Trump Slips Up And Tells The Truth: America Needs Immigrants

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By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 21, 2025: Every now and then, the impossible happens. Water runs uphill. Pigs fly. And Donald J. Trump tells the truth.

Yes, you read that right. The man famous for “alternative facts” and creative truth-telling has done something few thought possible – he admitted a fact backed by evidence.

In a recent interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Trump acknowledged something that economists, CEOs, and anyone who’s ever tried to hire a qualified engineer already knows: there aren’t enough skilled workers in the U.S.

“You don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn,” Trump said. “You can’t just say a country is coming in, going to invest $10 billion to build a plant and take people off an unemployment line who haven’t worked in five years and they’re going to start making their missiles. It doesn’t work that way.”

Well, imagine that – Trump, the man who built a political brand on blaming immigrants for everything from job losses to border chaos, now admitting that America needs immigrant talent.

The $100,000 Visa Wall

Of course, this flash of honesty comes wrapped in contradiction. Just weeks earlier, Trump imposed a $100,000 one-time fee on H-1B visas – the very program designed to attract high-skilled foreign workers in fields like tech and engineering.

The result? A policy that economists say could “kneecap” American innovation. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, startups with higher H-1B hiring rates are far more likely to go public, get acquired, or secure major patents and funding.

In fiscal 2024, nearly 400,000 H-1B visas were approved – double the number from 2020. And leaders like Elon Musk have long argued that these visas help keep the U.S. competitive globally. Yet, Trump’s fee ensures only billion-dollar corporations, not startups or universities, can afford them.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the fee at the time, saying, “If you have a very sophisticated engineer and you want to bring them in… then you can pay $100,000.” Easy to say when you’re not a small business owner trying to hire one.

Raiding The Future

Protesters demonstrate against anti-immigration raids while outside a closed Latino-owned bakery on November 18, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some businesses have shut down in Charlotte, fearing federal agents will target their customers during the ongoing Operation Charlotte’s Web to detain undocumented immigrants in the city. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Trump’s newfound appreciation for skilled immigrants also comes after his ICE agents raided a Hyundai factory in Georgia, detaining 475 workers like common criminals – most of them South Korean specialists building EV batteries.

The raid delayed production by months and infuriated South Korea and Hyundai’s leadership, which had just announced a $26 billion U.S. investment. Trump now admits the move may have gone too far.

“You know, making batteries is very complicated,” he told Ingraham. “They had like 500 or 600 people, early stages, to make batteries and to teach people how to do it. Well, they wanted them to get out of the country. You’re going to need that, Laura.”

So, after deporting the very workers teaching Americans how to build the clean energy technology of the future, Trump now realizes – oops – maybe we actually need them.

The Truth He Can’t Escape

For once, Trump has stumbled into reality: the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough engineers, scientists, and skilled tradespeople to meet demand. Immigrants fill those gaps – and have for generations.

But here’s the kicker – while Trump admits the truth about America’s talent shortage, he’s still enforcing policies that make it harder for those very workers to come, stay, or succeed.

Economists at the National Foundation for American Policy estimate that his immigration agenda would cut the U.S. workforce by 15.7 million people and shrink GDP growth by one-third over the next decade. In other words, “America First” is starting to look a lot like “America Left Behind.”

So yes, Donald Trump finally told the truth – but like so many times before, he’s standing in the way of it.

Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.

10 Keys To Transformative Leadership

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By Dr. Isaac Newton & Olivia Lindsay

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Nov. 24, 2205: Leadership is less a rank and more a moral architecture, a set of habits, priorities, and choices that shape institutions, cultures, and lives. Whether you are stepping into your first formal leadership role or have decades of stewardship behind you, the same essentials govern influence that endures. These ten keys are ordered not by novelty but by the values that sustain effectiveness and the performance that follows. They blend timeless wisdom with practical lessons drawn from advising governments, leading enterprises, and cultivating human potential across diverse contexts.

Use this list as a compass. Let it correct your course when tides rise and keep you steady when applause fades.

1. The Power of Asking
Great leaders move the world by opening mouths as often as they open doors. Asking is an act of agency and humility. It mobilizes resources, secures partnerships, and signals confidence in others. Ask strategically for help, for bold commitments, for the impossible. When you lean on this principle, opportunities stop being distant and begin to assemble around you.

2. The Strength of the Circle
Leadership is never a solo sport. Your inner circle is your operating system: loyal, wise, candid, and discreet. Invest in people who correct you, celebrate you, and expand your reach. Where strategy meets synergy, execution becomes inevitable.

3. The Impact of Integrity
Trust is the currency of lasting influence. Integrity is not a tactic; it is the soil in which reputation grows. Make truth your default posture, especially when silence or spin would be easier. The leader who pays this price earns loyalty that outlasts titles and withstands storms.

4. The Courage to Decide
Decisions create direction. The paralysis of over analysis steals momentum and morale. Weigh wisely, seek counsel, then decide with resolve. Even imperfect decisions are preferable to indecision, for they invite correction, learning, and forward motion.

5. The Duty of Leverage
Every platform, meeting, and acquaintance is a seedbed for mutual uplift. Leverage is not exploitation; it is stewardship, using your access to create returns for your people and multiply impact. Treat each opportunity like an investment in collective destiny.

6. The Balance of Reward
Discipline and delayed gratification are virtues, but joy fuels persistence. Reward your teams and yourself in ways that sustain morale today and secure the future tomorrow. A leader who neglects both risks burnout and the erosion of loyalty.

