Why Did Cuba Shoot Down Two Planes in 1996? A Cuban Spy Explains
https://belly-of-the-beast.kit.com/posts/why-did-cuba-shoot-down-two-planes-in-1996-a-cuban-spy-explains

[weekly newsletter about #Cuba from the #BellyOfTheBeast #news collective. Their videos can also be found at: https://peertube.world/c/cuba_botb_videos/videos]

June 19, 2026

Why did the Cuban government shoot down two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996?

In an exclusive interview, BotB speaks with #RenéGonzález, an intelligence agent and member of the Cuban Five who flew Brothers to the Rescue planes in the early 1990s.

González recounts how he infiltrated the group, what he witnessed from the inside, and why he believes #RaúlCastro's indictment over the shoot-down is a made-in-Miami pretext to justify an invasion.

Also:

• Foreign Investors Flee Sanctions, Not Communism
• #Trump’s Policy Hits Cuban Families
• The Deadly Toll of #US #Sanctions
• Cuba Welcomes Critics Into Reform Debate
• Bacardi Loses Havana Club Appeal
• How a Daughter’s Love Inspired #Alzheimer’s Research

#politics #USpol

Video - "We Can Do Terrorism — Just Don't Say It In Public"
https://peertube.world/w/1QmQZT2a3Kv3GXfNsjqEsF
Duration - 2:51

[a #video on #Peertube about #Cuba from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

#RaúlCastro was indicted for the shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes 30 years ago. The group’s leader was a former #CIA #terrorist who claimed to have renounced violence, but never did according to former #Cuban intelligence agent René González.

#NoWarOnCuba
#USHandsOffCuba
#OilForCuba!
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#CubaSolidarity
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba #OffTheList
#CubaNoEstáSola
#VivaCuba #CubaSí #AbajoElBloqueo #SolidaridadConCuba
#PetróleoParaCuba
#LatinAmerica #Caribbean
#politics #USpol

Video - Cuba’s Foreign Investors Aren’t Fleeing Communism — They’re Fleeing Sanctions
https://peertube.world/w/2zUL5n7hd56wjznFrRyh8R
Duration - 1:35

[a #video about #Cuba from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

Foreign companies are pulling out of Cuba.

After Trump signed an executive order on May 1 threatening #sanctions on anyone doing business in Cuba, companies from Canada, Spain, France, Germany and Australia fled the island.

So who benefits when foreign investors leave?

BotB journalist Yohan Rodríguez breaks it all down.

#NoWarOnCuba
#USHandsOffCuba
#OilForCuba!
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#CubaSolidarity
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba #OffTheList
#CubaNoEstáSola
#VivaCuba #CubaSí #AbajoElBloqueo #SolidaridadConCuba
#PetróleoParaCuba
#LatinAmerica #Caribbean
#politics #USpol #embargo

Video - How a Daughter’s Love Inspired Alzheimer’s #Research
https://peertube.world/w/57yaDsY3gDXowDUu8dhYjw
Duration - 1:32 

[a #video about #Cuba from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

Director Daniel Montero shares what drew him to the story of Dr. Teresita Rodríguez and why TERESITA’S DREAM became such a meaningful film to make.

The documentary follows the Cuban scientist whose search for an #Alzheimer’s treatment began after watching her mother battle the disease. Set against the backdrop of Cuba’s #biotech sector and the challenges created by decades of #US #sanctions, TERESITA’S DREAM is a story of love, scientific innovation, and perseverance against the odds.

Watch the full documentary: TERESITA’S DREAM

#NoWarOnCuba
#USHandsOffCuba
#OilForCuba!
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#CubaSolidarity
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba #OffTheList
#CubaNoEstáSola
#AbajoElBloqueo #SolidaridadConCuba
#PetróleoParaCuba
#LatinAmerica #Caribbean
#politics #USpol #health #PublicHealth

#Video - Italians Thank the Cuban Doctors Working in Calabria
https://peertube.world/w/9CaBHqEwssVRoTMNvEhE4s
Duration - 1:51

[from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

Cuban #medical workers have served on international cooperation missions in more than 150 countries since the 1960s.

During Covid, a #Cuban medical brigade helped #Italians in Lombardy, which triggered #Calabria’s president Roberto Occhiuto to reach out to Cuba in 2022 to invite hundreds of #doctors to his region. Calabria is one of the poorest regions in Italy and its #healthcare has suffered greatly from staffing and other issues.

“Cuba will always be in my heart,” says an elderly Italian man whose life was saved by a Cuban doctor.

See the full-length documentary film “From Cuba to Calabria: Medical Missions in Times of Crisis.”

