hemisphere affairs on the strategy behind the president's significant shift in u.s. policy towards cuba. assistant secretary jakobson is joined at the witness table by ambassador thomas shannon. a far cry from the time decades ago when it was the most prosperous countries in the region. the cuba policy initiative has been welcomed in latin america and the caribbean. but significant differences which we'll hear today, of opinion exist in the united states. over the extent to which change in this change in policy will advance u.s. interests and improve circumstances for the cuban people. today, we look forward to our witnesses to speak to how our nation can best interact and help cuba rejoin the mainstream and offer its citizens the same rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens of other countries and regions. to this end, our witnesses can help us understand that administration's policy goals. with regards to cuba. what do they intend to achieve and relaxes sanctions? we would also like to hear their assessment of what the cuban government goals are for engage ng this process with the unit

states and cuba to have channels of communication between our two governments. diplomacy will make this possible. the cuban policy put the united states in the right path. we must remain clear eyed about several issues and we must continue to speak out about them. we cannot ignore the cuban government's record of human rights or human trafficking. every month there are way too many cases where the cuban government jails political activists for what they believe in, what they say publicly. freedom of expression must be central to all of our engagements with the cuban government. i know he led a human rights dialogue with the cuban government earlier this year. and i welcome our witnesses' comments on this development. mr. chairman, as i said initially, we do welcome the witness that's are testify today. i thank you again for this opportunity for our committee. chair corker: thank you very much. now i will -- our first witness is the honorable roberta jacobson. she is the assistant secretary for state for western hem is sphere affairs. assistant secretary jabcobson established diplom

on capitol hill for future of u.s.-cuba relations. we'll be hearing from roberta jackson. she is president obama's point person for implementing changes in u.s. policy since at announced new initiatives a couple months ago and has been negotiating with cuba for months to re-estabilsh diplomatic relations. senator bob corker is the foreign relations committee chair. and this is live coverage on c-span3. >>> senate foreign relations committee will come to order. thank you guys. thanks for your interest. today we'll hear from the state department's assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs on the strategy behind the president's significant shift in u.s. policy towards cuba. assistant secretary jacobson is joined at the witness table by the counsellor of the state department ambassador thomas shannon. we welcome you both. cuba has been left behind politically and economically, a far cry from a time decades ago when it was among the most prosperous countries in the region. administration administration's cuba policy initiative has been welcomed in latin america and the caribb

making determination under section c-3, democratic elected government in cuba is in power. the president shall upon determining the democratic elected government of cuba in power submit that to determination to the appropriate congressional committees. let me first ask. as the president made a determination that a democratically elected government in cuba is now in our? >> the president has not taken actions under those aspects of the libertat act. so he is not invoked that part working out the libertat act to take the actions he's taken. >> he simply doesn't feel like he has to refer to the libertat act? what is he doing it is not basically lifting the embargo? what is this? >> i think the president has made very good that congress is the only body that can lift the embargo, and as he said in his state of the union message he called on congress to do so. therefore, these make clear that you have the authority to lift the embargo. >> what's he doing? it seems like a lifting of embargo to me. >> what he is taken our executive actions and regular changes within the executive's pu

economic estrangement between the u.s. and cuba a lot of issues piled up. there are glimmers of light, the door is only open halfway, and it may take a while before we reach a cuban resolution. it? that's tonight's "inside story". >>> welcome to "inside story", i'm ray suarez. last year the united states and cuba announced the two governments would begin the process of reopening relations shut down half a century ago. there has been delegations to havana and washington, long negotiations on pending issues, and a very slow thaw. currently there's no american embassy or ambassador in havana, or a cuban ambassador in washington. more americans are making their way to cuba, even with the embargo in space, and on the streets of havana, anticipation and speculation about the future are rising. >> reporter: time seems to move slower in cuba, shielded from its giant neighbour by the half senturery-long u.s. embargo, and a centralized government only allowing change when it thought the time was right. now change is the main topic of conversation. raising hopes, expectations and fears. th

many are looking for the intervention of the holy father in this new relation between cuba and the united states that is taking place after the words of the two presidents of both countries in december about a new diplomatic relation and the possibility to take off the embargo by the united states. it was important. and the key role the holy father has laid -- has played in this dialogue. i am sure i have known that the holy father himself, his interest creates a new relation between countries and peoples in order to have the conflict resolved by dialogue. charlie: we are now looking most recently a visit by raul castro to the vatican where he said maybe he's coming back to the church raul castro? he in panama met with the president obama, and the pope is coming to cuba. how did it start? you played a role. cardinal: there are some previous contacts that speak to the possibility of the dialogue between the holy father and president obama. charlie: that is where it started. cardinal: in april or may of last year 2014 because it was a good guy with obama, the holy father has told me

