Cuba’s representative in the United States told a Tampa audience this week that the island nation is fighting two pandemics, the coronavirus and an economic isolation imposed by the Trump administration that is hampering efforts to deal with the crisis. Still, Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas pointed to steps Cuba is taking to stop the spread of coronavirus and dismissed images on social media that claim to show squalid conditions in hospitals and angry crowds protesting poorly stocked food stores. (https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/29/cuban-ambassador-speaking-at-tampa-gathering-defends-response-to-pandemic/) “Part of the victory is the people are informed and aware of what is going on,” Cabañas said, speaking from Washington, D.C., to an online gathering of the speakers’ series Café con Tampa. The series is coordinated by Bill Carlson, Tampa City Council member and an advocate for engagement with Cuba.