#NoWarOnCuba
#OilForCuba
#USHandsOffCuba
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#LetCubaLive
#CubaSolidarity
#CubaNoEstáSola
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba
#news #politics

Why Students From the U.S. Go to Medical School in Cuba
https://belly-of-the-beast.kit.com/posts/why-students-from-the-u-s-go-to-medical-school-in-cuba

[weekly newsletter about #Cuba from the #BellyOfTheBeast #news collective. Their #videos can be found at: https://peertube.world/c/cuba_botb_videos/videos]

June 12, 2026

For more than 25 years, Cuba's #LatinAmericanSchoolOfMedicine (ELAM) has offered full scholarships to students from underserved communities around the world, including hundreds from the US.

This week, we hear from two #ELAM graduates from the US who recently organized a medical solidarity brigade of mostly #African students to #GuineaBissau.

Also:

• Cuba’s “Astonishing” #Medical Mission in #Haiti
• #UN Rights Commissioner: "Children Are Dying"
• Rubio Tightens the #Oil #Blockade
• Hegseth Pumps Up “Donroe Doctrine” at Guantanamo
• What Do Cubans Think About #Trump?
• Sanctions Target Cuban Gold
• Cuba Announces Major #Economic Reforms
• Shut Out by #US, Cuba's #Biotech Turns to #Russia

#OilForCuba
#EndTheEmbargo
#LetCubaLive
#politics

#Video - From Cuba to Calabria: Medical Missions in Times of Crisis
https://peertube.world/w/qRB4DRT7siUnxzmLDAVthG
Duration - 22:20

[from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

#US politicians have been waging a war against Cuba’s #medical missions for years. During the second #Trump administration, with #MarcoRubio as Sec. of State, this war has escalated. Since 2025, at least 8 countries have announced they will no longer facilitate #Cuba’s medical missions due to US pressure.

The US calls Cuba’s medical missions “forced labor,” without providing evidence to back the claim. The #Cuban government calls the #doctors heroes.

Cuban doctors volunteer to go on international missions, where they are paid many times more than what they make in Cuba. Cuban medical workers have served on international cooperation missions in more than 150 countries since the 1960s, usually working with populations that would otherwise not have access to care.

#NoWarOnCuba
#USHandsOffCuba
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#politics

Video - What Cubans Think About Trump
https://peertube.world/w/9XqpcAqegt7tdfgHUW228G
Duration - 1:45

[a #video about #Cuba from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

When Donald #Trump says that Cuban people love him, he’s talking about Cubans in #Miami. On the island, it’s a different story.

We asked #Cubans in Cuba about what they think about Trump.

#NoWarOnCuba
#OilForCuba!
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#CubaSolidarity
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba #OffTheList
#CubaNoEstáSola
#VivaCuba #CubaSí #AbajoElBloqueo #SolidaridadConCuba
#PetróleoParaCuba
#LatinAmerica #Caribbean
#politics #USpol #US #USA

Video - Dr. Teresita’s Quest to Help Her Mother Through Alzheimer’s
https://peertube.world/w/gfNRxfGuPse7ftFHgpYRZJ
Duration - 2:56

[from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

When her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Cuban scientist Teresita Rodríguez was distraught. Her mother was her role model, her hero…so she set out to find a way to help her. At the time, her colleagues at Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology were working on a new drug, and Teresita joined them in their research.

She soon realized the #medication could actually help her mother, so she started giving it to her. Teresita eventually became the leader of that team, and the results she witnessed with her mother became the inspiration for a medication that could be a game changer for #Alzheimer’s treatment.

Set in the heart of Havana against the backdrop of #Cuba’s #biotech sector and the relentless challenges posed by intensifying #US #sanctions...

#CubaIsNotAlone
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba
#politics #USpol

Video - “The U.S. government knows that Cuba is not a threat”
https://peertube.world/w/ostEwbjBf78nBZqhDeDAsD
Duration - 0:55

[a #video about #Cuba from the #news collective #BellyOfTheBeast]

In recent days, the Cuban #UnitedNations Association (ACNU) warned of the humanitarian consequences of a possible #US #military attack.

ACNU President Norma Goicochea said that “the U.S. government knows…Cuba is not an extraordinary threat” to the United States or any other country.

She also warned that a #MilitaryIntervention would have devastating consequences for civilians, including children, women and the elderly.

“Cubans have the right to be happy. We have the right to live in peace. Ultimately, we have the right to live.”

#NoWarOnCuba
#OilForCuba!
#CubaIsNotAlone
#EndTheBlockadeEmbargo
#CubaSolidarity
#LetCubaLive
#EndSanctionsAgainstCuba #OffTheList
#CubaNoEstáSola
#VivaCuba #CubaSí #AbajoElBloqueo #SolidaridadConCuba
#PetróleoParaCuba
#LatinAmerica #Caribbean
#politics #USpol