the president of the united states in 2000 because of elian gonzalez. there's no doubt in my mind and i think that the numbers prove that out. >> i think it's a much bigger issue than that. i think what cost al gore the election was a fiasco in palm beach county, florida with the ballots. it was ralph nader getting 100,000 votes in florida. and i doubt it had anything to do with al gore not carrying tennessee, his home state. ♪ >> the family would not see elian again. in late june, almost seven months after his rescue at sea, the supreme court finally lifted the order keeping him in the united states. he and his father were back in cuba before nightfall. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ speaking foreign language] >>> caro was in fact dedicated getting that little boy home and it became a matter of his heart. it was not now just a government victory. and elian became virtually like a child of his. ♪ >> as elian grew up, fidel continued to celebrate the boy's return as a triumph in the larger story of cuba's revolution. [ speaking foreign language] >> i don't know w

in 2000 she faced criticism by authorizing the armed seizure of 5-year-old elian gonzalez so he could be returned to cuba. >>> life was lonely at the top yesterday for on mary keitany. she was more than 3 and a half minutes ahead in the new york city race. ghirmay ghebreslassie was the overall winner. more than 52,000 people entered the race. >>> the dramatic rescue of a man who plunged into a freezing minutes but he is expected to survive. >>> coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," a countdown to the election, as we hit the battleground states. i'm anne-marie green. if you've gone to extremes to escape your nasal allergies... try clarispray. from the makers of claritin. clarispray provides 24-hour, prescription strength relief from sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion. return to the world. try clarispray today. but there's so much more to it. here's how benefiber? works. inside us are trillions of good microflora that support digestive health. the prebiotic fiber in benefiber? nourishes them... and what helps them, helps you. clear, taste-free, benefiber?. ? har

in 1999 the custody battle over elian gonzalez playing out as castro demanded the little boy's return to cuba. his mother had drowned while escaping with him to the u.s. armed u.s. agents forcibly removing the boy from his miami relatives, returning him to his father in cuba. and there is guantanamo bay, the naval base leased by the u.s. from the castro regime since 1959. after the controversial practice of housing terror suspects, castro repeatedly denounced the u.s. occupation saying the land was being used to do america's dirty work. ten american presidents tried to isolate castro and hoped for his demise. then in 2013, this defining moment, president obama shaking hands with president raul castro at nelson mandela's funeral paving the way for renewed diplomatic relations. >> this is not merely symbolic, with this change we will be able to substantially increase our contacts with the cuban people. >> reporter: in 2015 the two presidents meeting again as obama calls for the 53-year-old embargo to finally be lifted. and as for guantanamo bay naval base, the lease of those 45 square a

from the missile crisis to elian gonzalez and our prison in guantanamo bay. >> more on the impact of his death on american policy going forward let's go to washington and abc's chief global shores, 90 miles with a powerful ally. from military disasters to near nuclear war, the 50-year feud with a fidel castro-led cuba was marked by tension and tragedy. the country's alignment with the u.s. during the cold war and the two nations newfound resentment escalated quickly. >> the purposes of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the western hemisphere. >> reporter: while his allies agreed to remove their missile, castro's animosity towards the u.s. survived. in 1999, the custody battle over elian gonzalez playing out as castro demanded the little boy's return to cuba. his mother had drowned while escaping with him to the u.s. armed u.s. agents forcibly removing the boy from his miami relatives, returning him to his father in cuba. and there is guantanamo bay, the naval base leased by the u.s. from the castro regime since 1959. after the controver

gonzalez. and now, as you just saw, fidel castro, as old and frail, a new generation has come up, not really understanding the point of the revolution or some of the hardship in cuba while a number of u.s. conservatives came out today and blasted this development as appeasement, bargaining away our security. tonight the cuban-american community in miami is weighing in on how history has taken yet another turn. nbc's jacob rascon is there for us tonight. jacob, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. tonight we're at calf tay versailles at lit hall vana, where the community of the cuban exile community come for coffee and conversation. tonight the crowd has been growing in numbers and emotion all day. welcome to little havana, the cuban-american capital of the united states. alive as always with political passion. "this is terrible," the man says. it was an announcement many believe they wouldn't live to here and some wished they hadn't. >> i think it's a terrible mistake. >> reporter: f

he lived in cuba, but who can forget the picture of elian gonzalez at only 6 years old as armed federal agents are taking him away from his miami family? well, that photograph was taken by associated press photographer alan diaz who won the pulitzer prize for that photograph and we talked to him. he tells us that the night of the raid he couldn't sleep, and then heard a commotion about the federal raid happening. he says he jumped a fence, rushed towards the house. says he could hear people screaming. it was very chaotic, but right at the door was his contact with the family, and that contact let him right in. then this happened. take a look. >> and as i walk in, i'm turning on the camera, setting the camera, the stroke, putting everything on. i just asked, where's the boy? very good friend of the family. he says, he's in the room. of course, i take off to the wrong room. i go to elian's room. why? because i think elian's in bed. and i see elian's not in the room, and i realize, oh, my god. he's not here. only three rooms. i take off, bang on the door. the door opens, and in slow motion

