the all new keurig 2.0. >> this is a fox news special report. >> from the knocks news world headquarters in new york i'm bill hemmer. a significant announcement about to take mason the relationship between the united states and communist cuba. a live look at the white house we are awaiting on president obama to make it a statement to make it official. as we've been reporting throughout the morning american alan gross age 65 has been released from a cuban prison after being held captive for five years. gross was detained in december of 2009 while working for an american aide agency, an american government program that cuba considered as illegal. illegal attempts by washington to undermine havana's government. gross was tried, originally sentenced to 15 years in jail. this is all part of a new era of

u.s.-cuban relations in exchange for gross at least three cuban prisoners will also be sent home to havana. we live awe are live at the white house. watching the story unfold. doug, good day to you. what do we expect to hear from the president. >> we expect to hear him outline what the changes in the relationship with cuba entail. he'll be speaking at the statement time as president raul castro of cuba will be speaking to the cuban people as well. reaction to the change in the relationship with the american people to the cuban people has been mixed. robert menendez of new jersey says this was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent american. he went onto say that president obama's actions have rained ka datevindicated the brutal behavior of the cubans.

marco rubio said it sets dangerous precedents. >> we are changing our relationship with the people of cuba. in the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to norm lic normal lice relations between our two countries. we intend to create more opportunities for the american and cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the americas. there is a come phra indicate complicated history between the united states and cuba. i was born in 1961 two years after fidel castro took power in cuba and a two months after the bay of pigs even vagues that tried to overthrow his regime. the relationship between our countries played out against the cold war and america's steadfast

opposition to communism. we are separated by just over 90 miles. years after years an ideological and economic barrier hardened between our two countries. meanwhile the cuban exile community in the united states made enormous k-bgsee norm contributions to our country. they felt a main full yearning for the land and families they left behind. all of this bound america and cuba in a unique relationship, family and foe. proudly the united states has oo supported tkepl case democracy through these years. though this policy has been rooted in the best of intentions no other nation joins us in

imposing these sanctions, and it has had little affect beyond providing the cuban government with a national for restrictions on its people. today cuba is still governed by the castros and the communist party that came to power half a century ago. neither the american for cuban people are well served by a rigid policy that is rooted in events that took place before most of us were born. consider that for more than 35 years we've had relations with china, a far larger country also governed by a communist marty. nearly through decades ago we reestablished relations with vietnam where we fought a war that claimed more americans than any cold carr confrontation. that's why when i came into office i promised to repain our kaub abou cuba policy. we lifted for cubans to travel and sent remit tansess to their families in cuban.

these changes once controversial seem now obvious. cuban americans have been reunited where their families and are the best possible ambassadors for our values. and through these exchanges a younger generation of cuban americans has increasingly questioned an approach that does more to keep cube a closed off from an interconnected world. i've been prepared to take additional steps tore some time, a major obstacle stood in our way the wrongful imprison scuba of a u.s. citizen and contractor alan gross for five years. over many months my administration has held discussions with the cuban government about alan's case and other aspects of our relation slip. his holiness hope francis issued a personal appeal to me and to cuba's president raul castro to resolve his case and release three cuban agents jailed in the united states for over 15 years. today alan returned home

reunited with his family at long last. alan was released by the cuban government on humanitarian grounds. separately in exchange for the three cuban agents cuba today released one of the most important intelligence agents that the united states has ever had in cuba, and who has been imprisoned for nearly two decades. this man who sacrifice has been known to only a few provided america with the information that allowed us to arrest the network of cuban agents that included the men transferred to cuba today as well as other spies in the united states. this man is now safely on our shores. having recovered these two men who sacrificed for our country i'm now taking steps to place the interests of the people of both countries at the heart of our policy. first, i've instructed secretary kerry to immediately begin discussions with cuba to re-establish diplomatic

relations that have been severed since january of 1961. going forward the united states will re-establish an embassy in havana and high ranking officials will visit cuba. where we can advance shared interests, we will on issues like health, migration, counterterrorism, drug trafficking and disaster response. indeed we've seen the benefits of cooperation between our countries before. it was a cuban, carlos finley who discovered that mosquitos carry yellow fever. his work helped walter reed fight. cuba sent hundreds of healthcare workers to africa to fight ebola and i believe american and cuban healthcare workers should work side-by-side to stop the spread of this deadly disease. now where we disagree, we will raise those differences directly, as we will continue to do on issues related to democracy and human rights in cuba. i believe that we can do more to support the cuban people and

promote our values through engagements. after all these 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked. it's time for a new approach. second, i've instructed secretary kerry to review cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. this review will be guided by the facts and the law. terrorism has changed in the last several decades at a time when we are focused on thread from al-qaida, to isil, a nation that meets our conditions and renouncess the use of terrorism should not face the sanction. third, we are taking steps to increase travel, commerce and the flow of information to and from cuba. this is fundamentally about freedom and openess and also expresses my belief in the power of people and people engagement. if the changes i'm announcing today it will be easier for americans to travel to cuba, and americans will be able to use

american credit and debit cards on the island. nobody represents america's values better than the american people and i believe this contact will ultimately do more to empower the cuban people. i also believe that more resources should be able to reach the cuban people, so we're significantly increasing the amount of money that can be sent to cuba and removing limits on remit tansess that support humanitarian projects, the cuban people and the emerging cuban private sector. i believe that american businesses should not be put at a disadvantage and that increased commerce is good for americans and for cubans. so we will facilitate authorized transactions between the united states and cuba. u.s. financial institutions will be allowed to open accounts at cuban financial institutions and it will be easier for u.s. exporters to sell goods in cuba. i believe in the free flow of information. unfortunately our sanctions on cuba have denied cubans access

