experiencing headaches, loss of balance and brain swelling even. let's discuss this now cnn, havana-based correspondent patrick oppmann. who has happened, dating as far back as november? >> reporter: that's right. u.s. officials tell us closing of of the u.s. embassy is hardly imminent but there's real frustration among officials in havana and the state department in washington, d.c., they don't have answers about what happened and 21 u.s. diplomats and families have been seriously affected by something that investigators still do not understand, that somebody or someones have had access to a new type of weapon, sonic weapon that emitts a sound wave, sometimes audible, sometimes not, that has been used against diplomats in their homes here in havana, sometimes late at night while asleep in bed and the way it's worked is that they hear this loud sound that's been described as something like an alarm clock, something like insects very loud, like metal scraping across the floor, but if you left the room, it would stop, fred, and that be exposed to this sound, this suspected sonic weapo

u.s. embassy in havana, cuba. take a listen. >> on cuba, some senators suggested closing down the embassy there. should that happen? >> we have it under evaluation. it's serious with respect to the harm that individuals have surfed and we brought should have those people home. it's under review. >> den diplomats have experienced headaches and brain swelling. cnn correspondent, to you first. these reports that there have been the sonic >> absolutely t sounds strange but something the united states government is taking seriously and frustrated about. the most recent number is 21 u.s. diplomats and family members and a number of canadian diplomats have been affected, it began last year in november when u.s. diplomats began feeling strange symptoms that would strike them suddenly and if they left a room it would stop. some of the symptoms are mild traumatic brain injury, permanent hearing loss, loss of balance, severe headaches brain swelling and cognitive disruption. what would happen they would be at their homes late at night and suddenly hear something on occasions very loud noise

heart of what matters. >> officials in cuba say a tornado struck the capital city of havana. strong winds damaged a number of public and residential buildings there. it caused flooding in havana and several provinces. just a bit to the north, dangerous wintry weather is headed to the united states. look at that in watertown, new york. 50 million people in the midwest and south are facing heavy snowfalls and cold weathers. forecasts warn that the cold could be life threatening in some states. if you believe in traveling to atlanta, preparing for the super bowl, it's wintry weather all around. >> expect to see about 1 million people go to atlanta with the game on sunday. in advance of it, the coldest weather of years. i want to show you what's happening across international falls and northern minnesota. that's the icebox of the u.s. low temperature sunday morning at minus 46 degrees fahrenheit. the previous record low was minus 36. if you are curious, the coldest they have seen is colder than that, minus 55. how does it feel? what does it boil down to? well, let's talk about this. whe

figure and friend. students at the university of havana are expressing the same sentiment, chanting i am fidel. and praising fidel castro as a revolutionary. >> came here and struggle of that, that we actually had some value and with unity, we can make any change possible. he was not home an example to cuba but the entire world. >> in miami, quite the contrast, crowds are cheering castro's death and that's where we find our boris sanchez, tell us more about the contrast of how people are behaving there in miami versus what elian gonzalez is now saying. >> reporter: fred, it's hard to believe that both these groups of people are reacting to the death of the same person. there's a dj here that set up speakers and a huge crowd here. it's got a considerably bigger since the last time we spoke to you but it's important to point out this is a third or fourth of what we saw yesterday and night before. obviously, there's elation here and there's a tremendous amount of relief, something that people here have been telling us that they've been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. th

door to door checking on people. you know, this storm had such an impact. not just here in havana where it wasn't even felt at its stronger but further down the island where it came in soy powerful, houses were flooded and blown over and only beginning to you toic a full accounting of the destruction that irma wrecked on cuba. >> patrick oppmann, so fascinating. irma hit cuba two days ago and it's taken two days to get out to see all the damage that was done, patrick, our thanks to you and for your coverage of what is going on down there. here in the united states, still getting a sense of how much irma did. where the area of need is and where irma is heading next. cnn about to hear from brock long, the director of fema. stay with us. we'll be right back. you know who likes to be in control? this guy. check it out! self-appendectomy! oh, that's really attached. that's why i rent from national. where i get the control to choose any car in the aisle i want, not some car they choose for me. which makes me one smooth operator. ah! still a little tender. (vo) go national. go like a pro. sfx:

, like many others in cuba, are in mourning. live pictures of havana right now. boris sanchez born in cuba joined me in miami. you're seeing the real contrast of people who are celebrating the death there in miami in contrast to people who are in mourning in havana. what is being said by elian gonzalez now an adult about the late fidel castro? >> i mean, that story, the elian saga encapsulates the polarity that people feel about fidel castro, the contrasting views and celebration going on here in miami right now is about a third, maybe a quarter of the size of what it was yesterday. still people playing music, waving flags and holding signs. some with mementos of family members that passed away and couldn't be here. a lot of people in the exiled community were looking forward to for a long time. compared to cuba, it is completely different, nine days of mourning, somber tone and what you hear from elian gonzalez who says he looked up to fidel as a father figure. listen. >> translator: he is a father who like my father i wanted to show him everything i achieved. that he would be proud