from the missile crisis to elian gonzalez to questions about our prison in guantanamo bay. the potential impact of castro's death on american policy going forward let's go to washington and abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz. martha, good morning to you. >> good morning, dan and paula. for a generation of americans the threat from cuba was real and frightening. a tiny country just off our shores, 90 mil shores, 90 miles, with a powerful ally. from military disasters to near nuclear war, the 50-year feud marked by tension and tragedy. the country's alignment with the soviet union led to the icy international relations with the u.s. during the cold war and the two nations' newfound resentment escalated quickly. >> the purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the western hemisphere. >> reporter: while his allies agreed to remove their missiles, castro's animosity towards the u.s. survived. in 1999 the custody battle elian gonzalez playing out as castro demanded the little boy's return to cuba. his mother

his own political stock, albeit small, soared during the international custody fight for elian gonzalez. castro called the moment a moral victory over imperialist america. the man born fidel alejandro in cu cuba, came to power leading a rag tag band of bearded rebels to overthrow a dictator. ended up becoming one himself. castro stood defiantly against ten u.s. presidents. around the world leftists who hated america's influence and power called castro a hero. but for the u.s. he was the all too close face of the bitter cold war. and while the world could never completely dismiss castro politically, over time to some critics he seemed more like a casework caricature, wiry beard, faded fatigues and six-inch cigars. he was educated by jes priests. 30 of his followers were killed while attacking the barracks. castro was imprisoned then deported but made his way back on an overloaded power boat. after nearly a decade of coups, riots and political rebellion, the people despaired of the government of batista, he stepped down, left the country and castro seized power on january 1st, 159. he hel

she also has elian gonzalez september back to cuba. she was 78. >>> a shocking confession in south carolina. authorities say the real estate agent accused of kidnapping a young young woman and chain eri ing ho a storage container is responsible for several murders. he showed people the grave sites of people. >>> a manager my tuesday 5 earthquake damaged buildings and caused injuries in cushing, oklahoma. >>> overseas, new political tensions in china. china's sper vengs in their elections. they're banning two legislators from taking office because of their views on independence. more protests are expected. >>> a sweet surprise for a college student who was the victim of a cruel theft. hunter jobbins posted online that someone stole his kit kat bar. they said i checked your door, it was unlocked. the kit kat. sorry. hungry. hershey heard about it. they september enough for his classmates. 6500 of them. he got a text from his mom, hey, honey. next time, lock your car. >> he's very popular on campus. >>> news that goes pop, lara? >> we sta

those blockbuster decisions about elian gonzalez and more that shaped the clinton presidency and the country. >>> also this morning, an urgent search for this supermom. the mother of two now missing after going for a jog. her cell phone found abandoned. we'll have what her husband is saying this morning. >>> and we do say good morning, america. we're counting down. we know that you are as well. less than 24 hours to go to the election. we want you to take a look at our abc news election headquarters, right smack dab in the heart of times square. our entire political team will be with us all night long as the results roll in. thousands of voters are expected to gather right outside of our studio. michael will be there. and george, you will be here in coverage. very big night. >> it's all hands on deck. you'll be with the clinton campaign. amy with the trump campaign. you're blocks apart tomorrow night. >> rue. >> we'll be here all night long. forgive us bleary eyes on wednesday morning. so many people have turned out to vote across the country. more than 40 million americans already h

and the raid that sent elian gonzalez back to cuba. janet >>> another earthquake has struck oklahoma. the magnitude 5 quake in oklahoma hurt buildings in cushing. the 19th quake in oklahoma in the last week. many have been linked to oil and gas drilling. >>> two sheriff's deputies were ambushed while responding to a dispute between neighbors. this happened where one deputy was killed and another wounded. the suspect is in custody. he was pulled over for speeding while driving to the texas motor speedway. the officer did let him go with jusz just a warning. someone on twitter asked him how fast he was going. his response, not fast enough. >> apparently not. amy, thank you very much. >>> boy, ginger, you don't see that often in el paso. >> right. el paso, texas, the hail piling up. they had shoveled it together. still, our reporter from abc 7 down there standing on top of the pile. the flash flooding. the gulf stas tomorrow. so your election day forecast includes that cold front that could impact parts of texas and louisiana. also later

remember elian gonzalez whose mother took him out and gunpoint he was returned to cuba. there is the awful photograph of armed men, these are u.s. officials, taking out elian, bringing him back to cuba. sometimes the u.s. actually helped fidel in his quest. >> i think, a number about u.s. presidents, jimmy carter, but, obviously president obama, just fell under the spell of generations of left-wing propaganda and softness towards this particular dictatorship. it goes back to the "new york times" when castro was still up there starting his revolution. herbert matthews a "times" correspondent went down there, wrote glowing articles about the freedom fighters from the mountains. left clung to this. people of cuba have stood still for 50 years. they are imprisoned. no freedom of speech. they are poor, $25 a month average income. they have been treated like dirt. vaunted educational civil is all propaganda. david: right. >> medical system, they did provide more medical care but how many american sympathizers of castro go to cuba for that. david: i have to say, colonel. i was