7. The Joy of Mentorship
Mentorship is leadership’s force multiplier. Teaching others to lead multiplies your influence and ensures continuity. Build apprenticeship into your culture. Your legacy will be measured less by what you build than by who you raise.

8. The Art of Common Ground
Progress is made where bridges are built, not where walls are fortified. Seek the overlap between competing visions and translate difference into shared purpose. Leaders who find common ground win the long negotiations that change systems.

9. The Strength of Struggle
Adversity is the crucible of character. The leader who avoids struggle often evades growth. Reframe hardship: it is not punishment but refinement. Let trials teach endurance, clarity, and humility.

10. The Value of Family
All leadership is ultimately relational. Family, whether biological, chosen, or communal, is the anchor that steadies vocation. Protect it, prioritize it, and let it remind you that the worthiest measures of success are human and not merely institutional.

How These Keys Fit Together

Values such as integrity, family, and mentorship form the foundation. Effectiveness expressed through asking, building circles, and leveraging opportunity is the engine. Performance revealed in decisions, rewards, struggles, and finding common ground is the outcome. The three exist in a living cycle: values shape effectiveness, effectiveness drives performance, and performance tests values. Make this cycle intentional and watch influence convert into lasting transformation.

A Short Practical Regimen
        1.      Ask for one bold meeting or resource this week.
        2.      Check in with your inner circle through one direct, honest conversation.
        3.      Make one decision you have been deferring.
        4.      Mentor or be mentored for thirty minutes.
        5.      Give one immediate, meaningful reward to someone on your team.

Five small acts, compounded over time, can change entire organizations.

A Leader’s Charge

Whether young in experience or seasoned in leadership, remember this. Leadership is both a gift and a stewardship. You will be measured by the causes you champion and the people you empower. Choose the long road of integrity over the short road of convenience. Ask boldly. Build faithfully. Decide with courage. Love your people and return to them the dignity leadership borrows.

History rewards those who pair vision with humility and strategy with conscience. If you carry these keys into your daily work, you will not only lead institutions but also transform lives. Let wisdom be your wealth, and let service be your signature.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a strategist and scholar trained at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia. He advises governments and international institutions on governance, transformation, and global justice, helping nations and organizations turn vision into sustainable progress.

Olivia Lindsay is an entrepreneur and leadership strategist with over fifteen years of experience in marketing, business development, and strategic planning. She is the founder of 876 On the Go, a technology-driven logistics company, and a Justice of the Peace. Olivia holds degrees in Management Studies and Strategic Planning and is completing her Ph.D. in Business Administration.

Together, they champion a model of leadership where integrity meets innovation and influence serves the greater good.

The Caribbean Faces Two Choices: Join the US Attempt To Intimidate Venezuela Or Build Its Own Sovereignty

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By Vijay Prashad

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Nov. 27, 2025: US President Donald Trump has authorised the USS Gerald R. Ford to enter the Caribbean. It now floats north of Puerto Rico, joining the USS Iwo Jima and other US navy assets to threaten Venezuela with an attack. Tensions are high in the Caribbean, with various theories floating about regarding the possibility of what seems to be an inevitable assault by the US and regarding the social catastrophe that such an attack will occasion. CARICOM, the regional body of the Caribbean countries, released a statement affirming its view that the region must be a “zone of peace” and that disputes must be resolved peacefully. Ten former heads of government from Caribbean states published a letter demanding that “our region must never become a pawn in the rivalries of others.”

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine enjoys doubles with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at a meeting in Trinidad on Nov. 26, 2025. (Facebook image)

Former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Stuart Young said on 21 August, “CARICOM and our region is a recognized zone of peace, and it is critical that this be maintained”. Trinidad and Tobago, he said, has “respected and upheld the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and for good reason”. On the surface, it appears as if no one in the Caribbean wants the United States to attack Venezuela.

However, the current Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, (known by her initials as KPB), has openly said that she supports the US actions in the Caribbean. This includes the illegal murder of eighty-three people in twenty-one strikes since 2 September 2025. In fact, when CARICOM released its declaration on the region being a zone of peace, Trinidad and Tobago withdrew from the statement. Why has the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago gone against the entire CARICOM leadership and supported the Trump administration’s military adventure in the Caribbean?

Backyard

Since the Monroe Doctrine (1823), the United States has treated all Latin America and the Caribbean as its “backyard”. The United States has intervened in at least thirty of the thirty-three countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (90 percent of the countries, in other words) —from the US attack on Argentina’s Malvinas Islands (1831-32) to the current threats against Venezuela.

The idea of the “zone of peace” emerged in 1971 when the UN General Assembly voted for the Indian Ocean to be a “zone of peace”. In the next two decades, when CARICOM debated this concept for the Caribbean, the United States intervened in, at least, the Dominican Republic (after 1965), Jamaica (1972-1976), Guyana (1974-1976), Barbados (1976-1978), Grenada (1979-1983), Nicaragua (1981-1988), Suriname (1982-1988), and Haiti (1986).

In 1986, at the CARICOM summit in Guyana, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Errol Barrow, said “My position remains clear that the Caribbean must be recognised and respected as a zone of peace… I have said, and I repeat, that while I am prime minister of Barbados, our territory will not be used to intimidate any of our neighbours be that neighbour Cuba or the USA.” Since Barrow made that comment, Caribbean leaders have punctually affirmed, against the United States, that they are nobody’s backyard and that their waters are a zone of peace. In 2014, in Havana, all members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) approved a “zone of peace” proclamation with the aim “of uprooting forever threat or use of force” in the region.

Persad-Bissessar or KPB has rejected this important consensus across political traditions in the Caribbean. Why is this so?

