Think Tanks
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Jamestown Foundation Posts Commentary: PRC Supplies Solar in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on May 5, 2026, by Jared Ward, associate lecturer at the University of Akron Department of History, in the foundation's China Brief Notes:
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PRC Supplies Solar in the Caribbean
Executive Summary:
* Energy diplomacy has become a key feature in relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, with solar projects supporting the declared goal of promoting a full clean energy supply chain.
* Chinese enterprises have capitalized on LAC countries' interest in securing
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WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on May 5, 2026, by Jared Ward, associate lecturer at the University of Akron Department of History, in the foundation's China Brief Notes:
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PRC Supplies Solar in the Caribbean
Executive Summary:
* Energy diplomacy has become a key feature in relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, with solar projects supporting the declared goal of promoting a full clean energy supply chain.
* Chinese enterprises have capitalized on LAC countries' interest in securingsustainable energy partners, whether motivated by climate insecurity or, in the case of Cuba, U.S. sanctions.
* PRC-Cuba energy cooperation could go farther, but PRC state prioritization and commercial interests have prioritized relations in the broader region.
In 2019, when Barbados sought an affordable electric fleet as part of a government commitment to achieve net zero by 2035, Chinese electric vehicle firm BYD submitted the winning bid. In April 2025, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) donated 30 electric buses to the small Caribbean nation, which followed up later in the year to procure an additional 35. Barbados now has the largest fleet of electric public transit vehicles in the Caribbean, but it is only one example of a broader pattern (Barbados Today, April 12, 2025; Barbados Ministry of Transport and Works, December 31, 2025). Across the Caribbean, stable states with credible climate commitments have found in the PRC a willing hardware partner; one that moves at speeds and offers price points that Western institutions have rarely matched.
The PRC's relationship with Cuba, however, tells a different story. Beijing has helped connect 49 new solar parks to the Cuban national grid since 2023, in one of the fastest ever renewable energy transitions in a developing country. Yet blackouts continue.
Beijing's commitment and provision of hardware is the same in each case, but the conditions of the recipient state differ significantly. While much of the Caribbean has functioning institutions and open procurement processes, Cuba has endured 60 years of embargo and a collapsing electricity grid. The PRC has become the Caribbean's dominant green energy partner, but its impact is shaped as much by what it encounters as by what it brings.
PRC Energy Diplomacy in the Caribbean
The PRC's proactive energy diplomacy has won it many customers across the region. Chinese firms send equipment such as photovoltaic panels, buses, and microgrids, install it in weeks, and hand it over without explicit conditions. Some Chinese analysts contrast this approach with that of the United States, which they argue uses climate aid to small island states as a "strategic lever" for expanding influence (Li Mingjie et al., 2024)./[1]
Fudan University scholar Cao Ting frames green cooperation with the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region as a "demonstration model" for the PRC's Global Development Initiative and South-South cooperation (Cao, 2024)./[2] The PRC's most recent LAC policy document commits to cooperation across the full clean energy supply chain and explicitly pledges to accommodate the needs of small island states (PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MFA], December 10, 2025).
The demand is real. Climate damage across the Caribbean are projected to consume more than 20 percent of regional GDP by 2100, energy costs are among the highest in the world, and financing has never matched the scale or speed (Council on Foreign Relations, November 13, 2024). Rather than a geopolitical statement, purchasing Chinese green technology is simply the most affordable option for Caribbean governments.
Between 2020 -2024, Chinese green technology exports to the Caribbean grew over 570 percent, reaching $280 million annually across 13 countries (Inter-American Dialogue, July 2025). In Jamaica, the PRC has trained over 140 local solar technicians; and in Guyana and Suriname, Chinese state-owned enterprises SUMEC and Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) are building out solar projects, including 18 megawatts of solar farms rainforest village microgrids (Renewables Now, March 28, 2024; PowerChina, April 29, 2025).
Barbados illustrate how Beijing's strategy operates when conditions are favorable. The island's commitment to net zero by 2035 suits Beijing's investment framework well--the country's development cooperation agency has noted Barbados's solar potential clean energy plans, and the PRC's former ambassador to Barbados named new energy as one of three priority areas for cooperation (MFA, July 30, 2024; PRC Ministry of Commerce, March 2025; SeForall, April, 2025)
Green Energy Meets Geopolitics in Cuba
Between early 2025 and early 2026, the PRC helped Cuba connect 49 new solar parks to its national grid. This followed a surge of solar equipment exports, from $5 million in 2023 to $117 million in 2025, pushing solar's share of the island's electricity generation to over 20 percent--one of the fastest renewable energy transitions a developing country has recorded (Microgrid Media, February 23; Ember, accessed April 14). The country has also committed to building 92 parks generating 2 gigawatts of electricity by 2028 (The Guardian, February 18).
