Mar 22, 2017

Rare survey finds Cubans are hungry for stronger U.S. ties

Fernando Medina / AP

A rare survey of 840 Cubans, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, revealed that many Cubans are clamoring for more economic opportunity, a chance to leave Cuba, and a new era of normalized relations with the U.S., per the N.Y. Times. Of those interviewed:

  • More than half said they would like to leave the country if given a chance, and 70% of those individuals said they would move to the U.S. if they could.
  • 55% felt better relations with the U.S. would be a good thing, while only 3% felt it would be bad.
  • 95% said having a high level of economic growth was an extremely important goal, but only 30% felt the Cuban economy will improve in the next 3 years.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has said it's conducting a full review of its Cuba policy, and the president may choose to cut ties with the country again.

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Shawna Chen
Updated 29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Voters in Wisconsin, Michigan urged to return absentee ballots to drop boxes

Signs for Joe Biden are seen outside a home in Coon Valle, Wisconsin, on Oct. 3. Photo by KEREM YUCEL via Getty

Wisconsin Democrats and the Democratic attorney general of Michigan are urging voters to return absentee ballots to election clerks’ offices or drop boxes, warning that the USPS may not be able to deliver ballots by the Election Day deadline.

Driving the news: The Supreme Court rejected an effort by Wisconsin Democrats and civil rights groups to extend the state's deadline for counting absentee ballots to six days after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 3. In Michigan, absentee ballots must also be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

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36 mins ago - Technology

Facebook warns of "perception hacks" undermining trust in democracy

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Facebook warned Tuesday that bad actors are increasingly taking to social media to create the false perception that they’ve pulled off major hacks of electoral systems or have otherwise seriously disrupted elections.

Why it matters: "Perception hacking," as Facebook calls it, can have dire consequences on people's faith in democracy, sowing distrust, division and confusion among the voters it targets.

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Orion Rummler
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Obama: Trump is "jealous of COVID's media coverage"

Former President Barack Obama launched a blistering attack on President Trump while campaigning for Joe Biden in Orlando on Tuesday, criticizing Trump for complaining about the pandemic as cases soar and joking that he's "jealous of COVID's media coverage."

Driving the news: Trump has baselessly accused the news media of only focusing on covering the coronavirus pandemic — which has killed over 226,000 Americans so far and is surging across the country once again — as a way to deter people from voting on Election Day and distract from other issues.

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