BEN RHODES

The former Obama White House official who negotiated the reopening of relations with Cuba is sharply criticizing President Biden's policies toward that country, saying his administration is "gaslighting" Havana by maintaining and even expanding harsh sanctions imposed by former President Trump.

"Disappointed doesn't begin to scratch the surface of how I feel about the Biden-Cuba policy," said Ben Rhodes, who served as Obama's deputy national security adviser, in an interview for the Yahoo News' "Conspiracyland" podcast. “Granted it was Trump” who initially reversed Obama’s policy of normalizing relations with Cuba, he added. “President Biden’s policy toward Cuba is rooted in supporting the Cuban people and protecting human rights. The Obama administration normalized relations with Havana, an effort that was overseen by Rhodes and culminated in Obama’s visit to Cuba in March 2016. (It also refused to invite Cuba to last June’s Summit of the Americas conference in Los Angeles, hosted by Biden.)

Zane Smith clinched the regular season NASCAR Truck Series championship and Chandler Smith took the checkered flag at Pocono Raceway.

Kyle Larson was the start of a Grand Prix in Philadelphia run by the Urban Youth Racing School.

“The real question is why the Biden administration didn’t do its homework,” said Jorge Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister who now teaches at New York University. But that goal was abandoned more than 15 years ago amid a rise in leftist politics in the region. The governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela aren’t even active members of the Washington-based Organization of the American States, which organizes the summit. To the surprise of many, the U.S. in early 2019 picked up the ball, offering to host the summit. But as popular angst spread during the pandemic, the Biden administration was slow to match the vaccine diplomacy of Russia and China, although it did eventually provide 70 million doses to the hemisphere.

Joey Logano jockeyed for the lead with Kyle Busch in overtime, got around him for good just before the white flag flew and cruised to the victory Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Biden Americas Summit FILE - President Joe Biden meets with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Nov. 18, 2021. The Summit of the Americas is a little more than two weeks away in Los Angeles, and there's still no clear answer on what countries are going. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has threatened to boycott if Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua aren't included. “The real question is why the Biden administration didn’t do its homework,” said Jorge Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister who now teaches at New York University. But as popular angst spread during the pandemic, the Biden administration was slow to match the vaccine diplomacy of Russia and China, although it did eventually provide 70 million doses to the hemisphere.

When leaders gather this week in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas, the focus is likely to veer from policy issues like migration, climate change and inflation and instead shift to something Hollywood thrives on: the drama of the red carpet.

When leaders gather this week in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas, the focus is likely to veer from common policy changes — migration, climate change and galloping inflation — and instead shift to something Hollywood thrives on: the drama of the red carpet. With Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador topping a list of leaders threatening to stay home to protest the U.S.’ exclusion of authoritarian leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, experts say the event could turn into a embarrassment for U.S. President Joe Biden.

Out of the righteous rage of this moment, perhaps a new world can be born.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — (AP) — Zane Smith came inches away from winning the Truck Series opener in regulation. Forced to try again in overtime, Smith held on in a two-lap sprint to win at Daytona International Speedway. The race would have been over had Smith crossed under the white flag before the caution lights flashed; instead the field was frozen for nearly 20 minutes to clean the mess off the track before overtime. His timing was again impeccable as Smith reclaimed the lead and make it past the white flag. John Hunter Nemechek was racing Smith for the win when his Toyota was damaged.

Vice President Harris has had uneven performances during international trips. Now, she spearheads a U.S. delegation as the world waits to see whether Russia will invade Ukraine.

NASCAR Phoenix Trucks Auto Racing Driver take Turn 3 during the NASCAR Truck Series auto race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, in Avondale, Ariz. . (AP Photo/Darryl Webb) (Darryl Webb)AVONDALE, Ariz. — (AP) — Ben Rhodes opened the NASCAR season with back-to-back wins and closed it Friday night by winning the Truck Series championship. Rhodes won for ThorSport Racing, a Truck Series team since 1996 based in Ohio. Rhodes needed a late pass of fellow title contender Zane Smith to win the title. “Bookends for the season, I am so proud of my ThorSport team.”Smith finished fifth, behind outgoing Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed, and was runner-up for the title.

Ben Rhodes opened the NASCAR season with back-to-back wins and closed it Friday night by winning the Truck Series championship.

John Hunter Nemechek held off his boss Kyle Busch at Pocono Raceway and won his fifth Truck Series race of the season.

NASCAR makes its first visit to California in nearly two years with Sunday's stop at the Sonoma Raceway road course.

Ben Rhodes, the former deputy national security advisor to Barack Obama, co-host of the "Pod Save the World" podcast, and author of the new book "After the Fall," joins Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman and Victoria Bassetti on this episode to discuss many aspects of domestic and foreign policy, including the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, the global influence of presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, and several of the sweeping legislative proposals before Congress today.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has erupted into the biggest public disagreement the left has had with the Biden administration to date.

An official walks along pit road before a NASCAR Truck Series race on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)BRISTOL, Tenn. – Martin Truex Jr. entered the Truck Series race for the first time in 15 years just to get extra laps on the dirt surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR's first Cup Series race at a dirt track was delayed a day when torrential rain flooded Bristol's parking lots and campgrounds and turned Monday into a doubleheader. Truex, who ran one Truck Series race in both 2005 and 2006, had almost no dirt experience before Bristol. The tires were fading down to the cords while the weight of the cars seemed to carve deep divots into the dirt track. AdAs soon as Truex took the checkered flag, the Bristol crew went to work prepping the track for the Cup race.