Betrayals

In 1989, trade union leader Basdeo Panday formed the United National Congress (UNC), a centre-left formation (whose former name was the Caucus for Love, Unity, and Brotherhood). KPB joined Panday’s party and has remained in the UNC since then. Throughout her career till recently, KPB stayed at the centre of the UNC, arguing for social democratic and pro-welfare policies whether as opposition leader or in her first term as Prime Minister (2010-2015). But even in her first term, KPB showed that she would not remain within the bounds of the centre-left but would tack Far-Right on one issue: crime.

In 2011, KPB declared a State of Emergency for a “war on crime”. At her home in Phillipine, San Fernando, KPB told the press, “The nation must not be held to ransom by groups of thugs bent on creating havoc in our society”, “We have to take very strong action”, she said, “very decisive action”. The government arrested seven thousand people, most of them released for lack of evidence against them, and the government’s Anti-Gang Law could not be passed: this was a policy that mimicked the anti-poor campaigns in the Global North. Already, in this State of Emergency, KPB betrayed the legacy of the UNC, which she dragged further to the Right.

When KPB returned to power in 2025, she began to mimic Trump with “Trinidad and Tobago First” rhetoric and with even harsher language against suspected drug dealers. After the first US strike on a small boat, KPB made a strong statement in support of it: “I have no sympathy for traffickers, the US military should kill them all violently”. Pennelope Beckles, who is the opposition leader in Trinidad and Tobago, said that while her party (the People’s National Movement) supports strong action against drug trafficking, such action must be “lawful” and that KPB’s “reckless statement” must be retracted. Instead, KPB has furthered her support of the US militarisation of the Caribbean.

Problems

Certainly, Trinidad and Tobago faces a tight knot of economic vulnerability (oil and gas dependence, foreign exchange shortages, slow diversification) and social crises (crime, inequality, migration, youth exclusion). All of this is compounded by the weakness of State institutions to help overcome these challenges. The weakness of regionalism further isolates small countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, which are vulnerable to pressure from powerful countries. But KPB is not only acting due to pressure from Trump; she has made a political decision to use US force to try and solve her country’s problems.

What could be her strategy? First, get the United States to bomb small boats that are perhaps involved in the centuries-old Caribbean smuggling operations. If the US bombs enough of these little boats, then the small smugglers would rethink their transit of drugs, weapons, and basic consumer commodities. Second, use the goodwill generated with Trump to encourage investment into Trinidad and Tobago’s essential but stagnant oil industry. There might be short-term gain for KPB. Trinidad and Tobago requires at least $300 million if not $700 million a year for maintenance and for upgrading its petrochemical and Liquified Natural Gas plants (and then it needs $5 billion for offshore field development and building new infrastructure). ExxonMobil’s massive investment in Guyana (rumoured to be over $10 billion) has attracted attention across the Caribbean, where other countries would like to bring in this kind of money. Would companies such as ExxonMobil invest in Trinidad and Tobago? If Trump wanted to reward KPB for her unctuousness, he would tell ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods to expand on the deepwater blocks investment his company has already made in Trinidad and Tobago. Perhaps KPB’s calculation to set aside the zone of peace ideas will get her some more money from the oil giants.

But what does this betrayal break? It certainly disrupts further any attempt to build Caribbean unity, and it isolates Trinidad and Tobago from the broader Caribbean sensibility against the use of the waters for US military confrontations. There are real problems in Trinidad and Tobago: rising gun-related violence, transnational trafficking, and irregular migration across the Gulf of Paria. These problems require real solutions, not the fantasies of US military intervention. US military interventions do not resolve problems, but deepen dependency, escalate tensions, and erode every country’s sovereignty. An attack on Venezuela is not going to solve Trinidad and Tobago’s problems but might indeed amplify them.

The Caribbean has a choice between two futures. One path leads toward deeper militarization, dependency, and incorporation into the US security apparatus. The other leads toward the revitalization of regional autonomy, South-South cooperation, and the anti-imperialist traditions that have long sustained the Caribbean’s political imagination.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was produced by Globetrotter. Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is an editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest books are On Cuba: Reflections on 70 Years of Revolution and Struggle (with Noam Chomsky), Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for Socialism, and (also with Noam Chomsky) The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of US Power.

Source: Globetrotter

The Guyana EU Observers Report: Valid Recommendations Undermined By Questionable Framing

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By Ron Cheong

News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Fri. Nov. 28, 2025: The 2025 Guyana elections were peaceful, professionally executed, and despite heated rhetoric – remarkably smooth. But the debate that followed has been anything but. A jarring divergence emerged between the EU Observer Mission’s report and the assessments of other credible bodies, most notably the UNDP-backed evaluations.  This exposed a bigger problem than election flaws – it exposed flawed narratives.

EU Observers release the report during a press conference at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in Kingston, Georgetown

When observers of equal stature view the same election and reach drastically different conclusions, the issue is no longer merely technical. It becomes a question of narrative, framing, and responsibility.

This piece is necessary precisely because of lingering dissonance from that gap. The European Union is held in high regard in Guyana. Its voice carries weight. When such a respected institution fields an observer team whose findings appear unbalanced, selectively sourced, or not fully reflective of the on-the-ground realities, it does a disservice – not only to Guyana, but to the EU’s own reputation as a neutral democratic partner.

A Country With Hard -Won Electoral Stability

To understand the gravity of this, one must recall that Guyana’s democracy is young and was severely tested just five years ago. The 2020 elections saw an unprecedented attempt by the incumbent to overturn the results. It took five months of diplomatic pressure – from the US, EU, CARICOM, the Commonwealth, and others – to ensure that voters’ will was respected and that the rightful government was sworn in.

That experience shaped both domestic expectations and international sensitivities for 2025. Guyanese citizens, political actors, and observers alike were determined that such a crisis should never repeat.

GECOM’s Improved Performance: A Rare Institutional Success

Against this backdrop, GECOM’s performance in 2025 stands out as a quiet institutional success. UNDP-supported capacity building, new monitoring mechanisms, stronger training for presiding officers, and clearer chain-of-custody procedures all contributed to an election that many experienced observers judged to be the most professionally administered in recent memory.

Polling stations opened on time, security forces remained neutral and restrained, tabulation procedures were transparent, and the count proceeded without credible interference. These are fundamental pillars of electoral integrity, and Guyana delivered on each of them.

The EU’s Report: Valid Recommendations Undermined by Questionable Framing

The EU report did contain useful recommendations – many relating to administrative efficiency and long-term institutional strengthening. But these were overshadowed by assessments that seemed out of step with observable realities.

A notable example was the claim that the “dominance of state media and politicised private media reduces voters’ ability to access pluralistic and balanced information.”
This assertion collapses under scrutiny.

Guyana’s media is not dominated by the state; it is dominated by polarisation.  Stabroek News and Kaieteur News often adopt openly adversarial stances against the government.  Guyana Times, in contrast, leans in the direction of the governing party, and the state-owned Chronicle typically reflects the views of whichever party is in power at the time. This environment can indeed confuse voters – but not because of a lack of pluralism.  The problem is an excess of partisanship, not its absence.

When the EU report implies state dominance, it fundamentally mischaracterizes the landscape and, by extension, misdiagnoses the problem.

Unfair Assumptions and Uneven Standards

Other parts of the EU report raised similar concerns. The suggestion that building schools, hospitals, and public infrastructure constituted an “incumbency advantage” borders on the absurd.  By that logic, any functional government that improves public services in an election year is unfairly influencing voters – an argument that would render many European governments equally suspect.

Similarly, criticizing the President for using a government helicopter—without contextualizing that a previous President used military helicopters more extensively, or that such travel is often a security necessity in a country with vast, remote regions – reveals a troubling lack of comparative perspective.

The Real Risks: Not Ballot Fraud, But Fragile Narratives

The 2025 elections show that Guyana’s most significant vulnerabilities do not lie in ballot integrity or election-day operations. They lie in political narratives – domestic and international – that can be shaped by incomplete evidence or preconceived expectations.

Observer missions carry immense influence. When their assessments diverge sharply, especially in ways that do not reflect the balance of evidence, they can fuel political distrust rather than reduce it.

Getting The Story Right

Guyana deserves scrutiny. But it also deserves accuracy. The 2025 elections were not perfect, yet they were peaceful, credible, and competently run. When an observer report magnifies weaknesses while overlooking strengths documented by others, it risks misrepresenting a country that has fought hard for democratic stability.

International community representatives seeking to help Guyana strengthen its democracy, must do the hard work of being thorough and balanced and follow basic democratic principles:

Highlight both positives and negatives – the multi-dimensional reality as it is rather than a narrowly focused narrative.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Cheong, born in Guyana, is a community activist and dedicated volunteer with an extensive international background in banking. Now residing in Toronto, Canada, he is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. His comments are his own and does not reflect those of News Americas or its parent company, ICN.

St. Vincent And The Grenadines – Rethinking Power, Renewal And The Future Of Opposition

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 28, 2025: In the stillness that followed the 2025 St. Vincent and the Grenadines elections, Ralph Gonsalves’ single surviving seat felt less like a victory and more like a solitary echo from a fading era. Twenty-four years in office had stretched the limits of public patience, and the country’s quiet hunger for renewal finally spoke in unmistakable terms. The call for transition was not hidden. It was visible in drifting supporters, weary faces, and the simple question lingering in every community: What more could truly be offered after a quarter century of the same voice at the helm? The result was not just a loss. It was the public’s firm declaration that leadership must remain rooted in awareness, not memory.

FLASHBACK – Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves at the end of EU-CELAC Summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 18, 2023. (Photo by Nicolas Landemard/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The ULP’s unraveling did not happen overnight. It grew in the gap between the party’s internal culture and the country’s evolving needs. When a political movement stops thinking, stops questioning itself, and stops grooming new leaders, it becomes fragile long before the ballots are cast. Treating politics as an extension of personal legacy rather than a living partnership with the people created a disconnect that no speeches could repair. The defeat, therefore, was not surprising. It was the natural outcome of a leadership style that treated continuity as a strategy and familiarity as a plan.

Even so, the moment carries potential. Renewal begins with the simple act of listening without defensiveness. It requires conversations in homes, markets, church halls, and bus stops, not to reclaim power but to understand what the country is truly becoming. Fresh leadership must be cultivated with the discipline of mentorship and the courage to allow younger voices to shape new directions. Real solutions emerge when a party studies the present instead of rehearsing its past, taking the time to gather evidence, understand trends, and design policies that respond to lived experiences rather than assumptions.

Rebuilding the opposition will demand structure, curiosity, and intellectual honesty. A reformed opposition must start by assembling a broad national advisory group capable of producing ideas that matter: economic relief frameworks, community safety initiatives, youth employment pipelines, and modern governance standards. The party must invest in training organizers, communicators, and researchers who can engage the public with clarity and respect. Most importantly, it must show through consistent action that it values transparency, genuine debate, and shared leadership. Only then can the opposition grow into an institution the country takes seriously, not because of its past, but because of the future it is willing to design with discipline and imagination.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a strategist and scholar trained at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia. He advises governments and international institutions on governance, transformation, and global justice, helping nations and organizations turn vision into sustainable progress.

The Godwin Friday Era Begins In St. Vincent & The Grenadines: The Brilliance Of Turning The Corner

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Dec. 2, 2205: Dr. Godwin Friday’s sweeping victory on November 27, 2025, is much more than a political shift. It is a national rebellion. It signals that the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are stepping into a new maturity where dignity is protected, accountability is expected, and shared purpose becomes the compass for public life. Small island states now stand at a global intersection. Economic pressures tighten. Climate threats intensify. Cultural bonds are strained.

Wars cast long shadows across continents. The United States has warned that Venezuelan airspace is too dangerous for civilian use, a sign that regional instability may be closer than comfort allows. In the midst of these tensions, Dr. Friday’s call to turn the corner rises like a steady light. It invites St. Vincent and the Grenadines to move forward with poise, clarity, and moral intelligence.

Friday’s New Democratic Party romped home to victory in the 2025 election by winning 14 of 15 seats. “The people have come out and said…’We want a better future for ourselves,’” Friday said as hundreds of people gathered in the capital, Kingstown, to support him, many blowing vuvuzelas in excitement.

Dr. Godwin Friday takes the oath as PM on Nov. 28, 2025.

RESONANCE

The resonance of the new prime minister’s message lies in its elegant simplicity. He must serve with the integrity that earned the nation’s trust. He must persuade doubters not by clever words but by consistent action. He must restore confidence in public leadership by improving the daily realities of citizens from Owia’s quiet shores to Canouan’s vibrant rhythms. His commitment to nurturing young thinkers, ethical dreamers, and future builders reflects a rare understanding of how small island states flourish.

Leadership renewal is not a luxury reserved for calmer seasons. It is the very architecture of national survival. With global institutions under strain and regional tensions rising, Dr. Friday’s attention to grooming new leaders reveals wisdom that sees beyond election cycles and into the long sweep of national destiny.

His leadership rises even higher through his humility. Dr. Friday does not cling to power. He recognizes that leadership is a trust, not a possession. He understands that a legacy is not crafted through long tenure but through the thoughtful preparation of others who will carry the nation forward with competence and conscience.

This approach resonates with the work of Dr. Isaac Newton whose global advisory efforts emphasize wisdom that listens, service that sacrifices, character that endures, and institution building that lives beyond the lifespan of any administration. When a leader invests in others, a nation becomes resilient. When a leader grips power tightly, a nation becomes brittle. Dr. Friday has chosen resilience.

This moment is therefore one of profound possibility for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Turning the corner is not a catchy phrase. It is a call to collective elevation. It invites citizens to expect excellence and to join in the shared labor of national progress. It tells the Caribbean that amid global turbulence, a small nation guided by principled leadership can model justice, creativity, courage, and unity.

It reminds the world that humility paired with strategic clarity can carve out safe harbors even when the tides of history rise violently. If Dr. Friday continues with conviction shaped by compassion and purpose rooted in principle, the Vincentian story will not only advance. It will inspire. It will shine. It will set a new standard for what leadership in this era can mean.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Isaac Newton is a strategist and scholar trained at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia. He advises governments and international institutions on governance, transformation, and global justice, helping nations and organizations turn vision into sustainable progress.

RELATED: St. Vincent And The Grenadines – Rethinking Power, Renewal And The Future Of Opposition

Caribbean Immigrant Founder Breaks Barriers with World’s First AI Debt Capital Platform – AI Capital Exchange

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News Americas, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Tues. Dec. 2, 2205: Guyana-born, US-based Caribbean immigrant entrepreneur and media leader Felicia J. Persaud, the founder and publisher of News Americas, has quietly made history.

AI Capital Exchange, the world’s first AI-powered debt lending platform connecting institutional investors, lenders, agencies and borrowers globally, created by Felicia J. Persaud

After four months of building in silence, Persaud has soft-launched AI Capital Exchange, the first AI-powered debt capital platform in the world – built entirely by her, a non-tech founder and Caribbean immigrant.

The platform, available at aicapitalexchange.net, uses artificial intelligence to match qualified borrowers with institutional investors, lenders, and investment agencies across the U.S., Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is powered by Invest Caribbean.

For the Caribbean – long restricted by limited access to financing — the launch represents a breakthrough moment.

“AI Capital Exchange is about leveling the playing field,” Persaud shared. “It proves that global innovation can come from our community — and that immigrants and non-tech founders can build world-changing technology.”

What the Platform Does

AI Capital Exchange pre-qualifies borrowers and then connects them to lenders for:
• Commercial real estate projects
• Renewable energy ventures
• Equipment financing
• Tech startups
• Business expansions
• Government and infrastructure capital

Lenders and investors can join to access verified, AI-organized deal flow. Investment agencies can showcase national investment programs to attract foreign capital.

A Caribbean Immigrant Building Global Infrastructure

What makes this launch extraordinary is the journey behind it.

Persaud — who migrated from Guyana with no coding background — built every component of the platform herself using AI tools.

“This was hundreds of hours of work, built with discipline, faith, and determination,” she said. “It is proof that where you come from does not limit where you can build.”

The platform has also been submitted to the India AI Global Impact Challenge 2026, marking its entry on the world stage.