race, but new polls show he's in the lead. >>> washington and havana officially restart diplomacy after 54 years. >>> welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm zain asher. >> great to have you with us i'm john vause, this

coast. cnn "newsroom" starts right now. now we go to havana, cuba. >> patrick oppmann is live from hava havana. he is the only u.s. tv correspondent live in cuba. he is there talking about the death of fidel castro. this picture you're seeing right there, the last public picture that we have of fidel castro that was taken just ten days ago. patrick, here is what i want our viewers to understand is so extraordinary about your presence there. this happened overnight. many people there weren't watching television. some people don't have internet. so when you asked them their reaction for about the death of fidel castro, you were essentially telling them at that moment he died they did not know. that is an stroort position to be in. help us understand what their reactions were. >> reporter: yes. and i have to say having lived here for five years you run through how this is all going to play out the scenario you expect of this major news event that you expect one day to cover. never did i think that it would involve me telling cubans that this really icon of their entire life, someone w

kinds of microwave weapon. patrick oppman is following the developments for us in havana. patrick, microwave weapon? can you explain that? >> reporter: yes. well, you know, there are weapons that do exist unconventional weapons that use radiation, microwaves. and they concentrate them and they can used for crowd control, to anti-mitchell defense to psychological warfare. the question is is whether or not they were used in cuba or china. the jury is still out on that. initially when the story broke out almost last year, the first incident was reported almost two years ago. initially u.s. officials once they sore of but together the beginning falling six here in cuba they felt a sonic weapon could have been used. high pitched sound waves. >> right. >> now they have discountsed that, saying that doesn't work and they believe it's the microwave weapons because that fits with the concussions and other head injuries that occurred with essentially no physical trauma. that is one theory, the leading theory. i have come from meeting with a cuban investigator and they say that doesn't fit w

say sing? >> reporter: people have been pouring out into the streets in little havana since the news of his death was first announced. the streets have been festive. many people celebrating the death of fidel castro. gloria estefan said, the death of a human being is rarely cause for celebration, she tried to explain why these people out here are celebrating today. the grip of castro's regime will not loosen overnight, the demise of a leader that oversaw the annihilation of those with an opposing view, the discripple nat jailing of innocents, the separation of families and the censure of his people's freedom to speak, state sanctioned terrorism and the economic destruction of a once thriving and successful country. people know that his death will not have an immediate impact on life in cuba. many people see it as the beginning of the possibility of bringing democratic change to the communist island. that is what they want to see here. although, many people also tell you that until raul castro is no longer in power or has also died, that those changes that they have been wanting to se

storm making a big right-hand turn somewhere either close to havana or east of ha a havana. here is where the storm is, now on puerto rican radar. very heavy squalls hitting the northern part of puerto rico. i have heard sir richard brandon will ride this out. i hope he changed his mind. u.s. virgin islands here to the south, st. croix, farther away from the eye itself, there will be significant damage. we did have barbuda in the forecast. we went to 155 miles per hour. we have no idea how high the wind actually got. it was gusting to 185. it probably got there. no communication from that island for the last six hours. we do not have a crew there because we knew how dangerous it would be. waiting for official word out of that island. turks and caicos, you are next. it moves to the northeast of puerto rico. the strongest winds in puerto rico, maybe 120. you are not in the eye proper. not that far away. you will get a lot of danimage 120. there's the eye and the center. where it turns, i'm afraid by 120 hours no one truly knows. this is the big question. we all know where it's going f

half after negotiations first began, gross was able to embrace his wife judy who flew to havana to take him home. judy gross was joined by a team of congressmen. >> on the airplane back, as we finally crossed into u.s. air space, you saw him give a big hoorah. >> we were flying there and watching some of the news on the airplane, and i said, you know, alan, you're free. he got up and threw his arms around me, hugged me. >> reporter: then a phone call from the president to congratulate him on his freedom. >> i spoke to him on his flight. he said he was willing to interrupt his corned beef sandwich to talk to me. needless to say, he was thrilled. >> u.s. officials say this will move fairly quickly. they want to reopen the embassy in cuba as quickly as possible. and some trade will be allowed right away, things that deal with the telecommunications, for instance, opening up the internet there which has largely been blocked. i went on one of the early exchange visits under the obama administration in 2011 to cuba, and at the time, some trade in food was allowed. i went to an exposition

