President Obama and Cuba Policy – Summary:

• Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced the restoration of full relations between the United States and Cuba, along with a raft of reconciliatory actions. Obama said the US and Cuba have chosen “to cut loose the shackles of the past”, and Castro called for the embargo to end.
• Cuba released American Alan Gross from prison after nearly five years of captivity. Cuba also freed a spy held for more than 20 years, an act the US intelligence chief called “a fitting closure to a Cold World chapter”.

• The US announced overhauls to commerce, travel and internet restrictions, and the restoration of an American embassy in Havana. Cuba said it will release 53 political prisoners, allow greater internet services, and work with international groups like the UN. The White House refused to rule out a visit by President Obama to Havana.

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For some reason this continuing saga of socialist oppression seems to have escaped the mainstream media…. Sean Penn unavailable for comment (?) 

(From PanAm Post Via WeaselZippers) Peaceful protests in Venezuela will from now on require express authorization from the mayor or the governor of the jurisdiction where they are carried out. The Supreme Court (TSJ) made this decision yesterday, declaring that the right to protest “is not an absolute right.”
https://twitter.com/DefendWallSt/statuses/460131943276085248
Police forces will now be legally allowed to disperse people who shut down a street to voice their complaints. Also, the attorney General will be allowed to prosecute unauthorized protestors for disobedience.
The TSJ considered it is imperative to “guarantee the right to free movement,” which would justify dispersing any unauthorized congregation. According to the ruling, written by Judge Arcadio Delgado, local police forces have “an obligation to cooperate with the rest of the security forces in maintaining public order during the illegal exercise of the right to protest.” (more…)

CNN was previously outed by their own producers for accepting payments from foreign governments to shape their television coverage.   In this report CNN is caught again manipulating news coverage to assist a government – this time Venezuela. 

It should be noted that in all of the examples of CNN accepting payments – they only actually manipulate/delete coverage, or prop up regimes who support leftist ideologies.  

(Via Newsbusters) […] it was a drone camera whose video corrected the false impression left by a CNN en Español report that there was somehow an equivalency in the size of competing demonstrations on Saturday in Caracas, Venezuela. As Daniel Duquenal of Venezuela News and Views complained, the CNN en Español report by Guillermo Arduino gave only closeup shots of competing Chavista and opposition demonstrations.

However, the drone eye in the sky revealed the vast panoply of the opposition demonstration that seemed to number in the hundreds of thousands. Here is the post by Duequenal explaining why he was so irked by the CNN en Español report: (more…)

Caracas (AFP) – President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry on the unrest in Venezuela gave violent groups a “green light” to carry out attacks. In a tweet, Maduro also slammed the remarks made by Kerry late Friday as “arrogant” and “insolent.”

“John Kerry threatens Venezuela with more violence, with his statements gives the green light to violent groups to attack our people,” Maduro wrote.

The top US diplomat on Friday condemned Venezuela’s “unacceptable” use of force against anti-government protesters, and declined to respond to a call from Caracas for bilateral talks. (more…)

Bumped and Updated @2:00pm (USA/EST) Massive protests today in Caracus, Merida and all around Venezuela.

Protesta indescriptible en Caracas. pic.twitter.com/qHyBV8Dcwm

— CastoOcando.com (@cocando) February 22, 2014

Protesters fill the streets of Merida, #Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/SSuJgNjR6W via @machixblue

— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 22, 2014

RT @mrgarciafrank #BreakingNews More than 1 million people manifest in Caracas Venezuela against dictatorship Maduro http://t.co/pAwEGlljzi

— SaloumehZ (@SaloumehZ) February 22, 2014

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What’s that they say about history repeating?

Here Come The Tanks !

QUE EL MUNDO VEA COMO NO PUDIERON CON TANQUETAS DE ORDEN PUBLICO AHORA SACAN TANQUES D GUERRA #20F LARA" pic.twitter.com/KjJggSZLuU"

— Traffic CENTRAL (@laverdad_enbits) February 20, 2014

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Via Weasel Zippers – Reports of fires across Caracas, unknown as to their cause or origin. What is known is international media are being told to leave the country. Ones who won’t leave are threatened with violence and death if they do not.

“@ChicagoPhotoSho: This is not #Ukraine its #Venezuela. Media is not allowed. CNN removed by gunpoint. pic.twitter.com/5i9t8gqk4k”

— Jean 🦋 (@setislady) February 20, 2014