Explore or Support The Platform

Test the platform (pilot phase): https://aicapitalexchange.net

Investors interested in supporting the platform’s growth can connect here

About Felicia J. Persaud

Felicia J. Persaud is a Guyana-born, U.S.-based journalist and media and investment entrepreneur, widely known for her groundbreaking work in Caribbean diaspora media, her advocacy for Caribbean Census recognition, and her efforts to expand investment opportunities across the region.

Everything To Know About Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 – The Contestant, The Competition & The Viral Fall Seen Around The World

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Dec. 1, 2025: Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 has captured international attention – not only for her beauty, talent, and poise, but also for the dramatic on-stage fall that ignited a global conversation and raised questions about safety, transparency, and the pressures faced by pageant contestants.

As searches for “Miss Universe Jamaica,” “Miss Jamaica fall,” and “Miss Universe 2025 Jamaica” skyrocket, here is everything you need to know about the contestant, the competition, and the controversy dominating headlines.

FLASHBACK – Miss Universe Jamaica, Gabrielle Alexis Henry, moments before her fall as she showcased her evening gown during the 74th Miss Universe Preliminary competition on November 19, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Mohan Raj/Getty Images)

Who Is Miss Universe Jamaica 2025?

The Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 is Dr. Gabrielle Henry, a rising Caribbean talent known for her grace, intelligence, and commitment to representing her country on the global stage. She is 29, a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus and an ophthalmologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies, (UHWI). Her foundation, the See Me Foundation, supports the visually impaired. She is also a vocalist and dedicated humanitarian.

She entered the Miss Universe Jamaica competition with:

A strong background in community advocacy

A passion for cultural representation

Strong public speaking and runway skills

A deep pride in Jamaican heritage

She won in August 2025. She was a previous contestant in 2023 and resurfaced from the ashes after not winning that competition. Her journey to the national crown made her a fan favorite long before pageant night.

Her Path to the Miss Universe Crown

The Miss Universe Jamaica pageant is one of the region’s most respected competitions, selecting a representative to compete at the Miss Universe 2025 stage – a platform that showcases global beauty, cultural expression, and female empowerment.

Key elements of her winning performance included:

Evening gown segment — praised for elegance and poise

National costume showcase — celebrating Jamaican culture

Interview round — where she impressed with thoughtful, articulate responses

Stage presence — confident, grounded, and magnetic.

In her Instagram profile’s bio, Dr Henry describes herself as a “beam of light, resident ophthalmologist, plant mom and model.” In her LinkedIn profile she describes herself as “a personable and engaging medical professional who is passionate about patient care and services. Adept at providing efficient communication and urgent patient care. Empathetic, nurturing, attending to patient’s needs in a timely fashion. Has practiced under tutelage of the best medical professionals at the University of the West Indies. Qualified in ACLS and BLS courses.”

The Viral Fall That Shocked the World

During the evening gown segment of the pageant, Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 suffered a sudden and unexpected fall on stage. Video footage circulated rapidly across TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube, with millions of views within hours.

The fall raised immediate questions:

Was the runway too slippery?

Was the stage improperly lit?

Was she pushed into a rushed transition?

Was footwear or costuming a factor?

While initial reports focused on the incident itself, concerns quickly shifted toward her health and the aftermath.

What Is Her Current Condition?

As of the latest update:

No detailed medical update has been released publicly.

There has been no personal statement from the contestant.

Fans remain deeply concerned and are calling for transparency.

Search interest for health updates is extremely high, making this an evolving story with major public attention.

Why the Organization Is Being Criticized

In a surprising response, officials of the Miss Universe Jamaica franchise suggested that the fall resulted from a “misstep” by the contestant.

This attempt to assign blame has sparked major backlash, with critics saying:

The organization should prioritize contestant safety

The tone appeared dismissive

It shifted focus away from possible production issues

No safety protocols or investigations have been announced

Fans across the Caribbean diaspora have accused the organization of damage control instead of accountability.

Public Reaction Across Jamaica and the Diaspora

The incident has unified Jamaicans worldwide, with thousands expressing:

Support for the contestant

Frustration at the lack of a wellness update

Criticism of the organization’s response

Demands for a more compassionate, transparent approach

TikTok edits, Instagram tributes, and X threads continue to trend as audiences wait for more information.

Until there is an official statement, fans will continue monitoring closely.

Why This Story Matters

Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 is more than a headline — she represents:

Caribbean excellence

Young women pursuing global dreams

National pride

Cultural storytelling on an international stage

Her journey is a reminder of the pressures that come with visibility, and the importance of empathy in moments of vulnerability.

What Happens Next

News Americas will continue tracking:

Updates on her health

Any statements from the contestant

Further responses from the Miss Universe Jamaica organization

Changes to pageant safety protocols

Her path forward to the Miss Universe 2025 stage

This story is developing, and this page will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.

Don’t Miss These Big New Caribbean Music Drops This Black Friday

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 29, 2025: Black Friday isn’t just about shopping deals – it’s also delivering a fresh wave of brand new Caribbean music. From high-energy soca to cross-continental collabs and roots reggae revival, here are the standout releases heating up the region and the diaspora this week in new music.

Elektra Riddim – Travis World x Machel Montano x Preedy

Travis World teams up with soca titan Machel Montano and hitmaker Preedy for the explosive Elektra Riddim, a two-track soca injection built for Carnival 2026.

Tracklist:

Dey-O – Machel Montano x Travis World

Gimme Waist – Preedy x Travis World

STREAM NOW

Check it out here

Machel Montano x Tempa x Travis World – Tempa Wine

A reimagined version of the Patrice Roberts x Machel classic, produced by Travis World and recorded between Trinidad studios. High-energy nostalgia built for 2026.