. >> the havana streets were quiet as people found out the leader who toppled and dictator and ruled over the island nation for nearly five decades has died. in miami's little havana, a different scene. ♪ ♪ >> cuban exiles who escaped his regime dancing and singing on the streets, popping champagne corks and waving the cuban flag. they remember a dictator who imprisoned and executed opponents and brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. cnn's ed lavendera joins me from little miami. what kind of things are you hearing, what stories? >> reporter: well, this is a cause for celebration here in the heart of little havana. we're standing in the middle of calle ocho. this has long been that heartbeat of little havana. this is the versailles restaurant. just after midnight, people started hearing the news that castro had died. they flooded the streets. this has been a decades-long gathering spot where cuban immigrants have gathered to argue and debate the future of cuba. it's no surprise they would flock here. i want to bring in roberto who left cuba in the early '60s, part of what was

many months to restore full relations between washington and havana. we'll get to this. this is a great detail to make sure that this deal didn't leak at the last minute, you had these u.s. diplomats down in havana. they tossed some huge party tuesday night for reporters to make sure the press would be out late drinking and not sniffing around for scoops. may or may not have been a tough sell as far as journalists go. carlos gutierrez, served in a presidential cabinet under president bush. mr. secretary, pleasure to have you on. >> pleasure. thank you. >> first, just personally for you, your family left cuba when you were six. have you been back at all? if not, when private citizens can go, would you take the trip? >> i haven't been back. i would love to go back when someone with the last name of castro is not in charge. i would like to go back under a cuba that's not a repressive communistic dictatorship. >> this is reaction from republicans that's pouring in. you are a republican. this appears to be the blanket opposition to this whole notion of burying the hatchet with havana.

in havana tonight. the president making a huge trip, very, very monumental. historically. but practically speaking what does he want to accomplish on the ground? >> reporter: in about 24 hours from now poppy, he will step off air force one with the first family. the first sitting president to visit a post-revolution cuba. it's going to be a blur these days visiting old havana, the center of the city, having meetings with raul castro, speaking directly he said with the cuban people. and we had the opportunity just a few hours ago to sit down with the chief cuban official who deals with the united states, led the normalization process, says yes, while there will be cultural events for president obama, to reach out and speak to crowds of people, there are also going to be very serious frank discussions about the differences that still exist between the united states and cuba. >> speak frankly and openly about the differences that we have. but not with the pretension that we will change you or you change us. it will be finally up to our population with our sovereign to decide what

story #myfreedomday. >>> the embassy in havana will remain at minimum staffing as it has been for six months. >> relations between the two countries have been on the decline. cultural exchanges are at a standstill. patrick has more from havana. >> cuba's dance company -- the new with the traditional. it plays sold-out shows all over the world. until 2017, many were in the united states. increasing tensions between the u.s. and cuba made it impossibility for cubans to receive u.s. visa's. the founder and director doesn't know when they will perform again in the u.s. for me, those times have already gone by. we can't go backwards, she says. we have to sit down and find a solution because it's the people, not the governments that are paying the price. last september, the state department pulled most of its diplomats saying officials were targeted and they were left with hearing loss. the cuban government denied a role in the attacks and u.s. officials may be suffering from hysteria. they announced they won't return to cuba, calling on the cuban government to solve the mystery of the heal

with how people in havana are responding to his passing. >> reporter: a muted and subdued response to the news that fidel castro has died. we have seen this play out over the weekend. we have not seen an out pouring of grief or any real emotion taking place on the streets. you get the sense people are being very cautious. trying to figure out what they can and can't do. what they should and shouldn't do. that is something cubans in havana are trying to figure out whereas the government says it's officially beginning the process of a nine-day mourning period with the ashes and remains of fidel castro who was cremated. not many hours after the official announcement was made friday night that he had died of the age of 90. there will be a procession of people who come to the plaza of the revolution. this is the plaza where popes have held mass and this is where 10s of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of cubans are expected to appear and show their -- pay their respects. after that the remains of fidel castro will be caravanned from havana to santiago to cuba on the far east of the

announce that both countries will reopen their respected embassies in washington and havana. >> for more than 50 years, cuba and the united states hasn't had formal diplomatic ties. jim acosta has more on this new relationship. >> it has been in the works for months. now the reality of ending cold war tensions with cuba is fast approaching. senior administration officials say they will announce later this morning they have reached an agreement to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in havana and washington. for now both governments have only had small intersection offices but they will be full-blown embassies. the president and secretary of state john kerry will have more to say on this later in the morning and kirby may travel to havana for the opening of the embassy. >> that's something we are entertaining right now. i don't have anything specific to talk to you in terms of his travel right now. what we are focused on is less the travel schedule and more the effort here in achieving the president's objective of restoring diplomatic negotiations with cuba what tha

will travel to havana this summer to formaly reopen the american mission. >>> investigators in taiwan have released their findings in february's crash of transasia flight 235. they say the plane's pilot shut off the only working engine after the other one lost power. 43 people were killed in the crash. >>> in indonesia, an investigation is underway in to what caused a military plane to crash killing at least 135 people. the president is also calling for a review of the military's aging fleet, which had trouble in the past in 2009. another krrk-130 crash killed scores of people. >>> the military says it is 100% in control after isis militants killed 17 of the soldiers and wounded 30 others. the militants simultaneously raided five check points on wednesday. the egyptian military said it killed 100 terrorists. >>> there's still confusion and uncertainty in greece ahead of sunday's referendum on the country's financial future. as you see here in these live pictures people are lining up outside of banks, once again today, hoping to get their hands on their own cash. a couple of arguments

says it has more diplomats in havana than any other single country. the intersection is the front line in the u.s.-cuba conflict. the cuban government built this massive stadium to hold demonstrations against the united states. former u.s. diplomat vicky huddleston remembers seeing fidel castro leading demonstrations. >> with a stone i could have thrown it and hit fidel. we have always been the best of enemies. there is always this relationship. there's a trust underlying. i'm not going to out out with my stone and throw it atrophy fidel, am i? >> reporter: an electronic ticker was installed on top of the building in 2006. >> we decided we would talk over the heads of the regime by putting the moving billboard in the top floor of the windows inside our building computerized and to their surprise one day we started off with why can we go to your hotels and you can't. >> reporter: cuban officials put up rows of flags to cover up the messages. diplomacy won out and the flags and the ticker were taken down. there have been fewer demonstrations since fidel castro left power in 2006. u.

