Mexico will continue accepting Cuban medical workers despite US pressure
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praises services from Cuban doctors, who often work in underserved rural areas. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that her country will continue receiving Cuban medical workers, as part of a longstanding programme meant to build goodwill between the island and other Latin American countries. Her remarks on Wednesday come as the United States pressures Latin American countries to sever their ties to Cuba’s medical programme. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Sheinbaum, however, told reporters during a news conference that the agreement was a benefit to Mexico. Thousands of Cuban medical workers have deployed there since 2022 to work largely in poor, rural areas. “We have a very good agreement that’s also been a great help to us. It’s a bilateral agreement that’s been very beneficial for Mexico,” said Sheinbaum. “It’s hard to get Mexican doctors and specialists to go out to many rural areas where we need medical specialists, and the Cubans are willing to work there.” In February, the US passed a law that opens the door to sanctions on countries that continue to participate in the programme. It called for the US secretary of state to issue a report within 90 days about which countries continue to pay the government of Cuba for the “coerced and trafficked labour of Cuban medical professionals”. The move comes amid a wider push to further isolate Cuba and topple the government in Havana, a longtime target of US ire. So far, countries including the Bahamas, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica and Guyana have ended their participation in the Cuban medical exchange programme. Cuba has long depicted the decades-old programme as a means of signalling solidarity with other countries. It has also become an important source of foreign revenue for the island nation, which has been under a restrictive US economic embargo since 1960. Advertisement The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, has depicted the programme as akin to forced labour. “Basically, it’s human trafficking,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in February. “I mean, they’re barely even being paid. Their freedom of movement is tightly restricted. And we want these countries to understand that’s what they’re participating in.” Experts at the United Nations have also raised similar concerns, including about the confiscation of passports, which the Cuban government justifies as a means of preventing trained doctors from fleeing the country after their state-sponsored studies. The pressure on the Cuban medical missions is part of a broader push under Trump’s second term to seek regime change on the island. By threatening tariffs on Cuba’s trading partners, Trump has largely cut the island off from accessing the foreign oil necessary to power its electrical grid. Trump has also said that he hopes to “take” Cuba and install a new government that will be more pliant to US demands. The Mexican government has tried to balance its friendly relations with Cuba with the US’s demands. In the absence of energy shipments, Sheinbaum’s government has sent vessels with humanitarian aid to the island. Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian foreign minister rejects talks with US
NewsFeed “No negotiations have taken place.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi says his country is not and will not negotiate with the US while it is under attack. A day earlier, President Trump said the US was already in talks with Iranian officials, which Tehran denied. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Congress’ Sonia Gandhi’s health stable, doctors checking for infections
Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the national capital last night, hospital authorities said. Her condition is now stable.
EAM Jaishankar breaks silence on Pakistan playing role as mediator between US and Iran ceasefire talk: ‘We’re not dalaal’
In an all party meeting, EAM S Jaishankar reacted to Pakistan reportedly playing active role as a mediator between US and Iran, and conveying Donald Trump’s 15 points ceasefire plan to Tehran. He said, ‘We are not a dalaal nation,” news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Mayes Middleton nabs former opponent Aaron Reitz’s endorsement in GOP attorney general runoff
Reitz, a former aide to Texas AG Ken Paxton, had sharply criticized both Middleton and Chip Roy on the campaign trail.
Ken Paxton assails acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock as “loser,” calls for his removal amid fiery grudge match
In a Tuesday letter, Hancock criticized the attorney general for not using all the tools at his disposal to go after groups he says are affiliated with Muslim terrorist groups.
Texas State University professor sues to block firing after Israeli-Palestinian comments
Philosophy professor Idris Robinson argued that his comments, made in an off-campus setting, were protected speech.
New study says Austin restaurant permitting can cost nearly $9,000 and requires up to 105 steps
The city’s onerous permitting processes are adding barriers for small businesses that already face rising construction costs and rents.
