Cuba

Cubans are fleeing because of a steep economic downturn. Immigration is a big issue as leaders meet at this week's Summit of the Americas — but communist-controlled Cuba isn't invited.

The White House plans to make it easier for families to visit relatives in Cuba and increase visa processing on the island, reversing some of former President Trump's policies.

Crews worked through a second night searching for victims of a hotel explosion that killed at least 27 people in Cuba's capital and left more than a dozen missing.

Officials from the U.S. and Cuba are talking as migration from the island increases.

Cuba has one of the world's highest COVID vaccination rates, with more than 85% of the nation fully immunized and kids as young as 2 getting inoculated. And it's done so using homegrown vaccines.

The interim report says many cases have now been attributed to previously undiagnosed illnesses. But "a couple dozen" cases remain unresolved and are still under investigation.

In the 1970s and '80s, U.S. officials routinely referred to the Soviet use of microwave radiation against the American Embassy in Moscow. The Soviets were believed to be seeking intelligence.

Tropical Depression Fred is expected to regain strength slowly before making landfall as a tropical storm in the Florida Keys on Saturday.

A turbulent Cuba halted Mario García's childhood acting career when he fled to the U.S. Still, he hasn't lost hope. At StoryCorps, he and his grandson, Max, dream up their ideal movie roles.

In a televised address Wednesday night, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that failings by the state have played a role in the protests that roiled the island nation this week.