of the region. less than one year ago in havana we had to residents to proclaim indri have to say that teenagers disappeared. young people are not so young people died with a lot of preparation so sometimes if we can just learn with real democracy there is a nation that needs to be coherent. thank you so much. [applause] >> thank you very much. is an extraordinary privilege should be here from the free cuba in she is the daughter of a murder she wrote. i of the mexican american from kansas who was raised right to. [laughter] but as young people in the audience here who are listening, this is your struggle. this is your opportunity to step up to make the world the better place and to do that you have to understand the reality what is going on in cuba today into are the bad guys and quite frankly those of us you were critics do not oppose them because we hope he is wrong bet we know this in gold biggest obstacle to political freedom in cuba for 55 years is the castro regime. with your own constitution with july 2012 with the american aid worker who offers a small jewish community in

the tourists own and seeking the ladies in white at the headquarters in the neighborhood of havana. that is where poverty, castro style not opportunity, not freedom, not democracy is the t umbrella under which they live.s the president should witness their bravery. listen to their stories, feel their despair. see the fear under which they live. and stand up with them. if he did, he could learn of ths story of ms. gomez, who is a rested this past sunday for marching peacefully. basically the ladies in white they dress in white as a form of a symbol, they march with -- to church every sunday in protest of their sons, and husbands who are arrested for their political and they are beaten savagely. if we could learn of the story one of the ladies in white from marching peacefully. and and an article she told her story quote, we were subjected to aer lots of violence today, many ofp us were dragged and beaten to. she pointed out this had taken place only one week before president obama's visit. she related how she was taken tl a police station where she wasn forcibly undressed by federal

delivered. late last night i returned from havana cuba with several senators and congressmen. in two days we had a number of visits with a variety of people in havana including government officials rodriguez who is the former minister of the cuban government. we had a meeting with ten different ambassadors from foreign countries to cuba and we met with a dozen reformers or opponents of the current task regime and individual meetings with ministries. this is an important delegation trip. important because starting tomorrow we going to have face-to-face negotiations in havana between the united states and cuba pursuant to president obama's december 17th announcement we are setting out to change the foreign policy of the united states as it regards to cuba. it is time for a change. for over 50 years we have been committed to a policy of exclusion. believing if we had embargos we could force internal change in cuba. the policy failed. the castro brothers rein and life in cuba isn't watt we want to see. but the president said let's engage them in a constructive way and open up the economy

going. thanks. [inaudible conversations] >> next up on c-span2 we go live to the u.s. embassy in havana, cuba, for the raising of the u.s. flag for the first time in 54 years. secretary of state john kerry is in havana for the ceremony. he is the first secretary of state to visit cuba in 70 years. president eisenhower cut diplomatic relations with cuba in january of 1961 and mid-rising cold war tensions in december last year president obama and cuban president raul castro announced an agreement to normalize relations. cuba opened, we open its embassy in washington last month and they raised the flag there. we are live from havana here on c-span2 waiting for the event to get under way. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we are live at the u.s. embassy in havana, cuba, on c-span2. secretary of state john kerry is here, the first secretary of state in 70 years after the u.s. raises its flag at the embassy for the first time in 54 years. that three marines who lowered the u.s. flag at the embassy on january 4, 1961, will raise it in today's ceremony. they are now retired

engages with the 18 month dialogue when the u.s. business community met with a president in havana he wore a business suit. >> thank you devry. questions? right in front here. >> good morning. doug from capital group. the board mentality that you describe which i agree with. i just spent 10 days in cuba last week. i agree with that sounds. does that live fond beyond role and fidel castro or does that die when they go? >> i think we would all like it to as quickly as possible but there are a lot of generations that have been born under it and know only it so i think the process will not be swift and i don't necessarily think that we want to be swift. i don't think we want a hilton style transition that would put ussr to rush at the beginning. no one knows. there is a lot of love and hate. cubans have one of the highest awareness is of u.s. brands in the world and one of the highest preferences in the world so if u.s. companies launching into cuba comes with less cost than some other marketplace that makes it attractive so and that's because the folks do have, the people of cuba many of

. you can't live in havana without a permit. the blogger goes onto say, can someone from l.a. for the washington, d.c.? the answer is obviously yes, but you can't live in havana without a permit from the government. no public demonstrations are allowed to imagine that. no political parties are allowed except the cuban communist party. no investment immediate and large enterprises, no inviting a foreigner to spend a night without a permit in your own home. and among many others, something that says you can't bring 25 artificial fingernails in violation of the law. i ask unanimous consent the full article to include in the record. >> without objection spirit so here we are human rights abuses continued unabated with more than 1600 cases of arbitrary political arrests this year alone. only five months into the year. so president obama may have outstretched his hand at the castro'sis still have their this real tight. you and the secretary came before this committee heralded there was a downturn. guess what? we are skyrocketing back up in human rights violations and political dissidents be

