yu suggested the legal battle was politically motivated.
"Right-wing politicians are using the courts to wreak havoc on the student loan system and put the economic stability of tens of millions of borrowers and their families at risk. Make no mistake: These lawsuits are shameful political gamesmanship designed to hurt President Biden at all costs, and borrowers are merely collateral damage," Yu said. "Unfortunately, today, the special interests have prevailed, imperiling the financial security of millions and throwing the student loan system into an untenable chaos."
An Education Department spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that "we are assessing the impacts of this ruling and will be in touch directly with borrowers with any impacts that affect them."
"Our administration will continue to aggressively defend the SAVE Plan," the spokesperson added. "And, we won't stop fighting against Republican elected officials' efforts to raise costs on millions of their own constituents' student loan payments."
The 8th Circuit's decision came on the same day as the Biden administration's announcement that it is canceling $1.2 billion in student loans for borrowers who work in public service through changes to another federal program.
"These 35,000 borrowers approved for forgiveness today are public service workers—teachers, nurses, law enforcement officials, and first responders who have dedicated their lives to strengthening their communities, and because of the fixes we made to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, they will now have more breathing room to support themselves and their families," Biden said in a statement.
Biden—who has faced progressive pressure to keep pursuing bolder debt relief policies—is currently seeking reelection, though the Democrat has endured growing calls to step aside since his poor debate performance last month.
Former President Donald Trump this week formally became the Republican nominee and announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. Multiple analyses have warned that the U.S. student debt crisis would worsen under Trump.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular