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Radio and Television Broadcasting to Cuba: Background and Issues Through 1994
by Congressional Research Service
August 30, 1994
https://crsreports.congress.gov
94-636

Mar-a-Lago Club, Address: 1100 S Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach, FL 33480

***

United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
Judge's Info

District Judges

This list is in Seniority Order

Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga
Judge K. Michael Moore
Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks
Judge William P. Dimitrouleas
Judge Jose E. Martinez
Judge Marcia G. Cooke
Judge Kathleen M. Williams
Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr.
Judge Darrin P. Gayles
Judge Beth Bloom
Judge Robin L. Rosenberg
Judge Roy K. Altman
Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II
Judge Rodney Smith
Judge Raag Singhal
Judge Aileen M. Cannon
Senior Judge James Lawrence King
Senior Judge Jose A. Gonzalez, Jr.
Senior Judge William J. Zloch
Senior Judge Federico A. Moreno
Senior Judge Donald L. Graham
Senior Judge Daniel T. K. Hurley
Senior Judge Joan A. Lenard
Senior Judge Patricia A. Seitz
Senior Judge Paul C. Huck
Senior Judge Kenneth A. Marra
Senior Judge James I. Cohn

-- West Palm Beach, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida

Aileen Mercedes Cannon was born in 1981 in Cali, Colombia. Her mother had fled Cuba under Fidel Castro at the age of seven.

Cannon attended the University of Seville in Spain in 2001. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in 2003, and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in 2007. She was inducted into the Order of the Coif and began her legal career as a law clerk to judge Steven Colloton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Cannon worked as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 2009 to 2012. She served as an assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida beginning in 2013. Cannon has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2005.

On April 29, 2020, Trump announced his intent to nominate Cannon to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

-- Aileen [Mercedes] Cannon, by Wikipedia

12. Published Writings and Public Statements:...

Puede que el tomate reduzca tumors (English translation: Tomatoes May Help Reduce Tumors), El Nuevo Herald, Aug. 20, 2002, at C4. Copy supplied.

Un libro fecundo sobre la esterilidad (English translation: A Fertile Book about Infertility), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 17, 2002, at Cl. Copy supplied.

'Flamenco', una explosion de energia y pasion (English translation: Flamenco: An Explosion of Energy and Passion), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 16, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

Un mural en homenaje a la mujer Latina (English translation: A Mural in Homage of the Latin Woman), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6,2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

The new guide is part of the intelligence agency's Ask Molly series, an online CIA forum that answers questions from the public.

The agency also suggests planning detours on your travel excursions to avoid dangerous parts of the city and poorly lit neighborhoods at night.

And, above all, it suggests trusting your instincts.

-- Security locks, doorstops and bypasses: CIA shares how to travel like a spy, by Michael Wilner, El Nuevo Herald, 5/27/22

Yoga prenatal, una alternative saludable al parto (English translation: Prenatal Yoga: A Healthy Alternative for Delivery), EI Nuevo Herald, July 30, 2002, at C4. Copy supplied.

Marina Albornoz o la pasion por el color (English translation: Marina Albornoz or Passion for Color), EI Nuevo Herald, July 27,2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

Musica y arte este viernes en la Calle Ocho (English translation: Music and Art this Friday on Eighth Street), EI Nuevo Herald, July 26, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

La herencia musical de Puerto Rico (English translation: The Musical Heritage of Puerto Rico), EI Nuevo Herald, July 24, 2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

Precauciones a seguir con las comidas al aire libre (English translation: Precautions to Avoid Food-Borne Illness While Eating Outside), El Nuevo Herald, July 23, 2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

Amor por la radio desde muy joven (English translation: Love for the Radio Since a Young Age), EI Nuevo Herald, July 16, 2002, at C4. Copy supplied.

Camilo Mejia logra su sueno de ser astronaut por un fin de semana (English translation: Camilo Mejia Achieves his Dream to Become an Astronaut for a Weekend), EI Nuevo Herald, July 9, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

Interaccion para aprender buen espanol (English translation: Interaction to Learn Spanish Well), EI Nuevo Herald, July 2, 2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

De todo un poco este viernes en la Calle Ocho (English translation: A Little Bit of Everything this Friday on Eighth Street), EI Nuevo Herald, June 28, 2002, at C2. Copy supplied.

Summerbridge Miami, un puente hacia el futuro (English translation: Summerbridge Miami: A Bridge to the Future), EI Nuevo Herald, June 25, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

'The Atoms Family', una exhibicion sobre la energia (English translation: The Atoms Family: An Exhibition About Energy), EI Nuevo Herald, June 18, 2002, at C4. Copy supplied.

Ganadores en la competencia de 'Library Quest' (English translation: Winners in the Library Quest Competition), EI Nuevo Herald, June 18, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

Yet perhaps the worst recent example of the U.S. governments meddling in news media anywhere involved Florida-based "reporters" who covered Cuba, U.S.-Cuban relations, and the Cuban American community. The story was first publicized in September 2006, when The Miami Herald reported that at least 10 South Florida journalists, including three staffers at the Herald's Spanish-language sister paper, El Nuevo Herald, had been moonlighting for Radio and TV Marti, the Miami-based government broadcaster that targets Cuba with U.S. propaganda.

-- Full disclosure: buying Venezuela's press with U.S. tax dollars, by Jeremy Bigwood, September-October 2010

Inflammatory broadcasts by RFE [Radio Free Europe] in the 1950s misled a small number of Hungarian people to rebel in 1956, believing the U.S. was ready to intervene on their behalf. The ensuing uproar forced RFE to modify its broadcasting methods, though its recent diatribes against Poland are reminiscent of the Hungarian fare -- but on a more sophisticated plane. Similarly, broadcast propaganda by the CIA's Radio Swan played a part in inducing the Bay of Pigs invaders of Cuba in 1961 to believe, quite incorrectly, that the Cuban population would support them. And, as the U.S. seldom learns from its mistakes, the energy the Reagan Administration has spent attempting to blackmail Congress into establishing Radio Marti against Cuba will surely backfire again.

In addition to its broadcasts, RFE/ RL openly operate the largest "private" research facility in the west which concentrates on information gathering -- or spying -- on Soviet and Eastern European nations, and on communist and socialist affairs.

But perhaps the most chilling "overt" propaganda project of the U.S. government to date is the newly unveiled Democracy Institute.

-- The CIA and the Media, by CovertAction Information Bulletin

In 1933, Joseph Goebbels, following closely the recommendations of Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, created some of the most effective propaganda the world has ever seen. Bernays’ prescription demanded the complete domination of communications media to stamp out any opposing view, the participation of artisans, celebrities, academic authorities and community leaders to influence popular opinion at a group level, and a Freudian appeal to base instincts – the need for food and shelter, community and leadership, and the influence of entertainment and fashion – to promote conformity among the German populace.

By now we are all familiar with the idea of German propaganda. In the West it is known by a more polite euphemism, public relations. PR is a lucrative business, with scores of non-government organisations competing for their share of generous funding. Once the province of legacy media such as Voice Of America, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Iraq, Radio Free Afghanistan, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Worldnet Television and Radio/TV Marti, today it comprises think tanks, print media, arts and entertainment, the humanitarian-industrial complex, as well as new technology platforms such as Google, Facebook and Wikipedia, and a plethora of so-called independent media outlets and ‘fact checking’ sites and apps.

The emergence of strategic communications as a soft power option combines psychological operations, propaganda and public affairs under a single umbrella. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), working in cooperation with George Soros’ [False Flag Factories] Open Societies, currently has a budget of US$40m to provide aid to so called ‘independent media organisations’ in 30 countries, including trouble spots such as Syria and Ukraine. The National Endowment for Democracy, set up by former CIA director William Casey under the Reagan Administration to help finance “perception management”, also receives tens of millions in federal funding, as do various “humanitarian NGOs” such as Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, and AVAAZ, who control Syria’s White Helmets.

-- Accusing your enemy of that which you are guilty – The CIA and the “fake news” conspiracy, by Sean Stinson

In the early 1980s, VOA began a $1.3 billion rebuilding program to improve broadcast with better technical capabilities. Also in the 1980s, VOA also added a television service, as well as special regional programs to Cuba, Radio Martí and TV Martí. Cuba has consistently attempted to jam such broadcasts and has vociferously protested U.S. broadcasts directed at Cuba.

-- Voice of America, by Wikipedia

Summary

Radio Marti first began broadcasting to Cuba in 1985 while TV Marti began broadcasting in 1990. Both programs are within the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, United States Information Agency (USIA). Almost since the beginning, U.S. government broadcasting to Cuba has been controversial. Supporters say a source of news independent of the Cuban government is important, especially in the post-Cold War climate. They say there is less print and broadcast media available now to Cubans than ever before. Critics of U.S. government broadcasting in Cuba say it has too much Cuban-American focus, and not enough diverse opinions. They claim that TV Marti broadcasts entertainment rather than news and editorials, and has low viewership because of jamming by the Cuban government and early morning time slots–3:30 am to 6:00 am. In addition, some lawmakers have expressed concern that the nine-person Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, which is appointed by the President, with confirmation by the Senate, is not rotated as was stipulated by the legislation that created it. Thus, in recent years, the value of maintaining Cuba broadcasting as it currently exists has come into question.

In the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act for FY1994 (P.L. 103-121), Congress provided funding for Radio and TV Marti, but withheld a portion for each until the USIA Director reported to Congress (not later than July 1, 1994) on the two programs. In issuing the report, the USIA Director was to take into account the findings and recommendations of the newly established Advisory Panel, which was created to study the “purpose, policies, and practices of radio and television broadcasting to Cuba.”

The Advisory Panel first met in December 1993 and submitted its two-volume report in March 1994. On July 8, 1994, USIA Director Joseph Duffey submitted to Congress his response to the Panel report. The Director made a determination that the best interests of the United States are being served by maintaining TV broadcasting to Cuba, that maintaining television broadcasting to Cuba is technically sound and effective, and that TV Marti broadcasting is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation.

About the same time that the reports were submitted, the FY1995 budget funding process for Cuba Broadcasting was underway. The Administration requested $27.6 million for FY1995 appropriations for Cuba Broadcasting, an increase of 31.4 percent over the enacted FY1994 level. The House-passed bill recommended $8.6 million for Cuba Broadcasting, with no funding for TV Marti, while the Senate bill recommended $24.8 million for both Radio and TV Marti. In the end, the Senate version of the bill predominated when the issue was resolved in conference, and $24.8 million was appropriated for Cuba broadcasting. Debate on whether or how much to fund Cuban broadcasting is likely to continue into the future as long as the U.S. budget is constrained and the size of the Cuban viewing audience is in question.

Contents

• Introduction
• Establishment of Radio and TV Marti
• Cuba Broadcasting as Part of U.S. Government Broadcasting
• Congressional Concerns
o Politicization
o Broadcast Standards
o TV Marti’s Broadcasting Audience
• Congressional Funding
o FY1994 Funding and Conditions
o FY1995 Funding
• Advisory Panel Report and The USIA Director’s Response
o Advisory Board
o Broadcast Standards
o Professional Standards for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting
o Future of TV Marti
• Figures
• Figure 1. Components of U.S. Government
• Figure 2. Funds Available for U.S. Government International Radio and Television Broadcasting in 1993
• Tables
• Table 1. Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting: Current Membership, Term of Office, and Party Affiliation
• Table 2. History of Appropriations for Cuba Broadcasting
• Table 3. Annual Obligations for Radio and TV Marti*
• Appendixes
• Appendix. Advisory Panel
• Contacts
• Author Information

Introduction

Since their inception, Radio and TV Marti have attracted much controversy. In 1991, one of the findings of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was that TV Marti was not cost-effective when compared with other public diplomacy programs. In 1992, GAO questioned whether TV Marti met Voice of America broadcast standards, as required by law.1 In 1992 and 1993, news articles criticized the effectiveness of TV Marti in reaching the Cuban audience.2 In 1993, some Members of Congress debated the value of continuing funding it. Subsequently, the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agencies Appropriation Act for FY1994 (P.L. 103-121) established an Advisory Panel on Radio and TV Marti to determine whether the broadcasting of these entities: (1) consistently meets standards for quality and objectivity established by law or by USIA, (2) is cost effective, (3) is being received by the Cuban people on a daily basis, (4) and if TV Marti is technically sound and effective and is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation. Furthermore, the Act stipulated that appropriations would be withheld until 30 days after the Director makes reports after consulting with the Advisory Panel on measures that the USIA is taking with respect to recommendations of the Panel.

On December 21, 1993, the Director of the USIA, Joseph Duffey, announced the formation of the three-member Panel. The Panel met for the first time on December 28, 1993 and terminated in March 1994, as soon as the report was submitted to Congress. Generally, the Advisory Panel concluded that both Radio and TV Marti should be continued and streamlined. As required by the FY1994 appropriations law, USIA Director Joseph Duffey submitted a response to the findings of the Advisory Panel in July 1994, as well as his determination that TV Marti is technically sound and effective, is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience, and is in the best interest of the United States to maintain.

At about the same time, Congress was considering the President’s $27.6 million budget request for Cuba Broadcasting for FY1995. The House approved $8.625 million, about $19 million below the request and $12.4 million less than current funding of $21 million; the House recommended no funding for TV Marti. The Senate, however, set funding closer to the Administration request– at $24.8 million for both Radio and TV Marti. In the end, the Senate version of the bill predominated and $24.8 million was appropriated for Cuba broadcasting (P.L. 103-317).

This report provides a legislative history and funding levels for Cuba Broadcasting. It discusses specific concerns some lawmakers have had with Radio and TV Marti over the years, and presents the Panel’s recommendations and the USIA Director’s response and determinations, as required by the FY1994 appropriations act.

Establishment of Radio and TV Marti

Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward Cuba has consisted largely of isolating the island nation through a comprehensive trade embargo.3 When Fidel Castro came to power in 1959 and began to build a Communist dictatorship, U.S.–Cuban relations deteriorated sharply. The Kennedy Administration broke U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 after Cuba demanded that U.S. Embassy staff be reduced to a skeleton crew. The United States subsequently sponsored the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion by anti-Castro Cubans in 1961, and in 1962 imposed a comprehensive trade embargo on Cuba because of Castro’s expropriation, without compensation, of U.S. properties in Cuba. Tensions peaked in October 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union attempted to install offensive missile sites in Cuba.

In the early to mid-1970s, there was some movement toward normalization of relations, but in the late 1970s, Cuba’s military involvement in Africa and its support for revolutionary groups in the Caribbean Basin region halted any movement toward improved relations. In the 1980s, U.S.-Cuban relations remained tense because of Cuba’s support for revolutionary movements abroad.

It was in this environment that in late September 1983, Congress approved specialized U.S. Voice of America (VOA) programming for Cuba with passage of the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (P.L. 98-111).4 According to the legislation, while the VOA was already broadcasting to Cuba, “there is a need for broadcasts to Cuba which provide news, commentary and other information about the events in Cuba and elsewhere to promote the cause of freedom in Cuba.” As a result of the legislation, Radio Marti – named for 19th century Cuban nationalist hero Jose Marti – began broadcasting to Cuba on May 20, 1985.

In 1987, just two years after Radio Marti’s first broadcast, Congress approved funding for a study on the feasibility of establishing a U.S. government television service to Cuba in order to increase the free flow of information into that country. Congress then authorized and provided money for startup operations and testing of television broadcasting to Cuba in 1988 in the FY1989 State Department appropriations measure (P.L. 100-459, H.R. 4782). In 1990, Congress authorized the establishment of TV Marti when it approved the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act as part of the State Department authorization measure for FY1990 and FY1991 (P.L. 101-246, H.R. 3793). Television broadcasting to Cuba began in March 1990 on an experimental basis and then began regular operations in August 1990. The broadcasts originate in Washington and are transmitted to Cudjoe Key, Florida, by satellite. The broadcasts are then beamed to Cuba after being uplinked to a transmitter in an aerostat.