, florida and havana cuba, are will be china and hong kong. i don't know who will be china or who will be hong kong but that is what is going to happen. tremendous flow of people and business going back and forth. you better start looking forward to that event which is coming sooner, rather than later. >> mr. duran a better way to put this, this policy is essentially a new bet replacing a an old bet. in a sense we're betting with this new policy when the cast stress are gone we'll see sort after gorbachev-like presence emerge in cuba, that we will be better situatessed -- situated to take advantage of? >> i don't understand how anybody can think that something that hasn't worked in 55 years will work in the next 55 years. it doesn't work. the policy has not worked because it has nothing to do with u.s. foreign policy it has to do with political policy and political contributions. you can govern u.s. policy towards cuba by just contributing money to two or three chairmans of subcommittee that have to do with latin america and caribbean and cuba. most of those chairman are from stat

met with a president in havana he wore a business suit. >> thank you devry. questions? right in front here. >> good morning. doug from capital group. the board mentality that you describe which i agree with. i just spent 10 days in cuba last week. i agree with that sounds. does that live fond beyond role and fidel castro or does that die when they go? >> i think we would all like it to as quickly as possible but there are a lot of generations that have been born under it and know only it so i think the process will not be swift and i don't necessarily think that we want to be swift. i don't think we want a hilton style transition

the interest. we believe that we can look forward to working with dc and havana. our message is us strength and cuban sovereignty is more powerful than the embargo. >> if you feel inclined to clap, you are more than welcome. [applause] it is quite an honor to introduce you. when the announcement came out you were the first one to mention the importance of this announcement. please, with no further ado, the secretary of agriculture. [applause] >> it's an honor to be here with my good friend governor next. i am honored to be here today among so many of the nation's agricultural leaders of advancing the interests of american agriculture here and abroad. particularly as we look back on 2014 the efforts of leaders in this room and others have produced real results. exports topped $152 billion a record high. the new farm bill has been implemented in record time and contains strong investment to continue the tools that support american agriculture allowing farmers and ranchers to continue to profit. today we gather to discuss an expanded opportunity to american agriculture for farmers and

to normalize ties with havana. .. regime that systematically denies political and economic freedom or do we preserve normal relations for post-castro transition so we can use them as a lever to induce a broad profound and irreversible reforms that will effectively liberate cuban people? inexplicably president obama chose to matter of course i hasten to add that this is not a partisan debate. there is strong bipartisan consensus is strong for the regime but is moving toward democracy. although president obama is moving quickly to force that part of the leverage by normalizing diplomatic ties he can respect opposition to his plan to lift the economic embargo with cuba. one misconception of the debate is the so-called helms-burton act as the consolidator of the act of 1986. there is a misconception that this codifies the embargo. that act drafted originally by the democratic senator robert menendez is a formula for establishing normal trade and even a two cuba in the post-castro era. it merely anticipates a friendly transitional cuban government frees all of its political prisons, respec

in cuba which they have long rejected. journalism and informational technology in havana. check. even though cuban violates the democratic order of the oas it doesn't matter who's invited to the table it's what's talked about but guess what, this message that is sent to the hemisphere, you can violate the democratic charter and still be a part of it so why not violate it if you're compelled to do so. it's pretty amazing. i have not seen any movement at all toward greater freedom. as a matter of fact a cuban blogger talked about 12 things that tourists will never see. cubans can't access the internet on their cell phone or from their home. not because the infrastructure is in place but it's because the government won't let them. yes they want us to give them greater infrastructure but they want to control it. you can't live in havana without a permit. you can't live in havana without a permit from the government. no public demonstrations are allowed, imagine that. no investment in media or large program. no inviting a foreigner to spend the night without a permit in your own home

a performance in the blast of the revolution in havana is now she cannot travel right now. she cannot leave the island but the cuban government actually said her that she wants to leave the island she has to do it in a definitive way. so she denied to leave the island, and she is now on the island without a passport because they didn't allow her to travel if she is not leaving the island, like forever. this is the reality of the reforms, of the reality of the change that the cuban government has been trying to sell for six or eight years right now. with this government, with this government, ever, by their own people. the government of the united states is now time to normalize their relations, and we think that even when they're trying to have relations with government that is a normal because it has never elected own people. no one who is younger than 80 years old in the country have ever participated in free and fair election. this government -- [inaudible] but denies his government is normalized relations and is talking with the government in the process. so what we are pro

