Latest news with #Kleiman
Politico
6 days ago
- Health
- Politico
US imposes visa restrictions on Brazilian officials for working with Cuban medical mission
Tabosa Sales and Kleiman worked in Brazil's Ministry of Health under former President Dilma Rousseff, when thousands of Cuban doctors were brought to the country to provide medical care in remote, impoverished areas. The State Department action reflects White House efforts to punish both Cuba and Brazil, which President Donald Trump has sought to pressure over trade and its effort to prosecute former President Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election. Cuba has for decades sent doctors abroad to provide medical care in less-developed nations in exchange for badly needed hard currency. The State Department said dozens of doctors reported being exploited as part of the program, which was administered through the Pan American Health Organization and Brazil's health ministry. The State Department said it also moved to revoke or restrict the visas of officials in Cuba, Grenada and Africa for involvement with Cuba's overseas medical missions. Cuban officials pointed out the benefits of the programs, highlighting how the country's doctors treated millions of patients in over 3,600 Brazilian municipalities. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio defended its efforts to provide medical care abroad, saying in a social media post that the country's programs 'are absolutely legitimate' and help to alleviate suffering.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Trump sanctions Brazilians, ex-PAHO officials over Cuban medical mission in Brazil
The Trump administration is imposing visa restrictions and revoking the visas of several Brazilian government officials, former Pan American Health Organization officials and their family members for 'their complicity with the Cuban regime's labor export scheme in the Mais Médicos program,' the State Department said Wednesday The sanctions target officials involved in a program under which former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff hired over 10,000 doctors from Cuba between 2013 and 2018 to provide services in Brazil's remote areas. The program received intense criticism after government records published in Brazil showed that Brazilian officials tapped the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO, to facilitate payments to Cuba and avoid oversight by Brazil's Congress. Several Cuban doctors who deserted the mission sued PAHO, claiming the organization benefited from a labor-trafficking scheme in which the Cuban government pocketed about 85 percent of the salary payments made by Brazil. The State Department did not say how many officials have been sanctioned but said it revoked the visas of Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman, two former Brazilian Ministry of Health officials who the agency identified as having played a role in planning and implementing the Mais Médicos program. 'Brazil's Mais Médicos program was a diplomatic scam that exploited Cuban doctors, enriched the corrupt Cuban regime, and was covered up by both Brazilian and former PAHO officials,' a senior State Department official told the Herald. 'Let there be no doubt, the United States will continue to hold accountable all individuals linked to this coercive labor export scheme.' Tabosa worked in the implementation of the Mais Médicos program as secretary of Labor Management and Health Education at Brazil's Ministry of is still a senior ministry official, working as the secretary of Specialized Health Care. During the years the Mais Médicos program was in place, Kleiman worked as a special advisor for the Ministry of Health and as the head of its international relations department. He later worked for PAHO as its director of external relations, partnerships and resource mobilization. He is currently holding a similar position at the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is one of the defendants in the Cuban doctor's lawsuit against PAHO. The State Department said that the sanctioned officials used PAHO 'as an intermediary with the Cuban dictatorship to implement the program without following Brazilian constitutional requirements, dodging U.S. sanctions on Cuba, and knowingly paying the Cuban regime what was owed to Cuban medical workers.' It added that 'dozens of Cuban doctors who served in the program have reported being exploited by the Cuban regime as part of the program.' The Herald sent comment requests via email to Kleiman and PAHO and reached Tabosa's office in Brazil by phone with a comment request. None responded. Since 2019, the US State Department has labeled Cuba's medical missions as 'forced labor.' The Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made the issue a policy priority, expanding visa sanctions against those involved in the Cuban medical missions, including foreign officials. In June, the Department imposed visa restrictions on unidentified Central American officials linked to the Cuban medical missions. The lawsuit against PAHO, which is still ongoing, alleges that the Cuban government pocketed about 85 percent of the money Brazil paid for the doctors' salaries. Brazil made the payments to PAHO, which retained a 5 percent fee, around $129 million, and forwarded about $2.5 million to Cuba's government, the lawsuit claims. The Cuban doctors who sued said part of the money received through PAHO was frozen in Cuban bank accounts until the doctors' return from the 'official missions.' The lawsuit also details how Cuban authorities, and sometimes Cuban government officials working for PAHO as 'consultants,' controlled the doctors' movements and seized their travel documents 'It is good news that the Department is beginning to enforce the law requiring visa sanctions for individuals who were involved in the Mais Médicos program, and it should vigorously enforce the law against every culpable party,' Sam Dubin, a lawyer representing the Cuban doctors. 