the guy has been a monster. >> the cuban people are feeling sad because of the loss of our commander in chief, fidel castro. we wish him wherever he is, that he's blessed. you hear a mix of reaction it to castro's death. hundreds of people took to the streets in miami to celebrate his death. while many in cuba are mourning the loss of their former leader. plus this -- >> i was born in havana, cuba in april of 1953. my life started basically about the same time as cuban revolution did. >> life under castro's rule. a cnn executive producer recounts his early life under

the castro government. also, in aleppo, the syrian government says their forces have moved into a rebel-held district in the city's east we have a live report ahead. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell, "cnn newsroom" starts right now. it is 5:01 on the u.s. east coast. one day after the death of fidel castro. his funeral set for december 4th and leading up tot the island nation had declared nine days of mourning. castro died at the age of 90 years old late friday. his remains will be cremated and will be displayed at revolutionary square in havana. that plaza was completed in

1959. that was the year that castro came to power. the mood in havana was quiet. many people there thought of him as a father figure to the nation. quite the opposite though, in miami, florida. cuban exiles celebrated. they took to the streets in little havana to celebrate the death of fidel castro through the night and into saturday. there are some in the many people around the world who considered him a brutal dictator. cnn's international diplomatic editor nic robertson is live following developments in havana and is here to talk more about the situation. nic, what is the reaction you're hearing on streets of havana. >> caller: it's somber and solemn. it's a contrast to little havana in miami. there's no sense of celebration whatsoever here. it's one of -- a sense that a great figure in the century has passed.

the government has ordered flags to fly at half-staff for all public events to be canceled, nightclubs, for example, to be closed. placido domingo was going to perform and didn't. if you will, taking it quietly, very quietly. some people here in havana think that -- few police cars last night and -- [ inaudible ] nothing large, nothing ostentatious. just quiet. you think that everyone here knew this day was coming, knowing it's coming and the day of it arriving are two entirely different things. the government has said that people come and pay respects at revolution square. they'll be able to do that on monday and on tuesday here in

havana. they're planning a rally or expected to have one tuesday evening and then fidel castro ashes are expected to trace a reverse route and past his -- to the capital late -- [ inaudible ] take the ashes wednesday and come back across the country and back to cuba. expecting -- [ inaudible ] to be held a week from sunday. >> i apologize for interrupting your report. hearing a lot of wind in the phone interview. we may come back to you later in the show. nic, please stand by. we'll return to you. again, getting insight saying that this is a day that people knew was going to come. we can talk more to nic about the reaction and people's concerns moving forward. for many people, cubans living

in exile, castro's death brings closure. take a look at this. this is the scene in little havana. in miami, people poured into the streets screaming with joy, many people banging pots and pans, flying their flags high. cnn's boris sanchez has more on the celebrations there. >> reporter: the party is just getting started here in little havana. we're outside of cafe -- this is the epicenter of the cuban american exile community here in miami. there are literally hundreds of people celebrating the death of fidel castro. there's music playing, people banging pots and pans. hundreds of flags and lots of chanting. one of the chants we've heard over and over again is fidel, you tyrant. take your brother with you. it's very kind of dark to think

that people are celebrating someone's death. people say they've been waiting for this for a very long time. they've perceived fidel as somebody who is repressive and essentially stole their homeland away. you have to remember, fidel castro was in power in cuba since 1959. these are very different generations of people, young and old, that have come out to show their joy and their hope that this could mean a new chapter for the island of cuba. of course, the other thing to consider is that there are many personal stories here, a lot of people that wish that their families could be alive to see this. that's another thing i've heard over and over again. i spoke to a gentleman whose mother died about two years ago. one of his hopes was that she could live here to enjoy this moment. he says it's an emotional and sad moment for him but he's still joyous.

as you heard, boris sanchez, miami's little havana. >> thank you very much. fidel castro found allies in many places. some latin american leaders were morning his death. shasta darlington has more from rio de janeiro. >> reporter: condolences are pouring in from across latin america. a region where fidel castro was considered an idol by many, especially during the darkest years when military dictatorships seized power in many south american countries, civil wars raged across central america. fidel castro was the prototype of a rebel leader fighting from the jungle for something he believed in. of course, he won. he went on to become the prototype of a pop list president, railing against the regional super power and even after cuba lost the main ally. ussr collapsed, he managed to reinvent himself as the