In order for the FY1990-FY1991 funding of TV Marti to go forward, the legislation called for the President to determine that the testing of TV Marti demonstrated television broadcasting to Cuba was feasible and would not cause objectionable interference with the broadcasts of Cuban licenses. President Bush made the required determination in August 1990 (Presidential Determination No. 90-35) which allowed TV Marti to continue beyond its testing phase.

Under the legislation authorizing Radio Marti, a nine-member Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting (originally called the Board for Radio Broadcasting) was created. It has the task of reviewing the effectiveness of Radio and TV Marti and making any recommendations it may consider necessary. The Board’s members are appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, with not more than five members of the same political party and with the President designating one member of the Board to serve as chairperson. The Act stipulated that the initial Board members were to stagger rotation off the Board in one, two or three years, as designated. Thereafter, Board member terms would be three years. The legislation also states that any board member whose term has expired may serve until the President appoints a successor.

Cuba Broadcasting as Part of U.S. Government Broadcasting

Currently, the United States government supports general broadcasting, such as Voice of America (VOA), and surrogate broadcasting, such as Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).5 RFE/RL is independent of a U.S. government agency,6 while Cuba Broadcasting has always been within USIA’s Bureau of Broadcasting. Figure 1 shows how Radio and TV Marti, under the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, organizationally fit into the larger picture of U.S. government international broadcasting. (For more information on U.S. government international broadcasting, see CRS Report 94-29, International Broadcasting: Consolidation of U.S. Radio Services.)


Figure 1. Components of U.S. Government, International Broadcasting

U.S. Government
United States Information Agency
Board for International Broadcasting
Bureau of Broadcasting
RFE/RL, Inc.
Office of Television (Worldnet)
Office of Radio (VOA)
Office of
Cuba Broadcasting
Radio Free Europe
Radio Liberty
Radio Marti and
TV Marti
Radio Free Afghanistan

Source:

Congressional Concerns

Over the years, members of Congress have debated the merits of the United States broadcasting to Cuba. Congressional concerns about Radio and TV Marti have included the following: politicization of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting; meeting VOA broadcast standards; and audience size and accessibility of TV Marti broadcasts to Cubans.

Politicization

Concerns about politicization at Radio and TV Marti have centered around the role of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting and its controversial chairman, Jorge Mas Canosa. Many are concerned about the lack of turnover of the Board members and the chairman, as was intended by the originating legislation. As illustrated in Table 1, the terms of all Board members, including the chairman, will have expired by the end of October 1994. Some critics claim that the lack of turnover is due to a lack of willingness on the part of past and current Administrations to change the composition of the Board. They say that the conservative Mas Canosa has attempted to use his influence to gain control of the radio station so that it could be used to propagate the views of the Cuban American National Foundation, a Cuban exile organization founded by Mas Canosa in 1981. Some have argued further that Mas Canosa is using his position to promote himself as the next Cuban leader after Castro.

Former Radio Marti Director Ernesto Betancourt maintains that he was ousted from his position in 1990 because of his alleged opposition to TV Marti and because Mas Canosa claimed to have lost control of Radio Marti.7 In a 1994 statement, Betancourt stated that his ouster “opened the floodgates for the politicization of the station, dragging it into exile politics and seriously weakening its editorial integrity.”8

Mas Canosa maintains that he has never tried to use Radio Marti for personal or foundation propaganda.9 At the time, a USIA spokesman stated that Betancourt was being reassigned to fill a critical need for the position of director of a USIA research office, a position which Betancourt declined.10

Betancourt urges abolishing the Advisory Board contending that it has “lost the trust of Congress,” has been “caught in a conflict of interest and has become part of the problem and not of the solution.” Betancourt asserts that “these stations should not be platforms for a political afterlife in post-Castro Cuba.” If the Advisory Board were not abolished, he recommends that it should at least be renewed with a broader representation, “including members of, but not dominated by, the Cuban-American community,” with “no figure politically active among exile groups.”11

Another concern expressed by some observers is for the Board’s membership to be more balanced, with a broad gamut of Cuban American viewpoints represented. The current membership of the Advisory Board consists of five Republicans, three Democrats and one Independent. It has been chaired by Mas Canosa since its establishment. Many seem to concur that more diverse views are needed. Some believe that Mas Canosa should rotate off the Board entirely; some believe he should resign the chairmanship of the Advisory Board, but still remain as a Board member because of his experience.12

Table 1. Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting: Current Membership, Term of Office, and Party Affiliation

Member / Date Appointed or Reappointed / Term Length (Years) / Expiration / Party Affiliation

Jorge Mas Canosa (Chairman) / 10/15/86a / 3 / 08/12/89 / R
Clair Burgener / 12/02/91 / 3 / 10/27/94 / R
Jose Costa / 11/21/91b / 3 / 10/27/94 / R
Christopher Coursen / 06/18/91 / 3 / 10/27/93 / R
William Geoghegan / 03/25/91 / 3 / 10/27/92 / D
Joseph Glennon / 11/21/91c / 3 / 10/27/94 / R
Majorie Kampelman / 10/28/88d / 3 / 12/20/91 / D
Salvador Lew / 03/11/92 / 2 / 03/10/94 / I
Charles Tyroler / 11/21/91 / 1 / 10/27/92 / D

Sources: Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, June 1994. Dates of original Senate confirmation were obtained from the Congressional Record.
Notes: R=Republican, D=Democrat, I=Independent
a. Mr. Mas Canosa has served as Chairman since he was confirmed by the Senate on August 8, 1984.
b. Mr. Costa has served on the Board since he was confirmed by the Senate on October 10, 1988.
c. Mr. Glennon has served on the Board since he was confirmed by the Senate on October 25, 1985.
d. Ms. Kampelman has served on the Board since she was confirmed by the Senate on December 19, 1987.

Broadcast Standards

Closely related to the question of politicization of Cuba Broadcasting is the issue of broadcasting standards of Radio and TV Marti. Some of the concerns that have been raised by observers and by some Members of Congress include: broadcasting too much Cuban-American news, too much entertainment and not enough news, a lack of editorials offering a wide variety of views, and a lack of on-air corrections of broadcasting errors.

In May 1992, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report on TV Marti’s compliance with broadcast standards.13 As part of the study, the GAO employed three consultants to watch broadcasts and assess program quality and compliance with Voice of America standards that broadcasts be objective, accurate, balanced, and present a variety of views. According to the report, two of the three consultants “believed that the broadcasts related to Cuba and the Cuban-American community lacked balance and did not meet established Voice of America standards.

The other consultant believed that the broadcasts generally met the standards but that improvements were needed.” In addition, the report noted that “TV Marti’s in-house critics also observed that some broadcasts might not meet standards.” GAO recommended that the USIA Director instruct VOA to institute procedures to ensure that TV Marti’s broadcasts meet established VOA standards. With regard to Radio Marti, in October 1992, GAO staff met with officials of USIA’s Bureau of Broadcasting about allegations that Radio Marti broadcasts did not meet VOA standards and suggested that the Bureau consider establishing an external review committee. In order to implement the GAO recommendations, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting established External Review Panels to review Radio and TV Marti’s news and programming. Concern has surfaced, however, regarding the objectivity of the External Review Panels, since they are selected by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

A long-time Radio Marti staff member, J. Richard Planas, recently stated “that there is significant politicization of news and information within Radio Marti to the extent that we may need to consider if Radio Marti is doing both the Cuban people and U.S. foreign policy a disservice.” According to Planas, Radio Marti editorial “guidelines are routinely ignored in deliberate attempts to favor a specific political agenda.” The agenda consists of: stressing commentaries that are critical and derisive of the Cuban regime, while downplaying favorable evaluations and statements of support toward Cuba; stressing the “hard line” policy toward Cuba while downplaying criticism of the U.S. embargo or views favoring negotiations with Castro; presenting favorable aspects of Cuban American political leaders who support the “hard line” policy while downplaying or even censoring criticism of these leaders; emphasizing the deficiencies of the Cuban regime while de-emphasizing its accomplishments; and favoring broadcasts of opinions and views about, or calls for, the imminent fall of the Cuban regime. 14

Former Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Antonio Navarro, maintains that over the past three years “Radio Marti has drastically increased the volume of news and information as well as the diversity of responsible opinions in its programming” and that “no one person, organization or viewpoint dominates or controls any aspect of Radio or TV Marti.”15

In early June, because of the numerous allegations regarding the management of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Representative John Conyers, Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee’s Legislation and National Security Subcommittee, wrote to USIA Director Duffey. Representative Conyers expressed concerns about: alleged political bias which is reportedly undermining the accuracy and objectivity of broadcasts to Cuba; alleged retaliation against employees in the Office of Cuba Broadcasting who have criticized this political bias; and alleged cronyism whereby new employees have been hired not for their expertise, but because of their connections to influential individuals.16 Depending on Director Duffey’s response to Representatives Conyers letter (which was requested by June 20, 1994, but reportedly has not yet been received), the Subcommittee may hold hearings to investigate the allegations.17

TV Marti’s Broadcasting Audience

Another fundamental concern for many observers, including Members of Congress, is whether TV Marti is actually being viewed in Cuba. Two reasons for low viewership are (1) the ratification by both the United States and Cuba of the International Telecommunications Convention which requires that TV stations be established so as not to interfere with other nations’ broadcasts. To comply with this treaty, U.S. broadcasts in Cuba must be scheduled from 3:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.; and (2) the constant and effective jamming of the broadcasts by the Cuban government.

A 1991 report issued by the President’s Task Force on U.S. government International Broadcasting noted that TV Marti is impeded “because it is forced to broadcast during a time period when there are few viewers.” The Task Force report recommended that “the U.S. government should view this as a matter of high priority and should act with vigor to try to gain better broadcast hours,” but also asserted that “if it is not possible to change and extend the hours of broadcasting to reach a larger audience, the service should be terminated.”18 In March 1994, the Chairman of the Task Force, John Hughes, stated that the Task Force probably had the same views as in the 1991 report, and characterized the 1991 report as concluding “that it was pointless and wasteful to continue TV Marti’s operations, unless the viewing audience in Cuba could be substantially expanded.”19

In large part because of the viewership problems, the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy20 stated in a 1991 report “that TV Marti is not cost-effective at the present time when compared with other public diplomacy programs of proven value.”21 In 1993, the Commission reiterated its statement that TV Marti was not cost effective, and recommended that “it should be shut down and its resources directed to productive public diplomacy activities.” The report noted that despite sizeable funding, “consistent and effective Cuban jamming has resulted in only trace audiences for TV Marti’s programs.”22

Congressional Funding

Every two years, Congress authorizes appropriations for State Department, USIA and broadcasting entities, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting within the USIA as part of the Foreign Relations Authorizations Act. Annually, Congress passes appropriations for USIA within the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Appropriations Act. Figure 2 illustrates the funding level of Radio and TV Marti compared to funding for other U.S. government-funded international broadcasts.

Because of congressional concerns about Cuba Broadcasting, there have been attempts by some Members to cut back or curtail funding for either one or both broadcasting operations. Nevertheless, until FY1994 both programs have been funded at levels similar to those requested by the Administration. Table 2 shows the historical record of congressional appropriations for Cuba Broadcasting, including the number of positions funded. Table 3 shows the actual Radio and TV Marti expenditures.



Figure 2. Funds Available for U.S. Government International Radio and Television Funds Broadcasting in 1993
(in millions) *

Source: U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy 1993 Annual Report, p. 43.
Note: * Funds for U.S. government international broadcasting in FY1993 total $844 million. Amounts reflect FY1993 appropriations plus carryover balances. The ratio of radio to television is $800 million to $44 million – or 18 to 1.

Table 2. History of Appropriations for Cuba Broadcasting

Fiscal Years / Funds ($ in thousands) / Domestic Positions

1984 / $10,000 / 178
1985 / 8,500 / 187
1986 / 10,240 / 187
1987 / 12,759 / 185
1988 / 12,759 / 181
1989* / 18,675 / 184
1990* / 28,428 / 320
1991 / 31,069 / 320
1992 / 38,988 / 320
1993 / 28,531 / 317
1994 / 21,000 / 288
1995 / 24,809 / 262

Source: USIA, Program and Budget in Brief, various years, USIA Congressional Presentation, FY1995, and Congressional Record, June 27, 1994.
Note: * The figures shown for FY1989 and FY1990 include funds appropriated for the TV Marti program as transfers from the Radio Construction account – FY1989=$7,500,000 and FY1990=$15,891,000.

Table 3. Annual Obligations for Radio and TV Marti*
(actual obligations in $ millions)

Fiscal Years / Radio Marti / Television Marti

1984 / 3.382 / –
1985 / 14.823 / –
1986 / 11.473 / –
1987 / 12.880 / –
1988 / 11.900 / –
1989 / 12.778 / 1.464
1990 / 12.481 / 10.662
1991 / 15.538 / 16.641
1992 / 16.628 / 16.515
1993 / 15.892 / 12.658
1994 / 14.000 / 7.000
1995 / 13.167 / 11.642
Total / 154.942 / 76.582

Source: Office of the Comptroller, U.S. Information Agency, March 1, 1994.
Note: * Obligations are defined as an order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.

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Part 2 of 2

FY1994 Funding and Conditions

In the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of FY1994 (P.L. 103-121, signed into law October, 27, 1993), Congress withheld $7.5 million for the two programs pending a report by the Advisory Panel on Radio and TV Marti, also established by the 1994 law. The Panel was created to study “the purposes, policies, and practices of radio and television broadcasting to Cuba.” The legislation called for the Advisory Panel to issue a report containing a statement of its findings and conclusions and containing specific findings and recommendations with respect to: whether such broadcasting consistently meets the standards for quality and objectivity established by law or by USIA; whether such broadcasting is cost effective; the extent to which such broadcasting is already being received by the Cuban people on a daily basis from credible sources; and whether TV Marti broadcasting is technically sound and effective and is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation.

The law called for the USIA Director to submit a report to Congress, not later than July 1, 1994, on “his recommendations as to whether TV Marti broadcasting is technically sound and effective and is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation and whether the interests of the United States are better served by maintaining television broadcasting to Cuba, by terminating television broadcasting to Cuba and strengthening radio broadcasting to Cuba or by funding other activities related to promoting democracy in Cuba authorized by law.” In formulating the report, the USIA Director was to consult with the Board for International Broadcasting and take into account any relevant recommendations of the Advisory Panel.

The law withholds $5 million for Radio Marti until 30 days after the USIA Director reports to Congress (not later than July 1, 1994) on what specific measures the USIA is taking with respect to the recommendations of the Advisory Panel. With regard to TV Marti, the law withholds $2.5 million until after the USIA Director submits his report. After that time, funds shall only be available for the orderly termination of television broadcasting to Cuba unless the Director of USIA determines, in his report to Congress, “that maintaining television broadcasting to Cuba is technically sound and effective, is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation, and is in the best interests of the United States.” (See discussion below for the results of the Advisory Panel study and USIA determination.)

FY1995 Funding

In the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of FY1995 (P.L. 103-317, signed into law August 26, 1994), Congress appropriated $24.809 million for Radio and TV Marti, overcoming a House attempt to eliminate funding for TV Marti and substantially reducing funding for Radio Marti. The Administration had requested a funding level of $27.609 million for the two programs, with $15.167 for Radio Marti and $12.442 million for TV Marti.

