Today's Announcement

Here's one of the better explanations of what this afternoon's announcement will contain. The good news is that it could have been much worse, as the Administration was being pushed to go a great deal further. The bad news is that it's still a unilateral gesture that can ultimately benefit the regime. The Administration will also call upon the Cuban regime to eliminate the 30% tax on remittances that are sent to the island.

Obama to Lift Cuba Travel Restrictions

Washington Post
By Michael D. Shear

President Obama will announce today that he is lifting travel restrictions that block Cuban Americans from traveling to Cuba and will relax the rules governing what items can be sent to the island, a senior White House official said.

The decision does not lift the trade embargo on communist Cuba but eases the prohibitions that have restricted Cuban Americans from visiting their relatives and has limited what they can send back home.

As a candidate, Obama promised to seek closer relations with Cuba, and courted Cuban voters in the key state of Florida. As president, he has signaled that he intends to move toward a greater openness.

Click here to read the article in its entirety...