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Tag: Chris Dodd

Cuba Travel: Is the Embargo Hurting the United States, Too?

Where: Cuba

12/19/2007 at 12:00 PM
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Customs and Border Protection officers in Florida spend so much time searching passengers coming back from Cuba they may be missing actual threats to the country, says the Government Accountability Office. A report from the agency today says one in five passengers arriving in the States from Cuba are given intensive inspections, despite the fact that most of them have visited the island legally. (On average, customs officers put just three percent of international arrivals through the wringer.)

All the attention on enforcing the embargo on Cuba, says the GAO, keeps agents from other important work:

[Customs and Border Protection] data and interviews with agency officials suggest that the secondary inspections of Cuba arrivals at the airport may strain CBP's ability to carry out its mission of keeping terrorists, criminals and other inadmissible aliens from entering the country.

The report notwithstanding, the US State Department says that enforcing the embargo remains a priority. President Bush actually tightened sanctions on Cuba in 2004, but presidential hopefuls Ron Paul and Chris Dodd have both said they'd work to end the embargo if elected. Until then, Americans are stuck sneaking to the island and hoping they won't get caught coming home.

Related Stories:
· GAO Report on Embargo Enforcement [Official Site]
· Report Finds US Agencies Distracted by Focus on Cuba [NYT]
· Can US Citizens Travel to Cuba? [Jaunted]

[Photo: hellosputnik]

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2008 Candidates Travel: Ron Paul Talks Cuba, Too

Where: Hawkins Dr. at Melrose Ave. [map], Iowa City, IA, United States

11/14/2007 at 1:00 PM
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With all the talk about Cuba among the candidates for President, maybe CNN should consider holding a debate at Guantanamo Bay. First Obama talks travel in Miami, then Chris Dodd brought it up. Now almost-a-libertarian candidate Ron Paul, an obstetrician and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from East Texas, has made his pro-friendship Cuba policy the subject of his weekly newsletter.

While Paul is not a front runner--he recently nabbed 5% of the vote and 6th place in a CNN poll of Republican candidates--his campaign has drawn a fair share of attention due to its grassroots Internet efforts and for the $4.2 million he raised in one day last week, breaking Mitt Romney's one-day fundraising record. Paul will be in Cedar Rapids before heading to a college football tailgate in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday. Next week, he'll take a page from the Democrats and travel Nevada.

Related Stories:
· Struggling for Relevance in Cuba [Ron Paul]
· Candidates Travel: Viva Vegas [Jaunted]
· 2008 Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Candidates Travel Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: ronpaul2008]

2 Comments - Add Yours by egw

2008 Candidates Travel: Viva Vegas

Where: 4505 S Maryland Pkwy [map], Las Vegas, nv, United States, 89119

11/13/2007 at 11:02 AM
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CNN and the Nevada Democratic Party will host a debate in Las Vegas on Thursday, bringing a bunch of righteous candidates to Sin City. Everyone but Mike Gravel will be there, including Hillary, Chris Dodd and John Edwards. (Gravel didn't rake in enough cash to earn an invite, says CNN.)

Dennis Kucinich will be around town the day of the debate, including a lunch at Tipps Thai on Spring Mountain Road. Barack Obama is already touring southern Nevada, with stops in Boulder City and Pahrump today.

Thursday evening, candidates will duke it out at the Cox Pavilion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, just a short drive from The Strip. Since the debate starts at 5, that should give everyone plenty of time to get over to see the late performance of KA by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand.

Related Stories:
· Tipps Thai [Yelp]
· Candidates Travel Map [Jaunted]
· Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo taken in Iowa: Barack Obama]

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Travel Trendwatching, PEZ Dispenser Style

9/14/2007 at 4:45 PM
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This quick hit list is all about pop culture travel trends in real-time. Six bits of travel pressed, dry candy pixels for you to digest weekly.

Fame
Virgin America's Getting In-Flight WiFi
50,000 Germanwings Flights For Next to Nothing
Chris Dodd Wants You To Visit Cuba. Legally.
Lame
The Saga Continues
Still Searching for Steve Fossett
German Tourists Stealing from the Tip Jar

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Travel Ban Not Stopping Cuba Tourists

Where: Cuba

9/11/2007 at 4:20 PM
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While some Democratic presidential candidates have been discussing the US ban on travel to Cuba, a bunch of tourists are ignoring the talk and visiting the island. The trip may not be legal but that doesn't seem to bother the thousands of Americans--including Michael Moore--who risk big fines to check out Fidel's country.

In fact, one tourist says that's the point:

The fact that you're not supposed to be there, that was the top for me...You just don't know what Cuba will be like after Castro's gone.

The American Society of Travel Agents--a group that admittedly has an interest in more tourists--says millions of Americans would visit Cuba if restrictions were lifted. Would that ever happen? It might: Barack Obama says he wants to relax travel rules, and Chris Dodd says he'll end the US-Cuba embargo outright.

Related Stories:
· Thousands Flout Ban to See Cuba [AP, via CNN]
· 2008 Candidates Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: malias]

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2008 Candidates Travel: Chris Dodd Points Southward

9/10/2007 at 4:25 PM
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For the corazón of the Cuban exile in America, you can't get any closer than Miami, whose Pequeña Habana holds one of the highest concentrations of Cubans outside of the country in question. Maybe that's why Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd went there to announce his plan for re-opening diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Dodd has long been critical of the U.S. embargo on all things Cuban and would, if elected, seek to repeal sanctions and allow U.S. citizens--like Michael Moore--to travel between the two countries. As we reported earlier, Senator Barack Obama also supports repealing sanctions.

At this rate, we may soon be traveling to the island nation instead of just rewatching "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights." (Which wasn't even filmed in Cuba, btw.) All that said, Dodd is running left of the pack; the next visit to Miami may very well come from a pro-sanctions candidate.

Related Stories:
· Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Can U.S. Citizens Travel to Cuba? [Jaunted]

[Photo: You Decide 2008]

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