How a Rhodes Scholar with ties to Cuba's president organized the convoy that brought Hasan Piker to Havana

This article is the third installment in a three-part Fox News Digital investigative series examining allegations that the Communist Party of Cuba built and cultivated transnational influence networks inside through nonprofits, activist organizations, solidarity campaigns, labor unions, educational exchanges and political delegations.

"I hit my friend up, David Adler, and I was like, 'What do we do?'" Piker recalled in an online interview. "And he's like, 'I'm already working on it.'"

What followed, according to Piker's own account, was the assembly of a transnational convoy that brought hundreds of activists, politicians, journalists and organizers from dozens of countries to Cuba, delivering an estimated 40 tons of supplies as part of a campaign branded "Nuestra América Convoy," or "Our America Convoy."

The requests sought travel records, communications and financial records related to Cuba activities, including possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities.

But an analysis of hundreds of hours of Piker's livestreams and interviews compiled by computer engineer Jennica Pounds, a data scientist known online as "Data Republican," repeatedly points to a lesser-known organization that played a central role in planning the mission - Progressive International, run by Piker's friend, Adler.

"What makes Progressive International so dangerous is that, by co-opting progressive values, it provides political legitimacy to authoritarian regimes with longstanding records of repression and gross human rights violations and whose purpose is to destroy the United States," said Gelet Martinez Fragela, a Cuban American journalist based in Boca Raton, Florida.

"That is precisely the propaganda strategy of the Cuban regime, which has historically used solidarity groups and activist networks as cover to build alliances, raise funds and maintain power while continuing to embed itself within illicit and anti-democratic networks around the world," she told Fox News Digital.

Progressive International is one of the most important of the 145 nonprofits, labor groups, advocacy organizations and activist collectives that Fox News Digital identified as part of a network, mobilizing in support of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba. Together, the organizations report about $1 billion in combined annual revenue. They are rallying this week to run to the streets in support of Cuba if the U.S. wages military action on the country.

Today, Adler leads a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Progressive International Exchange Inc., based in Calabasas, California, with EIN 93-3021918. Its most recent IRS Form 990 reported only $261,039 in annual revenue and $215,772 in net assets. It isn't clear if the U.S. nonprofit is related to the "Progressive International" coalition, which is based in Athens, Greece, coordinating massive mobilizations, like the Cuba convoy, conferences and public actions. Progressive International and Adler didn't respond to a request for comment.

At the center of the organization is Adler, who was born in Encino, California, graduated from Brown University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and trained at Oxford University as a political economist. He previously directed policy for Varoufakis' "Democracy in Europe Movement," known as "DiEM25," and served on Sanders' foreign policy advisory team before becoming Progressive International's general coordinator.

According to public records, Adler occupies an unusual position inside the Cuba solidarity movement, with close ties with the Communist Party of Cuba. Last year, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel publicly intervened on Adler's behalf when Israeli authorities detained him when he joined a flotilla to Israel, supposedly carrying "aid" to Palestinians in Gaza. A Jewish American, Adler shared a video of himself from the boat awkwardly calling his parents to tell them that he was on the flotilla to Gaza.

In much the same way, the convoy to Cuba was blasted around the world from Havana with an anti-U.S. propaganda theme, criticizing America's "imperialism."

During the convoy's visit to Cuba in March, Adler could be seen in a VIP seat beside Diaz-Canel as the president listened politely to Adler and later pumped his fist in the air during an event sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, known as ICAP.

A spokesperson from the Embassy of Cuba told Fox News Digital that it isn't engaged in any operations of malign foreign influence and is simply trying to protect the state's sovereignty.

"That fact that Mariela Castro has a position of power with Progressive International is not insignificant," said Martinez Fragela, the Cuban American journalist. "In plain terms, it means that a member of the Castro family, a senior figure within the Cuban Communist Party, a member of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power and part of the broader Cuban political apparatus is involved in guiding the direction of the organization."

In one interview, Piker described himself as "good friends" with Progressive International organizers. In another, he identified Adler and Varoufakis by name when discussing the organization. Adler later appeared on Piker's livestream, where Piker described him as "someone who I have the honor of calling a comrade."

Adler replied, "Thanks, brother. It's a pleasure to be here."

The organization's role in the March convoy was extensive.

The Nuestra América Convoy wasn't a spontaneous jaunt. Progressive International described it as an international operation involving approximately 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The mission combined charter flights, maritime flotillas and aid shipments carrying food, medicine, medical supplies and solar panels to Cuba.

Piker documented part of the operation himself and part of his defense against scrutiny for making the trip to Cuba is that he went as "a journalist."

"Shout out Code Pink, Answer Coalition, Progressive International," Piker said. "They set up a flight with medical aid, solar panels, food, numerous things that the Cuban population desperately needs."

"I had talked to Ben Rhodes prior to going," Piker said. "And he said to me, like, 'You're going to be very sad when you see it.'" Piker repeated the story in multiple interviews and public appearances after returning from Havana.

The convoy itself reflected a model that has existed inside the Cuba solidarity movement for decades.

Investigators examining the modern Cuba solidarity movement increasingly view the Nuestra América Convoy as the latest evolution of that infrastructure, using the cover of "humanitarian aid" for political advocacy, propaganda generation and distribution and activist networking in a single international operation.

The trip to Cuba was only one part of Progressive International's activities.

In October 2025, when Adler participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, he was detained by Israeli authorities after vessels attempted to challenge Israel's blockade. Following his release, Adler appeared on Piker's livestream and described another Progressive International initiative known as The Hague Group.

"One of the things that we do at the Progressive International is help to coordinate a group that's called The Hague Group," Adler told Piker's audience. He described it as a coalition of countries committed to taking action on behalf of international law and the Palestinian cause.

By March 2026, The Hague Group had grown into a coalition of approximately 40 countries coordinated through Progressive International's organizational infrastructure.

The overlap illustrates how the same organization that helped bring Piker to Cuba also operates across a broader network of international campaigns involving Cuba, Gaza and anti-sanctions activism.

Federal investigators aren't examining protected political speech. Across thousands of transcripts, Piker consistently described the Cuba trip as a "humanitarian" mission and repeatedly stated that participants traveled under procedures authorized by Treasury. He has publicly maintained that he signed OFAC paperwork and complied with federal requirements.

Instead, investigators are examining communications, financial records, travel logistics and possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

For investigators, the significance of the convoy extends beyond a single influencer's trip to Havana.

The March convoy that brought Piker to Cuba represents one of the most visible examples of that system in action, say Cuban Americans challenging the regime.

And, to them, Piker's "comrade," Adler, represents a critical part of the network trying to keep communism alive in Cuba.

Fox News Digital's Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.