wx2026-0331 POSTSHOW Fernandez-V2.mxf-podcast

This Democracy Now! episode features a powerful conversation with Liz Oliva Fernández, journalist and co-founder of Belly of the Beast, who provides on-the-ground reporting from Havana, Cuba, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis fueled by U.S. sanctions. The discussion centers on the arrival of a Russian oil tanker carrying 70,000 barrels—enough to last 15 days—offering temporary relief but highlighting the fragility of Cuba’s energy infrastructure. Fernández critiques the U.S. narrative that Cuba’s suffering stems from its own economic failures, arguing instead that decades of unilateral sanctions have systematically dismantled Cuba’s economy, healthcare, and basic services. She details how power outages (apagones), lack of fuel, medicine shortages, and water scarcity are not natural disasters but policy-driven outcomes, with real consequences including preventable deaths and the collapse of medical care. The episode also explores the moral and political dimensions of U.S. policy, including the rejection of a U.S. embassy request to import diesel, the suppression of Cuban medical internationalism, and the role of Cuban-American lobbies in sustaining the blockade. A convoy of Cuban Americans delivering humanitarian aid underscores the growing demand for policy change from within the diaspora. The episode concludes with a call for visibility, accountability, and justice in the face of what Fernández describes as an ongoing economic war. Key takeaways include: 1) U.S. sanctions are not just economic policy but a sustained campaign of collective punishment affecting basic survival; 2) The arrival of Russian oil is a temporary fix, not a solution, and does not address the root cause—U.S. blockade; 3) Cuba’s international medical missions are humanitarian, not commercial, and represent one of the country’s most altruistic global contributions; 4) The U.S. blockade disproportionately harms the most vulnerable, especially children and the sick; 5) Cuban Americans are increasingly speaking out against the policy, recognizing it as a moral failure; 6) Visibility and truth-telling are essential tools in challenging misinformation and sustaining global awareness; 7) The crisis is ongoing, not historical—Cuba is in the present moment of suffering; 8) Ending the blockade would not only save lives but restore dignity and sovereignty to the Cuban people.