of cuba's capital are quite with very little activity. on the right the streets of little havana neighborhood in miami were bustling with activity saturday, as you see, as cuban americans rejoice in the death of a man they call a dangerous dictator. ed, you have a really interesting perspective here. yesterday we saw you live from little havana in miami where the crowds were celebrating. now you're in cuba. how different is the scene there. >> >> reporter: polar opposites. what you saw there on the streets of little havana. just out pouring of excitement and the chance that this day has come. arriving here in havana, a much different scene. much more subdued. it's a cautious reaction as cubans try to figure out what they can or can't do, should or shouldn't do as they prepare for this nine days of mourning of fidel castro that begins in the plaza where his ashes will be brought and tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of cubans are expected to file through that plaza. this is the plaza where popes have come to celebrate mass and other plamass events like this. >> i'm j

sit down face-to-face with president castro. i want to take you straight it havana. my friend and colleague chris cuomo is there. what a moment chris to be there. i know the weather is cooperating. a little bit aftof a downpour behind you. tell me what it is like to be there and also the fact president kcastro wasn't there o meet president obama at the airport. >> well, think about it, when your child, and you are getting close, when your child comes into the world, it will be a different relationship between the u.s. and cuba. for generations, cuba was told this would never happen. is this raining? yes. the air was thick with anticipation then the clouds opened up. an old man told me in the square that fidel brought the rain, the tears of the revolution. so there are going to be different takes on this. but there are absolutes. president barack obama who made this moment possible with the first lady, his daughters, and mother-in-law, when he touched down on cube an soil, you're right, you are right with the context with president cooliage in 1928. but that was a different cuba. t

together in only six weeks. beginning of the agreement was held in havana where the official announcement happened saturday afternoon. representatives of both the farc guerilla group and the colombian government attended the ceremony. in an a did he say to fellow colombians in bogota, manuel santos says the new deal will build a broader deeper peace. among the new stipulations are reparations for victims coming from farc's assets and money. they can form a political party under the agreement but not given seats in the colombian congress automatically as the previous deal stated. >> translator: i am by all colombians, including those who promoted both the yes and the no vote to give peace a chance with this new agreement. that's what the colombian people are asking from us and that's also what the international community is asking for. >> reporter: the new agreement, even with the changes, faces opposition. former colombian president, the main promoter of the no vote, warned president santos not to call the new agreement definitive or final before consulting with the colombian

the same last night in the city's little havana neighborhood, the heart of the exile community. hundreds marched through the streets chanting and waving as we see in this video. one woman said castro's death is a celebration of freedom. >> well, we are here because we are celebrating the freedom of cuba. we believe that after this moment, many things are going to change in cuba and also we are not in such happiness, because we are also celebrating all those people who have gave their lives and are not here today, and could not see this moment. for them, it would be a very happy moment. >> cnn correspondent, ed lavandera joins me from little havana. you have been there talking to the people on the streets in miami. let me get personal with you. your parents led the communist regime of fidel castro. what are they saying about his death? >> reporter: i think it is a very complicated story and really complicated by the fact that in many ways, cuban exiles didn't expect the end to come like this. for many, many years, they have expected that the death of fidel castro would signal an

arriving in mexico, the pope had an historic meeting with the russian patriarch in havana, cuba. this is the first time a roman catholic leader has met with the head of the russian orthodox church since the two faiths split in 1054. the two men pleaded for the world to protect christians against isis. they said the meeting was an indispensable example of how and good will. >> translator: a meeting of brothers. pope francis saidware broth we' brothers, we're christians. it was a dialogue among brothers who understood very well about the problems of their churches and the world today of which they want to serve together. >> the pope will spend his first full day in mexico on saturday, capped with a mass that he will celebrate at the basilica of guadalupe. stay tuned for coverage of his live visit right here on cnn. >>> now to the war in syria. france's prime minister says russian warplanes must stop bombing civilians in syria for there to be any chance of negotiations and for peace. he, other world leaders and u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, are in munich for a security confe