>> rose: welcome to the program. tonight, cardinal jaime ortega of cuba. he and pope francis worked hard to bring the united states and ba closer. in the real life and the real story of the relationship tween cuba and the vatican, the three popes have played a role. at the moment -- the moment has come for this last pontificate of pope francis with his own quality to play in this role at this moment because the histories like that, the moment and the pope for the present time. >> rose: we conclude with james taylor, his new album is called "before this world." >> there is a period of song writing where ideas emerge and sometimes, if you're lucky that will be an entire song in one initial event but usually you end up with bits and pieces and fits and starts and you need to get alone with them, spend empty time working on them, court the muse, whatever that means, and finish them up. >> rose: cardinal ortega and james taylor next. >> rose: funding for "charlie rose" has been provided by: >> rose: additional funding provided by: >> and by bloomberg, a provider of multimedia news and in

foreign relations committee held a hearing on the relationship with cuba. state department officials discussed the aims of the talks and the potential for human rights reforms in cuba. senator bob corker chairs this hearing. [inaudible conversations] will senator senate foreign relations committee will come to order. thanks for your interest. today re will hear from the state department secretary of affairs on the strategy behind the president's shift of u.s. policy toward cuba the assistant secretary is joined at the witness table by the counselor of the state department's ambassador thomas shannon. we welcome you both cuba has been left behind politically and economically a far cry from decades ago when it was among the most populous countries in the region the administration's cuba policy initiative has been welcome in latin america and the caribbean. but significant differences which we will share to day of opinion in the united states over to the extent of which the change of policy one finance u.s. interest to improve circumstances for the cuban people. to david look

this country toward cuba? >> certainly, the president's made clear that what we want is a democratic prosperous and stable cuba, which i think is similar to what's in that act. question of our own national security should always be paramount in our decision making. >> ambassador shannon, i was struck by your comments about your attitude that democracy and freedom is flourishing in central america. certainly we have good examples, colombia, because of courageous leadership. i'm not seeing a lot of democracy flourishing in venezuela or cuba, from that standpoint. can you help me out in terms of what you're talking about? >> there's no doubt that democracy's not flourishing in cuba. and it's part of the president's effort to pursue a new approach to see what more we can do to help the cuban people begin their own political opening. as we look back over the last several decades, what's important to remember and acknowledge about our hemisphere is this was a region that was largely ruled by authoritarian government, some military, some not, but which has found through its commitment to hu

. >>> removing a major obstacle. the white house takes cuba off the list of state sponsors for terror. the two countries closer to diplomacy. record breaking rain fall with more on the way. >> i've never seen so much rain in my life. >> rescues over towns evacuated as rivers continue to rise. >> details in the federal indictment of former house speaker. reports that money was paid to cover up sex abuse. >>> and reelect... >> i'm not perfect, noble is perfect -- nobody is perfect. we'll do a good job for sure. >> f.i.f.a.'s president chosen for a record fifth term. the boat showing deep divisions in the world of international soccer >>> good evening, i'm barbara serra, this is al jazeera america. a major road block to normalizing relations between the united states and cuba is gone. after a 45 day waiting period, the u.s. has officially removed cuba from a list of state-sponsored list of terrorism. cuba made it a key condition. it paves the way for both countries to open embassies in each other's capitals and could lead to greater trade between the nations. the decision came as a surprise the m

states and cuba? >> this is the onl you guys are the experts. >> no sir. >> this is the only bilateral relationships? i'm not aware of any war between. nations and the americas hour to concentrate now between nations. am i right about that? >> you are correct. c and the only civil war and their securityci challenges obviously of many kinds because we are 35 nations in a billion people but the only civil war in the region now has the war between the colombian government and farc and the smaller terrorist organization currently subject to negotiation that cuba is hosting for the u.s. is playing a role company and thepe government, correct? >> that's correct and we are notconflic accompanying that have the special envoy nowt >> and it's also the longest-running civil conflict in the hemisphere.my >> i don't want to get ahead of myself but if that negotiation works out positively and we are then, we have the ability of the two continents all wa americans without work, without civil war and without war between nations that would be pretty unusual in the history of these two continents woode

