In a response to President-elect Donald Trump's statement that he would have won the popular vote if not the 'millions who voted illegally', Bill de Blasio called the claim a dangerous lie in his own tweet on Monday morning.![]()
Afternoon Bulletin: De Blasio Slams Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims, JetBlue Flies to Cuba
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The Fidel I Knew Was the Life of the Party
Once Fidel wanted me to get him Viagra. "Why?" I asked. "For my Cuban missile crisis," he said. Then we laughed for 20 minutes straight.![]()
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What Trump Can Learn About Cuba From Hemingway’s Widow
The president-elect needs someone to speak to him about today's Cuba with the same candor Mary Hemingway addressed JFK![]()
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Tips for Americans Taking One of the New Regular Flights to Havana, Cuba
For example: Americans can't get more money once in Cuba.![]()
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Trump Plans to Eliminate the NEA, Lost Cuban Painting Resurfaces … And More
Art world news for January 19, 2017.![]()
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Cuban Artist Won’t Let The Bronx Museum Show Her Work—Which They Own
Cuban artist demands the Bronx Museum not show her work.![]()
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Hello, Cuba; Adios, Utopia: Cuban Art in Texas
A review of a new show of Cuban art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.![]()
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What to Look for if the CIA Is Plotting Against Trump
Is the CIA plotting against U.S. president Donald Trump? A handful of observers think so — and some of them are even cheering it on.![]()
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5 Reasons to Be Excited About the State of Jazz in 2017
Ahead of International Jazz Day on Sunday, April 30, here's our top picks for the most exciting things happening in jazz in 2017.![]()
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Why You Need to Go to Cuba Now
Donald Trump appears poised to undo the Obama administration’s easing of restrictions.
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NJ Cuban-American Elected Officials Express Support for Trump’s Cuba Policy
The goal of Trump’s new policy is to starve the Castro regime of U.S. dollars.![]()
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This Island Hideaway in the Keys Is Giving You 12 Hours in Cuba
Cuban cigars and Havana Club rum? Claro que si.![]()
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A Guide to Havana’s Offline Internet, via Five Cuban Interns in New York
No internet? No problem.![]()
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Putin’s Strategy of Global Tension
Russia aims to expand its power on the cheap while causing problems for America.![]()
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The Meditative Boot Camp Adventure for Millennials
Surf Yoga Beer founder Mantas Zvinas avoids calling his fit trips to Belize, Morocco and Cuba wellness retreats; instead, they're adventures.
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John Bolton Reaffirms America’s Commitment to the Monroe Doctrine With New Sanctions
Invoking Cold War era language, Bolton warned that "the twilight of socialism has arrived in our hemisphere."
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Trump’s Curb on Cuba: Would Things Be Different If There Was a Havana Trump Tower?
The Trump administration is apparently in the business of policing where we can vacation.
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Following Castro’s Death, NJ Senator Calls for Return of Cop-Killer Chesimard
Joanne Chesimard fled to Cuba in 1984 after escaping from prison and living as a fugitive. She was serving time for the 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster. Now that Cuban leader Fidel Castro has died, New Jersey state Senator Joe Pennacchio is renewing calls for Chesimard’s extradition to the United States. The Republican senator is the sponsor of a senate resolution, SR-11, urging for Chesimard’s return.
According to Pennacchio, U.S.-Cuba relations cannot move forward in the wake of Castro’s death until Chesimard, now named Assata Shakur, returns to the country.
“Joanne Chesimard brutally murdered a New Jersey State Police Trooper and yet she has been allowed to live comfortably in Cuba for more than 30 years. Even in the wake of Castro’s death, there cannot be real peace between our two nations as long as Cuba remains a safe haven for a convicted cop-killer,” Pennacchio said in a statement.
The statement continued: “Cubans everywhere are celebrating the death of Fidel Castro, an oppressive dictator whose destructive regime tore entire nations apart. This is an opportunity for Cuban leaders to leave Castro’s violent legacy behind and usher in a new era of peace. They can start by returning Joanne Chesimard to US soil so she can finally pay the price for her deplorable crimes.”
As of 2013, Chesimard has been named on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List. The total reward for her capture currently stands at $2 million. Chesimard fled to Cuba after being granted political asylum from the island nation.