godfather of leftist leaders from hugo chavez to morales in bolivia and ecuador. during my seven years covering in cuba, there was a constant stream of presidents and leaders from across latin america, across the plit cat spectrum, really, paying respects to a man they admired even after he was no longer the president. because because he stood up to the united states for decades. this is important in a region that bristled at being considered america's backyard. that's why we're seeing all these messages today from viva cuba and in bolivia to here in brazil, the center right president calling fidel castro a man of conviction. of course, in venezuela, nicolas maduro declaring now it's our turn, we'll keep the revolution alive. that's a bigger challenge as latin america shifts further to the right and away from fidel

castro's legacy. shasta darlington, cnn, rio de janeiro. now, to the political reactions here in the united states. the president of the united states, barack obama, struck a neutral tone. here is part of his statement. at the time of fidel castro's passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the cuban people. we know that this moment fills cuban in cuba and the united states with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which fidel castro altered the course of individual lives, families and of the cuban nation. a different response from the u.s. president-elect. donald trump has been a frequent critic of restoring diplomatic ties with cuba and he didn't mince words. first reacting on twitter saturday. saying this. fidel castro is dead with an exclamation point. later, he released a statement calling him a brutal dictator. he went on to say while cuba

remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long toward a future in which the wonderful cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve. now moving on to the government of war towards syria facing u.s. and international sanctions. it's not surprising perhaps that the syrian president offered these words of praise after learning of fidel castro's death. saying the following. our friend, cuba was able under his leadership to stand its ground in the face of the most ferocious of sanctions and unfair campaigns witnessed in our modern history. the name fidel castro will forever live in the minds of generations and remain an inspiration for all the peoples who aspired to achieve real independence and liberation from the yolk of colonialism and

hedge 'em any. >> he became a bitter adversary with the united states. he survived numerous assassination attempts. he outlived many of his opponents. even living to see relations thaw with the united states. cnn's rafael romo has more now on his final years. >> fidel castro knew his days were dwindling, telling cuban communists before his 90th birthday this year, soon i will be like everyone else. after a near fatal illness, he turned the reins of parr over to his younger brother raul. as cuba's new president began taking tentative steps toward reform, the u.s. began to ease restrictions. but fidel castro was suspicious writing in january 2015 that although he doesn't trust u.s. policies, had not exchanged a word with them, this does not mean i would oppose a peaceful solution to conflicts or threats

of war. in september last year, fidel met with pope francis, they talked about common problems of humanity that the pope once condemned calling the authoritarian and corrupt reg e regime. in march this year, american president barack obama visited the country after the -- he met with raul castro but not fidel. at his 90th birthday party in august this year, a frail fidel castro appeared at a theater named for karl marx and shown in occasional photos with foreign leaders. fidel castro came to power as a revolutionary inspired by marx. as he died, he was watching his revolution change in a way that was beyond his control. rafael romo, cnn. rafael, thank you. government forces in syria are closing in an east aleppo after entering a key part of that

rebel-held area. we have a live report ahead. plus, voting is under way in france in the second round of the republican runoff. a look at the contenders as "cnn newsroom" continues. zero really can be a hero. get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. this black friday at the volkswagen sign then drive event.

we continue to follow brutal fighting in seer yachlt the government there, the forces entered a key district in the

besieged eastern part of aleppo. state media report that the troops are now in the largest district in that part of the city. it has been under rebel control since july of 2012. the u.n. said at least 250,000 people are under siege in eastern aleppo as fighting continues there. correspondents fred pleitgen was there and joins us live in london at this hour. fred, from hospitals to even homes, so many different targets have not been spared. this has been the focus of the syrian government with weeks of heavy bombardment. what more can you tell us about where they are now? >> you're absolutely right. this has been very much the focus not only of the syrian government but all the forces allied with them as well. you have shiite fighters from iraq and hezbollah fighting there and the russians as well.