On June 27, 1994, the House passed the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agencies Appropriations for FY1995, H.R. 4603, which eliminated funds for TV Marti and provided $8.625 million for Radio Marti, 43% less than the budget request of $15.167 million. According to the House Appropriations Committee report to the bill (H.Rept. 103-552): “In light of the findings of the Advisory Panel on Radio and TV Marti that at the present time TV Marti cannot be considered cost effective, and the Committee not being inclined to fund in any way broadcasting enhancements to make TV Marti cost effective, the Committee is denying funding for TV Marti for fiscal year 1995.”

With regard to the cutback in funding for Radio Marti, the House Appropriations Committee stated that “it intends that Radio Broadcasting to Cuba reduce its operations by approximately one-third to bring its resources more in line with commercial radio stations in the United States.” The Committee noted that the amount recommended for Radio Marti funding is “84 percent more than the average for a private sector commercial radio station.” The Committee further stated that it “recognizes the value of providing news and information to the people of Cuba that is balanced” and “urges” the USIA Director “to ensure that Radio Marti’s broadcasts meet these criteria and that they comply fully with established Voice of America broadcast quality standards.”

On July 22, 1994, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 4603, which would provide $24.809 million for Radio and TV Marti, about 10% less than the Administration’s request. The Senate Appropriations Committee stated in its report to the bill (Senate Report 103-309) that it “unequivocally rejects the House bill’s action to eliminate funding for TV Marti,” and “believes that TV Marti is an integral part of the United States’ effort to get objective news, commentary, and other uncensored information directly to the Cuban people.” The Committee recommended providing $1.2 million to convert TV Marti from VHF to UHF, as called for by the Advisory Panel, and noted that its overall funding level for Radio and TV Marti “reflects efficiencies in the Cuban broadcasting services.”

An amendment offered on the Senate floor by Senator Baucus to eliminate TV Marti generated debate on whether or not TV Marti is cost-effective. It was ultimately withdrawn, however, after Senator Mack introduced a perfecting amendment that, instead of eliminating funds for TV Marti, would have condemned the Cuban government for the deliberate sinking of a tugboat filled with Cubans (including many women and children) trying to escape Cuba.

In the end, the Senate predominated in conference on H.R. 4603 with regard to Cuba broadcasting, and Congress appropriated $24.809 million for both programs.

Advisory Panel Report and The USIA Director’s Response

The report of the Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti, issued in March 1994, “concluded that despite the obstacles, interference and shortcomings which have hampered both Radio and TV Marti, the United States interest is served by their continuing to air.” Nevertheless, the Advisory Panel made 14 specific recommendations for streamlining operations, reforming supervisory structures of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and improving U.S. broadcasts to Cuba. (See Appendix for a listing of the 14 recommendations along with the USIA Director’s responses to the recommendation.)

The July 1994 response of the USIA Director to the Advisory Panel report agreed with most of the Panel’s recommendations. USIA Director Duffy agreed with the Panel that Radio Marti has an important role as a “unique source of trustworthy, uncensored information for significant numbers of Cubans,” and he stated that USIA has already begun to put into effect many of the Panel’s recommendations which “will help bring greater professionalism, diversification, and balance to Radio Marti’s programming.” With regard to TV Marti, the USIA Director agreed with the Panel’s recommendation that it continue, and asserted that while Cuban jamming of the broadcasts and its inconvenient early morning broadcast hours have kept audiences small, “it does seen clear, however, that a significant number of Cuban citizens have attempted to tune in to these broadcasts and are interested in their content.”

According to the USIA Director, his response was written after “careful consideration” of the Panel report and after consultation with an Executive Branch Interagency Working Group on U.S.-Cuban policy. The Director also asserted that his findings were “guided by statements of the President and legislative actions by the United States Congress.”

Some Members of Congress expressed concern that the Advisory Panel was created to review specific operational issues of radio and television broadcasting to Cuba and therefore went beyond its mandate in issuing its recommendations. Representative David Skaggs noted in a statement submitted to the Advisory Panel that “Congress has specifically directed the Panel to scrutinize Radio and TV Marti with regards to program quality and objectivity, cost-effectiveness, and the extent to which news and information is already available in Cuba on a daily basis through commercial broadcast sources,” as well as “whether TV Marti is technically sound and effective and is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation.” He expressed concern that the recommendations of TV Marti supporters to make TV Marti more resistant to jamming – like converting from VHF to UHF –”ignore the overriding questions of feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and legality that remain.”23

Other Members maintain that the Advisory Panel was correct in taking a broad interpretation of its mandate, and point out that the legislation establishing the Panel called for it to study the “purposes, policies and practices of radio and television broadcasting to Cuba.” As noted by Senator Ernest Hollings in a letter to the Advisory Panel, “it was never our intent to have the Advisory Panel conduct solely a narrow, technical review of these programs.”24 In testimony before the Advisory Panel, Representative Robert Torricelli asserted that “Congress not only expected a report on the technical effectiveness of broadcasting to Cuba, but also an evaluation of the overall effectiveness of these two institutions as vehicles to promote democracy in Cuba.”25

Advisory Board

The Panel report had two recommendations regarding the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting. First, the Panel recommended that the chairperson and the members of the Advisory Board be rotated every three years, and the USIA Director endorsed this recommendation in his response. USIA Director Duffey noted that there has not been significant turnover of the Board. He noted that under three Administration just 14 people have served on the nine-member Board, but the Director also pointed out that the terms of all the Board’s members will be up this year.

The second Panel recommendation regarding the Advisory Board was that it should be a consultative body not involved in day-to-day broadcasting operations or in the recruitment or promotion of personnel. The USIA Director supported this recommendation to limit the scope of the Advisory Board and noted that the Board already has a legislative mandate to work through appropriate channels. The legislation provides that the Board is to review the effectiveness of Radio and TV Marti and make recommendations to the President and to Director and Associate Director for Broadcasting of USIA.

Broadcast Standards

The Panel report made numerous recommendations to improve the broadcast standards of Radio and TV Marti. These included: clarifying editorial decision-making; broadcasting daily editorials; broadcasting corrections; working to balance broadcasts (with a view toward concentrating on news and information and adjusting the amount of programming devoted to the Cuban American community); changing the current practice of having the Office of Cuba Broadcasting select the members of External Review Panels and the material they select to review; producing video reports; and broadcasting news on satellite at prime time. The USIA Director’s report to Congress responded in detail about how the Office of Cuba Broadcasting is implementing the broadcast standard recommendations of the Advisory Panel (see Appendix).

Professional Standards for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting

The Panel made a recommendation to review the Office of Cuba Broadcasting’s personnel recruitment and supervision standards to ensure that appropriate professional standards are met consistently. In response, the USIA Director reported that the Bureau of Broadcasting was taking measures to ensure professional standards. Director Duffey pointed out that the measures being implemented originated from a 1993 review conducted by the USIA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) that was released in May 1994.26

Future of TV Marti

The Panel concluded that TV Marti’s broadcasts are technically sound and contain essential information not otherwise available to the Cuban people. The Panel reported “Cuban jamming prevents those broadcasts from being received by any substantial number of Cubans,” and as a result, “TV Marti cannot now be considered cost-effective” by the usual economic criteria. Nevertheless, the Panel asserted that “the Cuban people have an ardent desire and a genuine need to receive the programming produced by TV Marti,” and therefore recommended that TV Marti be converted from the current VHF to UHF transmission. This would require funding, but would allow broadcasting throughout the day, and would be more difficult for the Cuban government to jam. While the Panel did acknowledge that many Cubans do not own TVs with UHF reception capability, more and more TVs in Cuba are coming from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Europe. Therefore, future viewership would be expected to increase with UHF transmission.

The Panel suggested that eliminating TV Marti would send a message to the Cuban government and people that the United States is not committed to democracy and human rights promotion. Furthermore, the Panel asserted that in the event of a crisis or upheaval in Cuba’s future, it would be important to have TV Marti available as a news source. Research presented to the Panel indicated that at moments of severe crisis, people turn to television first. In the event of a crisis, if TV Marti were not already operating, it would take several months or more to begin operations.

In a dissenting view, Chairman of the Board for International Broadcasting, Daniel Mica, stated to the Advisory Panel “that TV Marti is an experiment that should be shelved for the time being,” but suggested that broadcasts to Cuba could be resumed in the future “when there is a greater chance for technical success, assuming such resumption is still warranted by U.S. foreign policy concerns.”27 Several other witnesses to the Advisory Panel, while favoring the concept of television broadcasting to Cuba, believe that the station should be shut down unless there are changes to increase viewership.

In his July 1994 response to the Advisory Panel report, USIA Director Duffy strongly supported TV Marti, maintaining that the best interests of the United States are being served by its continuation. The Director also maintained that television broadcasting to Cuba is technically sound and effective, and that it is consistently being received by a sufficient Cuban audience to warrant its continuation. In justifying his finding about a sufficient Cuban audience, Director Duffey cited a December 1993 USIA Office of Research survey of Cubans visiting the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. The survey showed that while 4 percent of the Cubans surveyed reported regularly watching the signal for more than five minutes, 38 percent reported attempting to tune in. According to Duffey, “TV Marti’s inability to reach larger audiences in Cuba is not the result of any deficiency on the part of TV Marti, but rather the political decision on the part of the Cuban regime to deny the Cuban people access to free news and information.”

Appendix. Advisory Panel

The Advisory Panel made 14 specific recommendations to which the USIA Director responded:28

(1) Down-size management–The Panel questioned the need to spend more than $1 million to compensate officials who supervise, but never become involved in the actual broadcasts. The Director stated that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting has proposed reducing management and production costs that will result in a $4 million saving by the end of FY1995. Supervisory positions are being reduced by 20 percent in Radio and TV Marti, he said.

(2) Review personnel management–The Panel recommended personnel recruitment standards be consistently met. Especially of concern to the Panel was that those in charge of news and programs be fluent in both Spanish and English. According to the Director, measures to improve personnel standards are currently underway.

(3) Clarify editorial decision-making–The Panel recommended that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting simplify its cumbersome editorial guidelines and provide for a single, official line of authority for editorial decisions. The Director stated that he has established a single line of authority for editorial decisionmaking.

(4) Broadcast daily editorials–The Panel encouraged the addition of editorials on both Radio and TV Marti, asserting that such editorials would help to build a sturdier wall between news and policy. The Director responded by saying that editorial decisions are currently made in a daily meeting in the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Mr. Duffey stated he is reviewing the possibility of strengthening VOA’s editorial production on Cuba and U.S.-Latin American relations for use by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

(5) Broadcast corrections–The Panel urged daily corrections that would enhance the credibility of the broadcasts. The Director’s response stated that corrections will be broadcast as soon as possible after the error is discovered, usually within the same or next broadcast cycle.

(6) Balance programming–The Panel expressed the belief that a reduction of entertainment programming and Cuban-American news would enhance the balance of both Radio and TV Marti broadcasts. Director Duffey stated that Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Richard Lobo, already has introduced programming changes to achieve greater balance. The VOA Handbook establishes requirements regarding balanced reporting that will be applied to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. He went on to say that in the past three years, Radio and TV Marti have increased the amount of news and informative programming, the proportion of news from and about Cuba, and participation in programs by Cubans living on the island.

(7) Modify external review procedures–The Panel disagreed with the current practice that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting selects the External Review Panels and the materials they review. The Director stated that the USIA is currently reviewing its process for program selection for the Radio Marti External Review Panel and is developing a plan of action to be completed by September 30, 1994 to ensure independence. The Director said that current methods for selection of External Review Panels were approved by the Bureau of Broadcasting and USIA, and satisfy criticism made by the General Accounting Office.

(8) Reduce live radio broadcasting–The Panel recommended that Radio Marti could reduce costs and editorial error without significantly limiting the information made available to listeners by reducing the current 24 hour schedule of live broadcasting to 18 hours. The Director corrected the statement that Radio Marti broadcasts live for 24 hours each day. He stated that live broadcasting is limited to seven hours a day with the exception of brief hourly newscasts from 5:00 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. the following day. The rest of the time consists of pre-recorded broadcasting.

(9) Convert TV Marti to UHF–The Panel asserted that TV Marti should convert to UHF transmission to allow for broadcasting during prime time and to increase the difficulty in jamming by the Cuban government. Researching this concept would require about one year, according to the Panel. The Director believed that more research on converting TV Marti to UHF is necessary before investing in it. If research concludes that transferring to UHF would make a significant positive difference in the effectiveness of TV Marti, the Director advised asking Congress for support at that time.

(10) Reduce TV Marti broadcasting during transition to UHF–Such a reduction in broadcasting would keep the TV in operation, but reduce costs while researching the transition to UHF. The Director responded by stating that if this recommendation was made for cost savings, the impact would be small. Currently TV Marti repeats a half hour newscast three times daily. The difference if changed to repeating a fifteen minute newscast four times daily would be negligible, he said. He went on to say that contrary to some perceptions, TV Marti broadcasts are almost exclusively news and information.

(11) Produce video reports–During the transition to UHF, TV Marti should explore the possibility of producing videotape documentaries and features for distribution in Cuba. Mr. Duffey stated that TV Marti’s Programs Department is currently producing and has produced several documentaries for broadcast on TV Marti. He cautions that the Cuban recipients of these tapes run a risk of prosecution under the Enemy Propaganda Act of the Cuban Government.

(12) Broadcast news at prime time–The Panel encouraged TV Marti to consider broadcasting its hour of newscast on satellite during prime time. The Director is currently exploring the possibility of this scheduling change with USIA’s Telecommunications Directorate.

(13) Rotate chairperson and members of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting–The Panel recommended that the chairperson and the members of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting be rotated every three years, as was originally intended in the legislation. The Director agreed with this recommendation, saying that there has not been significant turnover of the Board under the past three Administrations.

(14) Limit scope of the Advisory Board–The Panel expressed the belief that the Advisory Board should have consultative and not broadcasting functions, nor be involved in recruitment or promotion of personnel functions. The Director stated he expects the Board to follow its mandate and implement it through the appropriate channels. According to the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba legislation, the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting “shall review the effectiveness of the activities carried out under the act and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act and shall make such recommendations to the President and the Broadcasting Board of Governors as it may consider necessary.”

