Facts are stubborn things; and whatever our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. —John Adams

As Founding Father John Adams said two and a half centuries ago, "facts are stubborn things." Our task is to identify and elevate those stubborn things.

Here are three…

1. Efforts by Havana’s communist government to dismiss, and then taint a rap song created by a group of young Cuban artists are failing. Their video, which openly ridicules a longstanding Fidel Castro slogan, has amassed nearly 5 million views on YouTube since February.
2. Russia has announced plans for a new fleet of ships explicitly dedicated to the Arctic region, including more than a dozen icebreakers. Russia is currently the only country in the world building nuclear-powered icebreakers.
3. According to a recent Monmouth University poll, over 40 percent of Republicans say they will likely never get the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is the third in a series of regular blog posts from the Wilson Center's President, Director, and CEO, Ambassador Mark Green.