STREAM NOW

French Montana x Chronic Law – NY Girls (Remix)

A powerful Jamaica–Bronx fusion produced by CJTheChemist. Chronic Law’s grit meets French Montana’s swagger for a global street anthem that bridges cultures and continents.

VIDEO

Adrian Dutchin – Born and Grow

A heartfelt Guyanese roots anthem produced by KSBEATS & DLMuzik. Dutchin channels identity, resilience, and home.

Cholita & Skillibeng – Without You

Rising Jamaican star Cholita links with Skillibeng for a sultry dancehall–R&B fusion. After her global breakout with “Next Time,” this second single cements her star power.

Khalia & Natural High Music – Miracle

A bright, uplifting reggae record from the rising Jamaican singer, produced by Natural High Music. Another confident step in Khalia’s ascent.

Check it out HERE

Cathy Matete – We Won’t Be Silent

Kenyan reggae vocalist Cathy Matete delivers a stirring, spiritual call for unity and justice. A standout entry in the Roots Rock Reggae Riddim project.

VIDEO HERE

Jadel Legere – Permission (GBM Productions)

A bold, sensual groovy soca track from Jadel and GBM Nutron. Built for Carnival freedom, confidence, and pure energy.

STREAM NOW

Shuga – Montego Bay (Reggae Cover)

A soulful reggae reinterpretation of Bobby Bloom’s 1970 classic, produced by Donovan Germain and featuring Dean Fraser. Shuga honors her birthplace while previewing her Spring 2026 album Girl From Montego Bay. Preview HERE

FAVE x Dre Skull – Cold Outside

Nigerian hitmaker FAVE teams with Dre Skull for an Afro–dancehall glow-up anthem celebrating confidence, revenge, and main-character energy.

STREAM NOW

J’Calm x Nigy Boy x Tony “CD” Kelly – Emotions

Multi-talented Jamaican singer-songwriter and viral sensation J’Calm teams up with breakout dancehall star Nigy Boy and Grammy-winning producer Tony “CD” Kelly for the emotionally rich new single “Emotions,” out now on all platforms via K-Licious Music/DubShot Records.

Blending classic reggae foundations with J’Calm’s silky R&B phrasing and Nigy Boy’s soulful delivery, Emotions redefines modern Caribbean fusion — warm, honest, and pulsing like a heartbeat.

The single serves as the title track of J’Calm’s debut album, arriving January 9, 2026, and featuring major reggae figures including Ky-Mani Marley, Wayne Wonder, and Khalia.

Tony Kelly constructs a contemporary reimagining of the iconic Answer Riddim, originally introduced by Studio One’s Clement “Coxsone” Dodd in 1967. The refreshed 2025 version gives the young artists room to shine as they merge vulnerability, identity, and rhythmic storytelling.

J’Calm says the single reflects his journey of self-discovery: “This song is about knowing my identity, embracing vulnerability, and empathizing with someone who mirrors my experience.”

Nigy Boy — visually impaired and trained at the Salvation Army School for the Blind — calls the collaboration “an honor,” adding: “Tony Kelly is a legend. Working with him and J’Calm felt seamless.”

The official video, directed by Filmaica and filmed across Jamaica, showcases both artists delivering stirring performances layered with emotion and youthful intensity.

Producer Tony Kelly added: “J’Calm and Nigy Boy represent an exciting new chapter in reggae and dancehall. They are young, ambitious, and extremely talented.”

Emotions stands as a generational bridge — honoring Jamaica’s musical roots, celebrating its Golden Era, and boldly pushing Caribbean music into its next evolution.


VIDEO: Watch “Emotions”

Many Rivers To Cross: Jimmy Cliff, Jamaica’s Inner Cities And The Music That Raised Us

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By Nyan Reynolds

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Nov. 27, 2025: This week brought a kind of news that stops you where you stand. The great Jimmy Cliff passed away, and for many of us scattered across the Jamaican diaspora, his death felt personal in a way that is difficult to explain. You do not have to meet someone for them to shape your life. You do not need to shake their hand for their voice to guide you through childhood. Sometimes an artist becomes so deeply woven into your memory that losing them feels like losing a relative.

The late Jimmy Cliff (JimmyCliff.com image)

For me, that moment came when my mother called and said, “Nyan, Jimmy Cliff died.” She knows what his music meant to me. She knows what it meant to our home. She knows what it meant to the thousands of children who grew up in places where hope felt like a luxury and where struggle was the closest thing to normal. When she told me the news, it was as if the entire weight of my childhood stirred inside me. The world was rightfully honoring a global icon, but those of us who grew up in inner-city Kingston felt something even deeper. We were mourning the man who helped carry us through some of the hardest days of our lives.

Jimmy Cliff was a musician to the world, but to inner-city Jamaica he was something else entirely. He was the storyteller who made our pain “speakable.” He was the prophet who reassured us that brighter days would come. He was the familiar voice that traveled through zinc fences, wooden windows, tight alleys, crowded yards, and tiny kitchens filled with the smell of Sunday dinners. When he sang about rivers, rainbows, and sunshine, he was giving language to experiences we had no words for.

Circa 1997

To understand the depth of this loss, one must first understand the environment where Jimmy Cliff’s music took root. As a young boy growing up in Kingston, I lived in a house built from wood and secured by a roof of zinc sheets that rattled when the wind blew. Political violence had become a part of our backdrop. Poverty was not a passing condition but the frame through which we viewed the world. Our homes stood on fragile foundations of plywood and hope, and many of us were raised by mothers and grandmothers who stretched what little they had to keep us safe.