Author Information

Mark P. Sullivan
Specialist in Latin American Affairs

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

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Notes:

1 U.S. General Accounting Office. TV Marti Costs and Compliance with Broadcast Standards and International Agreements. May 1992. GAO/NSIAD-92-199.
2 Hockstader, Lee. “Miami Likes TV Marti; Cuba Can’t See It.” Washington Post, April 16, 1992; Rohter, Larry. “Miami’s Cuban Exiles May Lose TV Station.” New York Times, July 10, 1993.
3 For a discussion of U.S.-Cuban relations and current legislative action, see CRS Issue Brief 94005, Cuba: Issues for Congress, by Mark P. Sullivan.
4 The measure, which was passed by the Senate on September 13, 1983 (voice vote) and by the House on September 29 (302-109) was signed into law October 4, 1983. The Reagan Administration had first requested the creation of specialized radio broadcasting for Cuba in legislation introduced in 1981, but the final measure was approved only after nearly two years of intense debate and significant compromise. For further details, see: U.S. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Congress and Foreign Policy 1983. p. 55.
5 Government foreign broadcasting operations are divided into two basic types of services. Both provide news and information. “Surrogate” broadcasting services usually target countries where repressive governments prohibit the existence of a free and independent media. “General” broadcasting services tend to emphasize information, perspectives, policies and the culture of the broadcasting nation. Radio and TV Marti, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are examples of surrogate broadcasting; Voice of America is an example of general broadcasting.
6 The Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (P.L. 103-236) requires that RFE/RL be privatized by December 31, 1999, and that after September 30, 1995 Government grants can be made to RFE/RL only if its governing board is the Board of Governors, not the current governing body, Board for International Broadcasting (BIB).
7 Parker, Laura. “Radio Marti Director Ousted as Exiles Discuss Returning to Cuba.” Washington Post. March 13, 1990. p. A3.
8 Report of the Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti. Volume 2, Statements to the Panel, March 1994 [hereafter cited as Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2]. Statement of Ernesto Betancourt.
9 Parker, Laura. “Radio Marti Director Ousted as Exiles Discuss Returning to Cuba.” Washington Post. March 13, 1990. p. A3.
10 Price, Joyce. “Troika to Head Radio Marti after Director is Reassigned.” Washington Times. March 19, 1990. p. A5.
11 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement of Ernesto Betancourt.
12 For example, see statement of Carlos Alberto Montaner in Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2.
13 U.S. General Accounting Office. TV Marti, Costs and Compliance with Broadcast Standards and International Agreements. May 1992. GAO/NSIAD-92-199.
14 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement of J. Richard Planas.
15 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement of Antonio Navarro.
16 Letter from Representative John Conyers, Jr., to USIA Director Joseph Duffey, June 7, 1994.
17 Television conversation with Representative Conyers’ staff, July 28, 1994.
18 U.S. Department of State. The Report of the President’s Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting. December 1991. p. 15.
19 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement of John Hughes, Chairman, The President’s Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting.
20 As set forth in the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act, P.L. 80-402, the seven-member commission is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to represent the public interest, to formulate and recommend policies and programs for USIA, and to appraise the effectiveness of USIA policies and programs.
21 U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. 1991 Report. p. 42.
22 U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. 1993 Report. pp. 36, 44.
23 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement of Representative David E. Skaggs.
24 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Letter of Senator Ernest Hollings to the Advisory Panel.
25 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Testimony of Representative Robert G. Torricelli.
26 The OIG review examined allegations that 10 Radio Marti employees were unqualified for their positions or biased in favor of Cuban Marxists and Socialists, and an allegation that Radio Marti’s news director could not speak fluent English, as required for the position. With regard to the 10 employees, the OIG report determined that they were qualified, and pointed out that an External Review Panel had recently reported that Radio Marti programming was generally well presented and relevant to the Cuban audience. Nevertheless, the OIG found that the process of selecting broadcasts for review should be improved. With regard to the news director, the OIG verified the allegation that the news director could not speak fluent English and found that the news director’s appointments were inconsistent with the Office of Cuba Broadcasting’s excepted service personnel policies. Consequently, OIG recommended that written policies be established for all excepted service personnel actions, and that the news director’s appointments be reviewed.
27 Advisory Panel Report, Volume 2. Statement by Daniel A. Mica, Chairman of the Board for International Broadcasting.
28 Report of the Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti, Volume 1, Findings and Conclusions, March 1994 [hereafter cited as Advisory Panel Report, Volume 1]; and USIA Director’s Response to the Report of the Advisory Panel on Radio Marti and TV Marti, July 8, 1994.

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New Mexico bars commissioner from office for insurrection: A state district court judge has disqualified a county commissioner from holding public office for engaging in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
by Associated Press
09/06/2022 04:06 PM EDT


Couy Griffin walks near federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. | Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP Photo

SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin from holding public office for engaging in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

State District Court Judge Francis Mathew issued a ruling Tuesday that permanently prohibits Griffin from holding or seeking local or federal office.

Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, without going inside the building. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served.

The new ruling immediately removes Griffin from his position as a commissioner in Otero County in southern New Mexico.

“Mr. Griffin aided the insurrection even though he did not personally engage in violence,” Mathew wrote. “By joining the mob and trespassing on restricted Capitol grounds, Mr. Griffin contributed to delaying Congress’s election-certification proceedings.”

Griffin he was notified of his removal from office by Otero County staff, who prevented him from accessing his work computer and office space at a county building in Alamogordo.

Griffin, who served as his own legal counsel at a two-day bench trial in August, called the ruling a “total disgrace” that disenfranchises his constituents in Otero County.

“The actions that are being taken are, I believe, are perfect evidence of the tyranny that we’re right now living under,” Griffin said. “The left continues to speak about democracy being under attack, but is this democracy? Whenever you’re removed from office by the civil courts by the opinion of a liberal judge.”

The ruling arrives amid a flurry of similar lawsuits around the country seeking to punish politicians who took part in Jan. 6 under provisions of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which holds that anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution can be barred from office for engaging in insurrection or rebellion.

Ratified shortly after the Civil War, the provisions were meant in part to keep representatives who had fought for the Confederacy from returning to Congress.

At trial, Griffin invoked free speech guarantees in his defense and argued that removing him from office would cut against the will of the people and set a “dangerous precedent.” Elected in 2018, Griffin withstood a recall vote last year but isn’t running for reelection or other office in November.

Mathews wrote that Griffin’s arguments “disregard that the Constitution itself reflects the will of the people.”

Griffin “overlooks that his own insurrectionary conduct on January 6 sought to subvert the results of a free and fair election, which would have disenfranchised millions of voters.”

The lawsuit against Griffin was brought by three plaintiffs in New Mexico with support from the Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A federal declined a recent request to take up the case.

Tuesday’s judgement is “a historic win for accountability for the January 6th insurrection and the efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power in the United States,” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics President Noah Bookbinder said in a statement.

The NAACP and progressive watchdog group Common Cause filed briefs in support of Griffin’s removal, citing not only Griffin’s involvement at the Capitol attack but also his recent refusal to help certify local results of New Mexico’s June 7 primary election.

Griffin, a Republican, forged a group of rodeo acquaintances in 2019 into the promotional group called Cowboys for Trump that staged horseback parades to spread President Donald Trump’s conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions.

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Surveillance video shows Georgia 'fake elector' escorting operatives into elections office before alleged data breach: Cathy Latham, then the GOP chairwoman for Coffee County, is seen escorting members of the tech firm Sullivan-Strickler into an elections office the same day as an alleged breach that is under investigation by state authorities.
by Zoë Richards, Blayne Alexander and Charlie Gile
NBC News
Sept. 6, 2022, 4:05 PM MDT / Updated Sept. 7, 2022, 1:52 PM MDT
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/electi ... -rcna46530

Newly obtained video shows the former head of Coffee County Republicans escorting members of a forensics firm hired by a Trump-allied lawyer into a Georgia elections office shortly before an alleged data breach in January 2021.

The video, which was obtained by NBC News, shows Cathy Latham, the chairwoman of the Coffee County GOP at the time, greeting and escorting members of the tech firm Sullivan-Strickler into the office on Jan. 7, 2021, the same day as a data breach that is under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The video shows scenes only from outside the office.

NBC News has asked Holly Pierson, an attorney for Latham, and Sullivan-Strickler for comment.


Cathy Latham, bottom, who was the chair of the Coffee County Republican Party at the time, greets a team of computer experts from the data solutions company Sullivan-Strickler at the county elections office in Douglas, Ga., on Jan. 7, 2021. Coffee County via AP file

Latham was one of nearly a dozen of Georgia’s “fake electors” who sought to quash a subpoena to appear before the Fulton County special grand jury that is hearing evidence in a criminal probe into possible 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and his allies.

Latham was identified as a target of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation after she submitted false certifications, along with 15 other people, declaring Trump the winner in Georgia after he lost to Joe Biden.

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Video fills in details on alleged Ga. election system breach
by The Associated Press
Published: Sep. 6, 2022 at 7:38 AM MDT
https://www.nbcnebraskascottsbluff.com/ ... em-breach/



Surveillance video regarding the 2020 election shows pro-Trump operatives at a Georgia elections office. (Source: Obtained by CNN)

ATLANTA (AP) — Two months after the 2020 presidential election, a team of computer experts traveled to south Georgia to copy software and data from voting equipment in an apparent breach of a county election system. They were greeted outside by the head of the local Republican Party, who was involved in efforts by then-President Donald Trump to overturn his election loss.

A security camera outside the elections office in rural Coffee County captured their arrival. The footage also shows that some local election officials were at the office during what the Georgia secretary of state’s office has described as “alleged unauthorized access” of election equipment.

Security footage from two weeks later raises additional alarms — showing two people who were instrumental in Trump’s wider efforts to undermine the election results entering the office and staying for hours.

The security video from the elections office in the county about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta offers a glimpse of the lengths Trump’s allies went to in service of his fraudulent election claims. It further shows how access was facilitated by local officials who are entrusted with protecting the security of elections while raising concerns about sensitive voting technology being released into the public domain.

Georgia wasn’t the only state where voting equipment was accessed after the 2020 presidential election. Important information about voting systems also was compromised in election offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Colorado. Election security experts worry the information obtained — including complete copies of hard drives — could be exploited by those who want to interfere with future elections.

“The system is only as secure as the people who are entrusted to keep it secure,” said lawyer David Cross, who represents plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over Georgia’s voting machines.

The Coffee County security footage was obtained through that lawsuit, which alleges that Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are vulnerable to attack and should be replaced by hand-marked paper ballots. The suit long predates and is unrelated to false allegations of widespread election fraud pushed by Trump and his allies after the 2020 election.

The alleged breach in Coffee County’s elections office also has caught the attention of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is overseeing an investigation into whether Trump and his allies illegally tried to influence the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Last month, Willis cited the Coffee County activity, among other things, when she sought to compel testimony from Sidney Powell, an attorney who was deeply involved in Trump’s effort to undo the election results.

Emails and other records show Powell and other attorneys linked to Trump helped arrange for a team from data solutions company Sullivan-Strickler to travel to Coffee County, which Trump won by nearly 40 percentage points.

The surveillance video, emails and other documents that shed light on what happened there in January 2021 were produced in response to subpoenas issued in the voting machine lawsuit and were obtained by The Associated Press. Parts of the security video appear to contradict claims by some of the local officials:

— Footage captures Cathy Latham, then chair of the Coffee County Republican Party, arriving at the elections office shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol. Just a few weeks earlier, she was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring that they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.

A few minutes after her arrival, she is seen outside greeting Sullivan-Strickler chief operating officer Paul Maggio and two other people. Less than 10 minutes later, she escorts two other men into the building.

The video shows her leaving the elections office just before 1:30 p.m., roughly two hours after she greeted the Sullivan-Strickler team. She returns a little before 4 p.m. and then leaves around 6:15 p.m.

Latham said under oath during a deposition in August that she stopped by the elections office that evening for “Just a few minutes” and left before 5 p.m. Pressed on whether she had been there earlier in the day, Latham said she couldn’t recall but suggested her schedule as a teacher would not have allowed it.

A lawyer for Sullivan-Strickler said in an email attached to a court filing that Latham was a “primary point of contact” in coordinating the company’s work and “was on site” while that work was done.

Robert Cheeley, a lawyer for Latham said in an emailed statement that his client doesn’t remember all the details of that day. But he said she “would not and has not knowingly been involved in any impropriety in any election” and “has not acted improperly or illegally.”

— The video also shows Eric Chaney, a member of Coffee County’s election board, arriving shortly before 11 a.m. the same day and going in and out several times before leaving for the night around 7:40 p.m. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the voting machine lawsuit wrote in a court filing that a photo produced by Sullivan-Strickler’s COO shows Chaney in the office as the copying is happening.

During a deposition last month, Chaney declined to answer many questions about that day, citing the Fifth Amendment. But when an attorney representing the county reached out to him in April regarding questions from The Washington Post, Chaney wrote, “I am not aware of nor was I present at the Coffee County Board of Elections and Registration’s office when anyone illegally accessed the server or the room in which it is contained.” Chaney resigned from the elections board last month, days before his deposition.

Attempts to reach Chaney by phone were unsuccessful, and his lawyer did not respond to an email seeking comment.

— About two weeks after the initial breach, video shows Misty Hampton — then the county elections director — arriving at the elections office at 4:20 p.m. on Jan. 18, when it was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She unlocked the door and let in two men — Doug Logan and Jeff Lenberg, who have been active in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

Logan founded Cyber Ninjas, which participated in a partisan and ultimately discredited review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona. The two men remained inside until just after 8 p.m. and then spent more than nine hours there the next day. Lenberg returned for brief visits on at least three more days later that month.

Hampton resigned as elections supervisor in February 2021 after elections board officials said she falsified her timesheets. Attempts by the AP to reach her were unsuccessful.

In a statement released by its attorney, Sullivan-Strickler said the company was retained by attorneys to forensically copy voting machines used in the 2020 election and had no reason to believe they would ask its employees to do anything improper.

The Georgia secretary of state’s office said it opened an investigation in March and asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for assistance last month. State officials have said the system remains secure because of multiple protections in place.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[admin]

El Nuevo Herald
by Report for America
Accessed 9/7/22

El Nuevo Herald is the second largest Spanish-language news outlet in the United States, covering local, national and international news for more than three decades, striving to be the most credible and dynamic source of news and information by producing journalism that makes a difference. El Nuevo Herald publishes in Spanish but also is routinely published in English in the Miami Herald. El Nuevo Herald shares a newsroom with the Miami Herald and they collaborate on a daily basis. Occasionally, the newspaper also collaborates with WLRN, an NPR affiliate that operates out of our newsroom. The newspaper’s coverage area extends well beyond the local community, reaching an audience of more than 357,000 in print and 3.9 million online. El Nuevo Herald’s digital readers stretch across South Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Current Position
Location: Miami, Florida

Beat: Puerto Rico and the Caribbean

Position: This Report for America Corps member’s beat is part of El Nuevo Herald’s longstanding commitment to covering Latin America and the Caribbean, and its many connections to Florida. The region is in the Herald’s backyard and is covered much like any other community in South Florida. This reporter, based in San Juan, specifically covers Puerto Rico and part of the Caribbean. Writing in Spanish and English, the reporter focuses mainly on the U.S. territory and its relationship with the mainland. The reporter covers a wide range of topics, from botched primary elections to breaking stories about storms and coronavirus to longer-crafted features on cultural, social, and political phenomena on the island. The reporter explores gender violence in Puerto Rico as an investigative sub-beat and also assists with wider regional coverage. The stories are also shared with the Puerto Rico-based Center for Investigative Journalism (Centro de Periodismo Investigativo)

Reporter: Syra Ortiz Blanes

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Cuba lashes out against U.S. funding for ‘subversive’ projects
by Abel Fernández
abfernandez@elnuevoherald.com
Miami Herald
UPDATED OCTOBER 24, 2016 2:13 PM
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation ... 67366.html


The U.S. and Cuban flags wave outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana. RAMON ESPINOSA AP

A day before the fourth round of bilateral diplomatic talks is scheduled to take place in Washington, the state-controlled Cuban media lambasted some U.S.-funded programs to organizations with ties to the island.

The official media website Cubadebate reproduced a list — originally published by Along the Malecón blog — of organizations that receive funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a Washington-based private, nonprofit foundation with a global mission to advance democracy.

Cubadebate referred to the NED as a “governmental organization” financing “subversive” programs totaling almost $4 million. Most of the projects are aimed at Cuban youth, human rights activists, independent media and others in the communities across the island, the article states.

“The programs not only run covertly in Cuba, where these operations are illegal, but includes the recruitment of staff in third countries,” Cubadebate reported.

Cuba is in the midst of a media campaign against the scholarship program of World Learning, a summer initiative for young Cubans, which ended in August and included a four-week exchange program in the United States. Scholarship recipients were able to travel with all their expenses covered, including airfare, lodging, meals and educational materials.

The official Cuban press has listed the program as “hostile” and “interventionist,” and Communist youth organizations on the island also have expressed their rejection to the program. The nightly Cuban television news program Mesa Redonda (Round Table), hosted by journalist Randy Alonso, director of Cubadebate, was expected to address the issue Thursday night.

Gustavo Machín, deputy-director general for the United States at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, announced that Cuba will take up the matter during talks in Washington as part of the US-Cuba Bilateral Commission gathering.

“We reject that the U.S. Embassy promotes these programs without official consent or consultation with counterparts and are working outside the margins of official authorities and channels established for these purposes,” Machín told the Spanish news agency EFE.

