A former United States ambassador was arrested for allegedly spying on behalf of Cuba for over 40 years‚ the Department of Justice stated on Monday.According to a DOJ press release‚ 73-year-old Victor Manuel Rocha‚ a former U.S. Department of State employee‚ was charged with “committing multiple federal crimes by secretly acting for decades as an agent of the government of the Republic of Cuba.”Rocha‚ who was born in Colombia but became a naturalized U.S. citizen‚ began working for the State Department in 1981‚ served on the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995‚ and served as a U.S. ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002. During his employment‚ Rocha had access to nonpublic and classified information as well as “the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy.”According to the DOJ‚ Rocha “secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the United States by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s General Directorate of Intelligence.”“After his State Department employment ended‚ Rocha engaged in other acts intended to support Cuba’s intelligence services‚” the DOJ explained. “From in or around 2006 until in or around 2012‚ Rocha was an adviser to the Commander of the U.S. Southern Command‚ a joint command of the United States military whose area of responsibility includes Cuba.”During a series of meetings with an undercover FBI agent posing as a Cuban intelligence representative‚ Rocha boasted about his “decades” of work for the Cuban government.The undercover agent told Rocha he was “a covert representative” who had been directed “to contact you‚ introduce myself as your new contact‚ and establish a new communication plan.” Rocha reportedly responded‚ “Yes‚” the DOJ’s complaint claimed.During those meetings‚ Rocha allegedly referred to the U.S. as “the enemy” and called Fidel Castro the “Comandante” or “commander.” He also referred to Cuban intelligence contacts as his “Compañeros” or “comrades‚” the press release stated.The former U.S. official has been charged with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government‚ acting as an agent of a foreign government‚ and using a passport obtained by false statement.The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case. In a statement‚ Attorney General Merrick Garland said‚ “This action exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent.”“We allege that for over 40 years‚ Victor Manuel Rocha served as an agent of the Cuban government and sought out and obtained positions within the United States government that would provide him with access to nonpublic information and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy‚” Garland added.He further stated that Rocha “will be met with the full force of the Justice Department” for his alleged actions.FBI Director Christopher Wray also commented on the charges.“Like all federal officials‚ U.S. diplomats swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Acting as an agent for Cuba – a hostile foreign power – is a blatant violation of that oath and betrays the trust of the American people‚” Wray said. The Cuban Embassy and Rocha’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A large group of nicely dressed Chinese migrants with impeccable luggage were photographed attempting to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border into California.The migrants claimed that they were attempting to get into the U.S. after fleeing communist China. They can be seen wearing nice clothes and equipped with pristine luggage‚ unlike the majority of those illegally trying to get over the border. The group was processed after the illegal attempt to cross the border. — (@) The photographs of the migrants were reportedly taken near the town of Jacumba Hot Springs in San Diego County. The county is set to vote on Tuesday whether the county will spend $3 million in taxpayer money for migrant services. While those typically trying to get into the U.S. through the border come from Central and South America‚ there is now a trend of thousands from China attempting to get into the land of the free. The Daily Mail reported that over the 2023 fiscal year‚ which concluded in September‚ U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended 24‚048 Chinese citizens at the Mexico border. The number represents more than the ten previous years combined. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ripped into President Biden's "open border" policies‚ suggesting that they present an "existential threat" to the U.S.‚ according to Fox News Digital. He suggested that the nation should take on the border crisis in a similar way that he has around the Rio Grande‚ with buoys."It is extraordinarily dangerous because‚ first of all‚ as you point out‚ we have people from China coming here‚" Abbott said. "We also have people on the known terrorist watch list who are coming across the border. And so there's extraordinary dangers‚ calls to our country by Biden's open-border policies." "And obviously‚ Biden is doing nothing about it. And that's why Texas has to step up and apprehend as many of these people as possible to make sure that they're not posing a threat to our country. But this is a very serious existential threat to our country caused by Joe Biden. And that's exactly why Texas is taking extraordinary steps to try to crack down on it."Chinese migrants with hopes of reaching the U.S. have made use of Panama's Darien Gap jungle that has gradually become more popular‚ given that there are now social media posts and videos that provide tips on how to navigate it.During the first nine months of the year‚ Chinese people were the fourth-largest nationality to be making use of the Darien Gap‚ after Venezuelans‚ Ecuadorians‚ and Haitians. The United Nations has estimated that China will lose approximately 310‚000 people through emigration strategies this year. This is dramatically higher than in 2012‚ when the number was just 120‚000.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It's been Stewart's dream of making an album of the songs that were‚ in many ways‚ the rock 'n' roll of their day The post Rod Stewart Teams With Jools Holland For ‘Swing Fever’ Album appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