planes bound for havana thanks to a momentous thawing of relations between the two countries. >> a year ago, it might have seemed impossible that the united states would be raising our flag over the embassy in havana. >> reporter: number eight, a massive shake shifted nepal's capital kathmandu 10 feet in 30 seconds, triggering an avalanche of mt. everest. days of aftershocks followed. more than 8,000 people died. >>> very few stories were more divisive than number seven on our list. >> relations between the united states and iran are poised to enter a new era after decades of hostility. >> reporter: in the historic agreement to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons. some hailing it as a major victory for diplomacy. >> there's a reason why 99% of the world thinks this is a good deal. because it's a good deal. >> reporter: others calling it a deal with the devil. >> this deal doesn't make peace more likely, it makes war more likely. >> reporter: powerful words from the leader of israel. even more powerful, this moment on the floor of the united states states. 44 seconds of uncomfortab

from little havana. ed, how do you reconcile the different reactions to castro's death? why do most celebrate and some mourn, like the woman we just heard? >> reporter: to cuban exiles here in miami, fidel castro represents the evilness of the cuban dictatorship, someone who imprisoned political dissidents, tore apart families. that's the real anger and animosity that many cubans who live in the united states feel toward the castro regime, not just fidel castro but also his brother and the entire regime that has existed there for so many decades. we are here in the heart of little havana in front of the versailles restaurant. this is the owner of the restaurant, felipe velaz. you left cuba. people are celebrating in front of your restaurant. how do you put into words what this day is like? >> i'm honored that versailles is always the place where things are happening, which the media come to get in touch with the pulse of the people. it's a symbolic moment. it's a reality that things are going to change. this has to be good for cuba, that fidel has died. now, a lot has happened, some

figure on the people and world around him. those powerful emotions on display in havana with castro supporters are mourning. >> translator: the cuban people is feeling sad because of the loss of our commander in chief, fidel castro. and we wish him wherever he is that he is blessed. and us cubans, love him. >> but in miami, the heart of the cuban exiled community celebrations broke out in the streets there. some say his death will close a dark chapter of cuba's history. and although castro lived long enough to see the historic thaw in cuban u.s. relations, he was defiant and mistrusting of the u.s. and steadfast in his communist beliefs. we'll talk about the political implications in just a moment. we have a team of reporters covering this from havana cuba to little havana miami. let's begin with chris moody. you have spoken to a number of cuban exiles who fled the country so many years ago. what has been the reaction there? >> reporter: there may be displays of mourning in havana but here there's been celebration since darkness earlier this morning. about 2:00 in the morning, peopl

officials in havana offering to restore ties. it came after several months of talks between the two countries. mr. obama said that the american people will welcome the new friendship. >> we are neighbors and now we can be friends. here in the united states we have seen that same enthusiasm. there are americans who want to travel to cuba and american businesses who want to invest in cuba. american colleges and universities that want to partner with cuba and americans want to get to know their neighbors to the south. >> and that was the moment on cue cuban television where mr. castro send the invitation. john kerry will travel to cuba this summer. the move doesn't lift the u.s. economic embargo against cuba. but mr. obama on wednesday called on the u.s. congress to do exactly that. >>> the head of the international atomic energy agency is in tehran to meet with iran's president. their discussion will likely address cooperation between the watchdog group and the country on issues on iran's nuclear program. six world powers and iran continue to hammer out a long-term nuclear deal. their

and returned to his father in cuba. little havana neighborhood as we see right here. blasting the former ruler as an unmersful dictator. elian, like many others in cuba, is in mourning. as elian gonzalez is an adult now, what is he saying about the death of fidel castro? >> in many ways, elian gonzalez has revered fidel castro, publicly describing him, quoted one time if -- didn't profess to having any kind of religion but if he did, his god would be fidel castro. you can imagine what elian gonzalez is saying again today is describing him in those saintly terms. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: he is a father who, like my father, i wanted to show him everything i had achieved, that he would be proud of me. that's how it was with fidel. if i learned something, i wanted to show him. and there are still many things i want to show him. >> elian gonzalez was just 6 years old when he was rescued in the florida straits by the u.s. coast guard, setting off that standoff, essentially, between the united states and fidel castro regime over whether or not he should be returned ba

the fore in havana, some are worried about restrictions right here in the united states. details of a divisive new legislation, a new bill on religious liberty in the state of georgia. >>> live from world headquarters in atlanta, cnn rumor starnewsr right now. >>> good day to you. we begin with the latest on the only surviving suspect of the deadly terror attacks in paris. he made a confession, but prosecutors don't think that he is telling the whole truth. salah abdeslam said he played a key role but backed out of plans to blow himself up with a suicide bomb. police arrested him in brussels in a raid on friday. may take three month to extradite him to france. cnn is covering the story from all angles. fred pleitgen is live in belgium where the raid took place and capture. first we go to cnn's international diplomatic editor, nic robertson, with the latest on the investigation. good to have you. what more do we know about the interrogation of abdeslam, and why do prosecutors doubt what he's saying? >> reporter: the paris prosecutor doubts it saying the account of the attack and what e