The PRC government's own commercial guidance notes that while Havana actively courts foreign investment in green energy, most foreign investors remain cautious due to U.S. sanctions--a gap Chinese enterprises are encouraged to fill (PRC Ministry of Commerce, December 2025). In Artemisa province, Ambassador Hua Xin highlighted the PRC's "commitment to Cuba's sustainable development", outlining a range of solar deployment projects (Xinhua, November 13, 2025). Cuba's Vice Minister Rivas framed it in Beijing's own vocabulary, pledging to build toward a "Cuba-China community of common destiny" (PRC Embassy in Cuba, March 17, 2025).
Structural limits to the partnership remain, however, as evidenced by Cuba's recent grid collapse following Washington's decision to block Russian petroleum shipments in March 2026. Although Chinese-supplied solar parks kept generating electricity, Cuba's Soviet-era grid, starved of fuel and investment, failed to maintain stable its provision. PRC coverage consistently blames U.S. sanctions for Cuba's ongoing energy problems, but there is more that the PRC could do (CEPAL, December 16, 2025; Xinhua, March 22). Only four out of 55 solar parks have battery storage, and 16 percent of generation is lost in aging transmission infrastructure (Microgrid Media, February 23). A full transition would cost an estimated $8-10 billion, though no progress has been made toward bridging that gap (The Paper, March 17).
Conclusion
For Caribbean states with functioning institutions and real climate commitments, the PRC has become a welcome partner--greatly outpacing decades of efforts by Western institutions. From Barbados to Jamaica to Guyana, the pattern is consistent: green energy on the political agenda, open procurement, and a government willing to move fast. Cuba is where that model reaches its limit, however, because solar panels alone cannot substitute for the fuel Washington is actively cutting off, or a hollowed-out electricity grid. This shows the limits of ideological alignment, as revolutionary solidarity is deprioritized in preference of broader influence-building across the LAC region.
[1] Li, Mingjie; Zhang, Haiwen. "Practices and Implications of Climate Assistance to Small Island States from Major Powers: From the Perspective of the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty". Pacific Journal, 32, no. 4 (2024): 60-73.
[2] Cao, Ting. "China-Latin America Green Cooperation under the Global Development Initiative: Progress, Challenges and Approaches". China International Studies, no. 2 (2024). https://www.ciis.org.cn/gjwtyj/dqqk/202406/P020240606452608243732.pdf.
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Jared Ward is a Ph.D. Candidate and Associate Lecturer at the University of Akron in the Department of History.
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Original text here: https://jamestown.org/prc-supplies-solar-in-the-caribbean/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Ifo Institute: About Five Minutes' Work for a Liter of Gasoline
MUNICH, Germany, May 7 -- ifo Institute issued the following news release:
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About Five Minutes' Work for a Liter of Gasoline
In April 2026, an average employee had to work for about five minutes to afford a liter of fuel. That's according to a calculation by the ifo Institute based on wage and fuel price development. According to the experts, rising fuel prices are no greater a burden on employees in Germany than in previous years. "Although the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up prices, the burden on the average employee in Germany is not unusually high by historical standards,"
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MUNICH, Germany, May 7 -- ifo Institute issued the following news release:
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About Five Minutes' Work for a Liter of Gasoline
In April 2026, an average employee had to work for about five minutes to afford a liter of fuel. That's according to a calculation by the ifo Institute based on wage and fuel price development. According to the experts, rising fuel prices are no greater a burden on employees in Germany than in previous years. "Although the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up prices, the burden on the average employee in Germany is not unusually high by historical standards,"says Marcel Thum, Director of ifo Dresden.
The reason for that is that the steady rise in wages over the past few decades has offset the sharp increase in fuel prices. Over the past 35 years, it took between three and six minutes of work to earn a liter of fuel. Despite rising prices, the amount of work for one liter of gasoline is currently still in this range.
Although the work time required for one liter of diesel is at the upper end, it has certainly not reached new levels. "Even with gas prices of 240 cents per liter for E10 petrol or 250 cents per liter for diesel, the work time required is mostly below the figures for the years 2006 through 2013," says Joachim Ragnitz, Managing Director of ifo Dresden.
