THEM AND THATS, I THINK, HAS
BEEN THEIR CRY.
ITS A CRY FOR HELP.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS SENATOR BOB
MENENDEZ CHAIRMAN OF THE
RELATIONS COMMITTEE AND THE
HIGHEST-RANKING LATINO IN
CONGRESS.
WEVE NEVER SEEN PROTESTS THIS
LARGE.
FROM MI Y MEMORY, IT WAS BIGGER
THAN 1974, THEY CUT THE
INTERNET, CUTTING PHONES AND
ARRESTING PEOPLE.
SO WHAT IS THE IMPORT OF THESE
HISTORIC PROTESTS?
IS THIS OR IS THIS NOT A TIPPING
POINT POTENTIALLY?
>> ANDREA, YOUR MEMORY IS GOOD.
THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST, MOST
SIGNIFICANT PROTEST BECAUSE IT
SPANS THE WHOLE OF THE COUNTRY
AND NOT JUST HAFFVANA, WHICH OF
COURSE IS URBAN, BUT ACROSS THE
ENTIRE COUNTRY INCLUDING IN THE
COUNTRYSIDE AND IT JUST
EXPRESSES THE DEPTH OF
DISCONTENTMENT THAT THE CUBAN
PEOPLE HAVE WITH THEIR REGIME ON
THE ECONOMIC SUFFERING AND THE
COVID HANDLING AND THE LACK OF
LIBERTIES AND BASIC FREEDOMS AND
SO WE DONT KNOW FROM MY
INFORMATION, FROM INSIDE OF THE
ISLAND IS THAT PROTESTS HAVE
CONTINUED AND THE PROBLEM IS
THAT THE REGIME HAS SHUT DOWN
THE INTERNET FOR TWO REASONS.
NUMBER ONE, SO THAT THE CUBAN
PEOPLE CANT COMMUNICATE WITH
EACH OTHER AND CANT KNOW WHATS
HAPPENING ON THE ISLAND AS THEY
PEACEFULLY PROCESSTEST AND FOR T
REST OF THE WORLD DOESNT KNOW
WHATS HAPPENING INSIDE AND THE
CITIZENS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I THINK THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY
MOMENT AND ONE THEY HOPE THAT
THE UNITED STATES RESPONDS TO BY
A SERIES OF ACTIONS THAT I THINK
CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE CUBAN
PEOPLE.
>> I WANT TO GET THERE BECAUSE
THE POLICY QUESTIONS NOW ARE IN
YOUR LAP AS WELL AS, OF COURSE,
THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE CUBAN
ECONOMY HAS BEEN CRUSHED BY THE
PANDEMIC.
TOURISM IS SHUT DOWN.
NO APPROVED COVID VACCINES,
BLACKOUT, AND FOOD SHORTAGES AND
EXACERBATING WHAT HAD EXISTED
UNDER THE SANCTIONS AND OTHER
SANCTIONS, CUBAS PRESIDENT
BLAMING THE PROTESTS AND
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND SECRETARY OF
STATE BLINKEN HAVE COME OUT IN
SUPPORT OF THE PROTESTERS KRIT
CRITICIZING THE REGIME AND ARE
THERE STEPS THE WHITE HOUSE
SHOULD TAKE AMONG THE
POST-ELECTION TRUMP SANCTIONS TO
ALLOW CUBAN-AMERICANS TO START
WIRING REMITTANCES BACK HOME AND
RESUME AMERICAN TOURISM ONCE IT
IS COVID SAFE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, I APPLAUD
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND SECRETARY
BLINKEN FOR THE STRONG
STATEMENTS AND SOLIDARITY WITH
THE CUBAN PEOPLE AND IN A STRONG
MESSAGE TO THE CUBAN REGIME NOT
TO USE VIOLENCE AGAINST THEIR
CITIZENS WHO ARE PEACEFULLY
PROTESTING AND WE HAVE SEEN
VIOLENCE BY THE CUBAN REGIME
WHICH IS HISTORICAL REPRESSION
EVERY TIME THE CUBAN PEOPLE RISE
TO SEEK PROTESTS.
IN TERMS OF CHANGES, LOOK, I
WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEND MY AUNT
IN CUBA MONEY, BUT THE REGIME
TAKES 20% OFF THE TOP OF EVERY
DOLLAR I SEND, THEN THEY TAKE
THE BALANCE OF THAT DOLLAR AND
CONVERT IT INTO PESOS WHICH IS
WORTH A FRACTION OF WHAT IM
SENDING.
NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD DOES
THAT.
THE REGIME HAS TO CHANGE IN
ORDER TO LET THE CUBAN PEOPLE
THRIVE.
THE REGIME HAS DOLLAR STORES
WHERE THERE IS AN OVERWHELMING
AMOUNT OF FOOD ASKND SUPPLIES, B
OF COURSE, THOSE ARE HELD
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THOSE WHO CAN
GET ACCESS TO DOLLARS AND THE
REGIME GOUGES THEM.