pacific routes to havana and other cuban cities in the case of a van applications for u.s. carriers far exceed the limit of 20 frequencies per day the deity is conducting a frequency allocation proceeding to determine which u.s. carriers will receive frequencies based on public interest. we believe they will support the objectives for authorized travel between united states and cuba and will generate new business opportunities for these industry to help create american jobs and i can anticipate a couple of questions with regard to the use of the informal arrangement at this time the reason we had limited negotiating objective with bilateral negotiation to aim for the open skies model was based upon the and standing of how much the traffic would bear in terms of demand with the ongoing restrictions on travel and trade between the united states and cuba throughout the negotiations u.s. negotiators carefully articulated to the counterparts the aspect of regulations affecting cuba and what has changed it does not affect current travel restrictions or persons subject you jurisdictions and wa

were in havana last month. but i'm very concerned that your cuban counterparts are attempting to put these discussions to a commitment that the u.s. seizes all the democracy programs. castro is making even more demands and last week the dictator called for the return of the u.s. naval station and an end to u.s. broadcasts and just compensation. there is little debate over the importance of this facility to the u.s. navy and intelligence and humanitarian missions. and of course our broadcasts are vital to the free media is allowed to operate. and i hope that the state department is here today to assure us that none of castro's demands are being considered. and they have compared this to that of china and be a non-and in china and india not at least foreign firms can higher and recruit directly without this going directly to the government. a cuban worker received only a fraction of the salary and in the regime's extract hard currency and invested in the security apparatus. and instead of implementing this policy, the administration may have given a 50-year-old regime the ability to co

of havana. that same year she participated with the ladies in white is a lady of support. she and her family of experience numerous organized mob attacks and her house has been vandalized by government agents dressed in civilian clothing. as a result she has sought refugee status in united states. then we will hear from mr. jeff vail who oversees the washington office of latin american research and latin american policy and rights issues along with the specific on -- focus on specific issues. he led the team for recommendations in new directions in u.s. policy towards latin america. mr. fail has studied cuban issue since the 90s and travel to cuba more than a dozen times. i wish i could get that visa including organizing delegations of academics as well as advocacy of this issue with coalition of business agricultural and human rights groups. he favored lifting the general ban on cuba. i would like to now yield the floor to antunes. [speaking spanish] >> translator: honorable congressman christopher smith good morning to all participating members. my name is jorge luis garcia antunes.

james case and. user de facto ambassador in cuba as head of u.s. interest section in havana from 2002-2005. mayor cason was best known for widely traveling the island could help dissidents set up independent libraries and for his work as cuban government rewarded him with barring him from leaving havana. he was a 40 year career diplomat for the state department as well as an ambassador in country like paraguay, and then was elected mayor of coral gables in 2011. so let's please welcome mayor cason. [applause] >> to his leftist frank calzon, the executive director of the center for a free cuba in washington, d.c.. the group promotes human rights and the transition to democracy on the island. he was born in cuba and is a strong defender of the u.s. trade embargo against the castro regime. he has been repeatedly featured in national newspapers such as "the wall street journal" and "the new york times," anticipate and television programs ranging from "the pbs newshour" to fox news. he has also testified before congressional committees and often speaks at universities here and abroad. than

necessities for hours inin the hot havana sun feel this approach approach is helpful to them? of course nobody expects cuba to be transformed overnight. i believe american engagement through our embassy, businesses and most of all through our people is the best way to advance our interests in support for democracy and human rights. >> you can see all of what the president had to say by going to our website, c-span.org. some reaction from members of congress to what happens with cuba today. opened the american embassy in cuba will do nothing to the cuban people and is just another tribute to tim for president obama took alexa shopping. pat russell ileana brost lightman republican from florida. senator marco rubio from florida, 2016 presidential candidate has said he would block the confirmation of a nominee the president put forth until cuba takes step to end human rights abuses and guarantees more political freedom for its citizens. >> a recent survey of likely 2016 boat shows unmarried women come one is an represent a majority of voting eligible citizens and the democrats face a

take on both sides and i would like to see more changes on the cuban side. i said that in havana and it's important for us to meet with cuban officials to let them hear how we feel. i hope to be at this, that the americas in panama in april and i hope there will be a large segment of independent cuban civil society and i have said that everywhere i went. as the former chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee i was pleased to return to haiti and the dominican republic. i visited haiti five years ago after the devastating earthquake and i'm pleased there has been a lot of progress made in rebuilding haiti that much more needs to be done. i asked the gao the government accountability office for their report on the speed up assistance to haiti which will be released in june and i believe we have to do everything we can to expedite assistance to haiti and i brought that message to the u.s. embassy officials in port-au-prince. finally as a new yorker let me say that it's a pleasure to visit the dominican republic and haiti because we have many constituents that come from both pl