California Dems unleashed pressure campaign against USC prior to debate cancellation
Top Democrats in the California state legislature pressured the University of Southern California (USC) to cancel its planned gubernatorial debate after its framework for who got to participate included five White candidates but disqualified four minorities who were not polling or fundraising as well. The “data-driven” candidate viability framework produced a lineup of Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, as well as Democrats Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter and Eric Swalwell, all White candidates. The same criteria, developed by a USC professor and defended by the university, ended up axing Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee and Tony Thurman, all Democratic Party minority candidates, due to lower polling and fundraising scores. After news of who made the candidate pool and who did not, the excluded candidates expressed outrage over what they claimed was a racist candidate viability system created by USC that targeted people based on their race. One candidate, former Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra, even likened it to when his father used to talk about “the days when he would encounter signs posted outside establishments that read ‘No Dogs, Negroes or Mexicans Allowed.’” GOP GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL HAILS LEGENDARY GOLFER FOR HEFTY CAMPAIGN DONATION: ‘INCREDIBLY HONORED’ Among those expressing outrage besides the candidates themselves were California state Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, Speaker of the California State Assembly Robert Rivas and a handful of other Democratic Party members within the state legislature who called the decision-making framework “biased” in a letter they signed that also included concerns about one of the selected candidate’s donor ties to the university. They also referred to candidate’s complaints, such as from Becerra, as “valid.” “If USC does not do the right thing, we call on California voters to boycott this debate. If the university will not give voters a fair shot at evaluating everyone running for governor, voters should find other ways to learn about the candidates,” the letter, which included letterhead with the logos of about a half dozen Democratic Party caucuses in California, states. “We are asking you, President Kim, to exercise the leadership this moment calls for: expand the debate stage, and trust California’s voters to make up their own minds.” In an announcement less than 24 hours ahead of the scheduled debate, USC said KABC, the Los Angeles television station broadcasting the debate, could not come to an agreement to allow more candidates and, as a result, decided to cancel the debate. GOP CANDIDATE CITES ‘FAILURE’ OF NEWSOM, DEMS AS NEW POLL SHOWS REPUBLICANS LEADING CROWDED CALIFORNIA FIELD “If you run anything in California, the legislature is very important to you and at the top of the letter, the top signatories to this letter, Robert Rivas, who is the Speaker of the Assembly, and Monique Limon, who’s the head of the Senate, the State Senate and the State Assembly. And that came very late on Monday. They sent this letter to USC. Then what happened? “As we understand it — they’ve been pretty open about it – they get this letter from the legislature, they think, ‘Oh, s—, we better do something. This is now a real threat. This isn’t just the candidates complaining. This is the legislature, which, you know, regulates and affects everything we do,’” Hilton, one of the GOP frontrunners in California’s gubernatorial race, said. “USC apparently went to ABC, the media partner who’s going to broadcast the debate, and said, ‘We want to expand it and put these people back in.’ And USC said, ‘No, I’m sorry. ABC said no.’ Then, that midnight, on Monday night, they put out that statement saying, ‘OK, then we’ll cancel it.’” Reporting from Cal Matters, a local California publication covering state politics, indicated that, directly and indirectly, Porter, Steyer and Swalwell have suggested Mahan, a tech entrepreneur and former mayor of San Jose, was invited to the now-canceled debate despite poor performance data. In the lawmakers’ letter requesting the event allow more candidates or be canceled, which was addressed to USC President Beong-Soo Kim, an unnamed candidate with “notable ties to USC’s donor community” was also alluded to as part of the complaints about the debate. When Rivas’ staff was asked for clarification on whom the letter was referring to, it eventually confirmed it was Mahan. A party-sponsored poll from Democratic State Chairman Rusty Hicks showed Mahan behind Becerra, but it had all other candidates that USC selected ahead of those who did not make it. Two Republicans, Hilton and Bianco, are still leading the field at 16% and 14%, respectively. Porter, Swalwell and Steyer are tied at 10%, and every other Democrat is still in the low single digits. Twenty-four percent of voters remain undecided. Neither Rivas nor Limon provided on-the-record comments to Fox News Digital for this story prior to publication.
Chicago Mayor Johnson unveils ‘Abolish ICE’ snowplow days after student allegedly murdered by illegal migrant
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday unveiled a snowplow named “Abolish ICE” in an effort to oppose the Trump administration’s deportation campaign, less than a week after a local college student was allegedly murdered by a man described by authorities as being in the U.S. illegally. The snowplow name was chosen among 13,000 submissions in the city’s You Name a Plow contest. “This name derives from our city’s legacy of standing up for justice, dignity and the rights of all people, no matter where they come from,” Johnson said in front of the city’s massive salt dome. “I want to take this moment to reiterate that Chicago does not want ICE on our streets, in our airports, nor in our city. Chicago believes in abolishing ICE.” CHICAGO ACTIVIST TORCHES DEM CRIME POLICIES AFTER LOYOLA STUDENT’S MURDER: ‘HOW MUCH MORE CAN WE TAKE?’ “Abolish ICE” is a slogan used by progressive activists and politicians in opposition to enforcement actions conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Johnson has previously criticized the Trump administration’s use of ICE. In addition, he recently condemned the deployment of ICE agents to airports, including Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The unveiling of the snowplow came days after Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman was killed last week, allegedly by a Venezuelan migrant. Jose Medina, 25, who was charged in the alleged killing, was captured by U.S. Border Patrol May 9, 2023, and subsequently released into the U.S. under the Biden administration. ILLINOIS GOV. PRITZKER ADMITS ‘REAL FAILURES’ AS SLAIN CHICAGO STUDENT’S HOMETOWN PAYS TRIBUTE IN LIGHTS Johnson was questioned about Gorman’s murder during Wednesday’s unveiling and whether he considered rescheduling the event given the timing. “This is a terrible tragedy,” he said. “This tragedy is not going to deter us from our work. In fact, it’s going to challenge us all to double down on our efforts to ensure that we are protecting every single individual across neighborhoods.” Chicago Democratic Alderman Raymond Lopez, who has criticized Chicago sanctuary policies, said Gorman’s death was “100% avoidable.” “The culmination of the choices made here in the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to protect noncitizens even when they choose to engage in dangerous criminal behavior, that mindset has to change,” he told “America Reports” Wednesday. “That mindset has to stop because Sheridan and the other 1,200 other individuals across this country who’ve been victims … victimized by noncitizens deserved to be honored in a change in mindset and law.”