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Afternoon Bulletin: De Blasio Slams Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims, JetBlue Flies to Cuba
Mayor Bill de Blasio has responded to President-elect Trump’s tweet on Sunday, that alleged he would have also won the popular vote if not for the ‘millions of people who voted illegally’. De Blasio sent out his own tweet earlier this morning that condemned the claim as a lie. He went on to say that spreading this idea could lead to greater voter restrictions by Republicans, adding ‘We can’t let that happen’. This comes as part of the larger issue of possible voting fraud, which has Jill Stein leading a push for election recounts in three states. (New York Post)
JetBlue has launched its first regular flights to Havana in more than fifty years, shortly after the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Friday. The JetBlue plane left JFK airport at 9:27 a.m., on the heels of an American Airlines flight that landed in the Cuban capital at 8:25 a.m. Although Cuba is currently observing a nine-day mourning period, passengers on the JetBlue plane expressed their excitement to be part of the historic flight. Relations between the US and Cuba have been improving since a deal was made under President Obama in 2015. (NY Daily News)
An elderly woman was critically injured on Sunday night, after a large fire destroyed the fifth floor of an apartment building on Southern Blvd. in the Bronx. Approximately 138 firefighters were called to the scene to put out the blaze, which was described as ‘pouring through the roof and the side’. The injured woman, still unidentified, was taken to Lincoln Medical Center in critical condition, after suffering from smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is still unknown. (DNAinfo)
After causing drivers endless trouble, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (B.Q.E) is to be given repairs as part of a $1.7 billion rehabilitation plan. The 1.5mile stretch of road from Sands Street to Atlantic Avenue, which includes 21 concrete-and-steel bridges, will be the focus of the renovation. City transportation officials have stated that part of the highway will remain open throughout the process, which is expected to take five years. (New York Times)
It now costs $132,019 to house each inmate in New York City’s jails system, according to a report by Comptroller Scott Stringer. The report, released today shows that despite a decline in inmate population, the budget for the Department of Correction has increased by $150 million. These figures include the money being used for officers’ overtime, which has nearly doubled since 2014 and now costs taxpayers $275 million. Stringer described the system as ‘moving backwards.’ (New York Post)
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The Fidel I Knew Was the Life of the Party
This past Friday, I lost my best friend in the whole world, Fidel Castro. I’m guessing you’ve heard of him. He was a polarizing figure to be sure—you either loved or hated the guy. I, for one, couldn’t get enough of that lovable nutjob.
Most people knew Fidel as a dictator and a revolutionary, but did you know he was also a guy who was so into Halloween it was actually kind of weird? One year he shaved off his beard and walked around with his fly down the entire evening. When I asked him who he was supposed to be he said, “My brother Raul.” Raul didn’t think it was very funny, but Fidel and I sure got a kick out of it.
Another time Fidel wanted me to get him some Viagra. “Why?” I asked. “For my Cuban missile crisis,” he said. Then we laughed for 20 minutes straight.
Once I asked Fidel if he was really a Marxist. ”Not at all,” he said, “but I am Marxish.” He loved wordplay, cigars, and being with friends.
Fidel always talked about opening an all-you-can eat BBQ place called the Bay of Pigs. He loved bringing people together for food and fun at a price that wouldn’t break the bank. In fact, his dream was to one day walk away from the whole dictator thing and open a jet ski rental place in Boca Raton. He was fun first, communist revolutionary second until the very end.
Hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about the time when Fidel walked into a Banana Republic and spent two hours asking the staff if each and every item came in olive. He made his own fun.
Another time he paid a wedding DJ $50 to play “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind over and over again until the entire bridal party completely lost it. We weren’t even invited.
Every morning Fidel would walk out in his fatigues and ask me if his outfit was “too matchy matchy.” It was funny every time. And when Fidel showed up at my place in a salmon jumpsuit instead of his usual military garb one time, I asked him what gives. “Laundry day,” he deadpanned. You couldn’t not love the guy.
Fidel and I were always showering each other with gifts. One Christmas I sold my deep fryer to buy Fidel a humidor and he sold his cigar collection to buy me 600 bags of Ore-Ida fries. That was us.
And I’ll never forget the time Fidel got us tickets to see Phranc, the Jewish lesbian folk singer, thinking we were seeing Sinatra. The look on his face when she came out was priceless. We still had a great time, though.
I never saw Fidel more conflicted than when I told him Le Pain Quotidien, his favorite because of the communal tables, was a chain restaurant.
“Let’s just keep this between you and me,” he said with a conspiratorial wink. Then he bought chicken curry salad for everyone in the place. He did stuff like that all time.
“You know I’d give it all up just to come watch one of your softball games without everyone bothering me the whole time,” Fidel once told me. He still came to every game.
Every Friday night Fidel and I would order two large pizzas with everything. “What are you gonna eat?” he’d always joke. I’m laughing now just thinking about it.
Fidel came out over for Taco Tuesday one night recently and I had completely forgotten to pick up the necessary ingredients. “I’m not here for tacos, Dave,” he told me. “I’m here to see my friend.”
And I can’t stop thinking about the time I noticed Fidel’s footprints in the sand in front of Senor Frog’s in Cabo San Lucas.
“WTF, bro?!” I said. “Were you partying without me?”
“No,” he explained, “you were blacked out on mojitos and I carried you.”
He was my bestie.
When his health began to fail, I asked Fidel what he’d like to be remembered for most. He said nothing and dropped his pants. Then we both laughed so hard cafe con leche came out our noses.
Fidel’s last words to me? “Better Than Ezra. Underrated, no?” He was an unpredictable whacko and I loved him so, so much.
I keep thinking Fidel will roll up my driveway in his beat up Geo Tracker any minute and tell me it was all a joke. Then we’d hit BW3 like old times.
This is really hard but just so I don’t start sobbing uncontrollably right now, I’ll leave my favorite joke Fidel ever told me:
Q. How do you overthrow the communist party? A. Make it a cash bar.
He was never not funny and I miss him so much. Goodnight, El Presidente Numero Uno Kooky Pants. Gonna miss you, buddy.
Dave Hill is a comedian, writer, and musician living in New York City. His second collection of essays, Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Blue Rider Press) is out now.
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