negra, estados unidos retira a cuba de la lista de paises que patrocinadores de terrorismo,. . y de la pantalla al campo seguimos pasos a una sÚper estrella de lagos las novelas que no olvida su raÍces campesina campesinas. este es noticiero telemundo con josÉ dÍaz-balart y marÍa celeste arrarÁs. >>> cÓmo legales de skwapsdecÍamos texas sufre estragos de tormentas, esta vez la ciudad mÁs afectada fue dallas donde cientos pasaron horas varados en carreteras". >>> hoy aviso de lluvias severas esta noche, en wor el rÍo colorado apunto de des desbordar. >>> augusto... >>> buenas tardes este mes de mayo ha sido el mÁs lluvioso en la historia de texas 35 mil millones de galÓnes de lluvia han inundado el estado aquÍ en texas, anoche cayeron casi 7 pulgadas de lluvia causando pÉrdidas materiales. fue una noche caÓtica en dallas cientos rescatados al quedar atrapados en su vehÍculos cuando carreteras se convirtieron en rÍos por lluvias. >>> tenÍa miedo, no sabÍa quÉ hacer, llamÉ a mi esposa dice este hombre que estuvo horas atrapados, equipos de resaca trabajaron toda la

america. i'm david shuster. coming up today the obama administration formerly removed cuba from the state state sponsor list of terrorism. >>> one police officer have been rescued. the search of victims keeps ending in heartbreak. >>> and what has happened to baltimore. police officers say they are they are afraid to try to make arrests. >> we begin this hour, a very big step from the obama administration in the u.s. relationship with cuba. fay secretary of state john kerry formerly removeed cuba from the state list of terrorism. mike viqueira joins us live from washington explain the significance of this move, and what happens next? >> reporter: well, david, it was a major impediment of formalizing relations after president obama's dramatic announcement. he had met with raul castro president of cuba at a latin americaen summit in panama. and shortly after that historic handshake and meeting, president obama announced he would be removing cuba from a list of state sponsor of trim kept by the u.s. ghost.. congress had a right to challenge the move but it did not do it. the two countr

cabrera, thanks. >> he is the man credited with bringing the united states and cuba together and now, for the first time since that relationship thawed, pope francis sits down with cuban president raul castro. >>> prince looks to the memories of michael brown and freddie gray for inspiration in a new song. ugh... ...heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm... amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. or wonder whether i shouldthe seek treatment.f hep c. i am ready. because today there's harvoni. a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. harvoni is proven to cure up to 99% of patients who've had no prior treatment. it's the one and only cure that's one pill, once a day for 12 weeks. certain patients can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. with harvoni, there's no interferon and there are no complex regimens. tell your doctor if you have other liver or kidney problems, or other medical co

journalistic microscope. cuba set to come in from the cold. what will it mean for the island's news media survivor - the "charlie hebdo" cartoonist that has had enough >>> and taking the rap for being addicted to mobile phones. we begin with the coverage of a story that broke four years ago this month, the killing of osama bin laden. from the day may 2nd, 2011, u.s. president obama revealed the news that there have been varying acts of what happened, including a few cracks in the narrative. most of the media told washington's version of story, as did hollywood. it has been challenged by a reporter. he reported that it wasn't the case of chasing osama bin laden. according to hersch a pakistani intelligence officer gave up osama bin laden. he did it for the reward money, and the pakistani government new that the raid was coming and had kept al qaeda prison are. hershbergers's journalism came under attack, and the response consistent come from the obama administration or congress, but the u.s. press core. we'll examine why that is, why with the story murky from the beginning, why it's

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. the u.s. removes cuba from the state sponsored terror list. a significant step in warming relations with havana. hastert allegation he. s. to silence a sex abuse allegation. new documents and allegation of forgery in an emotional case of a mother who says her baby was ton plus john pizzarelli, his surprising collaboration with paul mccartney. >> considering how long the two takings have been at odds, the relations in the last two weeks are remarkable. relations once strained are now close to normal. washington dropped the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. reaction was swift and as you will see subdivided especially over the issues of fugutives from justice wanted by cuba or the u.s. morgan radford is in miami tonight, morgan. >> that's right john. as you mentioned a lot still has to be done when it comes to the exchange of wanted and accused criminals. but at the heart of the reaction right here in little havana is one question, what has cuba done to warrant being taken off that list? i talked t

between the u.s. and cuba. the discussions are focused on reopening embassies. one state department official says the two sides are closer than they have ever been now that president obama has moved to take the nation off of the list of state sponsors of terrorism. raul castro says he expects an exchange of ambassadors by thinged of the year. the decision is already having a big effect on the tourism business. airlines are adding direct flights between the two countries and american tourists are already flocking there. ♪ >> reporter: for cubans and u.s. citizens alike, there is little doubt tourism would benefit from normalized relations. heavy restrictions make it difficult for people to visit. >> the history here is unbelievable. >> reporter: cuba has lock been a destination for travelers from europe and canada and international tourism here is big business. a select few u.s. tourism companies are licensed to operate here. >> for us in the industry it's a phenomenal destination. it's like an answer to prayer for the real traveler the person who longs to discover places in the wo