remember the custody showdown over elian gonzalez? the small boy rescued after his mother drowned trying to escape cuba with him. castro won. the boy was returned to his father in cuba. >> he milked it in every way to make the cuban community in miami look bad and the cuban community in miami frankly fell right into the trap. marisele perez estabele is a sociology professor at florida international university. >> the revolution was simply claiming a son for his father. >> reporter: the revolution does have its supporters, who give castro credit for raising the literacy rate in cuba to nearly 100% and for providing free health care to all. cuba turns out highly skilled doctors, respected throughout latin america. in february 2008, illness, fidel castro officially transferred cuba's presidency to his younger brother raul. >> today the united states of america is changing its relationship with the people of cuba. >> reporter: it was raul who agreed in 2014 to a restoration of diplomatic relations with the united states. it was raul who w

some people spend their entire lifetime jumping a fence, swimming here like elian gonzalez' mother. we sacrificed. we betrayed a country to be americans. >> some people can be moved by a wonderful piece of rhetoric. some people can be moved by a stirring speech, but everybody can be moved by something that makes them laugh. everybody. and it's a great, great force that can be used to mold a mind. [ laughter ] >> it's a funny thing. i never thought about how to find humor here. i thought, how do i not find humore? i feel humor is a way to diffuse things, to take the air out of something. >> it doesn't have to be tuesday for me to eat tacos. i don't need somebody to tell me that today i can have tacos. >> white people will ask me how are you friends with so many black people? i said, i don't know. it's weird. i just treat them like human beings. >> people go, do the indian accent. you can't. you have to physically become the indian accent. like, i'm talking to you like this, but if i had to change, suddenly my body has changed. my hands, eyes, everything is different. >> we have to mo

having agents seize 5-year-old elian gonzalez to send him back to cuba. she was 78. >>> a shocking confession in south carolina. authorities say the real estate agent accused of kidnapping a young woman and chaining her to a storage container has now admitted to multiple murders. authorities believe charles kohlhepp may be responsible for at least seven deaths. he confessed to killing four people back in officials the grave sites or two more people. >>> a magnitude 5 earthquake damaged buildings and caused injuries in cushing, oklahoma. there have been 19 earthquakes in just the last week. many have been linked to effects of gas drilling. >>> overseas, new political tensions in china. thousands of hong kong residents took to the streets to protest china's intervention in their elections. from taking office because of their views on independence. more protests are expected. >>> a sweet surprise for a college student who was the victim of a cruel theft. hunter jobbins posted online that someone stole his kit kat bar from the cup holder of his car. they left

then the armed seizure of elian gonzalez. in 2002, she ran an unsuccessful bid for governor in florida. that ended her public career. she spent her final days in her home in miami. she was 78 years old. that's your headline right now. >> thank you very much, heather. still ahead on this monday, do the laundry. clean the kitchen, handle the classified government documents. that was one of the duties of hillary clinton's personal maid. the brand new jaw-dropping e-mails about the housekeeper and classified information coming up. >>> if donald trump wants to win, he'll have to turn the blue states on this map red. but what are his chances? we have someone here with trump's path to victory. come on in. we live in a pick and choose world. love or like? naughty or nice? calm or bright? but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number. don't miss the semi-annual sale, going on now. sleepiq technology tells you how you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes

his own political stock soared during the international custody fight for elian gonzalez. when the u.s. returned his little prince castro called the moment a moral victory over america. the man came to power leading a rag tag band of bearded rebels to overthrew dictator. he ended up becoming one himself. castro stood defiantly against ten u.s. presidents. around the world, leftists who hates america's influence and power called castro a hero. but for the u.s. he was the all too close face of the bitter cold war. and while the world could never completely dismiss castro politically. over time to some critics he seemed more like a caricature with his wiry beard, faded fatigues and six inch cigars. the man who would lead the small cuban island to communism was educated by jesuit priests and earned his law degree at the university of havana. launching his first and failed revolution in 1953 where thirty of his followers were filled attacking the barracks. castro was imprisoned and then deported but made his way back on an over loaded power boat. after a decade of coupe, riots

gonzalez. called the moment a moral victory over imperialist america. the man born of castro ruiz came to power leading a rag tag band of bearded rebels to overthrow a deck territory. he ended up becoming one himself. castro stood defiantly against 10 u.s. presidents. around the world, leftists who hated america's influence and power called castro a hero. but for the u.s., he was the all-too close face of the bitter cold war. and while the world could never completely dismiss castro politically, over time to some critics he seemed more like a caricature with his wirery beard, faded fatigues and six inch cigars. the man who would lead the small caribbean island to communism was educated by jesuit priests and earned his law degree at the university of havana. he launched his first and failed revolution in 1953. where 30 of his followers were killed while attacking the moncada barracks. he was imprisoned and then deported and made his way back on overloaded power boat. after a decade of co coos ri