THE REGIME KEEPS PEOPLE ON, YOU
KNOW, LONG LINES TO GET BASIC
FOODS AS A WAY OF CONTROLLING
THE PEOPLE.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY I WROTE
TITLE 2 OF THE LIBERTAD ACT AND
IT SPEAKS ABOUT ALL OF THE
THINGS THE UNITED STATES WOULD
DO IN AID AND TRADE AND
ASSISTANCE TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE
IF THERE IS AN OPENING IN CUBA,
AND SO ITS IN THE REGIMES
HANDS, THE EMBARGO THAT EXISTS
IS BY THE REGIME AGAINST ITS OWN
PEOPLE.
>> WERE HELPING COUNTRIES ALL
OVER THE WORLD WITH VACCINES,
WITHOUT REGARD TO POLITICS, BUT
CUBA ISNT PART OF COVAX.
THEYVE RECEIVED NOTHING AND
THEYVE GOT THREE LOCALLY
PRODUCED VACCINES THAT HAVE NOT
YET BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR
EMERGENCY USE.
THEY HAVE NO VACCINES,
BASICALLY.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THEY SAY
THAT THEIR VACCINES ARE
EFFECTIVE, I DONT KNOW WHETHER
THEY ARE OR THEY ARENT AND I
CERTAINLY COULD BE AN ADVOCATE
OF OFFERING VACCINES BY THE
UNITED STATES AND THE CUBAN
PEOPLE AND NOT THROUGH THE
REGIME.
THEY WILL EVEN USE VACCINATIONS
AS A WAY TO REWARD THEIR
SUPPORTERS AND TO PUNISH THEIR
OPPONENTS.
I CANT PERMIT THAT.
WHETHER WE CAN USE AN
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
ORGANIZATION THAT THE CUBANS LET
IN AND WHETHER WE CAN USE THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH THAT IS TRUSTED,
THOSE ARE POSSIBILITIES, BUT
ONCE AGAIN, THE FUNDAMENTAL
QUESTION IS A REGIME THAT
OPPRESSES ITS PEOPLE IN WAYS WE
AS AMERICANS CANT FULLY
UNDERSTAND, AND ITS STATE
SECURITY APPARATUS, AND ITS
CONTROL OF THE ECONOMY AND ITS
INABILITY TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO
HAVE BASIC FREEDOMS AND IF WE
CAN GET THE TYPE OF OPENINGS
THAT ALL OF US AS CITIZENS
ENJOYING THE UNITED STATES AND
MOST OF THE FREE WORLD AND THE
CUBAN PEOPLE WILL PROSPER AND AT
THE END OF THE DAY THEYRE
STIFLED BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.
THERE ARE TONS OF OPPORTUNITIES,
YOU KNOW WHEN AT THE HEIGHT OF
TOURISM THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT
STILL RATIONED THE CUBAN PEOPLE.
WHEN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
OPENED UP TO CUBA, THE CUBAN
GOVERNMENT STILL RATIONED THE
CUBAN PEOPLE.
THEY STILL ARRESTED JOURNALISTS
AND POLITICAL PRISONERS AND
INDEPENDENT ANALYSTS.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY NO
MATTER IF WE CONTINUE JUST TO
BELIEVE THAT WE CAN CHANGE THE
COURSE OF EVENTS IN CUBA BY
OPENING UP JEANS AND COCA-COLA,
THATS NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE
REALITIES OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE.
WE HAVE TO WHICH WILL EFRJ
WE
WE HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE DEBATE.
THIS SHOULDNT BE AN ISSUE.
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THE CRIES
OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE FOR BASIC
RIGHTS BY THE DECLARATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS.
>> ARE THERE SPECIFIC ACTIONS
YOU WANT THE WHITE HOUSE TO TAKE
RIGHT NOW?
>> I THINK THEIR CONTINUING
MESSAGING IN SUPPORT TO THE
CUBAN PEOPLE AND WE SHOULD BE
MESSAGING TO THE CUBAN MILITARY
WHOSE MOTTO IS WE DRAW OUR
STRENGTH FROM THE PEOPLE.
WELL, THE PEOPLE ARE PROTESTING
AND DONT TURN YOUR ARMS AGAINST
YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AS
THEY PEACEFULLY PROTEST.
WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT HOW TO
EXPAND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
CONSIDERING SATELLITE FEED OF
INTERNET SO PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND
CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER
AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE
LOOKING AT HOW WE
INTERNATIONALIZE THIS EFFORT
WHETHER ITS AT THE OAS OR
THROUGH OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE
WORLD THAT SHOULD BE ALSO
SPEAKING OUT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS
AND DEMOCRACY IN CUBA AS THEY DO
IN SO MANY OTHER PLACES IN THE