Cárdenas, Cuba
Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban boy who sparked an international custody battle five years ago, said on CBS’ 60 Minutes this week that he now considers Fidel Castro “not only as a friend, but also as a father.” Elian, now 11, has become a poster child for Cuba’s communist system since returning from the U.S., occasionally appearing with Castro at rallies. Elian was rescued at sea in 1999 after his mother drowned trying to take him to Florida. His relatives in Miami fought for seven months to prevent him from being sent back to his father in Cuba. Elian said he still loves them, but what they did was “wrong.” A spokesman for the relatives said the boy had been “brainwashed” in Cuba.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AIFeature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
-
George Foreman: The boxing champ who reinvented home grillsFeature He helped define boxing’s golden era