The authors stress that the burden may vary from household to household. "Of course, high gas prices place a greater burden particularly on low-income households that rely on their cars. However, blanket relief measures like fuel discounts benefit households with average and high consumption to the same extent.
At the same time, they incur tax losses that the general public has to shoulder," says Thum. Mobility and tax data show that higher fuel consumption goes hand in hand with higher income. For high consumption levels (100 liters per month), the recent price increases result in additional costs of about EUR 40 to EUR 60 per month.
The calculation is based on the trend in fuel prices relative to net wages and the work volume of all employees, as measured by Germany's national accounts between 1991 and 2025. A wage increase of 2 percent was assumed for 2026, as no official data is available yet.
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Chart: Hours of work per liter of gasoline
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Original text here: https://www.ifo.de/en/press-release/2026-05-07/about-five-minutes-work-liter-gasoline
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: School District Using Easy Levers to Encourage Students to Sleep More
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by policy fellow Josiah Padley:
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The school district using easy levers to encourage students to sleep more
Even though high schoolers need at least 8 hours of sleep per night, over three in four high schoolers are classified as having insufficient sleep schedules. Unsurprisingly, students who sleep less than they should tend to struggle with attention and cognitive retention for the rest of
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MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by policy fellow Josiah Padley:
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The school district using easy levers to encourage students to sleep more
Even though high schoolers need at least 8 hours of sleep per night, over three in four high schoolers are classified as having insufficient sleep schedules. Unsurprisingly, students who sleep less than they should tend to struggle with attention and cognitive retention for the rest ofthe day.
Spokane's school district sought to change that for their students. Over the past year, district leaders have pulled a few easy levers in the hopes of transforming community norms. The primary mechanism? Elevating the issue consistently during conversations with parents.
The district has already built the foundation for a more holistic approach to childhood. Last year, it banned cell phones in elementary and middle schools and forbade them during class periods for high schoolers. At the same time, it dramatically expanded student clubs and afterschool activities, giving students positive outlets for their new phone-less energy.
Teachers and other employees are paid to run the district's afterschool activities like cooking classes, casual sports, and welding clubs, funded in large part by a three-year, $3.4 million donation from a local nonprofit organization. The district's recent boom in nonacademic programming promotes discovery and connection, and hopefully will be pared down sustainably once the outside money stream runs thin. In the meantime, the goal is for this push to transform classroom and community norms. The district has seen a drop in chronic absenteeism and an increase in academic achievement.
Now, Spokane is educating families about practical strategies to use at home that can protect their children's sleep schedules. Back to school nights, district podcasts, and teacher meetings all feature the dissemination of information about the importance of quality sleep and tips for how parents can help. The most widely shared request was that of parental supervision. Parents, Spokane noted, should make sure that there is a buffer of 30-60 minutes of no screen time before a child heads off to bed. The district is backing parents up by education the students themselves on the importance of quality sleep during instructional time.
The district is happy with the results of the push, even though not every rebellious teen has succumbed to more slumber. They hope that more insomniacs will turn off their phones at night as district norms continue to change.
Spokane's push for healthy sleep schedules illustrates the strong "soft power" a district can wield if they choose. Holistic pedagogy means that parents have to be involved collaborators with the school as their children grow. This model of collective buy-in empowers strong parenting and helps to create strong students.
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Josiah Padley is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
josiah.padley@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/the-school-district-using-easy-levers-to-encourage-students-to-sleep-more/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Growing Divide in How Teachers View Student Learning Progress
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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A growing divide in how teachers view student learning progress
National Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to recognize the commitment and impact of educators across the country. But beyond the celebratory headlines (guilty!), new survey data points to a more complicated picture inside America's classrooms. Teachers in public schools and private schools
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MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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A growing divide in how teachers view student learning progress
National Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to recognize the commitment and impact of educators across the country. But beyond the celebratory headlines (guilty!), new survey data points to a more complicated picture inside America's classrooms. Teachers in public schools and private schoolsare reporting very different levels of confidence in whether their students are making meaningful academic progress. This should prompt a deeper conversation about how our public education system is structured and whether current policies are supporting both teachers and students.
Conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of EdChoice, the April poll surveyed more than 1,000 teachers across traditional public, charter, and private schools. Among private school teachers, 51 percent said their students are progressing "very well" academically this year, compared to just 29 percent of district school teachers.
