Greg Gianforte, a Montana Republican, was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management classes for assaulting reporter Ben Jacobs. The incident occurred the night before Gianforte won a seat in the House of Representatives. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and received a six-month deferred sentence, along with a fine. Legal experts and organizations commented on the sentence, with some expressing discomfort and concern over the implications for press freedom and the treatment of reporters.

The recent detention of Cuban dissidents highlights the ongoing repression of free expression by Raúl Castro's government, despite minor openings in the press-freedom landscape and the potential positive impact of the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations. The Cuban government's history of imprisoning independent journalists and labeling them as U.S. mercenaries is challenged by the move towards diplomatic ties. The U.S. has attempted to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba, sometimes controversially. The normalization could benefit journalists and freedom of expression, but Cuba must make significant human rights reforms to improve its free-expression record.