An example of a home in Jamaica 1990s

In those circumstances music was more than entertainment. It was survival. It was therapy. It was companionship. It was the only thing capable of lifting our spirits on days when everything else felt too heavy. Children of my generation learned to lean on music the way others leaned on social programs or safety nets. We did not have those. We had the radio. And on many nights, when the breeze moved softly through the wooden boards of our home, Jimmy Cliff’s voice filled the gaps between struggle and imagination.

His lyrics were not abstract poetry. They were reflections of the very world we were living in. When he sang “Many rivers to cross, but I can’t seem to find my way over,” he was not speaking metaphorically to children like us. He was naming the weight of poverty. He was capturing the exhaustion of families who fought for survival one day at a time. He was putting melody to the emotional and economic rivers we had to cross. Each verse felt like a confession we were too young to articulate, yet old enough to understand in our bones.

That song became an anthem for countless Jamaicans who felt stuck between where they were and where they hoped to be. It held the tension of wanting more but having so little, of dreaming big but living small, and of waking every morning with a heart that refused to give up. For those of us raised in inner-city Kingston, the line “This loneliness won’t leave me alone” was not simply a lyric. It was the reality of watching fathers disappear into the night, brothers get pulled into violence, and friends migrate only to become distant memories.

Jimmy Cliff sang into those wounds, and somehow his voice made the loneliness feel lighter.

Another song, “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” became the anthem of determination for Jamaica’s poorest communities. It reminded us that effort had value, even when opportunities did not. It encouraged the belief that perseverance could bend circumstances. Although the world often quoted the line “but you must try, try and try” as motivational advice, those words meant something different to a child who had to fight for everything, including joy.

Then there was “I Can See Clearly Now,” a song that captured the promise of better days with a simplicity only Jimmy Cliff could deliver. When he sang about the sunshine he had been praying for, those of us who grew up navigating danger, hunger, and instability knew exactly what he meant. We prayed for the same thing. We prayed for a break in the struggle. We prayed for a future that felt safer. We prayed for a day when our rivers would no longer feel so deep.

I often think back to those early years. I can still see my mother preparing dinner in our small wooden kitchen as Jimmy’s music rose from the radio in the corner. The house was simple, but his voice gave it warmth. There were times when I would sit near the window, listening to the sound of the zinc roof expanding under the heat, and for a moment the difficulties of life seemed manageable. Music has a way of coloring even the darkest memories. And Jimmy Cliff was part of the color that allowed many of us to hope.

As I grew older and eventually migrated, his songs continued to accompany me. They stayed with me through new challenges and unfamiliar worlds. Music like his becomes part of your identity, especially when it represents the place that raised you. It is no coincidence that I later wrote Echoes of Ska, a book that celebrates the early sounds of Jamaica’s musical evolution. I think, in many ways, the book was my way of honoring the artists who gave us something to hold onto when life felt unbearably heavy. It was a tribute to the men like Jimmy Cliff who shaped not only our culture but our resilience.

His passing forces us to reflect on the deeper metaphor in his music. Jimmy Cliff understood rivers, not just as bodies of water but as symbols of hardship, perseverance, and transformation. A river can be an obstacle or a path. It can separate or carry. It can drown or deliver. In our lives, we all face rivers that feel impossible to cross. For some, it is poverty. For others, it is violence, grief, trauma, or the quiet battles that no one sees.

Jimmy spent his life singing about these crossings. And in doing so, he prepared us for ours.

When I think of his death, I imagine the river he so frequently sang about. He has now reached the end of it. He has crossed the final stretch that no human returns from. For a man who carried the burdens of millions through his music, it feels fitting that his final rest is framed by the metaphor he gave us. He has reached the side where ancestors stand waiting. He has arrived at a peace he helped so many of us imagine during our hardest days.

The grief many Jamaicans feel today is layered. It is grief for an artist, yes, but also grief for a part of our past. Jimmy Cliff was one of the voices that shaped the emotional landscape of Jamaica’s inner cities. His music traveled through generations, binding families together through rhythm and resilience. His death reminds us of a time when struggle was all we knew, yet we survived because voices like his reassured us that our rivers could be crossed.

For the diaspora, the pain is unique. We carry our country in our hearts, not in our daily environment. When a cultural giant falls, the distance feels heavier. His music connected us to home even when home felt far away. Now that he has departed, the nostalgia grows louder. His songs become both memory and mourning.

As a writer, I feel a responsibility to honor his legacy. Echoes of Ska now holds a deeper meaning for me, because it reflects the very foundation Jimmy Cliff helped build. Without artists like him, there would be no stories to pass down, no cultural memory to preserve, and no soundtrack to remind us of who we are. His contributions shaped the platform from which many of us now speak, write, and create.

Jimmy Cliff’s journey has ended, but his music will continue to guide others across their own rivers. The melodies that once drifted through wooden houses in Kingston will keep traveling through generations long after all of us are gone. His voice will remain a bridge from hardship to hope, from sorrow to renewal, and from loneliness to the comfort of knowing that brighter days can and do come.

He has crossed over. He has reached the far side of the river he sang about. And for those of us who remain, the music he left behind will continue to light the way.

May his soul find rest. May his legacy live on. And may every child in Jamaica who still sits in a tiny wooden house under a zinc roof hear his voice and believe that they, too, can make it to the sunshine he promised.

Jimmy, you’ve crossed the river and from me to you, “here is the sunshine you’ve been praying for.” With love.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Nyan Reynolds is a U.S. Army veteran and published author whose novels and cultural works draw from his Jamaican heritage, military service and life experiences. His writing blends storytelling, resilience and heritage to inspire readers.