Topic: Cuba Embargo

The Pentagon has secretly expanded its drone network to include a base in Tunisia for missions over Libya, adding to existing hubs in Niger and Djibouti. In diplomatic news, the United States abstained for the first time from a United Nations vote calling for an end to the Cuban economic embargo. The resolution passed 191-0, signaling a shift in U.S. policy under the Obama administration despite the embargo remaining legally in place.

A Newsweek investigation alleged that a Donald Trump-owned company violated the U.S. embargo against Cuba in 1998 by spending $68,000 on a secret business trip. Hillary Clinton used the report to attack Trump's credibility, while critics argue the story was timed to distract from Clinton's own controversies. The report claims Trump executives attempted to disguise the expenditures as charitable.

President Obama announces steps to increase travel and commerce with Cuba, including the use of American credit cards on the island. The hosts note that the U.S. is playing catch-up to Canada, as Canadians have been buying up prime Cuban beach real estate and hotels for years.

The 50th anniversary of the United States embargo against Cuba is noted, highlighting its status as the longest-running embargo in history. The summary cites a United Nations General Assembly vote where 186 nations called for the repeal of the sanctions, with only the United States and Israel voting in opposition. The segment traces the embargo's history from the Kennedy administration through the 1996 Helms-Burton Act.

A prediction is made that the Obama administration will move to lift the trade embargo on Cuba within the next 18 months to open the country for American real estate developers. Media segments highlighting "fond feelings" for Americans among Cubans are interpreted as a propaganda campaign to prepare the public for this shift. The instability in Mexico is cited as a reason to establish Cuba as a safer alternative for American tourists.