. franÇois hollande calls for an end to the u.s. embargo on cuba. the french president meets with fidel and rival castro on his visit to havana. greece borrows from an emergency fund to pay the imf. we asked if greases again lurching towards default. and one anonymous fire has a lot of cash on hand. he or she has set a new record in the art world, paying over $179 million for a painting by pablo picasso. that and more on the way, but for startup story. -- first come our top story. genie: first for you now, this news out of nepal where a new earthquake has hit the nation. it has been registered at 7.3, a few points below the major quake that struck the region less than three weeks ago, killing a thousand people and destroying hundreds of thousands of homes. the latest numbers today say that close to 20 were killed, almost 1000 injured. the number looks due to rise. reporter: less than a month after huge earthquake devastated the nation nepalese citizens have again been confronted with another large tremor. >> this was a jolt just like the big one last month, although it was not that long. i

>> off the terrorist. cuba and the united states take a step closer to normal diplomatic relations. >>> reflected. seth blatter wins a fifth term despite the enormous candles surrounding him. and stepping up, kenyan grandmothers go back to school so they can help give young orphans hope. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm barbara serra. we begin tonight in havana. the obama administration has taken the historic step of removing cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. the reagan administration put cuba on that list in 1982. president obama paid a visit to a symbolic shrine in miami. and secretary of state john kerry officially changed cuba's status. this goes an away from democratic and possible economic ties between u.s. and cuba. we go to havana where cubans are welcoming the news. >> there is another obstacle removed. it's something that had to happen as far as the cubans were concerned. there would be no progress without cuba coming off the list. the sense of cautious optimism is here and excitement about the future as well. but a cautious optimism. remember this i

francois hollande becomes the first european president to visit cuba in decades. sold to the highest bidder. new and wealthy collectors drive up the price of art as a picasso masterpiece becomes the most expensive painting sold at auction. good evening this is al jazeera america, i'm antonio mora. we begin tonight with this week's summit of persian gulf states in the u.s. six members of gulf cooperation council will meet with president obama in camp david. the ongoing crisis in yemen and the nuclear crisis in the middle east. saudi arabia'ssaudi arabia's king salman is staying home to deal with the ceasefire. josh earnest says it is not a snub. >> we'll be confident that the ones representing saudi arabia at the meeting will not only be able to represent that country but also implement any resolutions from that meeting. >> mike viqueria, president obama and king salman talked today by phone. how much have we learned about why he decided not to come? >> we have the official explanation cited by josh earnest, that king salman wanted to stay in saudi arabia and monitor the ceasefire goi

. maÑana se esperan mÁs lluvias y la pesadilla no ha terminado. jorge: cuba y estados unidos dieron otro paso importante para reestablecer sus relaciones diplomÁticas. washington retirÓ a la naciÓn caribeÑa de la lista de paÍses que patrocinan el terrorismo. >> la decisiÓn del presidente obamamantiene abierta la herida. dice que es una bofetada a quienes luchan por los derechos humanos de la en isla y que obama lo da todo a cambio de nada. >> es una decisiÓn que tiene mÁs que ver con la polÍtica can con la justicia. >> pero apoya el presidente insiste que es un gran paso para cambiar una polÍtica que en 50 aÑos no funcionado. >> no hay justificaciÓn para mantener a cuba la lista. el presidente bush sacÓ corea del norte y alivia de la lista cuando era presidente entonces mantener la cubana tenÍa una justificaciÓn, ya era el momento de actuar. >> la decisiÓn allana el camino para que cuba puede realizar mÁs transacciones financieras y haya mÁs comercio entre los paÍses. tambiÉn que paulatinamente se permitan mÁs viajes a cuba. >> cuba no ha apoyado a ninguna organizaci