than havana. we have no idea as to whether they work at all or how they work or how well they work. to make matters worse, it is not even clear other federal air marshals will even be allowed to be on these flights. tsa could offer no information on the security training, if any, that airport officials received and were unaware of airport workers being fÊted for potential links to terrorism. even the continued u.s. embargo, we are prohibited to providing any equipment or providing training to the cuban government. additionally, tsa protected that with the introduction of commercial air service, it would increase exponentially passenger that they are unprepared and unable to handle. the status quo remains the same, the cuban government will not allow u.s. airlines to hold hire their own personnel to perform basic functions such as ticketing and check-in or more complex functions such as airline security operations. at the airports in cuba, instead, employees of the cuban government, employees of the cuban government instead of the commercial airlines may be the ones doing all these tas

. >> let me thank my colleague. we did travel to havana, cuba. interestingly enough we sat down with the scientists and the people responsible for the oceans and other natural benefits in cuba to discuss global warming and the conversation that started in the same place. even the scientists -- there's no question that they can see the impact. they started their predictions about the rise of the ocean levels and the senator from rhode island noses better than i do that they anticipate that levels will the levels will rise over a foot in just 10 or 20 years and then twice at over eight period of 50 years or more. and it will have eight profound impact in cuba and the united states more than any other senator, senator whitehouse has wrought this home not only does to his home but to the atlantic coast state and has reported on the impact that they face. i can tell you that we appreciate that there are changes taking place on this planet that are not in our best interest or leave our children and grandchildren a better place to live. .. chosen by the republican majority has given us a ve

year and reportedly consisted of seven meetings so when you went to havana last month the cubans made it clear they would not allow it diplomat to speak to dissidents in an organization was not possible without the return of our naval base in guantÁnamo bay as well as other nonstarters that we talked about today. so what did we really accomplish other than a t-shirt that i had meetings for a year ago i got was this t-shirt. >> i guess i would start out by saying we got allen gross home and you know that but beyond that the beginning of this process of normalization starts with diplomatic relations which is only the first part. normalization will take years and we made it very clear that it includes things like property claims which has to be part of this discussion judgments against the cuban government which has been adjudicated in u.s. court which has to be part of it. that's a much longer process and we have not ceded to anything things. >> and i don't expect that we will acquiesce to any of those things. >> at the start of the process. >> understand that what was your respon

groups calling for expanded trade to cuba. in march i am going to havana with our director of agriculture and leaders of the state to make sure missouri is first in the door. [applause] >> all we need is an open door and missouri's hard working innovators will do the rest. we are working to bring economic activity to small towns and rural communities by boosting our cattle industry. missouri is second in the nation in cattle were introduction thanks to research and the know how of our ranchers. nearly all of the animals leave missouri before being full grown and leaving the state. that means missouri is missing out on $1 billion every year. we need to keep the dollar and the cattle right here into the show me state. [applause] >> earlier this month we brought together producers, scientist packers, corn growers and legislators to develop a plan to do that. we are proposing.2 million to research new way toes make our cattle industry more profitable. with the right strategy on beef we can strengthen our rural economy and the families and communities that depend on it. now, getting more misso

-- >> we are going to leave this discussion and go live to havana cuba where president obama is set to address the people. the white house expects to make a statement on the attacks in brussels and on the subway system. 31 people have died and dozens injured. [applause] >> thank you so much. president castro, the people of cuba, thank you so much for the warm welcome that i have received and my family have received and the delegations have received. it is an extraordinary honor to be here today. before i begin, please indulge me. i want to comment on the terrorism attacks taking place in brussels. the thoughts and prayers of the american people are with the people of belgium. we stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people. we will do whatever is necessary to support our friends and allies and and build job in bringing to justice those that are responsible, and this is yet another roll the world must unite and be together regardless of nationality or race or faith in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. we can and we will defeat tho

nine. the day after her funeral, at nine years of age, he had to go work in the streets of havana with his father. he had to leave school and would never go back to school. he would work for the next 70 years of his life. after my parents were married in cuba they wanted something better for themselves and their children. in 1956 they came to america. the one place on earth where people like them had a chance. in their early use in america were not easy either, in time they found good jobs, my father my father worked as a bartender and my mother had all kinds of jobs. she was a cashier, a, a maid, a stock clerk at kmart, they earned enough money to buy a home and raise a family and retire with security. even though their jobs often required them to leave home before dawn and come back after bedtime, they were able to be there for the most important moments of their children's life. to provide pride needs and teaches the values we needed. when i tell that story i am often reminded people that i do not come from privilege. the truth is, by privilege they mean wealth and power, that