However, Machín emphasized that the media lashing by Cuba “is not contrary to the promotion of cooperation and exchange” between the two countries.

“We are officially collaborating to implement a program proposed by the U.S. Embassy and the State Department about teaching English language in Cuba and this project is working,” Machín said in Havana.

Other topics Cuba plans to bring up during the Washington gathering: lifting of the U.S. economic embargo, returning land in Guantánamo Bay now serving as a Navy Base and bringing an end to preferential migration policies for Cubans.

@abelfglez This story was originally published September 29, 2016 4:47 PM.

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https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/ ... _tr_pto=sc

Cerraduras de seguridad, topes de puertas y desvíos: la CIA comparte cómo viajar como un espía
POR MICHAEL WILNER
El Nuevo Herald
27 DE MAYO DE 2022 2:51 PM


Logotipo de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia en el vestíbulo del edificio de la sede original en McLean, Virginia. ALEX WONG Getty Images

¿Se alojará en un hotel de gran altura este verano? Pida una habitación por debajo de los pisos superiores, pero por encima del primero. Familiarícese con las salidas. Y lleve su propio sistema de bloqueo de puertas.

La CIA ofrece estos y otros consejos antes del fin de semana del Memorial Day, basándose en las mejores prácticas de los oficiales de la CIA ubicados en capitales mundiales, puestos remotos y zonas de conflicto activo, a medida que aumenta la temporada de viajes de verano y se reducen las restricciones por coronavirus.

Llámelo “estrategia de viaje”, dijo la agencia, publicando los nuevos consejos en su portal digital. “Tanto si va a una ciudad bulliciosa como a una escapada aislada este verano, esperamos que estos “consejos de viaje” de la CIA lo ayuden a viajar con más confianza y seguridad”.

Algunas de las orientaciones son prácticas habituales para los viajeros experimentados. La agencia de espionaje recomienda llegar al aeropuerto con antelación, llevar una fotocopia del pasaporte y registrarse en la embajada de Estados Unidos cuando se viaja al extranjero.

Pero algunos de sus consejos son más inteligentes que los de los espías.

"No sea un blanco fácil”, dice la guía. “Háganos caso, no debe llamar la atención pareciendo perdido o distraído”.

Al llegar a un lugar, la agencia recomienda preguntar a los funcionarios del aeropuerto cuánto debe costar un taxi hasta su hotel —no confiar en el taxista— y usar solo los taxis oficiales del aeropuerto.

Recomiendan aprender algunas palabras básicas en el idioma local, como “hola”, “adiós” y “policía”.

Y sugieren mantener al mínimo los tragos que se tome.

“Los espías pueden beber martinis en las películas, pero el alcohol disminuye el estado de alerta y el juicio”, dice la guía. “Hay que estar alerta y mantenerse al tanto de la situación que lo rodea, especialmente en un país desconocido”.

Una vez que haya llegado a su destino, la CIA sugiere que se familiarice con las vías de escape de emergencia del hotel y que evite las escaleras— donde es más probable que se ocurran delitos que en los ascensores— salvo en caso de emergencia.

Y dicen que hay que solicitar una habitación de hotel en el piso de en medio de un rascacielos. “Estar en la planta baja puede dejarte más vulnerable a los robos, pero el personal de respuesta a emergencias de muchos países no está equipado para llegar más arriba de unos pocos pisos del suelo”, se lee. “Considere la posibilidad de solicitar una habitación en un lugar intermedio”.

Use cerraduras de seguridad en su habitación de hotel, porque “las cerraduras automáticas de las puertas de las habitaciones de hotel a menudo pueden forzarse y las cadenas cortadas”, dice la guía.

No abra la puerta si el servicio de habitaciones, la limpieza o el mantenimiento llaman a la puerta de forma inesperada.

Y añada a su lista de equipaje un dispositivo de seguridad barato y sencillo. “¿Sabe qué más puede ayudar a mantener una puerta cerrada? Un tope de puerta”, dice. “Considere la posibilidad de invertir en una cerradura de puerta portátil para viajeros o en una alarma para ayudar a asegurar aún más su habitación de hotel”.

La nueva guía forma parte de la serie Ask Molly de la agencia de inteligencia, un foro en línea de la CIA que responde a las preguntas del público.

La agencia también sugiere trazar desvíos en sus excursiones de viaje para evitar las partes peligrosas de la ciudad y los barrios mal iluminados por la noche.

Y, sobre todo, sugiere confiar en sus instintos.

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

“Sabemos por experiencia que cuando algo no parece bien, muchas veces no lo está”, dice la guía. “Alguien que está demasiado cerca de usted, que lo sigue por varios lugares, que merodea afuera de su habitación: si una situación ;p hace sospechar, aléjese o busca ayuda”.

“La forma más rápida de salir de una crisis es evitar los problemas en primer lugar”, añade. “Si escucha que está ocurriendo un disturbio cuando está fuera, aléjese y deje la recopilación de información en nuestras manos. La conmoción podría ser un peligro creciente o una distracción creada para ayudar a alguien a robarle. Su misión es llegar a casa sano y salvo”.

Read more at: https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/ ... rylink=cpy

[GOOGLE TRANSLATE:

Security locks, doorstops and bypasses: CIA shares how to travel like a spy
by Michael Wilner
El Nuevo Herald
[The Miami Herald]
MAY 27, 2022 2:51 PM


Central Intelligence Agency logo in the lobby of the original headquarters building in McLean, Virginia. ALEX WONG Getty Images

Will you be staying in a high-rise hotel this summer? Ask for a room below the upper floors, but above the first. Familiarize yourself with the exits. And bring your own door lock system.

The CIA offers these and other tips ahead of Memorial Day weekend, drawing on best practices from CIA officers stationed in world capitals, remote outposts and active conflict zones, as the summer travel season ramps up and coronavirus restrictions are reduced.

Call it "travel strategy," the agency said, posting the new advice on its website. "Whether you're heading to a bustling city or a secluded getaway this summer, we hope these CIA 'travel tips' will help you travel more confidently and safely."

Some of the guidance is standard practice for seasoned travelers. The spy agency recommends arriving at the airport early, carrying a photocopy of your passport, and registering at the US embassy when traveling abroad.

But some of his advice is smarter than that of the spies.

"Don't be an easy target," says the guide. "Trust us, you shouldn't draw attention to yourself by looking lost or distracted."

When arriving somewhere, the agency recommends asking airport officials how much a taxi should cost to your hotel—don't trust the driver—and use only official airport taxis.

They recommend learning some basic words in the local language, such as “hello”, “goodbye” and “police”.

And they suggest keeping your drinks to a minimum.

"Spies can drink martinis in the movies, but alcohol impairs alertness and judgment," the guide says. “You have to be alert and stay aware of the situation around you, especially in an unknown country.”

Once you've reached your destination, the CIA suggests familiarizing yourself with the hotel's emergency escape routes and avoiding the stairs—where crimes are more likely to occur than the elevators—except in an emergency.

And they say you have to request a hotel room on the floor in the middle of a skyscraper. “Being on the ground floor can leave you more vulnerable to break-ins, but emergency response personnel in many countries are not equipped to reach higher than a few floors off the ground,” it reads. "Consider requesting a room somewhere in between."

Use security locks in your hotel room, because “automatic hotel room door locks can often be picked and chains cut,” the guide says.

Do not open the door if room service, housekeeping, or maintenance knocks on the door unexpectedly.

And add a cheap and simple security device to your packing list. “You know what else can help keep a door closed? A doorstop,” he says. “Consider investing in a portable traveler door lock or alarm to help further secure your hotel room.”

The new guide is part of the intelligence agency's Ask Molly series, an online CIA forum that answers questions from the public.

The agency also suggests planning detours on your travel excursions to avoid dangerous parts of the city and poorly lit neighborhoods at night.

And, above all, it suggests trusting your instincts.

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

“We know from experience that when something doesn't look right, it often isn't,” says the guide. "Someone who is too close to you, following you around, lurking outside your room: If a situation is suspicious, walk away or get help."

“The fastest way out of a crisis is to avoid the problems in the first place,” he adds. “If you hear there's a disturbance going on when you're away, walk away and leave the intelligence gathering to us. The commotion could be a growing danger or a distraction created to help someone steal from you. His mission is to get home safe and sound.”]

[admin]

Trump’s Anti-Communist Foreign Policy Won Florida Hispanics: Outreach programs and a hard-line attitude persuaded communities with long Republican ties.
by Nancy San Martín
Foreign Policy
NOVEMBER 6, 2020, 1:17 PM


Supporters shout and wave flags as President Donald Trump's motorcade departs after the "Latinos for Trump Roundtable" event at Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in Doral, Florida, on Sept. 25. MARCO BELLO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

While many scratched their heads over the large number of votes cast by Hispanics in South Florida in favor of reelecting U.S. President Donald Trump, poll-takers who’ve been monitoring those communities were more blasé.

“Democrats should have seen this coming,” said Michael Bustamante, an assistant professor of Latin American history at Florida International University (FIU). “It’s not a surprise for anyone who has been paying close attention to what has been happening in the last two to four years.”

Florida’s vote for Trump among Latinos on Tuesday night resulted in the best result a Republican presidential candidate has garnered in 16 years, with nearly twice as many votes from Hispanics in Miami-Dade County than he received in the race against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Emigres from Latin American countries, including Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Colombia, provided a boost for the Republican Party, but Cuban Americans, who represent 37 percent of the county’s population, provided the biggest lift—nearly 200,000 more votes than four years ago, according to precinct data.

Cuban American ties to the Republican Party run deep, going back to bitterness against Democratic President John F. Kennedy for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and gratitude to Republican presidents who stood against Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Experts point to a number of issues to explain why the vote went as it did in Miami-Dade, particularly among Cuban Americans: campaign rhetoric that stoked fears of socialism, emerging Cuban American influencers who hold sway among newer immigrants, a perception that mainstream media is part of the left wing, and a schism over the Black Lives Matter movement.

But the overriding reason for the Republican vote was simple: U.S. policy toward Latin America.

“This area gives all candidates the opportunity to give their foreign-policy pitch,” said Guillermo Grenier, a sociologist at FIU who has overseen university surveys of Cuban American opinion for the past three decades.

Trump never missed an opportunity to make his pitch on Latin America—particularly tied to Cuba and Venezuela—during visits to Miami that resonated with Cuban Americans, who also sided with Trump on domestic issues.

The most recent FIU Cuba Poll shows Trump did well among respondents in terms of his handling of the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also scored high on race relations.

Black Lives Matter turned out to be “another one of the polarizing factors,” Grenier said. During protests in Miami, images emerged of activists spray-painting hammer-and-sickle images onto walls and statues or celebrating the Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. Much media coverage early on also focused on the spurts of violence in the otherwise largely peaceful protests.

Those images were used to link socialism to the movement and helped elevate the outcry against Democrats who publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement.

“The interesting and frustrating thing is how the socialist attack line has been used and abused,” Bustamante said. “While the attack was cynical and misleading, I think it worked.”

“It struck a chord in a really unfortunate and very sad way,” he said.

Another key part of the Cuban American political discourse was the rise of social media influencers such as the popular YouTube celebrity Alexander Otaola, who left Cuba in 2003 and uses humor to take swipes at the Cuban government and demand human rights and democratic change. Otaola scored an interview with Trump prior to the 2020 elections with the help of Miami Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who served as his interpreter. The interview went viral as Otaola urged his large audience to beware the “socialist” tendencies exhibited by Democrats.

“That’s the perfect example of how the Republican Party narrative and rhetoric resonates everywhere,” Grenier said. “Cubans are pretty mainstream Republicans. The narrative of the Republican Party is a national narrative.”

A Cuban salsa tune by the Los 3 de la Habana band based in Miami also quickly rose as an anthem among Trump supporters at campaign rallies, who danced and sang to the lyrics “Yo voy a votar por Donald Trump!” (“I’m going to vote for Donald Trump!”)

“Ronald Reagan recruited Cubans to help him with his foreign policy in the fight against the ‘evil empire,’” Grenier said. “Republicans have established a very strong base in the community. Democrats have never done that. They’ve never built a base.”

By the time President Barack Obama took office in 2009, there was a slight shift among some Cuban American voters who wanted closer ties with the island following a tightening of the U.S. embargo on Cuba under President George W. Bush.

Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba—making the announcement simultaneously with then-Cuban leader Raúl Castro. The so-called interests sections in Washington and Havana were upgraded to embassies, travel restrictions and business transactions were eased, and in 2016 Obama became the first U.S. president to visit the island since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

However, as warmer relations with Havana blossomed, another exodus was brewing. Cubans in third countries made their way to Central America and journeyed north to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they used the “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy to claim asylum upon reaching U.S. soil then win residency after a year and a day, as mandated by the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.

Just before leaving the Oval Office in January 2017, Obama put an end to that policy, leaving thousands of Cuban migrants stranded in Central America. Many ultimately made it to the United States with help from Cuban American members of Congress, settled in Miami-Dade, and aligned themselves with the Republican Party.

Trump, meanwhile, has consistently adopted a firmer approach to foreign policy.

Soon after assuming office, he pulled U.S. diplomatic personnel out of Cuba after American and Canadian diplomats suffered mysterious health problems. He also drastically reduced staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana and has since tightened travel restrictions, clamped down on investments from American companies, limited visas for Cubans to travel to the United States, and placed restrictions on how remittances can be sent to the island.

Even as many Cuban Americans oppose some of those measures, two-thirds broadly support Trump’s tactics aimed at the Communist government, according to the FIU survey.

Win or lose, the Democratic Party has work to do to regain the Florida Hispanic vote, especially among Cuban Americans. “Democrats really need to think like organizers,” Grenier said, “not politicians.”

Mainstream media also has a role to play.

Even though the majority of Cuban Americans likely know that Biden is not a socialist, the attention mainstream media gives that kind of rhetoric amplifies the message, Grenier said.

“Mainstream media has to go back to doing the news,” he said, “not the obsession with the newsmaker.”

Nancy San Martín is a freelance journalist with 30 years of experience that includes extensive coverage in countries across Latin America as a reporter and editor.

[admin]

Florida primaries: The political brawl brewing over Miami’s airwaves
by Bernd Debusmann Jr & Lioman Lima
Miami, Florida
BBC.com
Published 23 August, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62585660


A Radio Mambi host, Ninoska Pérez Castellón, in 2015

As a young girl growing up in South Florida, Cuban-born restaurateur Irina Vilariño, 46, vividly remembers the soundtrack of her family life: the chatter of a much-beloved local radio station, Radio Mambí.

"I get chills thinking about it," recalls Ms Vilariño, who was four when her family escaped Fidel Castro's government. "Radio Mambí gave us a voice. The voice we lost in Cuba. It unified our community."

Founded in 1985 by Cuban exiles, Radio Mambí - named after Cuban guerrillas known as "mambises" who fought for independence from Spain - soon became an influential fixture of Miami's large community of Cuban exiles. The radio gave voice to the exiles' vocal opposition of Cuba's communist regime.

Today it is still for many the sound of Spanish-speaking Florida: a mix of chatter about modern-day Cuba interspersed, on a recent Friday, with calls from listeners opining about the state primary elections on 23 August - and laments about Democratic President Joe Biden's "socialist agenda".

Its influence on the heavily Republican-leaning diaspora is clear: party bigwigs from George W Bush to Mike Pence have frequented its studios. In 2018, one of the station's most popular and outspokenly conservative radio show hosts, Ninoska Pérez Castellón, even scored an exclusive interview with then-President Donald Trump.

But now, a surprise sale of the station to a media start-up with ties to veteran Democrats has sent shockwaves as far away as the halls of power in Washington DC - and, some say, offered a glimpse into an intensifying battle for the attention of Latino audiences, and, by extension, politically vital Latino voters in a key electoral swing state.