'There is substantial documentation in the public record about Brazilian, PAHO, and Cuban officials who were responsible for the creation and enforcement of the Mais Médicos program, and the Department has undoubtedly uncovered even more evidence,' he added. 'The Cuban doctors I represent, who were trafficked to Brazil through PAHO's direct engagement, believe there is no justification for omitting any individual or organization from these Congressionally mandated sanctions.' The sanctions against the Brazilian officials will increase diplomatic tensions with Brazil. President Trump imposed a 50 percent tax on some Brazilian products over charges against former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been accused of a coup plot. And the Treasury Department sanctioned the Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes overseeing the case. This is a developing story. It will be updated.
NBC News
23-06-2025
- Business
- NBC News
How Fanatics is teaching business acumen to pro athletes
Sports merchandising giant Fanatics is aiming to build a training camp for athletes to prepare them for life off the field. More than two dozen NBA, NFL and NHL players participated in the company's Athlete Immersion Program this past weekend as part of Fanatics Fest in New York City. The program included three days of workshops on business, entrepreneurship, tech and more. 'This definitely opened my eyes,' said Cole Anthony, a guard for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. 'I'm already trying to do things on the business side with my partners, my family. It just motivates me more.' The 'coaches' for the business boot camp included Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Apollo Global cofounder and Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris, Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Boardroom cofounder and CEO Rich Kleiman. Aaron Donald, who retired from the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 2024 after winning the Super Bowl, has already begun a new career in business, including an ownership stake in sports nutrition company Ready. But Donald, likely a future Hall of Famer, said he was blown away by the all-star team of business leaders. 'I think it's one of hell of an opportunity,' said Donald. 'I'm in a room with guys running companies worth billions of dollars. How many opportunities are you going to get to do that? You have to take advantage of all of those opportunities and knowledge.' From big leagues to big business Fanatics launched the Athlete Immersion Program in 2023 and this year is partnering with Boardroom, a media and advisory company cofounded by Kleiman and NBA superstar Kevin Durant. 'I think it's great to be able to give them a bit of a blueprint,' said Kleiman. 'Being able to put them in the room with people that have the answers, that have done it, that lead industries. I think you get so much power and opportunity just from the information you get from watching, from learning and from being in these rooms and understanding how to move.' Kleiman pointed to former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, who made less than $3 million during his 12-year career in the league, but built a net worth of more than $1 billion after retirement primarily through investments in Wendy's, Pizza Hut and Chili's franchises and then later through Coca-Cola distribution. 'What he did, he's exceptional,' said Kleiman of Bridgeman, who died in March. 'He wasn't just a name. He actually built an operational team, built them up, oversaw them, and he was a tycoon of a business mind.' Fanatics Chief People Officer Toretha McGuire said the program is focused on helping athletes use their playing days, what they describe as their '1.0 career' to fuel their '2.0 career.' It's an experience similar to a business school with lectures, case studies and projects, in which each athlete creates their own limited-edition clothing line with vintage sports apparel company Mitchell & Ness, a subsidiary of Fanatics. 'They go through a base business case, we teach them business fundamentals, we take them through the Fanatics business case where we bring them to 2021 where Michael [Rubin] did a final capital raise and we basically say, 'What would you have done?'' McGuire said. Most professional athletes retire from playing when they're still young, she added. 'The opportunities they have in their 1.0 careers in terms of access and expanding their networks are going to be very critical,' she said. Graves, who founded the popular fried chicken chain Raising Cane's, spoke on a panel about the realities and challenges of entrepreneurship 'If you absolutely want to start a business, imagine how hard it is, multiply that by infinity to be able to make it work,' he said. 