Panama offers venue for U.S., Cuba diplomatic talks

June 24, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

Panama offered to host talks between Cuba and the United States as a neutral venue to help revive diplomatic relations.

Why this matters

The offer could create a new channel for U.S.-Cuba engagement at a time of broader regional focus on democracy and political stability. It also highlights Panama’s growing diplomatic role in Latin America.

Panama formally offered its territory as a neutral venue for talks between Cuba and the United States aimed at reviving diplomatic relations.

Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha announced the proposal Monday at the opening session of the Organization of American States General Assembly in Panama City.

According to Martínez-Acha, Cuba has said it is willing to discuss all issues if talks take place on equal terms. He said the United States has not given a final response, but views the proposal as a possibility.

Martínez-Acha said diplomacy should be less rigid and more focused on results. He said it should serve to “promote understanding and advance gradual solutions” that support regional stability and peaceful co-existence.

The case dated to Feb. 28, when a group of Panamanian citizens was arrested in Cuba. Cuban authorities linked them to political graffiti. According to publicly available information, they could face prison sentences of up to eight years on charges of propaganda against the constitutional order.

Martínez-Acha also addressed Venezuela, reiterating that Panama recognizes Edmundo González as the country’s president-elect and saying the decisions of Venezuelan voters must be respected.

Delcy Rodriguez was Venezuela’s acting president after assuming the position Jan. 5 following the U.S. apprehension of President Nicolas Maduro on charges of narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Maduro was being held in New York and was due back in federal court July 22.

Martínez-Acha said several foreign ministers had discussed the need for inclusive dialogue among all political actors to help pave the way for free and fair elections, with guarantees and electoral reforms.

“For Venezuela to be reintegrated into the Latin American community, it must have a government backed by the ballot box,” he said.

During the assembly’s opening ceremony, Organization of American States Secretary-General Albert Ramdin called for broader democratic practices in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. He also offered support to Bolivia in addressing its internal crisis and said electoral processes in Colombia and Peru should be closely monitored.

Ramdin said the organization should keep working to strengthen democracy in countries where it viewed democratic institutions as insufficient or absent, according to the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa.

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North Carolina

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North Carolina households may face a smaller Duke Energy Carolinas rate increase than the utility first proposed after objections to its latest filing.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Monday that Duke reduced its proposed residential increase from 18% to 11.6% after objections from his office, the Public Staff, other intervenors, and residents, according to Queen City News.

“That happened after our office objected, along with Public Staff, other intervenors, and many North Carolinians,” Jackson said. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still too high.”

Under Duke Energy’s revised filing, residential customers would see increases of 7.5% in 2027 and 4.2% in 2028.

The case is scheduled for a hearing before the North Carolina Utilities Commission on July 7. If approved without changes, the new rates would begin taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Jackson said a key issue for his office is whether residential customers could end up paying infrastructure costs tied to data centers and other large power users. He said households should not bear those costs.

Duke Energy said it was still calculating how the revised request would affect customer bills and expected to share that information soon. The company said it changed its filing after hearing concerns from customers and stakeholders.

“Over the last few months, we have listened carefully to feedback from customers and stakeholders,” a Duke Energy spokesperson said. “In response, we have proposed an alternative path that lessens the projected cost impact on customers while continuing to make the investments necessary to serve North Carolina’s growing energy needs.”

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Several South Carolina counties have moved to temporarily halt data center development as local officials consider rules for projects that consume large amounts of power and water.

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Greenwood County began its own 12-month pause last week. Chesterfield and Newberry counties enacted moratoriums earlier this month. In Colleton County, council last month gave first approval to a six-month moratorium while reconsidering zoning rules tied to a previously proposed gigawatt-scale project near the ACE Basin.

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South Carolina

Jury awards $250,000 in wrongful arrest suit

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A South Carolina jury awarded Aalayah Owens $250,000 on Thursday after finding in her favor in a civil lawsuit over her 2024 arrest, according to court records, Owens, and her lawyer.

The four-day trial was held in Chester County, which is between Rock Hill and Columbia and has about 32,000 residents. Owens sued the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.

Owens, of Rock Hill, was arrested in Fort Mill in October 2024 after Chester County deputies obtained a warrant accusing her of conspiracy in a drive-by shooting that had happened a month earlier, records show. She was taken to Chester County and spent the night in jail.

According to the lawsuit and her lawyer, Chris Kenney of Columbia, another person gave deputies Owens’ name. Kenney said deputies arrested her without making a positive identification or reviewing her photo from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. He said an expert testified that sheriff’s office policies and procedures were not followed.