turn off the transponder went to havana was loaded with their parts and other aircraft and military hardware covered with shirker taken back to the panama canal seized by panama and discovered the weapons. 32 crewmembers released the of his three-year still being held i understand. you have a queue but north korea a correction at -- connection there. venezuela is the largest investor ally in the post-soviet era. if i look back to december december 2011 the top diplomat was linked to a elegists cyberterrorism plots with iran there is another rogue connection from venezuela i believe so you have venezuela involved in cyberterrorism possibly against united states and cuba in connection with north korea and now number three s cyberattack on an american in company that continues wrote the nation's purpose so i have to ask ambassador to what extent are they engaging with china as syria cuba or possibly venezuela by association and the connection to cyberterrorism there? >> generally speaking we are deeply concerned with relations of other countries and not have specific information with t

embassy in havana speak with no. know it's not. >> could. -- good. >> i said all because some people don't realize we have quite a vibrant nation they are now that's been operating for quite a while. >> and by the way, and you for your thoughtfulness on this and your support for it. we appreciate it. we appreciate senator udall, likewise being involved on this. >> i do think there are still severe problems in cuba obviously, ma human rights issues, but i think they can most effectively be pursued if we have the dramatic -- diplomatic relations. with regard to iran for a minute i've been supportive of the administration pursue negotiations and i've withheld support for increased sanctions during that time because i think the administration needs and deserves the space to pursue every opportunity for an agreement. i am still hopeful a good agreement will come. having said that as one who served in the senate for nearly 30 years do you feel that the senate and house, the congress, should have a vote on that agreement in the end, or some kind of approval or disapproval as the chairman ha

were seeking democracy. and i remember driving to havana and my father telling me, ducked down, because gunshots were being fired all around us. my dear friend was 11 when his family came here from cuba, and he can also share some of these heartbreaking stories. but these tragedies continue today in the daily lives of the people of cuba. one pro-democracy leader is named as you know dr. shah, -- known by his nickname. he was in captures the jail over 17 years. now that he is free from one jail to a bigger jail, that is cuba, he continues to fight for democracy and for respect for human rights. in fact, just too much ago, he risked his life and went on a hunger strike with no food and no liquid. why? all for the sake of freedom. another human rights advocate, a leader of the opposition, the ladies in white. these brave women are comprised of imams, the sisters, the friends, the relatives of political prisoners and they march every sunday in peace to mask wearing all white calling for freedom. they march in peace, mr. chairman, as you know with the glad y'all is in their hand. yo

island. he and i did travel to havana, cuba earlier this week. interestingly enough, sat down with the scientists and the people responsible for the oceans and other natural benefits in cuba to discuss global warming and the conversation started in the same place. even these scientists, there's no question they can see the impact and they started their predictions about the rise of the ocean levels. and the senator from rhode island knows this far better than i do. but they anticipate that the ocean levels will rise over a foot in just 10 or 20 years and then twice that over a period of 50 years or more. and will have a profound impact on the island, the arc pell archipelago of cuba, and the united states. senator whitehouse of rhode island more than any other senator has really brought this issue home, not just to his home but to the atlantic coast states. and has reported on the impacts they face. now, i live smack dab in the middle of the country in illinois and i can tell you that we appreciate that there are changes taking place on this planet that are not in our best interests no

ambassador for the international communications policy. and danny sepulveda who was in havana, about two monthsing a right now. nafs the first time that we had that kind of a conversation with the cuban government at an official level meeting both with their telecommunications ministry as well as their telecom provide near is state run. to talk about sort of what kind of infrastructure that they are interested in and how we have done the thing in the united states in techlz the regulation and the access issues. as well as obviously many, many u.s. companies that have had conversations with the cuban government. and they are beginning to think about the solicitation that's they have put out and proposals of their own telecom sector. the quickly that we can move into the direction. the quicker society changes. this happened all over the world. they will not be immune to it. thank you. with that objection i want to enter into the record on behalf of the senator that wrote me a letter to him dated february 18th. from the u.s. coast guard. if there is no objection i will put it int

groups calling for expanded trade security. in march i'm heading to havana with the director of agriculture and the leaders of national interstate commodity groups to make sure that misery is first in the door -- is missouri is first in the door because all we need is an open door into the hard-working producers will do the rest. we are also working to bring economic opportunity to small towns and rural communities by boosting our cattle industry. missouri ranks second in the nation in the production. thanks to the cutting-edge research and the know-how of the farmers and ranchers. but here's the beef. nearly all of those animals leave before they are full grown ever finished in the process and other states. that means misery is missing out on more than $1 billion in value every year. we need to keep the cattle and the dollars right here in the show me state. [applause] earlier this month we brought together hundreds of folks from around the state producers scientists, corn growers, legislators and others to develop a plan to do just that and we are also proposing $1.2 million t