it was one of the key things to take aleppo. it is the last urban stronghold that the syrian rebels still hold or at least where they have a large area that they do hold. you're right, the fighting has been intense over the past couple of weeks. the area has been under siege. there have been aerial bombardments as you said. many of the hospitals hit. we're hearing that the food and water supplies there and medical supplies are running out as well and that people are under threat of starvation. something that the united nations hasn't been able to rub any sort of convoy or food aid into the eastern part of aleppo for months. so that really is something where people are in grave threat to not only be in danger from the fighting but, of course, from shortages as well. now we're seeing gains made by syrian military and their allied forces after the big bombardments going on. certainly something that is very, very significant. because the syrian military has

been trying to enter the districts of eastern aleppo. quite frankly, they didn't think they had the manpower to achieve that. they are making some significant gains. as you mentioned, this is the biggest district of eastern aleppo, the area held by the rebels. >> there have been images of families killed and children buried in rubble. this disturbing statement coming from unicef talking about the fact that half a million children are still trapped in these war-torn areas. even in aleppo a lot of children are trapped there. >> yeah. many children on the ground there as well. of course, witnessing the fighting and danger. not being able to go by their daily routine because of the fighting going on. i talked to unicef officials in the time i was in syria and continue to do so. they're very concerned about the situation of children in that entire country. they say about half a million children there are in areas

under siege. not just in eastern aleppo, also where they're under siege by isis and other areas of syria as well. it's about 100,000 children in eastern aleppo. they say there's obviously no chance for them to play. apparently, in some places there are basements converted into playgrounds to at least allow the children a little bit of time to play in. earlier this year, i was in an area besieged where people set up an underground library that children went to as well. it is certainly a very difficult thing and no place that children should be. stark warning from unicef saying the children are in danger and something needs to be done, george. >> i was reading about a hidden playground for children. >> yeah. absolutely. a hidden playground.

apparently in eastern aleppo. that's something that unicef was talking about as well where apparently some residents to give the children a little bit of respite. a little bit of calm from all the things going on overhead. you're talking about artillery shelling, fighting, bombs. it's to allow some children to play. up to 200 children come there every day simply to be able to play. that's only one of the things that these children aren't able to do. you're talking about going to school, things like getting medical attention when they need it in an area where there's no hospital left. a dire situation there. the people trying to come up with any sort of, i wouldn't say solution but any sort of way to try to keep the children out of harm's way and let them have any sort of childhood. of course in the situation right now it's all but impossible, george. >> while you were talking, there

were images rolling of the situation in aleppo. it's a hard concept but it is the reality for so many families to find a way for the children to play. fred pleitgen live in london. thank you for your report being. we'll stay in touch with you. here in the united states, hillary clinton's campaign says it will participate in a recount of presidential votes in the u.s. state of wisconsin. the campaign spokesman says that an internal investigation found no evidence of tampering or hacking. but the campaign decided to back the recount to "ensure that it is fair on all sides." wisconsin is one of three states where the green party is trying to get recounts. the other two, michigan and pennsylvania. the u.s. president-elect donald trump was quick to call out the clinton campaign for suddenly getting behind the recount effort. late saturday, mr. trump tweeted the following, "the democrats, when they incorrectly thought

they were going to win, asked that the election night tabulation be accepted. not so anymore." trump denounced the recount effort as a "scam" by the green party to raise money. jill stein who was the presidential candidate brushed off the criticism with this comment to cnn. >> he may be creating his own facts here. he's been known to do sometimes in the past. he himself said it was a rigged election. unless he won it. point to drive home here is that having a secure election's process benefits us all. i invite everyone, i invite donald trump's campaign, hillary's campaign. we've called out the gary johnson campaign. this should be a nonpart son people-powered effort to ensure that we can rely on the integrity and security of our vote. >> wisconsin election officials

say the recount could begin as early as this week. it's considered highly unlikely that the recount will change the election results. moving on to france and that nation's conservative party that's about to choose its candidate. the second round of voting in the primary began a few hours ago. two former prime ministers are in the running. they are a conservative and a -- the first round of voting, he received 44% of the vote last sunday. this in comparison to the 28%. the former french president, nicolas sarkozy cast his vote. he came in third during the first round of primary voting from last week and he asked that his supporters vote for fee own. now to qatar. unusual flooding is happening there. derek van dam is here with more. that is part of the world that doesn't get a lot of rain.