Many are wondering, is this the last election in which Radio Mambí - and stations like it - will play a role in Republican politics?


Jess Morales Rocketto co-founded the Latino Media Network

According to the latest census data, there are now 62.1 million Latinos in the US, and Spanish is the most widely spoken non-English language.

This audience is largely served by exclusively Spanish-language media, with research from City University of New York showing that about 78% of Latino-focused media is solely in Spanish, compared with 15% that is bilingual.

Radio dominates. Nielsen, a ratings firm, estimates that the medium reaches 97% of the US Latino population each month. Among Latinos over the age of 50, that percentage rises to 99%. In Miami, where 70% of the population is Latino, about one-third of the population is older than 55.

Since 2002, Radio Mambí has been owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, the largest Spanish-language media conglomerate in the US.

But in June, a start-up, Latino Media Network, announced a $60m (£50m) deal to buy the station and 17 others across the US owned by Univision.

The two Latinas who founded the new venture have deep ties with Democratic politics.

Stephanie Valencia worked in the White House during the administration of Barack Obama, and Jess Morales Rocketto was a campaign aide for Hillary Clinton.


Cuban exiles protesting in Miami in 2021

Given their backgrounds, the sale set alarm bells ringing for both right-leaning Miami Latinos and conservative politicians.

Days after the sale, members of the Assembly of Cuban Resistance - an umbrella group of 35 exile organisations - said it was worried about the "silencing and marginalisation" of stations that had "been the voices of support for Cuba's freedom".

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (Spanish: Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana, abbreviated ACR) is a coalition of anti-government human rights groups inside and outside Cuba. Their members are signatories of the "Agreement for Democracy in Cuba" drafted in 1998, and "My Signature for my Dignity" in 2020. The ACR considers the Castro regime illegal, and supports free elections and the release of all political prisoners.

The ACR combines street action mobilization with high-level lobbying. It is an influential coalition internationally, among the Cuban diaspora and the island's civil society. It has launched campaigns like "All for a Free Cuba" and "Don't Aid", organized multiple protests inside and outside the island, participated in international forums, and supported the establishment of an international tribunal for the prosecution of crimes against humanity in Cuba.

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance works closely with and coordinates with Cuban exile communities in diverse cities in the United States and abroad. In the states of New Jersey, Illinois, California, Texas, Puerto Rico, and in the Dominican Republic.

-- Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, by Wikipedia

Meanwhile, in Washington a group of lawmakers led by Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio sent a strongly worded letter to the Federal Communications Commission, urging the government body to "thoroughly scrutinise" the deal, calling it an attempt by "far-left ideologues" to "silence effective conservative voices who challenge their progressive propaganda".

At least three Radio Mambí hosts have left the station after the sale, joining a rival, conservative-backed start-up, Americano Media.

Latino Media Network's two founders did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC and were not made available for an interview, though in statements to the Miami Herald, they vowed not to "change the spirit or character" of Radio Mambí and to welcome all points of view.

Some listeners are sceptical.

"It's a shame," Ms Vilariño told the BBC at one of her restaurants in Doral, a suburb of Miami, where about a dozen mostly Cuban-American patrons sat chatting and sipping dark Cuban coffee on a recent afternoon. "It is a way of silencing our values, our concerns and our information," she said.

A political impact?

The deal is expected to be approved near the end of 2022 and at the earliest, the stations will change hands in the third quarter of 2023.

While that means the ownership switch will come after the 2022 midterm elections, experts believe that competition for Spanish-language media will heat up significantly as the US heads towards the 2024 presidential election.

Political analysts say that the battle to reach Latinos over the airwaves will be of crucial importance for Democrats, who hope to stem slumping support for their party among Latino communities in Florida, South Texas or Arizona.

Eduardo Gamarra, the director of the Latino Public Opinion Forum at Florida International University, said that while the impact of media on politics is difficult to determine, surveys suggest that "people generally believe what is said on the radio".

It could influence voting behaviour, Mr Gamarra said.


The Versailles restaurant in Little Havana is synonymous with anti-communist politics

The more immediate question, however, is the degree to which Spanish-language media is shaping perceptions of truth among Latinos in the US.

The sale of the station comes at a time when Spanish-language media - including Radio Mambí - has been accused of spreading disinformation, ranging from claims about the 2020 election to the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccines.

"It's constant", said Evelyn Pérez-Verdía, the chief strategy officer of We Are Mas, a firm that aims to fight disinformation in diaspora communities. "It's a large problem."

"There's a pot of gold in using fearmongering by saying that our country is going to become the next Venezuela, in order to persuade them to either stay at home and not vote or vote for the people they want them to vote for," she added.

Former Radio Mambí hosts dismiss accusations of misinformation as little more than attempts to censor opposing viewpoints.

"Liberal media want to censor one's opinion," said Lourdes Ubieta, a lively Venezuelan-born talk show host who resigned from Radio Mambí earlier this year and now works at Americano Media. "Silencing and cancelling - that's the objective."

"If you don't like it, change the channel and don't listen to me," she added.

An uncertain future

Their claims that they will not change the nature of Radio Mambí notwithstanding, the station's expected new owners - and research - are keenly aware of its power for persuasion.

A post-mortem of the 2020 election conducted by Democratic-aligned polling firm Equis - which was also started by Latino Media Network's founder Ms Valencia - found that fears of "socialism" spread by media and online resonated deeply with many Latinos and helped "create space for defection" from the Democrats to the Republican Party.

And statistics suggest that media will have an important role to play in courting Latino voters - who already represent one in eight eligible voters in the US.

Meanwhile, in Miami's Little Havana, Radio Mambí listeners have been left wondering what a change in management will ultimately mean.

"It's always been important for us… it's a point of reference for those of us in exile," said Manuel Gonzalez, a local resident sipping coffee outside Versailles, a famous restaurant synonymous with local anti-communist politics.

"That sale could be bad for Cubans looking for information… I like their editorial line, and that they talk about Cuba's problems… and they're conservative," he said. "We'll see."

[admin]

Defendant Trump 'Has No Reputation To Protect'
by Lawrence O’Donnell
MSNBC
Sep 6, 2022

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell analyzes a new legal filing from Judge Aileen Cannon that appoints a special master to review the government documents seized from Donald Trump’s Florida home in order to prevent “reputational harm” to the former president.



Transcript

>> [LAWRENCE O'DONNELL] WELL, THANKS TO DONALD TRUMP, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, ADOPTING TRUMPIAN METHODS, WE NOW TONIGHT KNOW THE NAME OF THE NEXT REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. IF DONALD TRUMP IS THE NEXT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, THEN HIS SHORT LIST FOR THE SUPREME COURT WILL ONLY INCLUDE ONE NAME. THAT IS PROBABLY ALSO THE CASE FOR FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS, IF HE IS THE NEXT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT NAME COMES FROM FLORIDA. THIS FUTURE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE IS YOUNG ENOUGH TO REMAIN AT THE TOP OF THE REPUBLICAN SHORTLIST FOR THE SUPREME COURT FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES FOR ANOTHER REPUBLICAN TO WIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. THIS FUTURE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE IS ABOUT 20 YEARS AWAY FROM TURNING 60.

AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON PUBLICLY APPLIED FOR THE JOB OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, IN WRITING, YESTERDAY, IN A 24-PAGE OPINION, ORDERING A SO-CALLED SPECIAL MASTER TO EXAMINE ALL OF THE EVIDENCE SEIZED BY THE FBI FROM DONALD TRUMP'S HOME IN FLORIDA. AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON, WHO WAS APPOINTED TO A FEDERAL JUDGESHIP IN THE LAST MONTHS OF DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, IS NOW ONLY IN HER SECOND YEAR AS A FEDERAL JUDGE, AND HAS SUFFERED A GREAT DEAL OF WHAT SHE WOULD CALL REPUTATIONAL HARM IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, SINCE SHE ISSUED HER 24-PAGE OPINION WHICH HAS NO CONNECTIVE TISSUE TO PRE-EXISTING LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP IN AMERICA.

THERE IS NO KNOWN LEGAL REASON FOR ANYTHING IN THE JUDGE'S ORDER, AND SO JUDGE AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON DID WHAT DONALD TRUMP WOULD'VE DONE IF HE WERE A FEDERAL JUDGE: SHE JUST MADE IT UP.

ONE OF THE MOST ABSURD NOTIONS IN HER ORDER, GIVING DONALD TRUMP EVERYTHING HE ASKED FOR, IS THE IDEA THAT A FUTURE INDICTMENT OF DONALD TRUMP, BASED ON THIS EVIDENCE, QUOTE, "WOULD RESULT IN REPUTATION HARM." THE ONLY WAY DONALD TRUMP COULD SUFFER REPUTATIONAL HARM IS IF THE EVIDENCE CONTAINED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, WHICH IT MOST ASSUREDLY DOES NOT. YOU CANNOT SUFFER REPUTATIONAL HARM IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DESTROYED YOUR REPUTATION. IF YOU ALREADY GOT CAUGHT, AS DONALD TRUMP DID, PAYING $130,000 TO PORN STAR STORMY DANIELS TO BUY HER SILENCE ABOUT HAVING SEX WITH YOU, SHORTLY AFTER YOUR CURRENT WIFE GAVE BIRTH. YOU CANNOT SUFFER REPUTATIONAL HARM NOW -- YOU CANNOT SUFFER REPUTATIONAL HARM NOW, AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN 2016 SAYING THIS:

>> [DONALD TRUMP] YEAH, THAT'S HER WITH THE GOLD. I BETTER USE SOME TIC TACS JUST IN CASE I START KISSING HER. YOU KNOW, I'M AUTOMATICALLY ATTRACTED TO BEAUTIFUL ... I JUST START KISSING THEM. IT'S LIKE A MAGNET. JUST KISS. I DON'T EVEN WAIT. AND WHEN YOU'RE A STAR, THEY LET YOU DO IT. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.

>> [BILLY BUSH] WHATEVER YOU WANT.



>> [DONALD TRUMP] GRAB THEM BY THE PUSSY -- YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.

>> [LAWRENCE O'DONNELL] DONALD TRUMP HAS ALREADY TOLD THIS JUDGE, AND THE WORLD, THAT HE PERSONALLY BELIEVES IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO EVER SUFFER REPUTATIONAL HARM.

>> [DONALD TRUMP] I COULD STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF FIFTH AVENUE AND SHOOT SOMEBODY, AND I WOULDN'T LOSE ANY VOTERS, OKAY? IT'S LIKE, INCREDIBLE!

>> [LAWRENCE O'DONNELL] DONALD TRUMP'S REPUTATION COULD NOT BE WORSE AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO VOTE FOR HIM, AND HIS REPUTATION CAN NEVER BE HARMED WITH THE PEOPLE WHO DO VOTE FOR HIM. BUT JUDGE AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON WROTE AN ORDER TO SAVE DONALD TRUMP FROM REPUTATIONAL HARM. THAT WAS HER PHRASE: "REPUTATIONAL HARM." YOU ARE GONNA HEAR FROM SOME LAWYERS IN A MOMENT WHO WILL GIVE YOU THEIR PROFESSIONAL VIEW OF WHAT JUDGE CANNON DID. BUT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T GO TO LAW SCHOOL, YOU NEED ONLY KNOW THAT SHE CLAIMS SHE IS ISSUING AN ORDER TO PROTECT DONALD TRUMP'S REPUTATION -- PROTECT HIS REPUTATION FROM THE HARM OF A POSSIBLE FUTURE INDICTMENT. AND NEVER MIND THAT EVERY INDICTMENT THAT EVER ISSUED IN THIS COUNTRY HAS HURT THE REPUTATION OF THE PERSON NAMED IN THE INDICTMENT. SOMETIMES THOSE CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE DISMISSED, SOMETIMES THE INDICTED PERSON IS FOUND NOT GUILTY IN COURT. AND THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN PROTECT THE DEFENDANT'S REPUTATION OTHER THAN THE STRENGTH OF THE DEFENDANT'S DEFENSE. AND WE HAVE NOT HEARD ONE WORD OF DONALD TRUMP'S DEFENSE OF WHY HE WAS IN POSSESSION OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROPERTY, INCLUDING NUCLEAR SECRETS. NOT ONE WORD OF EXPLANATION, OR DEFENSE, FROM DONALD TRUMP ABOUT THAT. NOT ONE WORD FROM DONALD TRUMP TRYING TO SAVE HIMSELF, RIGHT NOW, FROM REPUTATIONAL HARM.

BUT A FEDERAL JUDGE APPOINTED BY DONALD TRUMP HAS TAKEN ON THE JOB OF PROTECTING DONALD TRUMP FROM REPUTATIONAL HARM. THAT IS SOMETHING DONALD TRUMP COULDN'T DO FOR HIMSELF, WHEN HE SETTLED THE TRUMP UNIVERSITY FRAUD CASE FOR $25 MILLION THAT HE HAD TO PAY TO THE VICTIMS OF HIS FRAUD. WE COULD FILL THIS HOUR WITH ONE LINERS OF DONALD TRUMP'S POISONOUS REPUTATION, FROM HIS DAYS AS A YOUNG NIGHT-CLUBBING LANDLORD, ACCUSED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, ALONG WITH HIS FATHER, OF USING RACIST PRACTICES IN RENTING APARTMENTS, VIOLATING CIVIL RIGHTS LAW, TO STANDING ACCUSED TONIGHT IN A LAWSUIT BY E. JEAN CARROLL OF RAPE, AND STANDING ACCUSED TONIGHT AS A DEFENDANT IN A LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS AGAINST DONALD TRUMP FOR HIS INCITEMENT OF A VIOLENT INSURRECTION ON JANUARY 6TH, AND THE PHYSICAL ATTACK AND BRUTALITY AGAINST POLICE OFFICERS AT THE CAPITOL THAT DAY.

CAPITOL POLICE SAY DONALD TRUMP DID IT. CAPITOL POLICE SAY DONALD TRUMP ATTACKED THEM, EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HITTING THEM WITH BASEBALL BATS, AND HITTING THEM WITH BEARSPRAY, AND THE SPEAR-END OF TRUMP FLAGS. AND AMERICAN FLAGS.

THAT MAN WHO IS ALREADY DEFENDANT TRUMP IN THOSE CASES HAS NO REPUTATION TO PROTECT. AND A FEDERAL JUDGE, HE APPOINTED, DECIDED TO DO THAT.

SOMETIMES A JUDICIAL OPINION IS ABOUT THE LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION, AND NOT ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE OPINION. THAT IS TRUE OF SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS [DECISIONS] IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY: "BROWN VERSUS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION" WAS A UNANIMOUS OPINION BY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, IN 1954, DESEGREGATING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS. THE SUPREME COURT'S ORDER TO PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON WAS A UNANIMOUS DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT, ORDERING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO HAND OVER EVIDENCE TO A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATING THAT PRESIDENT. THAT CASE WAS DECIDED ON THE LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION, NOT POLITICS, AND CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE OF WHO APPOINTED THOSE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES. THREE OF THOSE JUSTICES WHO ORDERED RICHARD NIXON TO HAND OVER EVIDENCE TO A PROSECUTOR WERE APPOINTED BY RICHARD NIXON.

AND THAT IS WHAT MADE US BELIEVE IN THE LEGITIMACY OF THE SUPREME COURT, AND SOMETIMES EVEN THE NOBILITY OF THE SUPREME COURT. AND NOW THOSE DAYS ARE GONE. BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP WON THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. AND WON THE POWER TO APPOINT FEDERAL JUDGES. AND USING HIS APPOINTMENT POWER, DONALD TRUMP WAS NOT GUIDED BY QUALIFICATIONS, OR THE CONSTITUTION. HE WAS GUIDED BY THE GODFATHER.