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South Carolina

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The South Carolina Lowcountry and much of the Southeast are expected to see some of the hottest weather of the summer in the coming days.

A heat dome is forecast to settle over the region. The National Weather Service said temperatures this weekend could reach the mid- to upper 90s, with 100 degrees possible. Combined with moderate humidity, those conditions can become dangerous.

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If people must be outside for long periods, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying in the shade when possible, drinking water, and scheduling activities during the coolest parts of the day. Nighttime conditions may offer limited relief: Temperatures may not fall below 80 degrees in some areas during the heat wave, according to the National Weather Service.

The CDC also warned never to leave a pet, child, or disabled person unattended in a locked vehicle. It said 31 children died in hot cars in 2025, including during winter.

Extreme heat exposure can cause illnesses ranging from minor to severe. Heat stroke is the most serious and happens when the body can no longer control its temperature, according to the CDC. Body temperature can rise quickly to 106 degrees, and immediate medical attention is needed. If someone shows symptoms of heat stroke, move the person to a cool or shaded area, remove outer clothing, apply cool water if available, and call 911.

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Covering windows: 76% of light entering through windows is converted to heat

Raising the thermostat when leaving home, then lowering it after returning

Turning off ceiling fans when leaving a room: Fans cool people, not rooms.

Seal air leaks around windows and doors where cool air can escape
North Carolina

Study: Solar uses little prime farmland in NC

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A new study disputed claims that solar development is taking over productive farmland in North Carolina.

“You travel across the state of North Carolina, and it’s occupying the best farmland in the state,” N.C. House Agriculture Chairman Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, said during a 2025 hearing on solar tax breaks.

A report released last week by the Solar Energy Industries Association said solar production currently occupies 0.24% of prime farmland in North Carolina. Other land uses, including suburban development and recreation, use more agricultural land, according to the study.

Between 2014 and 2024, suburban development took up 0.87% of the state’s prime farmland, or 3.6 times more than utility-scale solar projects, the report said. Golf courses used 0.28%.

“This map helps provide important context by showing that solar and agriculture can thrive together,” Solar Energy Industries Association President and CEO Tim Pawlenty said in a statement. “Solar development uses a very small amount of farmland compared to many other common land uses, while also delivering affordable energy, local tax revenue, and reliable income for farmers and landowners.”

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The industry also faced policy setbacks. Gallagher said it had been “a challenging year for the solar industry.”

President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” signed last July, ended a 30% residential solar tax credit for systems installed after 2025, shortening a timeline that had extended through 2032.

In August, the Environmental Protection Agency ended the Solar for All program, which had offered $156 million in North Carolina and $7 billion nationwide for solar projects in lower-income communities.

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Latin America

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Venezuelans searched for missing relatives Friday after back-to-back earthquakes killed at least 920 people and left more than 51,000 listed as missing on independent digital databases.

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World Politics

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President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would impose a 100% tariff on imports from any country that adopts a tax on digital services from U.S. companies.

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US

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Washington, D.C., police agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a resident who was handcuffed and detained after following National Guard troops while playing “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Sam O’Hara’s TikTok account, @freedc20009, featured videos of him walking behind or standing near Guard troops in Washington while playing the Darth Vader theme on his phone or a small Bluetooth speaker. The videos mostly showed troops ignoring him. In at least two clips, one Guard member appeared to smile and another appeared to move his head to the music.

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World

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The U.S. military struck targets in Iran on Friday after a one-way attack drone hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

No casualties were reported in Thursday’s attack on the Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely. The vessel was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO. The ship’s owner, Evergreen, said it had been following UKMTO’s recommended route and that “All crew members remain safe as does the vessel itself and all cargo.”

U.S. Central Command said it struck missile and drone storage facilities, and coastal radar positions. It called the action “a powerful response” to the attack and said, “The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire.” It also said it would “continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blamed the U.S. and Israel. In a statement, it said: “The treaty-breaking US regime as always violated its commitments and launched an airstrike on the coast of the Islamic Republic of Iran under various pretexts of a ship violating an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz.” It added: “If the aggression is repeated our response will be more extensive than this.”

Speaking at the White House before the strikes were announced, President Donald Trump said, “You’ll find out,” when asked whether the U.S. would respond. “I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday. They shouldn’t be doing that.”

The U.S. and Iran agreed on June 17 to end hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding that called for Iran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that if Iran “has disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”