will bring faster connectivity and more quality connectivity to the people of cuba, i'm convinced of than the technology is there, senator rubio points out. it's a matter of making it available and the people of cuba will demand that. and let me just also point out in regards to the libertat act. it provides forlysining authority by the administration which is common in these types of legislation. there are certain authorities who are included in the act. i look forward to a robust discussion in the committee. chairman, i would yield the time to senator menendez. >> i see senator martin is here. i'll wait. >> senator martin. >> thank you. mr. chairman, very much, welcome and thank you for all of the good work which you have done. over the years there's been a clearly an isolation from our country that cuba has had to live with. and i very much appreciate this administration's attempts to normalize relations. i think it is important and step in the right direction. and i think the actions which you're taking beginning to make it possible for us to envision a day where we truly have no

conflict that's killed thousands. >>> and cuba's president thanks pope francis for helping to end the diplomatic deep freeze with the u.s. ♪ ♪ >>> hello, less than 24 hours from the start of a sees fire in generally. more cities have come under heavy bombardment from saudi-led air strikes. the city near the southwest board earn of yemen came under renewed mortar fire last name last week eight people were killed by shells launched by houthis after that the saudi-led coalitions said the houthi rebels had crossed a red line. let's go now to yemen's foreign minister who is joining us on the line from saudi arabia's capital riad. thank you for being with us, sir. i want to ask you first about the late ate tacks and specifically this reported attack on the former president saleh's home you said that he's pretty much out of the picture now f that's the case, and the houthi rebels are clearly not in any sort of discussion at this point, who is is there left to deal with in yemen there has to be a political solution to this in the end doesn't there? >> yes. first of all, let me tell you th

constitution to allow same-sex marriage >>> the u.s. and cuba take a step forward in repairing diplomatic relations. >> how both sides are working hard to iron out circumstanceses and did thes. >> a diplomatic twist playing out in the heart of new york city's times square. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america i'm barbara serra. and i'm antonio mora. coming up in this half hour of international news - protests in chile, as the president tries to address the country's trouble. >> and a week before talks, no sign of peace in yemen >>> first a look at the stories across the u.s. in the american minute >>> the senate is moving forward with a bill giving president obama fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals, sweeping way for a pacific trade agreement that is a top priority of the president. senators will look at amendments, a vote tomorrow. >>> a vote in the senate to reform government surveillance programs is this week. ed freedom account will limit bulk collection of phone records. and the patriot act finishes this week unless extended >>> the man driving the gyrocopter p

closer economic ties with cuba during his current visit with the country. he met the president of the cuba-japan parliamentary friendship league on thursday. he's the first japanese foreign minister to visit the country. he said he believes there are bright prospects for relationships between their two countries. cuba is in the process of normalizing relations with the u.s. and japanese businesses have growing expectations that cuba will become an attractive investment destination. gutierrez said he welcomed the visit and expressed his intention to help strengthen ties. he's to meet cuban foreign minister who is in charge of cuba's international trade. >>> members of the opposition parties are speaking out against a pledge made by prime minister of japan, shinzo abe. on wednesday, abe spoke about his plans for the country's new security rules in a joint meeting of the u.s. congress. >> reporter: abe outlined a timeline to enable the country the right to collective self-defense. >> we're determined to enact all necessary bills by this coming summer. >> reporter: chief cabinet secretary

they announce initiatives with defense security. >>> france is going to help cuba drill for oil, exploration deal announced by the french president francois hollande and the first western european leader to visit in 29 years and called on the united states to lift the trade embargo which crippled cuba economy and we have more. >> reporter: untying the eyed logical knot 12 years after they froze political and cultural ties with communist cuba in response to arrest of 77 people and french president francois hollande is here to declare let by gones be by gones. >> translator: taking place in a context which at last it's possible for cuba to have all the necessary conditions to interact with the rest of the world. as you know france has been in favor of lifting the u.s. embargo that hinders cuba. >> reporter: speaking at the university of havana it's clear he wants to take a leadership role in a renewed cuba eu dialog and has mad latin american one of the foreign policy priorities but it's not just political, both france and holland are teamed to position themselves economically ahe

president's meeting with former cuba leader fidel castro in havana. ♪ ♪ ♪ hello again and you are watching al jazeera and reminder of our top store i haves nepal shaken by another big earthquake and 29 killed and more than a thousand others injured. nepal was devastated by a major quake two weeks ago which killed more than 8,000 people. [gunfire] heavy gunfire in burundi during a protest against the president, demonstrations against pierre nkurunziza to run for a third term entered a third week. indonesia navy commanders warning boats carrying migrants will be sent back 2000 refugees have landed in indonesia and malaysia in the past 48 hours. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has arrived in russia where he is meeting with putin in the resort city of soshi and his first visit there since the start of the ukraine crisis and kerry also expected to discuss iran and syria. allies of murdered opposition leader have unveiled a report which they say proves russian army presence in ukraine. let's get more on this from rory who is live for us in soshi, pretty damning report rory if it's tr