havana says the latest inmates released are over 60. >> these are the factors that are always considered and not the type of crimes. >> dissident groups are disappointed because no political prisonsers are included in this list. >>> the rush comes as pope francis comes to visit. >> we are in havana's cathedral square, and this is one of the places the pope visits on his first stop on his trip to kawb and the united states. they are getting everything ready at a furious pace. still lots of things being done. this is a big deal for cubans. you can see they are repairing the facade of this century's old cathedral. why is it so important? this is the first pope from this hemisphere, latin american pope and he will be able to address cubans in native spanish. he improved a key role in improving relations between the united states and cuba, urging the presidents to make the deal that really ended 50 years of cold war animosity. so this will be the first opportunity to come to cuba following this landmark deal. he says he wants to meet regular cubanss, reach out to them, talk to them

level delegation to that country in 35 years. we are live from havana. carl let's begin with this delegation. what exactly are they hoping to accomplish? >> reporter: well brooke jacobson the assistant secretary of state is the one in charge of normalize relations with cuba after the cold war that lasted more than 50 years between the two nations. we caught up with her around midday as she arrived around the airport terminal three. let's look at exchange. good afternoon. how does it feel to be here? >> i'm delighted. that's all. thank you. >>> when do you think is the first thing on the agenda? >> jacobson is said to be in action thursday. she'll meet with one of her counter parts. >> reporter: the nuts and bolts of how to put a diplomatic relationship together after dwight eisenhower in 1961 in the last acts of his presidency broke off the relations. the first off agenda is open a embassy here. can they get enough starters to do it? cubans will ask for the same thing. over the coming weeks and months cubans and americans will meet many more times to talk about further steps which

. he made a rare appearance at festivities in havana, cuba. sitting between venezuelan president nicholas maduro and his brother president raul castro. they say he survived more than, get this, 600 assassination attempts. however, that number is impossible to confirm. this is "cnn newsroom." >>> still ahead, almost 50 years ago terror struck the olympics and why this man will never forget a minute of that nightmare. stay with us. and dad forever, do you?" "boo!" (laughs) "i'm making smoothies!" "well...i'm not changing." "so, how can i check my credit score?" "credit karma. don't worry, it's free." "hmmmm." "credit karma. give yourself some credit." >>> for nearly two decades now the name michael phelps has been synonymous with swimming. he appeared in his first olympics 16 years ago and since then he's had one of the most prolific careers of all time. now he's saying good-bye from where we've seen him start and where he is now, the top of the podium. our andy scholz looks back at phelps' career. >> reporter: michael phelps entered the global swimming stage at the age of 15 quali

cubans in havana. certainly much cooler than the weather. even cuba's scorching september sun couldn't prevent huge crowds from gathering to greet pope francis. vatican officials says the havana mass through 200,000 people. something cuban officials perhaps wary of francis' star power have not confirmed. his is a rare message of inclusiveness in a country that we demands political conformity. and you cubans, even if you think differently, have different perspectives, he says, i want you to walk together so you don't lose hope. hope can be a luxury in cuba. a country that was for nearly three decades officially atheist and where many catholics faced discrimination. francis took a few subtle jabs at the mentality of the communist-run government. service is never ideological, he says. for we do not serve ideas, we serve people. observers say pope francis is looking not to bring the revolution down. just curb its repressive exists. >> francis as a young man, a young jesuit. he was deeply disappointed when cuba went communist. and i wonder whether francis is now like reminding raul about so

. and this is cnn newsroom. >>> in just a few hours, pope francis will lead a mass in havana's revolution square. on saturday, the pope had a strong message for its people and the government. open up to the world and give people the freedom and space to practice religion. the cuban capital is the first stop on the pope's ten-day visit to cuba which he will then be followed by the u.s. diplomatic ties restored between the nations and he he's urging them to stay on that course. >> i urge political leaders to persevere on this path. and to develop all its potentialities as proof of high service which they are called to carry out on behalf of the peace and the well-being of the people of all america. and as an example of reconciliation for the entire world. >> the pope will be in havana until tuesday. after that. he'll head to the u.s. where he'll visit washington, new york and philadelphia. >> delia is here with more. what are some of the messages the pope will make in cuba? >> reporter: lynda, the messages of pope francis for cuba, he lid out in this talk right away at the airpor

, no rest for the weary in havana, with so much to be done before the pope arrives. find out what makes this visit so special for cubans. we're back in a moment. need to hire fast? go to ziprecruiter.com and post your job to over one hundred of the web's leading job boards with a single click. then simply select the best candidates from one easy to review list. and now you can use zip recruiter for free. go to ziprecruiter.com. >>> a rapidly-growing wildfire in the u.s. has destroyed 400 homes in northern california. you're seeing some of the footage here. officials say the so-called valley fire has burned more than 50,000 acres or 20,000 hectares west of the city of sacramento. >> the governor has declared a state of emergency in two counties. and we've learned one person may have died in this fire >> and do the east of sacramento firefighters are battling yet another wildfire. >> thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. cnn's nick valencia reports. >> it's awful. >> reporter: two massive wildfires burning in northern california are spreading fast, threatenin