The recording sessions were plagued with problems‚ but Paul McCartney and Wings made the best of it. The result: one of his most beloved LPs. The post Band on the Run: The LP That ‘Saved’ McCartney appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

What is the best Destiny 2 Hunter build? Season of the Wish‚ for Hunter mains at least‚ is going to go back to basics because they are now the stars of any DPS strategy thanks to some cracked artifact mods and a rework of one of the most treasured exotics in the game: the Celestial Nighthawk. Destiny 2’s developer promised fans a revamp of Stasis for Season of the Wish‚ and to Bungie's credit there are a couple artifact mods that will make icy Hunters happy. The real star of this season‚ though‚ is undoubtedly Solar with five must-have artifact mods that not only give incandescent to every Solar weapon and cause a lot of ignitions but also weaken champions and bosses and multiply super damage. Continue reading Best Destiny 2 Hunter build for Season of the Wish MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes‚ Destiny 2 Lightfall review‚ Destiny 2 builds

What is the best Destiny 2 Warlock build? Warlocks in Destiny 2 have come to expect to have to bring a Solar build to end game content all the time. Now‚ with the release of Season of the Wish‚ it’s going to be almost mandatory to rock a Well of Radiance when the challenges get tough because‚ with just 5 artifact mods‚ any Warlock can become an unstoppable killing machine. This six-month long season was supposed to be the triumphant return of Stasis with a few reworks and some well managed balancing to aspects and fragments. Instead‚ Bungie has made Destiny 2 Season of the Wish the most Solar-focused the space game has ever seen‚ just take a look at the artifact mods. Continue reading Best Destiny 2 Warlock build for Season of the Wish MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes‚ Destiny 2 Lightfall review‚ Destiny 2 builds

What are the best Warhammer 40K games? While Games Workshop’s licensing history has been pretty sporadic on the fantasy front‚ the grim darkness of the far future is one place the company has consistently experimented with regarding digital adaptations. It should be no surprise to fans that the best Warhammer 40K games ever made are from eons ago. Still‚ after a brief wobbly spell in the middle‚ we’re finally getting some decent digital grimdark adaptations of the physical tabletop game that come close to the quality of those classics. Genre variety is a big thing here as we're also being treated to space games and even action-adventure RPGs. We’re not here to highlight our ancient battle brothers of 40K games of yore - they’ve had their time in the sun. Instead‚ we want to highlight the best Warhammer 40K games that have been released in more recent times. Continue reading Best Warhammer 40K games on PC 2023 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best FPS games‚ Best Warhammer games‚ Best Warhammer 40k games

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the ideal western game. Sprawling‚ beautiful‚ and full of little details that make the cowboy lifestyle feel tactile and real‚ Rockstar’s open-world opus proved a shot in the arm for the entire genre. On the surface‚ RDR2 and Stalker‚ the apocalyptic PC classic from 2007‚ might seem like a strange mix‚ but a new Steam FPS game‚ already boasting a ‘very positive’ rating as it leaves early access‚ offers the perfect blend of Stetsons‚ stealth‚ and scares. If you’re psyched for Stalker 2 and want a superb shooter to play in the meantime‚ the answer is Blood West. Continue reading Red Dead Redemption 2 meets Stalker in new FPS blowing up on Steam MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games‚ Best western games‚ Best indie games

There's no denying the unique brand of cutesy charm that Cult of the Lamb offers‚ but I'm glad we're safe from it in the real world. At least‚ I was. Now‚ I shudder at the thought that a PC now exists out there featuring the likeness of the titular Lamb. It can even be yours‚ if you're feeling brave enough to have it as part of your gaming space. Continue reading This cursed Cult of the Lamb PC could be yours if you’re brave enough MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming

One thing we can confidently say about the games released in 2023 is that there were some true graphical showcases added to our collections. Some of these gorgeous gems included Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's neon goodness‚ Forza Motorsport's flashy photorealism‚ and the deep‚ moody hues of Alan Wake 2. We've truly been spoiled for visual feasts this year‚ but for those wanting to treat their eyes to even more retina-based revelry‚ OLED gaming is a surefire way to make every one of these games look even better. Continue reading How the LG OLED Flex makes stunning games look even better MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty review‚ Best Cyberpunk 2077 mods‚ Buy Cyberpunk 2077