cuba sit down again trying to hammer out their differences over reopening embassies in washington and havana. plus isil takes control of a strategic ancient city, now the u.s. is sending more weapons to help in the fight. >> . >> this is al jazeera live from new york city. parts of california's pipeline are closed today after a big oil spill now the governor has declare add state of emergency crews are combing the shoreline. so far, they have scooped up about 7500 gallons of oil but upwards of 105,000 gallons leaked to a pipeline ruptures onshore, jacob ward joins us live. that is just outside of santa barbara. and jake, what's the latest oen the clean up effort there. >> well, tony what we are seeing here is over 300 contractors paid and trained workers who have come to the beach here to help basically clean it by hand, if you can imagine a job as hard as that. there were volunteers trying to make their way here to do this kind of work, but it -- they were warned away by rangers here that said not only could they perhaps pose a threat to wild life here, but the actual petroleum p

technology. this is obviously an artistic rendering. it is a rendering of the rough riders arriving in cuba. we will talk about this towards the end of the lecture. the reason i staith this image is that it captures in some ways the perception that americans have of themselves in this. where they are bringing the railroads. they are bringing maturity. they are bringing modern economies to a monitor places. they are doing it with the military. this should echo the civil war for you. this is a lincolnian vision. the civilized north is bringing its power, economy, and ideas to a place where it is not yet civilized. this is important because it is happening in america's backyard. it is both a continuation of the northern republican civil war program of lincoln and it is also now an expansion and taking of that program to a new set of places. there is continuity with the development of american power in american ideas from the end of the civil war. there is also now a transaction -- injection beyond the limits of before, and part of the capabilities that we discussed in prior lectures. the abili

. >>> 21 minutes after the hour. the pope meeting with cuba leader raul castro. surprising comments from the cuban leader. that's next. >>> a special meeting at the vatican. cuban leader raul castro offering thanks to pope francis for the key role he played in the u.s. and cuba relations. we have more details with ben wedeman. >> reporter: good morning, christine. that was the purpose of the visit that raul castro was to make to thank the pope for his role with the deadlock in the united states and cuba. the big surprise was when afterwards during the press conference with the italian prime minister raul castro came out and said the following, i told the prime minister the italian prime minister if the pope continues to speak like this sooner or later, i will start praying again and i will return to the catholic church. i'm not saying this jokingly. i'm a communist of the cuban communist party. we know that karl marx described religion. and perhaps raul castro took a few tokes of the opium himself. perhaps this was the most important meeting of his entire life. it is not clear when

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visit to cuba. i'm lucia newman in havana. >>> welcome back, a quick reminder of the top stories. saudi arabia moved tank and vehicles towards the southern border with yemen. reinforcements were send after two were killed, including a saudi national. a saudi proposed ceasefire was due to start on tuesday. >>> the international organization has been asked to find migrants stranded at sea, at risk of death. thousand were detained in bang including dozens of children >>> the european union asked for help to tack the smuggling. they demand military action to destroy votes. >> greaseece's government will face a cash crisis. the finance minister are meeting in brussels to complete the cries chris. >> it promises to be smalla long, tense summer in greece, the protests are small now, they could grow bigger if the left-wing government is forced by lenders to compromise on austerity, in return for a much-needed bail out. the european central bank and i.m.f. are not progressing to unlock aid, but there is skepticism about a plan offered by athens. >> reporter: some important issues have bee

have moved into cuba more quickly than almost any other u.s. business. give us an update on how business is going there and will you be able to open it up to cuban hosts soon? have, 40 days ago, we lost in cuba with 1000 homes. .oday, we have 2000 homes these are cuban homes. if you want to travel like cuba and be in a home and part of a local community, i think this is the best way, to travel to cuba. president obama has the desire to bring these two communities together pair what better way than actually in their homes, a really important thing to do. the other thing we do is allow cubans to become much -- micro-entrepreneurs. they can earn an income. it is not something we invented. they are existed in cuba were people rented their home. and allowe it easier an audience of americans to be able to stay there. emily: cuba could be a huge potentially untapped revenue stream not just for you but other u.s. businesses. what will it mean for airbnb's bottom line? brian: i think cuba will be incredibly important. i do not know exactly. it is so new and i do not want to speculate on

