Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Clash on UN General Assembly Floor Ahead of Embargo Vote

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla shouted at each other on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, after Rodríguez left his seat and approached the podium while Waltz was speaking and called him a liar. Waltz had been accusing Cuba's leaders of enriching themselves while their people suffered. He showed photos of the late Fidel Castro wearing two Rolexes, a luxury the Daily Mail put at roughly $40,000, and of President Miguel Díaz-Canel wearing a Rolex. Waltz said that sum would equal 55 years of an average Cuban wage by the regime's own statistics. Rodríguez called a point of order, citing Rule 71 of the General Assembly's procedures. The president of the General Assembly tried to restore order and reminded delegates they would get a chance to respond. Waltz told Rodríguez to "back up" and said he would not be intimidated in the United States. The clash came as the U.N. prepared to vote on whether to condemn the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Rodríguez has accused the U.S. of pressuring other countries to vote against condemnation.

The New Republic, on the left, frames the clash around the embargo vote and Cuba's humanitarian situation. It cites the fuel blockade, the collapse of Cuba's medical system and a doubled infant mortality rate, and it notes that Waltz attacked Cuba's leaders even as the U.S. keeps blocking fuel. It also explains Rodríguez's procedural argument under Rule 71. Fox News and the Daily Mail, on the right, lead with Waltz's lines, including "back up," "This isn't Havana" and "You cannot silence me." They feature his allegations of elite wealth and the Rolex photos, and the Daily Mail adds that an aide was attacked and cites video from the New York Post. Neither right-leaning piece, in the excerpts provided, mentions the humanitarian figures. All three agree on the basic sequence: Waltz's speech, Rodríguez's approach to the podium and the shouting. They differ over whether Waltz or the embargo's effects is the main story. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left- and right-leaning outlets had.