havana as the u.s. embassy reopens, pushing aside more than 50 years of cold war tension. >>> hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm isa soares and this is "cnn newsroom." >>> we want to begin this hour in tianjin in china, where a new fire has erupted near the site of wednesday's deadly chemical explosions. now, the blaze ignited a few hours ago, sending thick plumes, as you can see, of black smoke right into the sky. china state-run news is also reporting explosions were heard today in this area, and authorities have expanded their evacuation zone around the site of the disaster. for the very latest, let's bring in our correspondent, will ripley, live from tianjin in china. will, in looking at these images, the zone is clearly a very volatile area. we see you with your mask on. what are you hearing from experts on the ground and authorities there as to what led to these explosions? >> reporter: well, there's a lot of different chemicals that are being stored at that site, isa, and they're still adding to the list, and they're names that

chickens on their balcony. how is life in havana these days? >> it's really hard. >> it's hard. >> yeah. some people think change in the future. i hope so. >> you don't think so? >> maybe it's change for business, for government, but for the people, i don't know. more young people, it's better. more revolutions, new ideas, we need that. maybe in few years, good. >> really? all right. i came here expecting to find that sentiment everywhere. but to my surprise, so many seem proud of the cuban system. warts and all. >> warts and all. bill weir. so great to have you back. >> good to see you again, thank you, thank you. >> so you've never been to cube. >> no, no. >> on bucket list destination for me. walking around what most surprised you? >> first all, how broken the island is, you know, the '57 chevies are charming. the '57 plumbing and electricity and communications not so ideal. the most luscious ruin in the world i think. they got a long way to do to get to speed to accent the millions of tourists coming there. two old cubans are talking. they say you know what the three greate

cuban's leaders to the next generation. you're looking at live pictures out of havana this evening where the pope is holding evening prayers. small, medium, large and extra large. if you need less data, pick small. if you need more, go with extra large-- a whopping 12 gigs for $80 a month plus $20 per phone. pick a size. change it up anytime. it's the simple way to get the best network. and now, get up to $400 when you switch. only at verizon. diis critical for brain health?n brain food, hmmm. ensure has b vitamins that help support brain health - now that's smart nutrition. ensure's complete balanced nutrition has 26 vitamins and minerals and 9 grams of protein. ensure. take life in. [meow mix jingle slowly anright on cue.cks] [cat meows] ♪meow, meow, meow, meow... it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with great taste and 100% complete nutrition, it's the only one cats ask for by name. i just want to take a vacation. redeem our hotel points. this seems crazy. tell us something we don't know, captain obvious. ok. with hotels.com, when you collect 10 nights you get

about that part of the story with our correspondent in havana. patrick oppmann, let me bring you in. because just the fact that you have these two governments, you have the united states and cuba working together. how did that go? >> reporter: you know, incredibly smoothly. surprisingly smoothly. let's back up. the picture you were painting there, brooke. you have two u.s. f-15s trailing this plane. they know when they get to cuban air space they have to pull away, it's a nation the united states does not have good relations with. if they had come into their air space, it would have an international incident and it would have been a dog fight. they treat anything from the united states as a possible threat. what happened instead, u.s. authorities got in touch with the cuban counterparts. the closest thing we have to an embassy. there was constant contact as they were assure ago cuban authorities this plane did not appear to present a threat. this appeared to be accidental that had taken place. and it seems from what we're hearing from multiple sources, cuban authorities agreed with

talking on the left side of your screen, that's the seen in havana cuba where we're awaiting president obama. we don't have control over the cameras. the audience is gathering. dignitaries and people from havana and on the right, obviously, the scenes out of brussels. what had been an address by president obama about relations with cuba is obviously going to be in part focussed on the terror attacks in brussels and what we have witnessed, the carnage we've witnessed. nick robertson, so much more is now known about the paris terror attacks. i keep bringing you back to that because of the apprehension of salah abdeslam. one of the men killed in the apprehension of salah abdeslam by, i believe a sniper, by a belgian authorities, is actually believed to have been kind of over salah abdeslam and abaaoud in the paris terror attacks, the coordinator. he was the person who was actually called by the various teams, phone calls were traced from the attackers in paris to a number in belgium that's believed to have been this man who was killed in the apprehension -- or in the initial attempt to ap

philadelphia and my own colleague rosa flores was on the papal plane from rome to havana and met the rope for the first time. they are speaking in spanish, but nonetheless, it was really a moment of a lifetime for her. [ speaking in spanish ] >> rosa then received a blessing from pope francis and he kissed her fore head. here with me is father edward beck. when i saw that over the weekend, i immediately got on my iphone and pinged her. the only response i got was wow with 18 exclamation points. but we're talking about etiquette. a lot of people if they are lucky enough will be able to meet the pope. was that like -- can you reach out and touch pope francis and give him a little arm slap? is that okay? >> with this pope, it certainly is. he's very informal. so i think he enjoys as much personal contact as he can get actually. >> so if you're in a crowd and you see the pope approach you, what's the appropriate way? >> you should say your holiness or your most holy father. this guy probably wouldn't mind frank, but that's the official way. this pope is really informal. he loves getting