between the u.s. and cuba mediated during secret negotiations. it led to the surprise announcement that washington and cuba would work toward resuming diplomatic ties after 50 years of tension. >> correspondent lucia new man is in havana. >> the cathedral is full for a mass to ordain two new priests. if the catholic church is suffering from a lack of priest worldwide, here the shortage is even more acute. decades of restrictions by communist authorities have taken their toll. the church is still not allowed regular access to the mass media, but now under president raul castro, the government is making modest but significant changes. as president castro meades with pope francis this weekend to discuss the pontiff's upcoming visit, new churches are being allowed to be built and a few old ones actually being returned. i asked the head of cuba's catholic church what he expected from the pope's visit. >> it's natural that the pope will reaffirm the church's desire for cuba to open up to the world and world open up to cuba he is specialty as the upon till has participated in the dialogue

. inundaciones en tejasestados unidos retiro oficialente a cuba de la lista de paises que apoyan el terrorisoel trono de joseph blatter esta blindado contra crisis y escandalos... gano un qunto periodo como presidente de la fifa, pese a descubrirse una red de corrupcion durante su gestininvestigan quien apunto con rayos laser a cuatro aviones que volaban sobre nueva york...esta considerado delito federal. >> este es su noticiero univisiÓn con jorge ramos y marÍa elena salinas. jorge: buenas noches y comenzamos con tormentas en texas. aumentÓ la cifra de muertos, y por la extensiÓn de las inundaciones se declarÓ zona de desastres en 24 condados del estado. >> las inundaciones recobran fuerza en el centro y sur del paÍs. en dallas las Últimas horas han estado marcadas por dramÁticos rescates. uno de los hechos mÁs sorprendentes fue cuando este oficial se dio obligado a abandonar su patrullero y atarse una cuerda de un helicÓptero. >> las aguas estÁn subiendo muy rÁpido y fuerte. nosotros no podemos hacer nada para detener las. >> imÁgenes similares se registraron en oklah

. formerly removes cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism list. >> hello there a warm welcome to this hour. seth blat, r has beener has been voted in as president of fifa. he received 133 short of the 140 votes. now fifa is in its worst-ever crisis targeted by u.s. and swiss authorities in separate corruption investigations. >> well, in his acceptance speech seth blatter spoke to the dammed reputation. >> i'm not perfect. nobody is perfect. but we'll do a good job together i'm sure. i thank you so much for the confidence together we go, let's go fifa. let's go fifa. thank you, thank you so much. thank you. [applause] >> earlier his defeated challenger thanked supporters as he we drew from the race. >> it's been a wonderful journey in terms of knowing you working with you seeing the challenges you have. i want to thank you in particular those of you brave enough to support me. but having said that i'll be withdrawing from the race. thank you very much, i wish you for the best of luck in the future. [applause] >> and our correspondent in zurich analyzing the day's events. >> the vo

relations committee held a hearing this week on the future of u.s.-cuba relations as the countries continue negotiations toward establishing permanent diplomatic missions. assistant secretary of state roberta jackson by thomas shannon to testify about policy objectives and ways to ensure human rights objectives are met. this is just over two hours. >> the senate foreign relations committee will come to order. thank you guys. thanks for your interest. today we'll hear from the state department's assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs on the strategy behind the president's significant shift in u.s. policy towards cuba. assistant secretary jacobson is joined at the witness table by the counsellor of the state department ambassador thomas shannon. we welcome you both. cuba has been left behind politically and economically, a far cry from a time decades ago when it was among the most prosperous countries in the region. administration administration's cuba policy initiative has been welcomed in latin america and the caribbean. but significant differences which we'll hear toda

come to an end over restoring diplomatic relations between the united states and cuba. >>> and we revisit gaza nearly a year after much of the area was destroyed by war. >>> 34 year old daryle wint was taken into custody overnight suspected in the killing of a family and their housekeeper. he once worked at a business owned by the owner of the home. >>> a second day of negotiations between the u.s. and cuba wrapped up a short time ago in washington. discussions have been focused on reopening embassies in washington and havana. thing the negotiations have opened the door towards more u.s. tourists heading towards cuba. now americans are flocking to see a country that has been officially off limits for 50 years. ♪ >> reporter: for cubans and u.s. citizens alike, there is little doubt tourism would benefit from normalized relations between the two countries. >> it's fantastic. the history here is unbelievable. absolutely unbelievable. >> reporter: cuba has long been a destination for travelers from europe and canada and international tourism here is big business a select few u.s. t