The gap is not only large but growing. When the same question was asked in September 2025, 35 percent of private school teachers and 26 percent of district school teachers reported strong confidence in student progress (which is understandable given the survey was administered at the beginning of the school year). Since then, district teacher sentiment has only improved slightly -- from 26 percent to 29 percent -- while private school teachers' confidence has jumped more sharply.
How teachers feel their students are progressing, April 2026 vs. September 2025
[View charts in the link at bottom.]
The scale of the perception gap raises questions about what is impacting teachers' viewpoints of student learning. Private schools often provide teachers with greater autonomy over curriculum and discipline, and are typically more directly accountable to families (not just bureaucracies). These factors can influence both the classroom environment and how teachers perceive student progress.
There is also a governance difference. Public school systems are layered with a lot of administrative layers before classroom-level decisions are made. In addition, there are multiple levels of bureaucracy involved with the Minnesota Department of Education and state mandates.
Several policy reforms already in place in other states are worth policymakers exploring to better support teachers:
Consider strengthening school-level autonomy within public schools through waiver-based governance models.
Some states already allow districts to bypass certain regulatory requirements in exchange for performance accountability. For example, states participating in the federal Ed-Flex program, including Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, and Colorado, can waive certain state and federal requirements at the district or school level to encourage local innovation and reform. States like Colorado and Massachusetts have used their waivers to implement "innovation school" models, which allow individual public schools to waive certain district rules in exchange for "performance commitments," or accountability for student outcomes.
More recently, Iowa became the first state to receive approval for a Returning Education to the States waiver, which expands the state's flexibility over federal education funding. The waiver's flexibility is expected to reduce compliance costs, "allowing nearly $8 million to be redirected from bureaucratic red tape to the classroom over four years. State education leaders will use the redirected funds and the greater flexibility they afford to expand support for evidence-based literacy training, strengthening their teacher pipeline, and narrowing achievement gaps."
Consider targeted mandate relief at the district and school level.
Minnesota legislators have proposed legislation that would allow school boards to opt out of certain new state mandates through formal resolution. Reducing top-down requirements would not only provide mandate relief but restore flexibility in areas like discipline policy, where rigid, one-size-fits-all requirements aren't beneficial.
Consider differentiated compensation systems.
Several states and districts have experimented with differentiated compensation systems. The Dallas school district redesigned its compensation structure to incorporate performance-based metrics -- and student achievement improved. Multiple studies on aligning compensation with effectiveness have found statistically significant positive results on student test scores. More broadly, states such as Tennessee and South Carolina have "career ladder" systems that reward teachers for effectiveness and for taking on additional responsibilities or serving in high-need schools.
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Catrin Wigfall is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
catrin.wigfall@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/a-growing-divide-in-how-teachers-view-student-learning/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: DFL's New Tax on Social Media Use is Still a Bad Idea
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by economist John Phelan:
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DFL's new tax on social media use is still a bad idea
Last year, the Tax Committee in the Minnesota Senate, where the DFL holds a one seat majority, passed a bill that would have imposed the first "social media tax" in the nation. It didn't go anywhere with Republicans holding half of the seats in the House, but no bad idea ever truly dies, and it is back again this
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MINNETONKA, Minnesota, May 7 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on May 6, 2026, by economist John Phelan:
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DFL's new tax on social media use is still a bad idea
Last year, the Tax Committee in the Minnesota Senate, where the DFL holds a one seat majority, passed a bill that would have imposed the first "social media tax" in the nation. It didn't go anywhere with Republicans holding half of the seats in the House, but no bad idea ever truly dies, and it is back again thissession.
What?
SF 5052 would impose a tax on social media companies ranging from 10 cents to 50 cents per "Minnesota consumer," depending on the platform's size.
You might have spotted a problem already. Most social media accounts do not require the user to provide a physical address, so the Department of Revenue would have to rely on social media access from Minnesota IPs. As a result, companies could be hit with a bill for customers who are only passing through Minnesota. To jump ahead for a moment, why should Meta pay a tax to the state of Minnesota to finance workforce development or mental health treatment based on a user who is resident in South Dakota and was on his or her way to Chicago?
Why?
Besides the DFL's apparent mania for raising taxes anywhere at anytime, what is the purpose of this tax?
Gov. Walz proposed an identical tax in his recent budget. In his State of the State speech last week, he said:
"I'm asking you to join me in getting our state ready for the economy of the future."
"I don't want Silicon Valley deciding how artificial intelligence and other new technologies will impact our small towns and working families.
"I don't want technocrats like Peter Thiel and Sam Altman and--yeah--J.D. Vance determining who wins and who loses.