disaster. rafael romo, cnn, havana. >>> we're joined now via skype, the director for catholic relief services in south america. thank you, sir, for talking with us. now, of course, the images are awful. the people pinned under that rubble. what is your organization doing at this point in terms of aid for the survivors? >> yes, right now, first of all, thank you for having me on. right now we're frying to figure out exactly what the needs are. right now there is a first response to the earthquake. so those images are very true. lots of rubble that need to be removed. there's still a very strong determined search and rescue effort to find live people. secondly, and thirdly, also, it's focusing a lot on looking at the next stages going forward. you know, there's a lot of different needs that are coming in, and we're trying to find out which are the priorities. >> yeah, totally understandable. what else is needed to help those who are left with nothing in the aftermath of this earthquake? what shelter is available to them and what are they getting in terms of food and clean water? >> yea

way through the streets of havana to cheers and cheers and huge crowds. he will hold evening prayers with catholic leaders tonight. he will also meet with thousands of young people at a cultural center. coming up, we'll take you there live. first we begin with presidential politics. a brand new poll that shows a dramatic reshuffling after the politics of last week's debate. donald trump still in first place but his lead has dropped by aeight points. take a look at what who behind him. carly fiorina rocketing into second place with 15%. just squeaking by ben carson who is in third at 14%. we have more on the numbers and the candidate who is polling so low he didn't even make the list. let's start with that candidate who was winning in iowa not too long ago. >> reporter: that's right. that's wisconsin governor scott walker who, as you noted, as been just a few months ago up in the polls in iowa. he's seen his support really plummet. this latest poll really confirms that. he's barely registering in this poll. now coming in at an asterisk which means he has less than one-half of a percen

, brooke, that cuban and u.s. diplomats here in havana, obviously, as well as in the state department, have been in close contact throughout this incident, and to keep it from blowing up into something more -- turning into an international incident which is what we saw in 1996 when planes with a very different purpose from miami flew to cuba, drop leaflets over the city of that vana and shot down, hilg everybody aboard. we have been told the u.s. government has told the cuban government this plane is not a threat, and it appears the cuban government is acting underneath that scenario. they, of course, tracking the plane very closely. making sure as best they can it does not go down in a populated area. as you heard barbara say, now south of cuba, flown over perhaps the most mountainous, difficult place to access the sierra mountains. but probably still in cuba waters. if it's just left -- just flown over cuban land. so even if the plane were to go down in cuban waters, still the u.s. and cuban governments would have to work together to find out what happened, to investigate it, to rec

havana. with me now at the daily beast, john after lan. good morning to you. >> good morning, pamela. >> let's talk about this trip in particular. what is the significant in your view of president obama being the first sitting president to visit hiroshima? >> this is an historic moment, a book end to an era. and it was not an apology for president truman's decision. what it was a was a searching speech, and the president as a matter of his legacy, if you draw a line between cuba and this event, he is trying to position himself as a president who can heal some of the deepest divisions. pivoting forward in the 21st century, instead of being stuck in the cold war debates that have defined us for so long. it is a difficult line to walk, because you don't want to apologize, which arguably saved more lives than it cost. but to pivot that, while cautioning against the impact of nuclear weapons can still have on our world, it is an important role, and a president in that fourth quarter of his presidency, trying to not lower his sights, but rather, raise them. that's not something we've seen

to the island next year. patrick ottoman, cnn, havana. >>> a woman from spain has been crowned miss world in 2015 beating more than 100 contestants for the title. the pageant's 65th edition was hosted in china. it included russia, indonesia, and jamaica. she succeeds the winner from south africa. >>> in the miss world pageant contestants are awarded points on a range of activities, including taking part in charity protests and the crucial interview round. >>> well, before i leave you, a quick look at the lighter side of politics. nbc's "saturday night live" found rich pickings in the u.s. presidential race. this week as the show started with an uncanny take on cnn's republican debate and in particular the rivalry between one-time favorite jeb bush and the unexpected front-runner donald trump. >> if we work together, we can stop donald trump. if you combine my numbers with yours, yours and yours, we almost win. >> jeb, shut your pie hole. >> you're never going to be president, donald. >> yeah, no kidding. none of us are, genius. >> snl veterans tina fey and amy poehler host the progr

>>> okay, here's pope francis making history in havana, cuba, looking at the motorcade right now. the plane landed, he and president raul castro gave remarks. president castro is more political than pope francis. pope francis meeting children saying he's here for the people, he extends blessings to those he cannot meet, a little nod to somewhat of the culture of oppression here in cuba and now here he is, the streets lined by not just the faithful, but the hopeful here in cuba. our patrick ottman, who lives here in cuba saying the enthusiasm he hears from the crowds here is genuine and that not always the case. the pope keeps getting hit by his frock, which is not unusual, and the day he deals with it so nonchalant is one of the thing that endears them to the faithful and he's joined in this modified pope mobile by cardinal ortega, he's very important in what is believed to be the active negotiation by the vatican between cuba and the united states to help a reapproachment of relations. so this is the scene here in cuba. we are joined by the host of the catholic guy on sirius xm.