'You have to be passionate, you have to be in the details 100%. And you have to know what you don't know, right? So that is bringing in great people to try and grow it.' Aspirations after athletics The Athlete Immersion Program is meant to be a continuous learning opportunity through which players receive support, education and networking opportunities from Fanatics and Boardroom before and after they begin their business journey. The next session will be held in December for WNBA, NWSL and MLB athletes in the offseason. For Anthony, who was recently traded to the Grizzlies from the Orlando Magic, it's also shown him the real parallels between competing in sports and competing in business. 'The common thing with everyone who has spoken to us and I've been able to talk to one-on-one is that every person I met here has been a grinder,' he said. 'They make whatever it is they are passionate about, or what they are working on their priority. I think that's just dope to hear from other people I can relate to in that sense.' A decade ago, reports suggested 16% of NFL players ultimately filed for bankruptcy — a sign of the type of financial strain many professional athletes face and a cautionary tale of life after the game. But today, many of the people participating in the Fanatics curriculum believe opportunities like the Athlete Immersion Program can change the narrative — and their financial future. For Donald, who will be remembered as one of the greatest defenders in NFL history, the focus now is finding the greatest opportunities for the next chapter of his life. 'It would be silly for me to stop the hard work, discipline, the structure that got me to a certain point,' he said. 'I'm trying to build generational wealth for my kids.'
CNBC
23-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
How Fanatics is teaching business acumen to pro athletes
Sports merchandising giant Fanatics is aiming to build a training camp for athletes to prepare them for life off the field. More than two dozen NBA, NFL and NHL players participated in the company's Athlete Immersion Program this past weekend as part of Fanatics Fest in New York City. The program included three days of workshops on business, entrepreneurship, tech and more. "This definitely opened my eyes," said Cole Anthony, a guard for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. "I'm already trying to do things on the business side with my partners, my family. It just motivates me more." The "coaches" for the business boot camp included Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Apollo Global cofounder and Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris, Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Boardroom cofounder and CEO Rich Kleiman. Aaron Donald, who retired from the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 2024 after winning the Super Bowl, has already begun a new career in business, including an ownership stake in sports nutrition company Ready. But Donald, likely a future Hall of Famer, said he was blown away by the all-star team of business leaders. "I think it's one of hell of an opportunity," said Donald. "I'm in a room with guys running companies worth billions of dollars. How many opportunities are you going to get to do that? You have to take advantage of all of those opportunities and knowledge." Fanatics launched the Athlete Immersion Program in 2023 and this year is partnering with Boardroom, a media and advisory company cofounded by Kleiman and NBA superstar Kevin Durant. "I think it's great to be able to give them a bit of a blueprint," said Kleiman. "Being able to put them in the room with people that have the answers, that have done it, that lead industries. I think you get so much power and opportunity just from the information you get from watching, from learning and from being in these rooms and understanding how to move." Kleiman pointed to former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, who made less than $3 million during his 12-year career in the league, but built a net worth of more than $1 billion after retirement primarily through investments in Wendy's, Pizza Hut and Chili's franchises and then later through Coca-Cola distribution. "What he did, he's exceptional," said Kleiman of Bridgeman, who died in March. "He wasn't just a name. He actually built an operational team, built them up, oversaw them, and he was a tycoon of a business mind." Fanatics Chief People Officer Toretha McGuire said the program is focused on helping athletes use their playing days, what they describe as their "1.0 career" to fuel their "2.0 career." It's an experience similar to a business school with lectures, case studies and projects, in which each athlete creates their own limited-edition clothing line with vintage sports apparel company Mitchell & Ness, a subsidiary of Fanatics. "They go through a base business case, we teach them business fundamentals, we take them through the Fanatics business case where we bring them to 2021 where Michael [Rubin] did a final capital raise and we basically say, 'What would you have done?'" McGuire said. Most professional