"Nobody doubts that the rise of AI is good news for tech companies, who are making record profits.
"But as industries, business practices, and jobs are transformed by innovation, we need to take bold steps to protect and prepare workers for what's coming.
"That's why I'm proposing a social media tax--not on users, but on the big tech companies making billions off of our data.
"I want to use that revenue for workforce development initiatives designed to get Minnesotans ready for the age of AI and other emerging technologies."
This marks a change from when the tax was proposed last year.
Back then, the social media tax was offered, first, as a Pigouvian tax. These are taxes imposed on activities that generate negative externalities, such as pollution, to either reduce them or compensate those harmed. But social media also has positive externalities and different platforms -- Instagram and Goodreads, for example -- will have very different balances of good and bad. The bill takes no account of that.
Second, the social media tax was compared to taxes on mineral extraction. There, the idea is that "the earth is a common treasury," so we are all entitled to a cut of the proceeds derived from its exploitation. But you, "Minnesota consumer," are not a common treasury. Your data is yours, not the common property of the state of Minnesota, and if you choose to barter it for entertainment, you have that right.
Either way, the revenue from this tax has been earmarked for both workforce development and treatment for mental health. The social media tax is the classic solution in search of a problem.
Who?
KSTP dutifully asserts the DFL talking point that the tax "would be imposed on the social media companies, not individuals who use the platforms." "This tax will generate millions in needed revenue for our state, and importantly, not one single Minnesotan will pay a penny of it," Tax Committee Chair Sen. Ann Rest (DFL) said. "Not one cent."
This is absurd. As I wrote last year:
It ignores the crucial point of tax incidence, which is who actually bears the burden. When tariffs -- which are taxes -- are imposed on Canadian steel imports, for example, we do not say, "No Minnesotan will pay a dime; the steel importers are going to pay for it, you have to be a rich steel importer to complain about these tariffs." We say, as I did last month, that the burden of this tax will be borne by:
"...some combination of the Canadian producer in the form of a lower price, the American importer in the form of a lower profit, and the American consumer in the form of a higher price. Tax incidence -- who bears the burden -- matters. As a wise man once said, "There is no such thing as a free lunch.""
"In the case of "free" services such as those provided by most social media companies, this price will take the form of either an actual price or a reduction in services. "This could lead companies to scale back free or widely used services like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and Facebook, tools Minnesotans rely on every day for connection, work and community engagement," said Kouri Marshall with the Chamber of Progress, a trade group representing tech businesses. No doubt it would.
""Elon Musk will pay for it" is, it seems, the DFL's version of "Mexico will pay for it." Sen. Rest is surely far too knowledgeable in tax matters to actually believe the things she is saying."
Indeed, as Figure 1 shows, in its "2026 Minnesota Tax Incidence Study," the Minnesota Department of Revenue calculates that 46% of the burden of a hike in the Corporate Tax falls in "MN Consumers," 27% on "MN Labor," 21% on the "Federal Government," and 6% is exported. Basically none of the burden falls on "MN Capital."
Figure 1
This proposal is probably doomed with the House still split 67-67. But history shows that it will simply slink back into the shadows, waiting to emerge when there is a more accommodating legislative environment.
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John Phelan is an Economist at the Center of the American Experiment.
john.phelan@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/dfls-new-tax-on-social-media-use-is-still-a-bad-idea/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center for Economic & Policy Research: Americans Oppose U.S. War With Cuba by 64% to 15%, New YouGov Poll Finds
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The Center for Economic and Policy Research issued the following news release on May 6, 2026:
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Americans Oppose US War with Cuba by 64% to 15%, New YouGov Poll Finds
Nearly two-thirds also agree that the war in Iran has harmed Americans and the world.
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A new poll by YouGov finds that 64 percent of Americans oppose the US going to war against Cuba, while 15 percent support it and 21 percent are not sure.
Among those who express a view, 81 percent are against a war.
"This should make President Trump think twice about another 'war of choice,'" said Mark Weisbrot,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The Center for Economic and Policy Research issued the following news release on May 6, 2026:
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Americans Oppose US War with Cuba by 64% to 15%, New YouGov Poll Finds
Nearly two-thirds also agree that the war in Iran has harmed Americans and the world.
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A new poll by YouGov finds that 64 percent of Americans oppose the US going to war against Cuba, while 15 percent support it and 21 percent are not sure.
Among those who express a view, 81 percent are against a war.