>> only 3.3 on average. we're talking quadruple that in less than 24 hours. we sometimes go to social media to find our trusted sources. say our friends who actually live there, for instance. i indeed, have some friends in qatar that were posted pictures of water up to their ankles. there were some swift water rescues that took place. i'll show you how much rain fell. on average, doha typically se sees -- we'll move to the region. 35.3 millimeters. that's about 50% of the yearly average total in less than a day. that is a lot of rainfall. no wonder it flooded the

streets. we unfortunately have the chains for more rainfall. the qatar meteorological agency actually warning residents that flooding is still possible. you can see the rainfall from the outer edges of the country stretching further wedge towards saudi arabia where the heaviest of rain is forecast to fall over the next 24 hours. if you're in that region, traveling to doha, be aware. through sunday and early monday have the potential for flooding rains. north america now, a typically wetter part of the world continues to get bombarded. look at oregon and washington. astoria, 5.86 inches of rainfall. portland, 3 inches. this is in a four-day period. excuse me, three days. nonetheless, this is area continues to see flooding as well. some snowfall in the mountains that's piling up at popular ski

resorts. mt. baker, into british columbia. some of it moving across the rockies bringing much-needed snowfall considering they've had a drought of snow so far this season. we want to give you a heads up, f. you're tuning in from the deep south of the u.s., on monday, we have an enhanced chance of severe weather. this time targeting paragraphs of louisiana. -- parts of louisiana. damaging winds and hail coming out of that region. george, you know i like the cold weather, the snow as being a snowboarder. going to end off with a pretty picture out of yellowstone national park. >> good to see the snow there. derek, you talked about qatar. no rain here in the atlanta area. >> no rain in the atlanta area. that's going to come to an end on tuesday and wednesday finally. places like in alabama, no rain in over 70 days. >> derek, thank you. still ahead here on "cnn

newsroom," a divisive icon of the 20th century dead at 90 years old. we go back to havana for the death of fidel castro. stay with us. you have dinner on the table at 6:00 every night. hey guys, i'm home! of course no one said it had to be cooked. campbell's one dish recipes, designed around one pan and your schedule. made for real, real life.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell in atlanta. we continue to follow the death of fidel castro. one of the most defining figures of the 20th century. this former cuban leader. dead at the age of 90 years old. he passed away late friday

triggering two different sets of reactions. some mourn the loss of what they described as an inspired revolutionary. others celebrated, promising step towards a new freer cuba. he was a divisive leader. some loved him, others hated him. diplomatic editor, nic robertson is live in havana. good to have you back with us this hour. again, the first question i wanted to ask you was to get the reaction there in havana now that people understand this very heavy news for them. many people mourning the loss. what are you hearing? >>. >> reporter: obviously no surprise. so it's not a shock that -- but it's a reality and the there is a somber feeling here. the government has we know called for nine days of national

mourning, flags to be at half-staff. public events to be canceled. popular places for people where they might go to listen to music there. those have all gone quiet. there was a candlelit vigil last night or overnight tonight. the university of havana, where fidel castro studied law in the late 1940s. so there is a sense that -- there is also sorrow and sadness for some. some saw him as a father figure. the mood has not been what we've witnessed in little havana in miami, in the united states. barely a 100 miles away, if that. it's a feeling here that this iconic figure, this strong man, leader of the nation influence in the region is gone. people are coming to terms with that. people will hear from what we understand will be able to pay

their respects at -- revolution square in havana the next couple of days. it's expected to be a religious service on tuesday evening. around the country, as well, we're told there will be memorials, there will be places for people to gather and mourn his passing. on wednesday, fidel castro's ashes, already cremated per his wishes early yesterday, early saturday morning. that will begin a reverse journey of his revolution. arriving in santiago de cuba on sunday next weekend. that's where his funeral will be held. >> nic, you describe this as hearing from people there a day that people knew would be coming. you describe a somber sense there on the streets of havana. but the question, what are you getting from people when it comes to their future? is there a sense of uncertainty

now that this former leader, the shadow of fidel castro is gone? >> reporter: again, this is a transition that's been working its way through the country for a decade now since fidel castro first had to undergo intestinal surgery and pass temporary control of the country to his younger brother of raul. he this is a transition that people have become used to and already to see the diplomatic re-establishment of ties with the united states. visit earlier this year of president obama. so people can see changes coming. what pace and what to expect next, there isn't a sense of bursting pressure from people to see that change immediately. but there is a sense of potential expectation that this

may be different. this is not something that is manifesting itself on the streets by any stretch of the imagination. >> cnn's international diplomatic editor nic robertson live in havana, cuba. thank you for the reporting. we'll stay in touch with you as that island nation is honoring nine days of mourning. fans of fidel castro describe him as a savior. his critics very different take. he was a cool tyrant to them. our christiane amanpour looks back and explains why fidel castro was such a divisive person in history. stay with us.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." the reactions to the death of fidel castro have been as divided as the former cuban leader was polarizing. he was a hero for some, others a ruthless dictator. christiane amanpour has more now on his life, a divisive figure. more now from lon ton for us. >> fidel castro was revered and reviled depending what part of the world you came from. specifically during the cold war he was a revolutionary hero that many liberation movements took as their hero to cast the shackles of imperialism off and colonialism. that's for this part of the world. latin america, many right wing dak tore toreship were turned over, some became left wing, which took fidel castro as their