athletes retire from playing when they're still young, she added. "The opportunities they have in their 1.0 careers in terms of access and expanding their networks are going to be very critical," she said. Graves, who founded the popular fried chicken chain Raising Cane's, spoke on a panel about the realities and challenges of entrepreneurship "If you absolutely want to start a business, imagine how hard it is, multiply that by infinity to be able to make it work," he said. "You have to be passionate, you have to be in the details 100%. And you have to know what you don't know, right? So that is bringing in great people to try and grow it." The Athlete Immersion Program is meant to be a continuous learning opportunity through which players receive support, education and networking opportunities from Fanatics and Boardroom before and after they begin their business journey. The next session will be held in December for WNBA, NWSL and MLB athletes in the offseason. For Anthony, who was recently traded to the Grizzlies from the Orlando Magic, it's also shown him the real parallels between competing in sports and competing in business. "The common thing with everyone who has spoken to us and I've been able to talk to one-on-one is that every person I met here has been a grinder," he said. "They make whatever it is they are passionate about, or what they are working on their priority. I think that's just dope to hear from other people I can relate to in that sense." A decade ago, reports suggested 16% of NFL players ultimately filed for bankruptcy — a sign of the type of financial strain many professional athletes face and a cautionary tale of life after the game. But today, many of the people participating in the Fanatics curriculum believe opportunities like the Athlete Immersion Program can change the narrative — and their financial future. For Donald, who will be remembered as one of the greatest defenders in NFL history, the focus now is finding the greatest opportunities for the next chapter of his life. "It would be silly for me to stop the hard work, discipline, the structure that got me to a certain point," he said. "I'm trying to build generational wealth for my kids."
India Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Indian-origin professor suspended in California for supporting Gaza, sues university
An Indian-American professor of medicine at the University of California, Rupa Marya, was suspended for her social media posts about Israel's war in Gaza. The professor filed a lawsuit last week alleging that the varsity violated her freedom of speech by suspending Marya's social media posts included "expressing solidarity with the hospitals and healthcare workers that Israel was attacking in Gaza", NBC reported, citing court documents. Marya also alleged that she received rape threats for her comments on complaint stated that Marya "felt an obligation to speak out and did so using her X account". Marya, identified as an expert in decolonial theory, was placed on leave in September 2024 and had her clinical privileges briefly suspended by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) executive medical board following comments she made on X that questioned the impact of Zionism as "a supremacist, racist ideology" on healthcare, according to a report in The naming Marya directly, the university subsequently issued a statement stating such comments were a "tired and racist conspiracy theory" that "Zionist doctors were a threat to Arab, Palestinian, South Asian, Muslim and Black patients, as well as the US healthcare system" and should be condemned, The Guardian reported."UCSF's January 6 statement accused Marya of promoting a "racist" and "antisemitic" "conspiracy theory".advertisementThe board called her a "possible imminent danger" and cited social media posts, according to court documents. Her privileges were reinstated on October 15, NBC to her attorney, Mark Kleiman, Marya was fired last month. Kleiman said she was fired "despite requesting a hearing, which she was entitled to".RUPA MARYA RECEIVED RAPE THREATS: COURT DOCUMENTS"Firing Dr Marya doesn't only violate her right to free speech, it threatens all of us (sic)," NBC quoted Kleiman as saying."We all need to urgently speak up against these kinds of attacks on our basic rights to advocate for justice, and we expect the Court will agree with us that Dr Marya's rights have been violated and must be remedied (sic)," Kleiman to court documents, Marya received "rape and death threats" as well as "repeated harassment and threats" owing to her November 2023, the dean of UCSF's School of Medicine informed Marya that her social media activity would be reviewed to determine if it breached university to the court documents, "Her posts take aim at state policy and supremacist political ideologies, not at any religious or ethnic group."The varsity's spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing privacy completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California at San Francisco in 2007, was subsequently offered employment and joined the was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to the Healthy California for All Commission, to advance a model for universal healthcare in California, according to the University of California, San Francisco website.