>> [GODFATHER MOVIE] SOMEDAY, AND THAT DAY MAY NEVER COME, I'LL CALL UPON YOU TO DO A SERVICE FOR ME.

>> [LAWRENCE O'DONNELL] "SOMEDAY, AND THAT DAY MAY NEVER COME, I WILL CALL UPON YOU TO DO A SERVICE FOR ME." THE DAY CAME THAT DONALD TRUMP NEEDED A SERVICE FROM JUDGE AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON. AND SHE DID IT.

THAT'S THE STORY. THAT'S THE STORY. ALL THE LEGAL-ISMS ASIDE, IT IS A STORY AS SIMPLE, AND CLEAR, AND DARK, AND SINISTER AS THE STORY TOLD BY FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA AND MARIO PUZO 50 YEARS AGO IN THEIR OSCAR-WINNING SCREENPLAY, "THE GODFATHER."

IN HER 24-PAGE QUESTIONNAIRE, FILED WITH THE SENATE JUDIDICARY COMMITTEE BEFORE HER CONFIRMATION FOR HER FEDERAL JUDGESHIP, SHE WAS ASKED HOW SHE WOULD HANDLE POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. AND JUDGE CANNON SAID IN WRITING, "I WILL EVALUATE ANY OTHER REAL OR POTENTIAL CONFLICT, OR RELATIONSHIP THAT COULD GIVE RISE TO AN APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT, ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS." SHE SAID SHE WOULD CONSIDER "RECUSAL WHERE NECESSARY." SHE SAID, IN WRITING, TO THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, "SIMPLY THE APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT COULD BE A REASON FOR HER TO RECUSE HERSELF FROM A CASE."

BUT INSTEAD OF A RECUSAL, SHE HAS PUBLICLY EMBRACED THE APPEARANCE OF CONFLICT, IN GIVING THE PERSON WHO APPOINTED HER TO HER JUDGESHIP EVERYTHING -- EVERYTHING HE ASKED FOR. AND IN THE PROCESS, JUDGE AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON HAS SUFFERED MASSIVE REPUTATIONAL HARM AMONG FAIR-MINDED LEGAL ANALYSTS AND SCHOLARS, AND OTHER JUDGES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HAS SURELY SECURED FOR HERSELF THE POSITION AT THE VERY TOP OF A LIST FOR THE NEXT REPUBLICAN APPOINTMENT TO THE SUPREME COURT.

[admin]

Learning To Trust Your Women's Intuition: If I had a dollar for every time I was told I was being too emotional, that I needed to lead with my head and not my heart, well, let's just say that my Starbucks habit would be fully funded.
by Dr. Michelle Martin, Contributor
Educator and Author
Huffington Post
Jun 6, 2016, 06:32 AM EDT
Updated Jun 7, 2017

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

If I had a dollar for every time I was told I was being too emotional, that I needed to lead with my head and not my heart, well, let's just say that my Starbucks habit would be fully funded. It's taken me years to recognize that what I was often criticized for -- in relationships, at work, in my academic studies -- was actually one of my greatest strengths: my inner voice, my gut instinct, my intuition.

Intuition is defined by researchers as our brain's ability to draw on internal and external cues in making rapid, in-the-moment decisions -- an important skill, particularly in high stress situations. Often occurring outside of our conscious awareness, intuition relies on our brain's ability to instantaneously evaluate both internal and external cues, and make a decision based on what appears to be pure instinct. When people make decisions based on their intuition, they often have difficulty explaining why they did what they did. They just knew what to do, as if a voice was telling them to do something, and they heeded its call.

Women are commonly believed to have stronger intuition than men (which is why we call it women's intuition, and not men's intuition), but this inclination is often undervalued in our logic-based society. As women, we are taught at an early age to ignore our intuition, and trust in the wisdom of others instead. We're also likely to be criticized for being too sensitive, too emotional, too dramatic, and too illogical when we're operating off of our intuition. This constant barrage of criticism can cloud our judgment and make us doubt ourselves, and our instincts.

Because I became tired of doubting my intuition, and of never knowing quite how to respond when accused of being "too emotional," and because I'm a researcher by profession, I decided to do some digging to learn more about the nature of intuition, including whether it was a real thing (it is), and whether women have it more (they do). What I found shouldn't have surprised me (it did), because it was all very consistent with my inner voice, my gut instinct, my intuition.

Basically, researchers have found that although both men and women have the capacity for intuition, women have stronger intuition because our brains are hardwired for it. For instance, one study I found used MRI scans to compare male and female brain connectivity and discovered that the typical male brain is neurologically wired to be more logical, and thus is more effective at linking perception with action.

The female brain, on the other hand, has more neural connections and is more efficient, which makes women better at interpreting social phenomena, including social cues. In other words, men are hardwired to be more logical and women are hardwired to be more intuitive. Men also have higher spatial intelligence and women are better at big picture thinking (also, for what it's worth, men really are better at reading maps, but women are better at multitasking).

Perhaps this is why for years, intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, have known that women make better spies because their heightened intuition allows them to recognize personal and social patterns that are not as visible to men. Female spies are often lauded for having an "extra antenna," for having better people skills, for being better at reading body language and for more easily picking up on social cues.

DCI Tenet created his own National Security Advisory Panel, chaired by Adm. Jeremiah, which helped him prepare in 2000 for the advent of a new administration. Talking points prepared for Tenet's use in meeting with them provide a telling story of the lack of real substance in his relationship with top DOD leaders at that juncture: "Not at war with DOD, but no one there at home. No meetings. DOD needs to step up. SecDef needs 'top cop' to ensure the Services do the right thing." The panel encouraged Tenet to follow his instincts to emphasize the building of personal and institutional relationships in engaging a new administration, but it also told him that he lacked the statutory and regulatory authorities necessary to meet his responsibilities.

-- Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community, 1946-2005, by Douglas F. Garthoff

Women are every bit as capable of logical reasoning as men, and men are capable of having good intuition. But male and female brains are wired differently, and that is not a bad thing. What is bad though is that for years women's natural inclinations have been consistently devalued by society, favoring instead a more logical (i.e., more male) approach to decision-making. We've been taught from an early age that intuition is a weaker form of reasoning than its 'more reliable' cousin, logic. And as a result, women tend to undervalue their natural inclinations--their more intuitive natures, their emotional intelligence, and their more holistic approach to problem-solving.

I used to flounder about whenever my inner being sensed that something was amiss in my world and sent out a message that I could not decipher. Was it unfounded fear I was experiencing? Anxiety? Perhaps personal bias, or wishful thinking? I often had no idea. When my heart sent me in one direction, and my brain in another, I panicked and allowed self-doubt to flood my senses. When I had a strong sense of something, a thing I just knew, and someone accused me of being too emotional, I cringed with embarrassment, willing myself to be more logical and less passionate in my thinking. Call a woman too emotional, and you'll likely silence her immediately.

Years ago, I shared my plight with a therapist I was seeing. I wanted to work on being less emotional and more logical in my thinking. I wanted to silence my inner voice, the one I was so certain I could not trust because far too often, its tuggings made no sense to me. But my therapist cautioned against it, telling me that our bodies often discerned truth a few weeks ahead of our brains. Sometimes our intuition causes us to act quickly, she shared, and other times we needed to be patient and let our intuition slowly guide us through choppy waters.

But I didn't like having feelings of unknown origins, I told her. I couldn't stand the uncertainty of not knowing what the feeling in my heart was trying to tell me. I was impatient for its message, leading me to sometimes jump to incorrect conclusions, which supported the (incorrect) notion that I was too emotional and my instincts could not be trusted. Picture someone thrashing about in water, on the verge of drowning. That was me when my instincts were in high gear, and I didn't trust or understand what the voice was trying to tell me.

Fast forward a few decades, and at 55 I've finally learned to trust my inner voice, learning how to integrate my intuition with my logical reasoning -- heart and brain working in synchronicity. And now, rather than thrashing about when I'm in choppy water, I roll onto my back and float, trusting that my intuition will carry me down the river to the place I'm intended to go.

I am proud of my intuition now, and of my ability to pick up on social cues. And even though I know my intuition is not full-proof, and at times I may need to subject it to the scrutiny of my more logical side, I will never again be silenced when someone tells me I am being too emotional. I am emotional. I bring emotion into my personal relationships and my work, every single day. Being emotional is what allows me to read people, to empathize with them, to see the world through numerous prisms, and that makes me more effective in everything I do-that makes me more me.

*****************************

Former CIA Chief: Carson’s Instincts the Foreign-Policy Class of the GOP Presidential Field: Michael Hayden says Ben Carson is the most impressive GOP candidate when it comes to foreign policy.
by David Francis
Foreign Policy
NOVEMBER 13, 2015, 12:34 PM

Republican presidential front-runner Ben Carson has a lot of foreign-policy critics. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden isn’t one of them.

On Friday morning, a day after the White House dismissed Carson’s claim that Chinese military forces are fighting in Syria, Hayden was asked on MSNBC if he was concerned with Carson’s knowledge of foreign affairs. The retired Air Force four-star general and former National Security Agency director said he was impressed with Carson.

“I must admit I had one lengthy phone call with Dr. Carson about two months ago,” Hayden said.

“His instincts are all right,” he added. “He asked the right questions…. he had good follow-on questions.”

The former CIA chief also defended Carson’s assertion that China is in Syria.

“I think he was trying to say when we’re absent from the playing field, we leave a vacuum in which other powers may enter,” Hayden said.

Hayden’s endorsement of Carson’s foreign-policy instincts could prove useful if the former surgeon’s rivals, including businessman Donald Trump, continue to attack him on that front. Even so, Carson’s China claim continues to be a dubious one, given that Chinese officials have denied they’re involved and said they have no intention of doing so.

*****************************
"Instinct"
by WJHL
March 17, 2018




Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a former CIA operative, is lured back into the field from his life of quiet academia when a certain serial killer makes things personal. Don't miss the series premiere of Instinct this Sunday at 8pm on #WJHL.



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CIA Jobs
Silent Professionals Private Security Job Market
silentprofessionals.org/cia-jobs/
Accessed: 9/7/22
https://silentprofessionals.org/cia-jobs/



CIA Jobs

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an independent agency of the US Federal Government, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT). The CIA is the only US agency authorized by law to carry out and oversee covert action at the behest of the President of the United States. It exerts foreign political influence through its tactical divisions, such as the Special Activities Division.

After 9/11, the CIA increasingly expanded its role, including covert paramilitary operations. Recently, one of its largest divisions, the Information Operations Center (IOC), has shifted focus from counter-terrorism to offensive cyber-operations.

The CIA offers direct-hire jobs through its career portal; however, the agency frequently works with vetted US private security companies. These strategic partnerships are necessary because of the varying degrees and depths of skills, training and experience necessary to be able to successfully execute certain types of jobs.

CIA Job Requirements



The first thing to know is that working for the CIA requires a person to be a United States citizen and have a relatively clean criminal background. Usually, a bachelor’s degree is also required with a grade point average of at least a 3.0 and above – but a degree is not always required, depending upon the job. Besides these general requirements, recruiters from the CIA will look for people who are fluent in different languages and understand foreign cultures as this makes gathering information abroad more efficient. The CIA also tends to hire those who have a high level of experience in the military, as well as business, economics and biological, chemical and nuclear engineering.

That said, there are many valuable skills that the CIA will look for that don’t necessarily have anything to do with your degree or what’s on your resume. These skills have more to do with a person’s inherent disposition and natural instincts. To exemplify this, the CIA will look for people who demonstrate a profound ability to handle stress, multi-task, problem solve, and manipulate. Also, as with any type of job that requires people to work as a team, the CIA will look for natural born leaders and team players.

Furthermore, you must have a skill set which makes you useful in accomplishing complex and asymmetrical tasks. This can be a bit tricky because there are lots of different skills that can be used to gather the information the CIA needs to operate successfully.

Entry-Level Positions with the CIA



If you don’t possess an extensive military background or possess much in terms of high-level skills, there are generally four “entry-level” positions that individuals can apply for after they have met and passed the initial screening and training process.

The first is called Core Collectors and Operations Officers. The people who perform this CIA job work abroad finding, recruiting, and sometimes protecting foreigners who are providing the CIA with useful intelligence.

The next job is Collection Management Officers who evaluate and assign the Core Collectors and Operations Officers their workloads. These higher-ups will then take the information gathered, determine its usefulness and validity and then forward it to the appropriate foreign policy and intelligence communities for further analysis.

Next up are Staff Operations Officers who work as liaisons between the CIA’s home office and the agents in the field overseas. They basically make sure that whatever the President and others high up want done is communicated to those working as agents in a foreign land. This involves covertly traveling to wherever the agents are located and providing them with whatever information they need.

Finally, there are Specialized Skills Officers and they are the agents who are sent wherever their unique skill set is going to be most useful. This can be an area where an agent’s specific language, technical, media relations or combat skills are going to be best served in accomplishing the mission’s goals.

Other Specialized Jobs

There are many various specialized jobs within the CIA and recruiting for these positions takes extensive and careful vetting. Often times, these operators / agents operate independently or in very small teams. Finding uniquely-skilled and capable operators is a challenge in itself; however, there are even greater challenges in identifying candidates with the right personality and demonstrated maturity. For this reason, the recruitment and vetting process for these roles is complex and involved.

Although field agents may be operating in small teams, there are much larger support teams that exist for those operations. Large support teams also require infrastructure, so there are many jobs with the CIA that exist that range from installation security guards all the way to cooks and cleaners. Even the most mundane job typically requires candidates with a Top Secret clearance. Additionally, Agency jobs almost always require successful completion of a Polygraph examination.

Tough clearance and background check requirements like these present a challenge to the CIA’s overall recruitment process. For this reason, candidates who already possess an active TS/SCI clearance can get their foot in the door much easier than most other candidates.

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Cerraduras de seguridad, topes de puertas y desvíos: la CIA comparte cómo viajar como un espía
POR MICHAEL WILNER
El Nuevo Herald
27 DE MAYO DE 2022 2:51 PM


Logotipo de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia en el vestíbulo del edificio de la sede original en McLean, Virginia. ALEX WONG Getty Images

¿Se alojará en un hotel de gran altura este verano? Pida una habitación por debajo de los pisos superiores, pero por encima del primero. Familiarícese con las salidas. Y lleve su propio sistema de bloqueo de puertas.

La CIA ofrece estos y otros consejos antes del fin de semana del Memorial Day, basándose en las mejores prácticas de los oficiales de la CIA ubicados en capitales mundiales, puestos remotos y zonas de conflicto activo, a medida que aumenta la temporada de viajes de verano y se reducen las restricciones por coronavirus.

Llámelo “estrategia de viaje”, dijo la agencia, publicando los nuevos consejos en su portal digital. “Tanto si va a una ciudad bulliciosa como a una escapada aislada este verano, esperamos que estos “consejos de viaje” de la CIA lo ayuden a viajar con más confianza y seguridad”.

Algunas de las orientaciones son prácticas habituales para los viajeros experimentados. La agencia de espionaje recomienda llegar al aeropuerto con antelación, llevar una fotocopia del pasaporte y registrarse en la embajada de Estados Unidos cuando se viaja al extranjero.

Pero algunos de sus consejos son más inteligentes que los de los espías.

"No sea un blanco fácil”, dice la guía. “Háganos caso, no debe llamar la atención pareciendo perdido o distraído”.

Al llegar a un lugar, la agencia recomienda preguntar a los funcionarios del aeropuerto cuánto debe costar un taxi hasta su hotel —no confiar en el taxista— y usar solo los taxis oficiales del aeropuerto.

Recomiendan aprender algunas palabras básicas en el idioma local, como “hola”, “adiós” y “policía”.

Y sugieren mantener al mínimo los tragos que se tome.