godfather. still exist today. for instance in venezuela and others. a lot of those are beginning to come out of power. the balance of power that fidel castro represented has been crumbling over the last several decades. the vatican expressed could be condolences. pope francis was a go-between for president obama and -- the farc rebels and the government of san tock there came together to -- they played important roles, havana in recent times. of course, if you go back to the cuban missile crisis, you go back to the bay of pigs, all of these exceptionally difficult and dangerous confrontations between this communist island and the united states just 90 miles away.

cuba obviously wants to see a lifting of the embargo despite diplomatic relations. that's not going to happen without an act of u.s. congress. many people have been reporting on cuba say with the death of the old ideologue of this movement, the sort of owner of the revolutionary era, with his death, it may make it much quicker and faster to institute reform even in march when president obama went for a visit there, even then, castro, fidel castro, each though he wasn't president, he insisted on being hauled out to preside over their party congress and he was very hard line, no to reform, no to what the empire has to tell us, talking about the united states, whereas his brother raul is much more apparently willing to establish reform. this is going to be interesting to see if now released from his older brother's shadow raul can enact more freedoms and economic

reforms at a faster pace. we'll all be watching. this week, it's going to be all revolutionary, all the media is going to be about patriotism and history and the whole revolutionary reality being shown again. but afterwards, after the mourning where is cuba going next? christiane amanpour, cnn in london. thank you. thousands of cubans lived in fear for years while castro ruled. coming up, a cnn executive producer recalls when the regime took over and how their hope dwin ld as oppression sank in. take nyquil severe: the... ds ...nighttime sniffling,sneezing, coughing, aching, fever best... ...sleep with a cold, medicine. whfight back fastts, with tums smoothies. it starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." in miami flashings fla, many cuban exiles are -- for others, his death left a void not easily filled. here's more reactions that were shared. >> it's a historic day for the cuban community here in miami. we're just happy that we have hope now. we can start from a new beginning now.

>> it's very sad. >> translator: and painful. he was a person who helped us a lot. the cuban people, specifically those who struggled the most. it's something that truly left us all traumatized. we are sad and he's a person we will never forget. >> really sad, the separation of family, all they've been going through. i really celebrate. the guy has been a monster. >> translator: the cuban people is feeling sad because of the loss of our commander in chief, fidel castro. we wish him wherever he is that he's blessed. us cubans love him. >> a mix of reactions there. many different reactions also coming in from around the world. one of our own here at cnn grew up in cuba under fidel castro's government. we want to share his story with you now. >> my name is arthur brice. i'm an executive producer with cnn. i was born in cuba in april of

1953. my life started basically about the same time as the cuban revolution, on july 26, 1953, when fidel castro and about 100 other people, including his brother and followers, attacked the army barracks in santiago, de cuba. he was a young lawyer and idealistic and wanted to overthrow the man in power at the time. i was a child and didn't know at the time but i had a front row seat to history. a history that's still evolving to this day. i would say that the main emotion in the house during that whole period was of concern, of fear, of nervousness, of having to lead a life and live a life where you couldn't do the normal things that many other people, adult or children, could do. i could not go outside to play. i spent 2 1/2-some years of the

revolution inside of the apartment for the most part. i was about 5, 6 years old. so this is in the middle of the revolution and gunshots break out and being curious, i went out to the balcony and i looked out. i could see there was a street that ran to the side of our building, and i could see a young woman, probably high school age, running down the middle of the street, literally down the middle of the street as fast as she could screaming for help. i'll never forget the look of terror on her face as she looked around and screaming for help. the reason she's screaming for help is because there's a car with four guys in it chasing her down the middle of the street and they have their hands out the windows with guns pointing at her and they're shooting at her. and they disappeared from sight around the corner and i couldn't see them anymore. so i don't know what happened to