show if you will. on thursday i'll be at havana, cuba. we will be opening the embassy the following day i'll be involved with bilateral discussions with the government of cuba, with our u.s. interest section and then secretary kerry as you may know we'll be there on the 14th of to open up the embassy in cuba. a little bit different than the coast guard that alexander hamilton envisioned 225 years ago, as i rattled off what some a schedule for just the next two weeks. the good thing is this is a slow two-week period. it picks up after that. it's going to cover the asia-pacific region, the arctic. so got a lot going on over there as well. the coast guard, many times with our results on all seven continents across the globe, including antarctica. today we've got to special people who are with us here today. right now we are only on five of the seven but we'll get back to all seven of those. join as first of august lieutenant commander natalie best, commanding officer a of a patrol boat serving for center command in the straits between iran and bahrain. she was the commanding officer of the

counterparts to achieve that goal. and later this summer, secretary kerry will travel to havana formally to proudly raise the american flag over our embassy once more. this is not merely symbolic. with this change, we will be able to substantially increase our contacts with the cuban people. we'll have more personnel at our embassy. and our diplomats will have the ability to engage more broadly across the island. that will include the cuban government, civil society, and ordinary cubans who are reaching for a better life. on issues of common interest like counterterrorism, disaster response, and development, we will find new ways to cooperate with cuba. and i've been clear that we will also continue to have some very serious differences. that will include america's enduring support for universal values, like freedom of speech and assembly, and the ability to access information. and we will not hesitate to speak out when we see actions that contradict those values. however, i strongly believe that the best way for america to support our values is through engagement. that's why we

one medical faculty the at the university of havana. our priority for our government since 1959 has been the health of the cuban population. which has allowed us to develop our human capital. today, we have, for instance, 13 medical science universities. translator:two independent medical faculties and the latin american medical school. which has allowed us to train the amount of professionals i mentioned. which in the case of doctors, are 82,000. dr. morales: [speaking spanish] translator: and which has especially allowing or medical development and research to spearhead health development. we should also point out that we have been able to reap the results that have been due to the development of the pharmaceutical and biotech hologic industry in cuba -- biotechnological industry in cuba. for instance, the vaccination program of 13 vaccines against aids -- against aids vaccines -- these are nationally produced. we can say that out of a basic amount of medications -- made up of 857 medications, 68% of those medications are nationally produced among which we can mention the retrovir

an embassy in havana if all of our diplomats aren't able to travel freely throughout cuba? >> senator, what i can tell you is we have to have an embassy where diplomats can get out and travel and see the country and talk to people. we have restrictions on the way our embassy personnel travel in terms of notification to governments in many countries around the world to range from 24 hours to 10 days. so we are going to do everything possible to make sure we have the least restrictions possible. >> we will accept restrictions that all of our diplomats at an embassy with reality travel throughout the country. >> we will make sure that the embassy is on our with the way we operate in other places that are restrict their environments. >> would you agree to conditions under which we can send secure subscriptions without the machine rifling through them? >> senator i will not necessarily lay out all of the negotiations. >> why not? wait a minute. is there a secret or do we not have the united states congress have the right to understand how you try to establish diplomatic relations. under wh

washington and havana to a senior admissions officials said on tuesday president obama's acoustic john kerry will be speaking about the plan. the two nations have agreed to reestablish former -- formal diplomatic relations. >> live coverage starts at 11 a.m. eastern on c-span. the future of civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender americans. is the first -- his remarks focus on the future of civil rights debates for lgbt americans. university district of columbia's law school is the host of this event. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to the school of law at university of the district of columbia, and the civil and human rights seminar. tonight we have a special program to do with the recent decision by the united states supreme court in marriage equality. viable turn it over to my co-professor, wade henderson committed against the introduction. i am john brittain, and together with professor henderson we teach seminar on civil and human rights in the 21st century. professor? >> thank you. good evening everyone. as john said i am wade henderson, i am the joseph ju

decision to restore diplomatic ties with havana, cuba. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter are in ashington journal is live everyday at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> with that power comes individual responsibility. unfettered for 35 years. it just doesn't pass this when it comes to a modern democracy. >> sunday night. changes that he would like to see in the supreme court, including opening up oral arguments and imposing term limits on the justices and requiring justices to hear to the same code of ethics that other judges follow. >> this affects all americans. all of them are aware of the third branch of government and in the last 10 to 15 years it has become so powerful. the idea that issues on voting in marriage and health care and immigration and women's rights, discrimination. these issues than maybe 20 or 30 years ago congress and the executive branch would get together and figure out a bill. that doesn't really happen anymore. the buck stops in a way that is unprecedented in our history, given this way that they have very impactful decisions shows them this modern tr

