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Unprecedented Protests in Cuba Deserve America’s Support – The struggle of the people of Cuba this July reminds us once again that we should defeat the effort to install Marxism on our shores, especially in our schools and places of work through critical race theory. Biden should make it clear to Miguel Diaz Canel that the U.S. will not accept the tacit banishment of pro-freedom voices via refugee flotillas, as the Castros once did. Biden should immediately address the nation, the Cuban people, and the world, and call for the restoration of freedom in Cuba. He should also unequivocally warn Diaz-Canel against this course of action, which will endanger the lives of thousands of Cubans and further cement the regime’s power. The best way we can help the people of Cuba is by remaining free ourselves, and saying alongside them, “viva Cuba libre.” Heritage experts: Mike Gonzalez and Jim Carafano

History of Cuba's Indifference to Cuban Lives  –  The present-day Cuban demonstrations are a logical outcome of Communist Cuba’s long-standing indifference to the life of the Cuban people. Consider these facts: From 1959 through the last 1990s, more than 100,000 Cubans were placed in forced labor camps and prisons, including the infamous Presidio on the Island of Pines. Between 15,000 and 17,000 people were shot, more than a few at the hand of Che Guevara. Fidel Castro justified his reign of terror with these words: “The revolution is all; everything else is nothing.” Communist Cuba often provided the ground troops for the Soviet Union’s strategy of inciting Third World revolution, especially in Africa. For example, Castro sent a force of 50,000 men to Angola. Communist Cuba brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962 when it allowed the Soviets to build sites for offensive nuclear missiles aimed at major cities in the United States. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev has said that Castro requested a Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S. At this possible tipping point in Cuba, what should be the U.S. response? President Biden has said he wants to restore America’s moral leadership around the globe. He has been given a golden opportunity to do so next week. Heritage expert: Lee Edwards

Long-Suffering Cuban People Yearn for Economic Freedom – Headlines across the United States declared the people of Cuba are protesting because of lack of vaccines and basic necessities. Indeed, Communism has spread poverty to millions. However, focusing on the material squalor misses what the oppressed masses in Cuba clearly demand: Liberty! Throughout the protests, the crowds chanted ‘libertas’ and proudly displayed the American flag—a flag which represents the free land where many of their extended family now call home. For decades, the American Left has idolized the ideals of Cuban communist revolution—if not Fidel Castro himself. It’s time we recognize not just the economic failures of this regime—the millions living in poverty without access to basic necessities. Communism itself is not just economically bankrupt—it’s morally bankrupt. Communism—and in a similar manner socialism—denies the individual’s right to liberty, conscience, and private property. Heritage expert: Joel Griffith

Young Americans Increasingly Prefer Socialism. Here’s How to Change Their Minds – Socialism is grounded upon a conception of human beings which is, in a word, false. It denies human individuality, liberty, and fallibility, and thus ends up oppressing people. By contrast, capitalism pays attention to realities about human nature which never change. That is the message which I have discovered resonates with young Americans and inoculates them against socialism’s lies. It’s also a message that is as much moral as it is economic. Socialists learned a long time ago that if you can win the moral argument, you tend to win hearts and minds, especially among idealistic young people. Free-marketers need to recognize that winning the economic argument against socialism simply isn’t enough. They must also confront socialism’s lies about human nature with the full truth about who human beings are. Heritage expert: Samuel Gregg

Texas Democrats Stage Walkout to Kill Voting Bill – By planning to walk out of a legislative session, Democrats in Texas are demonstrating their contempt for the democratic process. They are revealing that they have no interest in protecting voters or the sanctity of the ballot box and instead want to protect those who prey on voters and the most vulnerable in our society. Their willingness to cheat in the legislative process mirrors their efforts to make it easy to cheat in the election process by preventing any improvement in the integrity of Texas elections. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky

The death of ‘defund the police’? – President Biden’s attempts to distance himself from the “defund the police” movement provides a good news, bad news scenario. The good news is that Biden and his administration recognize that they can no longer ignore the spike in violent crimes—especially homicides—occurring in many cities across the country. The bad news is that many of the proposals Biden outlines will do little to stem the tide of violent crime. Enforcing the laws on the books and putting more cops on the streets are good starting points. But if police officers continue to be hobbled in carrying out there duties and rogue prosecutors continue to refuse to prosecute crimes in these cities, little will change. If the President wants to implement meaningful measures, he should task U.S. Attorneys offices in cities run by rogue prosecutors with prosecuting the worst offenders, where appropriate, if the local district attorneys refuse. Heritage expert: Zack Smith

Teachers Unions Push Critical Race Theory in Schools, Urge Defiance of State Laws Against It – Despite the blatantly dishonest denial by the likes of Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers and other teachers unions have been explicit about trying to inject critical race theory into K-12 curriculums and teacher trainings. The bottom line is that any denial that there is a sweeping national push to bring critical race theory and other, similar ideologies to K-12 schools is disinformation hiding in plain sight. The resistance to that agenda isn’t some kind of plot or conspiracy; it’s a reaction from parents and other concerned citizens who have become aware of the radical ideas being foisted upon the next generation of Americans. It’s coming from people who don’t want a country that slips into a kind of neo-segregationism, where young people are taught to hate their fellow Americans or themselves because of their skin color or ethnic ancestry. Heritage expert: Jarrett Stepman

San Francisco Political Leaders Out of Touch as City Descends Into Lawlessness – Amid the rising crime and general absurdities it seems that San Francisco residents, at least, are catching on to how bad things have become.  A recent poll commissioned by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce found that over 70% of city residents want more policing in high-crime areas. Yet, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is continuing with the plan to cut over $120 million out of law enforcement agencies. No surprise that the poll also showed that over 40% of residents surveyed said they plan on leaving the city in the next few years due to rising crime and declining quality of life. The decay of San Francisco is a tragedy. As a Bay Area native, it saddens me to see the city plunge into chaos and criminality. It’s a beautiful city wracked by bad policies and out-of-touch, ideology-driven leadership. Heritage expert: Jarrett Stepman

U.S. Promotion Of Abortion Abroad Is Ideological Colonialism, Not Gender Equality – This insistence on the part of the Biden administration to promote controversial abortion and sexual rights through multilateral fora is not going unnoticed in Africa. Rather, it is increasingly recognized as a form of ideological colonialism. The terms that are used by Western governments and development organizations convey the superiority of some ideas or values over others with words like, “progressive,” “liberal” or “reformist,” while local knowledge or customs are described as “repugnant,” “non-reformist,” or “conservative.” This has the intended effect of gaslighting Africans into second-guessing their own positions. Cultural imperialism has succeeded in weaponizing some words to the point where they are completely devoid of any positive meaning, such as “patriarchy” or “patriarchal.” As a result, religious or cultural practices that are deemed “patriarchal” are vilified, such as the role of fathers in making decisions about children, or religiously motivated abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in marriage. Heritage expert: Grace Melton

Judging the justices’ 2020 term – On the whole, this term was characterized by few big moves, but a reasonably consistent adherence to the Constitution and to the text of written laws. Notably, we saw a little less of the politicking that we have come to expect from Chief Justice John Roberts, but at the same time, we have seen Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Barrett reliably join him in some of his familiar dodges. Heritage expert: GianCarlo Canaparo