“Los espías pueden beber martinis en las películas, pero el alcohol disminuye el estado de alerta y el juicio”, dice la guía. “Hay que estar alerta y mantenerse al tanto de la situación que lo rodea, especialmente en un país desconocido”.

Una vez que haya llegado a su destino, la CIA sugiere que se familiarice con las vías de escape de emergencia del hotel y que evite las escaleras— donde es más probable que se ocurran delitos que en los ascensores— salvo en caso de emergencia.

Y dicen que hay que solicitar una habitación de hotel en el piso de en medio de un rascacielos. “Estar en la planta baja puede dejarte más vulnerable a los robos, pero el personal de respuesta a emergencias de muchos países no está equipado para llegar más arriba de unos pocos pisos del suelo”, se lee. “Considere la posibilidad de solicitar una habitación en un lugar intermedio”.

Use cerraduras de seguridad en su habitación de hotel, porque “las cerraduras automáticas de las puertas de las habitaciones de hotel a menudo pueden forzarse y las cadenas cortadas”, dice la guía.

No abra la puerta si el servicio de habitaciones, la limpieza o el mantenimiento llaman a la puerta de forma inesperada.

Y añada a su lista de equipaje un dispositivo de seguridad barato y sencillo. “¿Sabe qué más puede ayudar a mantener una puerta cerrada? Un tope de puerta”, dice. “Considere la posibilidad de invertir en una cerradura de puerta portátil para viajeros o en una alarma para ayudar a asegurar aún más su habitación de hotel”.

La nueva guía forma parte de la serie Ask Molly de la agencia de inteligencia, un foro en línea de la CIA que responde a las preguntas del público.

La agencia también sugiere trazar desvíos en sus excursiones de viaje para evitar las partes peligrosas de la ciudad y los barrios mal iluminados por la noche.

Y, sobre todo, sugiere confiar en sus instintos.

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

“Sabemos por experiencia que cuando algo no parece bien, muchas veces no lo está”, dice la guía. “Alguien que está demasiado cerca de usted, que lo sigue por varios lugares, que merodea afuera de su habitación: si una situación ;p hace sospechar, aléjese o busca ayuda”.

“La forma más rápida de salir de una crisis es evitar los problemas en primer lugar”, añade. “Si escucha que está ocurriendo un disturbio cuando está fuera, aléjese y deje la recopilación de información en nuestras manos. La conmoción podría ser un peligro creciente o una distracción creada para ayudar a alguien a robarle. Su misión es llegar a casa sano y salvo”.

Read more at: https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/ ... rylink=cpy

[GOOGLE TRANSLATE:

Security locks, doorstops and bypasses: CIA shares how to travel like a spy
by Michael Wilner
El Nuevo Herald
[The Miami Herald]
MAY 27, 2022 2:51 PM


Central Intelligence Agency logo in the lobby of the original headquarters building in McLean, Virginia. ALEX WONG Getty Images

Will you be staying in a high-rise hotel this summer? Ask for a room below the upper floors, but above the first. Familiarize yourself with the exits. And bring your own door lock system.

The CIA offers these and other tips ahead of Memorial Day weekend, drawing on best practices from CIA officers stationed in world capitals, remote outposts and active conflict zones, as the summer travel season ramps up and coronavirus restrictions are reduced.

Call it "travel strategy," the agency said, posting the new advice on its website. "Whether you're heading to a bustling city or a secluded getaway this summer, we hope these CIA 'travel tips' will help you travel more confidently and safely."

Some of the guidance is standard practice for seasoned travelers. The spy agency recommends arriving at the airport early, carrying a photocopy of your passport, and registering at the US embassy when traveling abroad.

But some of his advice is smarter than that of the spies.

"Don't be an easy target," says the guide. "Trust us, you shouldn't draw attention to yourself by looking lost or distracted."

When arriving somewhere, the agency recommends asking airport officials how much a taxi should cost to your hotel—don't trust the driver—and use only official airport taxis.

They recommend learning some basic words in the local language, such as “hello”, “goodbye” and “police”.

And they suggest keeping your drinks to a minimum.

"Spies can drink martinis in the movies, but alcohol impairs alertness and judgment," the guide says. “You have to be alert and stay aware of the situation around you, especially in an unknown country.”

Once you've reached your destination, the CIA suggests familiarizing yourself with the hotel's emergency escape routes and avoiding the stairs—where crimes are more likely to occur than the elevators—except in an emergency.

And they say you have to request a hotel room on the floor in the middle of a skyscraper. “Being on the ground floor can leave you more vulnerable to break-ins, but emergency response personnel in many countries are not equipped to reach higher than a few floors off the ground,” it reads. "Consider requesting a room somewhere in between."

Use security locks in your hotel room, because “automatic hotel room door locks can often be picked and chains cut,” the guide says.

Do not open the door if room service, housekeeping, or maintenance knocks on the door unexpectedly.

And add a cheap and simple security device to your packing list. “You know what else can help keep a door closed? A doorstop,” he says. “Consider investing in a portable traveler door lock or alarm to help further secure your hotel room.”

The new guide is part of the intelligence agency's Ask Molly series, an online CIA forum that answers questions from the public.

The agency also suggests planning detours on your travel excursions to avoid dangerous parts of the city and poorly lit neighborhoods at night.

And, above all, it suggests trusting your instincts.

Un mapa para ayudar a entender y seguir los instintos (English translation: A Map to Help Understand and Follow One's Instincts), EI Nuevo Herald, Aug. 6, 2002, at C3. Copy supplied.

-- UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES, PUBLIC [AILEEN MERCEDES CANNON]

“We know from experience that when something doesn't look right, it often isn't,” says the guide. "Someone who is too close to you, following you around, lurking outside your room: If a situation is suspicious, walk away or get help."

“The fastest way out of a crisis is to avoid the problems in the first place,” he adds. “If you hear there's a disturbance going on when you're away, walk away and leave the intelligence gathering to us. The commotion could be a growing danger or a distraction created to help someone steal from you. His mission is to get home safe and sound.”]

[admin]

Trump Went Judge Shopping and It Paid Off in Mar-a-Lago Case: Trump got the judge he wanted in the Mar-a-Lago case: One he appointed. And she just gave him the first decision he wanted.
by Jose Pagliery
Political Investigations Reporter
Updated Sep. 06, 2022 11:07AM ET Published Sep. 06, 2022 4:44AM ET

When former President Donald Trump summoned up years of bubbling resentment and sued Hillary Clinton and everyone else involved in Russiagate earlier this year, he naturally filed his lawsuit in South Florida—home to his oceanside estate.

And yet, when his attorneys formally filed the paperwork, they selected a tiny courthouse in the sprawling federal court district’s furthest northeast corner—a satellite location that’s 70 miles from Mar-a-Lago. They ignored the West Palm Beach federal courthouse that’s a 12-minute drive away.

Trump’s legal team, it seemed, was specifically seeking out a particular federal judge: one he appointed as president.

The tactic failed, and Trump instead got a Clinton-era judge whom he promptly tried to disqualify for alleged bias. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks called him out in a snarky footnote.

“I note that Plaintiff filed this lawsuit in the Fort Pierce division of this District, where only one federal judge sits: Judge Aileen Cannon, who Plaintiff appointed in 2020. Despite the odds, this case landed with me instead. And when Plaintiff is a litigant before a judge that he himself appointed, he does not tend to advance these same sorts of bias concerns,” Middlebrooks wrote in April.

Months later, Trump is once again suing in the Southern District of Florida, this time seeking to hamper the FBI investigation into the way he kept hundreds of classified records at Mar-a-Lago. Except this time, he got Cannon.

The strategy is already paying off.

On Monday afternoon, Cannon single-handedly hit the brakes on the most politically sensitive and consequential FBI investigation ever undertaken. Convinced by Team Trump’s legal arguments that the routine Justice Department methods for carefully handling seized documents aren’t good enough when investigating this particular former president, she ordered that a “special master” be tasked with playing referee to dictate what happens with classified documents that are evidence of a crime.

“The investigation and treatment of a former president is of unique interest to the general public, and the country is served best by an orderly process that promotes the interest and perception of fairness,” she wrote in her order.

As they did last month at Mar-a-Lago, the feds typically rely on a so-called “filter team” to separate constitutionally protected communications between a suspect and their lawyer from evidence that goes to the actual investigators working on the criminal case. But Cannon ordered the appointment of a “special master”—from a list of candidates who are amenable to both the DOJ and Trump—to further oversee the handling of those documents. The fact that Trump may have a say is a notable victory rarely granted to someone accused of crimes as serious as violations of the Espionage Act.

Cannon held back on deciding whether the FBI should return Trump’s personal items—like accounting documents, medical records, and tax-related correspondence—even though the DOJ has indicated that their placement next to some of the nation’s most highly classified secrets officially makes them evidence of Trump’s criminal recklessness that could be shown at a future trial.

Her ruling was widely criticized by former prosecutors and legal scholars on Monday over the way it awkwardly lent credence to the idea that an ex-president can somehow assert “executive privilege” over government documents, even if federal law enforcement agencies operating with the tacit approval of a current president are acting in their capacity as the current executive branch.

“This special master opinion is so bad it’s hard to know where to begin… her analysis of standing is terrible. Trump wouldn’t own these docs anyway, so why does he get a Master over them?” tweeted Neal Katyal, a national security law professor who was previously the nation’s top lawyer as the federal government’s solicitor general.

Katyal also criticized the way Cannon didn’t do what was largely considered the right move: sending Trump’s lawsuit back to U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart, who approved the search warrant of Mar-a-Lago and already oversaw key elements of this matter.

“She let Trump forum shop for a judge, instead of letting the magistrate judge evaluate these claims. The appearances here are tragic,” Katyal wrote.

Cannon’s order was chock-full of innuendo, including odd swipes at the Biden administration and jabs at investigative journalists for their role in uncovering what exactly Trump did with these classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

“The Court takes into account the undeniably unprecedented nature of the search of a former President’s residence,” she wrote, citing a potential lack of “customary cooperation between former and incumbent administrations regarding the ownership and exchange of documents” and stressing “the interest in ensuring the integrity of an orderly process amidst swirling allegations of bias and media leaks.”

She went even further, noting the importance of having an independent referee oversee the handling of seized materials to ensure that Trump wouldn’t suffer “irreparable injury” from “exposure to either the Investigative Team or the media.”

Her comments notably come at a time when investigative journalists have frequently led the charge on documenting evidence of Trump administration corruption.

Cannon telegraphed much of her decision-making process during the case’s very first public hearing on Thursday, when she entertained the idea of blocking FBI special agents from reviewing the documents they’ve already had for nearly a month—while still allowing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to continue using them to assess the potential damage of having so many national security secrets housed in desk drawers and boxes at a ritzy beach club.

“So would your position change,” Cannon asked a reluctant federal prosecutor on Thursday, “if the special master were permitted to proceed without affecting the ODNI's ongoing review for intelligence purposes but pausing temporarily any use of the documents in criminal investigation?”

According to a transcript, the Justice Department’s top counterintelligence prosecutor, Jay I. Bratt, later summed up why it’s bonkers to have a former president assert executive privilege against a current president to slow down the FBI—and put some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets right back into the hands of a former president who no longer has no authority to have them.

“We have no idea where they would be stored; and again, this would be giving access to people things that they do not have the right to have access,” Bratt said, criticizing what he called “a fanciful view that somehow they would… prohibit the Executive Branch from reviewing the Executive Branch materials for a core Executive Branch function.”

Her comments bewildered legal scholars and raised alarms at the time.

“Truly nonsensical what Judge Cannon may do here. Executive privilege does not work this way,” tweeted New York University law school professor Ryan Goodman, who runs the blog Just Security.

And yet on Monday, Cannon did just that, stopping the FBI while still allowing the nation’s spy chief to keep using these seized documents to conduct her damage assessment.

This isn’t the first time Trump has waved around his expired credentials and claimed what some have called “leftover executive privilege.” When he tried to stop the Jan. 6 Committee from obtaining his administration’s records at the National Archives, the argument was shot down by a federal judge who proclaimed that “presidents are not kings, and plaintiff is not president.” The legal argument was also resoundingly rejected by an appellate panel, and the Supreme Court gave him the cold shoulder.

In Cannon, Team Trump will find a conservative-leaning lawyer who spent more than a year waiting in line for a judicial appointment and who, despite being a foreign-born Hispanic woman, wasn’t willing to openly disagree with Trump’s racist remarks about a U.S. judge of Mexican descent.

Cannon was born in Cali, Colombia, in 1981, just as Pablo Escobar’s cocaine-trafficking Medellín Cartel started taking hold of the country, with sicario assassins killing prosecutors and forcing scared judges to hold court behind curtains. She grew up hearing stories about how her Cuban grandmother had to flee Fidel Castro’s communist regime, and how her mother had to leave the tropical island when she was only 7 years old. While attending Duke University at the turn of the century, Cannon did a short stint as a journalist at The Miami Herald’s Spanish-speaking sister newspaper, El Nuevo Herald, which closely covers the overwhelmingly conservative expatriate community in South Florida.[???]

Duke University
2080 Duke University Road, Durham, NC 27708
(919) 684-8111

According to government disclosure forms, she joined the Federalist Society in 2005 just as she started law school. She went on to do a clerkship with a federal appeals court judge, Steven Colloton, who is known for conservative opinions, including one that favored Christian objections to Obamacare’s mandate forcing insurance companies to cover birth control and another that upheld a South Dakota law requiring doctors to inform abortion-seeking patients that women who have abortions are more likely to kill themselves.

After a few years at the private law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in the nation’s capital, she returned to South Florida to become a federal prosecutor in 2013. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) reached out to her in June 2019 to recommend her to the federal bench. By September of that year, she was already in touch with Trump’s White House lawyers about the nomination.

Democrats in the Senate mostly either opposed her nomination or withheld voting. Cannon asserted to Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) in writing that she did not have any discussions about loyalty to President Trump. But Cannon would not even address Trump’s hateful rhetoric and damning comments about the judiciary. She dodged the topic when Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) brought up how then-candidate Trump in 2016 bashed the federal judge presiding over the civil fraud case against the scammy Trump University with the claim that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had “an absolute conflict” because “of Mexican heritage.”

“Do you agree with President Trump’s view that a judge’s race or ethnicity can be a basis for recusal or disqualification?” Booker asked in writing.

“As a judicial nominee, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the political statements of elected officials, including President Trump,” Cannon responded.

She was confirmed by the Senate and started on the bench a week after Trump lost his re-election bid in November 2020. Fast-forward two years, and Cannon’s first major case involves the very president who appointed her.

Cannon has shown her willingness to turn legal precedent that would normally be expected to harm Trump into a tool that will help him. During the Thursday hearing that led to this recent order, DOJ national security lawyer Julie Edelstein cited a post-Watergate scandal Supreme Court decision that cemented the idea that a former president’s official papers belong to the American people. That case, referred to as Nixon v. GSA, says that executive privilege shouldn’t be cited to keep them private simply because it’s convenient for the person who left office.

In her decision Monday, Cannon managed to cite the lone independent “statement” in a recent Supreme Court opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who wrote that a former president like Trump does retain some executive privilege. She repeated what he wrote then, that “a former President must be able to successfully invoke the Presidential communications privilege for communications that occurred during his Presidency, even if the current President does not support the privilege claim.”

The only opposition vote favoring Trump in that Supreme Court decision in January came from Justice Clarence Thomas, who remained silent. But he might have something to say on the matter soon enough. If the DOJ appeals this ruling, it could quickly make its way up to the appellate courts, possibly in the form of an emergency request. If it does, legal scholars have noted, the case could end up with the Supreme Court judge assigned to hear extremely time-sensitive matters out of Eleventh Circuit’s three southern states: Thomas.