./cuba promotional exchange and are you planning to visit havana again this year? thank you. >> i think the benefits should be measured sequentially. and the first benefit comes to the united states of america. cuba is 91 miles off the coast of florida. there are people from all over the world down there. they built one of the most modern ports to handle all those ships coming through the new ships of the panama canal paid for by the brazilians the dredging paid for by the germans, the cranes and the computer technology provided by the chinese. there's a major oil drilling and refining operation, gas and oil which is a joint partnership with the canadians which were -- and we're not there except on food. the second and very very important thing that's critical to the united states is a national security and geopolitical reality. we don't want to go back to a point where others who don't wish us well or who are competitive not in an economic sense, but in a geopolitical sense set up shop 91 miles from one of our major cities. and, and we then on top of all that there are extraordin

president rousseff support for the new opening towards cuba. i updated dilma including embassies in havana and washington and i believe brazil's leadership in the region as well as a journey in the market economy can make a partner as we create more opportunities and prosperity for the cuban people. in short i believe that is a marks one more step in a new ambitious chapter in the relationship between our countries. we are focused on the future. dilma, thank you for friendship partnership and progress have achieved together as for the ahead and we americans will cheer proudly for team u.s.a. we will be rooting for games with the sale of our host. dilma did give me a very nice yellow and green sweatshirt which says brazil on the back. i can't wear that in public. because i have to root for the u.s.a. but at home at night it is very comfortable. i may flip it on. president rousseff, thank you. >> translator: dear president, barack obama, grinning sideways to a cabinet members at the two delegations. greetings likewise to all members photographers, cameramen and women. i would like to thank p

seen i have seen one statement after the other, but havana that nothing is going to change and if anything with a rearrested five may be more of the 53 and others who have been rounded up in the game that this regime plays and in cuba just shows they are intent on doubling down will make it worse for the dissident so thank you for again bearing witness to the truth and for exposing these crimes against humanity. if you would like to make any final comments mr. thale and finishing with mr. antunes. >> at the deepest respect for your commitment to human rights and particularly your focus on human trafficking. obviously we differ about the best way to move forward and i'm happy to continue that discussion. the only specific thing i would sand the human trafficking issue is that if you look at the u.n. trafficking reports they are different than -- because cuba has refused to dialogue on this issue. i believe there has been discussion. >> and i just say the problem has been with some u.n. bureaucracies. i remember when he held a hearing this room and reverend walker came and presented

. [laughter] why are the talks held in havana? why cuba the venue rather than panama or any other local you could have chosen? >> cuba is -- gave our counterparts more confidence. they were extremely worried about their own security. when i said we will not negotiate in colombia, cuba seemed to be a good place, and the cuban government has been extremely helpful, and since the beginning, they said we will help to host these meetings, and i think that we made the correct decision. >> questioner says, you know where the farc is in the jungle and where their bases are, and we have a will the of oversight surveillance and intelligence on the topic. why have you not just bombed them out of existence, and are you afraid of repercussions? >> we have been bombing them quite frequently, and that's the truth. the thing is they have lerched how to hide and how to protect themselveses from intention. they learn very fast. believe me, we continue trying. >> will the peace overtures make antidrug efforts more difficult? >> on the contrary. i think it makes it much easier. again, can you imagine

of handing out cell phones to havana's jewish population. alan gross should be repoliced and the united states should be standing and calling for alan gross' release. in a tip to the information age, heavy internet censorship among the most repressive on the planet blankets the island to preempt the spontaneous organization facilitated by social media. first chavez and now maduro have learned the lessons well under the tutelage of the agents from the cuban intelligence services and their work has been on grim display during the protests that have taken place this month. the death toll is now at 13 and climbing as police bullets have taken the lives not only of activists but also of students, of innocent bystanders and even of a beauty queen. maduro's agents have also borrowed the tried and true castro tradition of sum summariy detaining on petition leaders including leopoldo lopez who organized the protests. but mr. lopez's real crime has been to propose an alternative to the socialist catastrophe in which they have plunged this once-prosperous nation and to suggest that real eco