"This should make President Trump think twice about another 'war of choice,'" said Mark Weisbrot,Senior Economist and Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). "Almost all of the experts on Cuba would laugh at the idea that Cuba presents a security threat to the United States. And the war against Iran has already cost Trump and his party significant support."
The YouGov poll, sponsored by CEPR, found that respondents agreed that the war in Iran has harmed Americans and the world, by a margin of 62 percent to 24 percent.
"Trump ran for office promising 'no wars' and that he would bring down prices. Instead, he started a war that has raised prices and will likely continue to do so for some time."
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to go to war with Cuba. On March 16 he said that he will "have the honor of taking Cuba," and "I can do anything I want" with Cuba.
He followed up less than two weeks later with:
"I built this great military. I said, 'You'll never have to use it.' But sometimes you have to use it. And Cuba is next by the way."
Trump reiterated this position on May 1, saying that the United States would be "taking over" Cuba "almost immediately." The same day, he issued an executive order expanding sanctions against Cuba. Among other restrictions, the order enables the sanctioning of third-country companies and financial institutions, many of which are likely European or Canadian, that are judged by the US to have conducted transactions with the Cuban government or to have operated in the energy, defense, mining, financial services, or security sectors of the Cuban economy.
The current sanctions against Cuba have already been expanded enormously since 2017, culminating in a devastating blockade that has included a cutoff of oil. The expansion of sanctions has caused infant mortality to rise by 148 percent over the past eight years. Cuba's infant mortality rate was one of the lowest in the hemisphere, lower than that of the United States, before the increase in sanctions.
"It is clear that the increase in sanctions is responsible for this huge increase in infant deaths," said Alex Main, Director of International Policy at CEPR. "The oil blockade has been especially inhumane, disrupting the operation of ventilators, inhalers, and other crucial medical equipment and crippling emergency transportation. More than 80 percent of Cuba's electricity is based on oil and oil products."
On April 7, President Trump threatened Iran, saying: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will." Amnesty International condemned Trump's statements as "a threat of extermination" that "may constitute a threat to commit genocide" revealing "a staggering level of cruelty and disregard for human life." Other human rights experts and organizations made similar statements.
Respondents agreed with Amnesty International's description of this statement by a 58 percent to 25 percent majority. By a 54 percent to 35 percent majority, they also said that he was not fit to be president.
Among the respondents, those who identified as Independents were very strongly against these wars and threats. For example, they opposed a war with Cuba by a 68 percent to 25 percent majority. These voters are about equally divided between Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning, and are seen as containing a substantial number of swing voters for the November election.
Weisbrot noted that this was another warning sign that a war with Cuba could have electoral consequences in November. He also noted that Trump has stated that he is looking to start a war with Cuba when he pulls out of Iran.
"It is unusual in history for a leader to use another war as a distraction for a war that is unpopular among voters and has harmed them," said Weisbrot. "But this seems like a real possibility here. Distraction has played an unprecedented role in Trump's political strategy, for campaigning, governing, and dominating the news cycle."
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Original text here: https://cepr.net/newsroom/americans-oppose-us-war-with-cuba-by-64-to-15-new-yougov-poll-finds/
[Category: ThinkTank]
AFPI: Schools That Fail to Protect Students Must Be Held Accountable
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following statement on May 6, 2026:
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AFPI: Schools That Fail to Protect Students Must Be Held Accountable
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Chairman of AFPI's America First California chapter Mike Garcia in response to news that the U.S. Department of Education has launched a Title IX investigation into Los Angeles Unified School District:
"This investigation is exactly what accountability looks like. Title IX is not optional.
The law requires that schools protect students from
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, May 7 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following statement on May 6, 2026:
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AFPI: Schools That Fail to Protect Students Must Be Held Accountable
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Chairman of AFPI's America First California chapter Mike Garcia in response to news that the U.S. Department of Education has launched a Title IX investigation into Los Angeles Unified School District:
"This investigation is exactly what accountability looks like. Title IX is not optional.
The law requires that schools protect students fromsexual harassment, abuse, and exploitation, not hide behind bureaucratic games to protect potential predators.
Policies that shield adults accused of sexual misconduct are abhorrent and a complete betrayal of parental trust.
By opening this investigation, the Trump administration is sending a clear message: Schools should be a safe haven for students, and there will be zero tolerance for institutions that endanger children or fail to protect them."
Chairman of AFPI's America First California chapter Mike Garcia is available for interview. Click here to request an interview.
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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/afpi-schools-that-fail-to-protect-students-must-be-held-accountable
[Category: ThinkTank]
