Cuba buys U.S. food
The week's news at a glance.
Havana
Cuba agreed to buy $66 million worth of soybeans, corn, rice, and Splash tropical drinks from U.S. companies this week after the largest American trade show since Fidel Castro took power was held in Havana. U.S. firms that have lobbied for open trade with the Caribbean nation hawked everything from California wines to soy milk to M&M’s. The U.S. has squeezed the communist island with trade sanctions for 40 years, but a law passed two years ago permits direct sales of food and farm products, provided Cuba pays in cash. The Bush administration and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had said the expo would buttress a repressive regime, and they urged Americans not to go. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura said the U.S. was “not a dictatorship” and went to drum up business for his state.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?
The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published