calling for expanded trade with cuba baa. in march i'm -- cuba. in march i'm headed to havana to make sure that missouri is first in the door. [applause] >> because all we need is an open door. and missouri's innovative, hard working producers or will do the rest. now, we're also working to bring economic opportunity to our small towns and rural communities by boosting our cattle industry. missouri ranks second in the nationing in cow -- nation in cow-calf production thanks to genetic research and the know how of our farmers and ranchers. but here's the beef: nearly all those animals leave missouri before they're full grown and are finished and processed in other states. that means missouri is missing out on more than $1 billion in value every year. now, we need to keep those cattle and those dollars right here in the show me state, okay? [applause] earlier this month we brought together hundreds of folks from around the state producers scientists packers corn growers, legislators and others to develop a plan to do just that. and is we're also proposing $1.2 million to research new wa

age, he had to go work in the streets of havana with his father. he had to leave school. never go back to school. and he would work for the 70 years of hers life. after my parents married in cuba they wanted something better for themselves and their children so in 1956 they came to america. to the one place on earth where people like them could have a chance. and their early years in america about not easy either. but in time they found good jobs, my father worked as a bartender. and my mother had all kinds of jobs. a cashier, a maid, stock clerk at k-mart. they earned enough money to buy a home and raise a family and retire with security. and even though their jobs often required them to leave home before dawn and come become after bedtime, they were able to be there in the most important moments of their children's lives. to provide for our needs and to teach us the values we needed to be successful. when i tell that story aitch offer reminded i don't come from privilege and the truth if by privilege they mean wealth and power, that's true. i didn't inherit any money from my parents.

interests at this point in time. each year, hundreds of thousands of americans visit havana, and hundreds of millions of dollars in trade and remittances flow from the united states to cuba. we are committed to this human interchange, and in the united states we believe that our people are actually our best ambassadors. they are ambassadors of our ideals, of our values, of our beliefs. and while we also welcome some of the changes that are taking place in cuba which allow more cubans to be able to travel freely and work for themselves, these changes should absolutely not blind us to the authoritarian reality of life for ordinary cubans. in a hemisphere where citizens everywhere have a right to be able to choose their leaders, cubans uniquely do not. in a hemisphere where people can criticize their leaders without fear of arrest or violence, cubans still cannot. and if more does not change soon, it is clear that the 21st century will continue, unfortunately, to leave the cuban people behind. we look forward to the day - and we hope it will come soon - when the cuban government emb

seeking democracy. i remember driving through havana. my father telling me, ducked down. gunshots were being fired all around us. my dear friend was 11 years old when his family came here from cuba. he can also shares some of these are pricking stories. but these tragedies continue today in the daily lives of the people of cuba. one pro-democracy leader is named, as you know, known by his nickname. he was in castro's jails over 17 years. now that he is free from one to a bigger jail he continues to fight for democracy and for respect of human life. fact, just two months ago he risked his life and went on under strike with no food and a liquid. why? all for the sake of freedom. another human rights advocate, the leader of an organization. the ladies in white. these brave women are comprised of the moms, sisters, the friends, the relatives of political prisoners, and they march every sunday in peace to mass wearing all white calling for freedom. the martian piece. mr. chairman, as you know, you have spoken about them. and these women are met with violence, beatings, imprisonment the

the streets of havana and on the cabs are american flags. that would have been unthinkable two months ago. now it is part of their statement that it's time for a new relationship between cuba and the united states. as one cuban activist told me starkly, her talks with others around the island highlighted something she thought had been lost to the cuban people -- a sense of hope. mr. president, we need to do all we can to fulfill the hopes of the cuban people in one easy way is to provide greater engagement with america. with ideas with energy, with the vibrancy that our nation can offer. i'm going to join today with my colleagues republican senators flake enzi, and moran and boozman, as well as democratic senators leahy udall and whitehouse in introducing legislation that will lift the remaining travel restrictions on american travel to cuba. representative stanford mcgovern will have a similar bill in the house. president obama recently eased these restrictions but we need to do our part in congress. it's not only the right thing for the cuban people, it's the right thing for

here in my all my martyr, the thing that struck me about cuba, havana there were a dumb shell, i don't know what the equivalent would be, i think it would be breathtaking. one of the things for americans we need to think about is not just the urgency that antonio's talking about but the trip in terms of san juan in puerto rico want to be the star of the americas. if you just sit around and wait you are going to lose a key opportunity. cuba is sitting there waiting to be opened and become a huge, vibrant capital again. the opportunity ought to be seized in san juan, not to preempt it but to get moving. >> i think you're exactly right. tourism, bacardi one of the major brands of the island originated on a different island. right there there is some real competitive issues. you have more experience on the island than all of us combined. >> we don't need to pick industry. we need to make the ground fertile. let let the market go there were confined this opportunity. there are natural resources to draw from there. especially in the strength of the workforce, the fact that the united s