historic visit to cuba, i'm lucia newman in havana. i'll tell you what this means for both countries. plus we'll tell you about a world tour for cartoonists. more on that - stay with us. >> on hard earned, what would you do? >> the army is the last resort but i will do anything necessary for my family... >> when you're running out of choices... >> maybe i should become a nun... do nuns smoke? >> and your back's against the wall... >> i have a problem... i don't speak english... >> hard earned pride... hard earned respect... hard earned future... a real look at the american dream hard earned only on al jazeera america >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. saudi arabia moved tanks and vehicles towards the southern border with yemen. the reinforcement killed two. the ceasefire is due to start later on tuesday. the international organization for migration called on nations to fight and rescue migrants believed to be stranded at sea and at risk of death. monday malaysians detained thousands of migrants. including

the united states and cuba. lucia newman is in havana. >> reporter: the cathedral is fuel for a mass to ordane two new priests. the surgeon is suffering. in cuba it's all acute. the church is still not allowed access to the mass media. now under the president, the government is making modest but significant challenges. as castro meets with pope francis to discuss a visit to cuba, new churches are allowed to be built and old ones allowed to return. i asked the head of the catholic church what he expected from the pope's visit. >> translation: it's natural that the pope will reaffirm the churches desire to open up to the world, and the world open up to cuba. the pontiff participated in the dialogue between the united states and cuba. >> pope francis will be the third pontiff to cuba in 13 years, a lot considering that cuba is a small country in an area not so strong. cuba awakened an interest not property organisationate to its side. this visit is particularly did not >>> in macedonia five police officers have been killed and more than 30 injured in a gun battle with an armed group. er

town in the province. >>> the u.s. formally removes cuba from its state sponsors of terrorism list. >>> median march seizing another boatful of migrants. the southeast asian nations agree to step up search and rescue efforts. >>> warm welcome to the program. sepp blatter has been re-elect as fifa president for a fifth term despite football world's governing body in the grips of an unprecedented scandal. blatter got 133 votes athe fifa congress in zurich just short of the 140 votes needed to avoid a second round of voting. his challenger from jordan got just 73 votes but con seated defeat. fifa is targeted by u.s. and swiss authorities in separate corruption cases. sepp blatter said he willed restore the damaged reputation. >> i'm not perfect. nobody's perfect. we will do a good job together i'm sure. so i thank you so much. i thank you for the trust and confidence trust and confidence together we go. let's go fifa! let's go fifa! thank you so much. thank you. thank you. >> earlier his defeated challenger thanked supporters as he withdrew from the race. >> it's been a wonderful jour

deal to put down their arms after a conflict that has killed thousands. >>> cuba's president thanks pope francis to for help ending the diplomatic deep freeze with the united states. >>> we begin with news out of yemen. and morocco state news agency is reporting a fighter plane taking part in the saudi-led coalition against the houthis is missing. it was an f-16 similar to the one here, it's not known if the pilot ejected. morocco helping in the early campaign with six fighter jets. >> yep's former president has announced an alliance. there has been a small sign of deposit natural i can practice he is,. >> reporter: it's the first time the saudi-led co since has targeted yemen's former president saleh. the former saudi ally was unharmed in at tack and remains defiant. >> translator: you should continue carrying your arms, revved toy sacrifice your lives in defense against these ba lidge rants attacks. i can describe this aggression as an act of power. if you are brave enough come and face us on the battlefield. come and we will be at your reception, shelling by rockets and jet fight

no longer an option and won't be until the war ends. >>> the united states has dropped cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. the decision to remove the caribbean state from the list is a key step towards restoring diplomatic tees between the two countries, which has been suspended for 54 years. we've covering the story from both sides from washington, d.c. and havana. let's begin with patty culhane. what does it mean? >> we knew that u.s. president barack obama had decided to take cuba off the list of state sponsors of terrorism. he can't do it alone. he had to give the congress 45 days to try and reject the move. that expired today, so now cuba is off the list in large part because u.s. businesses lobbied hard. they want to see this normalization happen. so basically what happens if you're on that list, there's four ways it affects a country. first, it can pro hiblt the u.s. from given certain kinds of financial assistance. it prohibits companies from selling weapons to cuba. the bigger category was dual use. anything used for a women or commercial uses had to be banned