her. i suspect she didn't live but just a few seconds after i last saw her. they either shot her or ran her over. that same afternoon, my mother would tell me the story later and i do remember it. she crawled into the kitchen because i was an active little guy and i was obviously not doing what i was supposed to be doing, sticking my head on to the balcony. she got a small glass of wine and had me drink it. being that young, i went right to sleep. when i woke up, there was silence. i like to tell people there was silence but there wasn't any peace. we belonged to a beach club. one day we were driving out on a saturday in the morning, to go to the beach, and my parents had this big car and as a little guy, i would stand in the floorboard in the back seat between them holding on to the front seat and i could see down the road. all of a sudden, my dad reaches back and shoves my head down and says get down, get down, don't

look. i managed to look over to the side of the road and i saw a man lying there. dead. barbed wire wrapped around his neck. on january 1st, 1959, my dad and i were headed out early in the morning, new year's day, headed to the corner bakery to buy a loaf of bread and we got to the corner and i remember this very clearly. this man stopped and says have you heard. we said no, have you heard what? he said batista fled last night. we said, oh, we knew that was the revolution. >> fidel castro himself had been -- these scenes though his triumphant march to the capital. >> my parents wanted to go down and see the rebels going through and i didn't let them. i was just too afraid. i was too traumatized about what i had seen and felt all those years. i said please let's no not go and they didn't.

castro and his men drove down the central highway into havana in a very jubilant victory parade. a few days after taking over, castro held a speech, his first public speech. and it was just -- people as far as the eye could see. i guess i was watching it on tv, i do remember that. castro was giving a speech. in the middle of the speech, this white dove comes and lands on his shoulder. i remember as a young child, i was six years old thinking wow, this is really strange. that sort of stuff doesn't happen. i was very excited. everybody was excited and hopeful. fidel was a mythic larger than life figure who had done the impossible. he had overthrown a dictatorship that had a large army, all the

resourc resources. >> this is an autograph from fidel castro that was made out to me as a 7-year-old boy. up here in the corner it says [ speaking spanish ] >> a salute and hello for -- from fidel castro. the way my father got this autograph was he was at a meeting with fidel castro and a bunch of other lawyers and people. they actually ran a picture in the paper. there's fidel, my father in the second or third row. my mother. this piece of paper was a notepad that castro had sitting there in front of him while the meeting was going on. while the meeting is going on and somebody else was talking or whatever, you can see where he doodled and wrote somebody's name. he filled in the o on memorandum. it's not just an autograph.

but it's a look into the man himself. it's significant to me. after the revolution, my parents' feelings were completely different about castro. they were completely destroyed. they had put so much faith and hope and aspiration on him that he was going to take us from one dictatorship and deliver us to democracy and freedom. instead he took us from one dictatorship to another. that made it even more bitter for them. we left cuba for several reasons. my parents and my mom saw which way the revolution was headed, saw that this was going to be another dictatorship and they just didn't want any part of that anymore. the day we left, there's a picture of me and my brother standing in front of the house right before we're getting ready to leave. the driver pulled up, opened the trunk. i knew i was leaving to come to

the united states. but i had no idea what that entailed. this is my passport we got in cuba. my parents got it in anticipation of us coming and moving here, seeking exile. the stamp to the country, september 3rd, 1960. it's the naturalization service of miami, florida. that was the one and only time we used this passport. this was a one-use passport. we used to get out of cuba and come to the united states. my mother died on the fourth of july of 2011. one of my major regrets is she never saw cuba again without castro. i wanted her to be able to live through that. my dad had a saying. whenever something would go wrong, he would say -- we lost much more in cuba. that's how he put things in perspective. he would say this may be a setback or we may not have

gotten this or that, but we lost more in cuba. your troubles are not that big. we've already been through a lot worse. 21 months after my dad and i went to that corner bakery to buy that loaf of bread and we found out that bautista was overthrown, we left the country and we started a new chapter of our lives that really started on that morning. that early morning, streets were deserted. there was nobody around. there was just me and my dad and a stranger on corner who stopped us and he gave us some news that would end up changing my life and the life of so many others for many years to come. >> a look of a family's life changed forever as castro came to power. fidel castro dead at 90 years old. that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in lantz. for our viewers in the united states, new day is next. for our viewers around the

world, inside the middle east is next. stay with us.

good morning. welcome to sunday. it's so good to be here. i'm christi paul. >> i'm martin savidge in for vac tore blackwell. >> hillary clinton's campaign now says it's joining green party candidate jill stein in her efforts to recount the votes in three key swing states. >> clinton campaign says they're not contesting the results but, rather, they want to ensure that it's fair to all sides. president-elect donald trump is ripping the recount as a scan. he's accusing the green party of trying to reel in