to technology that has empowered individual around the globe. so i've authorized increased telecommunications connections between the united states and cuba. businesses will be able to sell goods that enable cubans to communicate with the united states and other countries. these are the steps that i can take as president to change this policy. the embargo that's been imposed for decades is now codified in legislation. as these changes unfold i look forward to engaging congress in an honest and serious debate about lifting the embargo. yesterday i spoke with raul castro to finalize alan gross' release and the exchange of prisoners and to describe how we will move forward. i made clear my strong belief that cuban society is constrained by restrictions on its citizens. in addition to the return of alan gross and the release of our intelligence agent, we welcome cuba's decision to release a substantial number of prisoners whose cases were directly raised with the cuban

government by my team. we welcome cuba's decision to provide more access to the internet for its citizens and increase engagement with insurance national institutions like the united nations and the international committee of the red cross that promote universal values. but i'm under no illusion about the continued prayer years to freedom that remain for ordinary cubans. the united states believes that no cuban should face harassment or arrest or beatings simply because they are exercising a universal right to have their voices heard, and we will continue to support a civil society there. while cuba has made reforms to gradually open up its economy we continue to believe that cuban workers should be free to form unions just as their citizens should be free to participate in the political process. more over given cuba's history i expect it will continue to pursue foreign policies that will at times be sharply at odds with american interests.

i do not expect the changes i'm announcing today to bring about a transformation of cuban society overnight, but i am convinced that through a policy of engagement we can for effectively stand up for our values and help the cuban people help themselves as they move into the 21st century. to those who oppose the steps i'm announcing today, let me say that i respect your passion and share your commitment to liberty and democracy. the question is, how we uphold that commitment. i do not believe we can keep doing the same thing for over five decade and expect a different result. more over it does not serve america's interest, or be the cuban people who try to push cuba toward collapse, even if that worked, and it hasn't for 50 years, we know from hard-earned experience that countries are more likely to enjoy lasting transformation if their people are not subjected

to chaos. we are calling on cuba to unleash the potential on 11 million cubans by ending unnecessary restrictions on their political, social and economic activities, in that spirit we should not allow u.s. sanctions to add to the burden of cuban citizens that we seek to help. to the cuban people, america extends a hand of friendship. some of you have looked to us as a source of hope and we will continue to shine a light of freedom. others have seen us as a former colon ice erin stent on controlling your future. liberty is the right of every man to be honest. today i'm being honest with you. we can never erase the history between us but we believe you should be empowered to live with dignity and selfdetermination. cubans have a saying about daily life. [speaking cuban ] >> it's not easy. today the united states wants to

be a partner in making the lives of ordinary cubans a little bit easier, more free, more proper more prosperous. to shows who have supported these measures i thank you for being partners in our efforts. in particular i want to thank our holiness pope francis for pursuing the world as it should be rather than simply settling for the world that it is. the government of canada that hosted our discussions can the cuban government. and congressmen who worked tirelessly for alan gross release and a new approach to our interests and values in cuba. our shift in policy towards cuba comes at a moment of renewed leadership in the americas. this april we are prepared to have cuba join the other nations of the hemisphere at the summit of the americas. but we will insist that civil society join us, so that citizens, not just leaders, are shaping our future.

and i call on all my fellow leaders to give meaning to the commitment to democracy and human rights at the heart of the inner american charter. let us leave behind the legacy of both colon myization and communism. the tyranny of drug cartels, and sham elections. the future of greater peace, security and democratic development is possible if we work together. not to maintain power, not to secure vested interest, but instead to advance the dreams of our citizens. my fellow americans, the city of miami is only 200 miles or so from havana. countless thousands of cubans have come to miami on planes and make-shift rafts, some with little but the shirt on their back and hope in their hearts. today miami is often referred to as the capital of latin america. but it is also a profoundly

american city, a plague place that reminds us that ideals matter more than the khrof o color of our skin or the circumstances of our birth, a demonstration of what the cuban people can aeu chef and th achieve, and the openess of american to our friends in the south. [speaking cuban as ] changes heart in our lives and in the lives of of our nation. change is even harder when we carry the heavy weight of history on our shoulders. today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do. today america chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past, to reach for a better future for the cuban people, for the american people, for our entire hemisphere, and for the world. thank you. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. >> that statement is history, the united states changing its policy with cuba, that from president obama who says this

new policy that he's announcing will create more opportunities for americans and especially for the cuban people. the president also confirming he talked with raul castro yesterday, that would be a first, and saying an american held for two decades in cuba is back home, no name given, but he worked i in inch in intelligence and was weld there for the past years. and that and alan gross. republican senator marco rubio asking earlier today on the fox news channel what is cuba changing about its system of government for its people? i want to get back to doug live at the white house again with us. did anyone see this shift in policy changing, dog? dog? >> changing, doug? >> you could kind of see this coming. it was really difficult to read the tea leaves. the u.s. senator from arizona

jeff flake was on the airplane with gross when it landed at andrews air force base this afternoon suggested he was certainly well aware of it and held it very close to the vest. there were other signals as well. the organization for any gross was working recently announced earlier this month, this was advertise covered through associated press investigation that they would stop trying to foment dissident move meteorologists in totalitarian countries. that may be part of some deal as well. in addition to that tony blinken the nominee for deputy secretary of state in his confirmations hearings refused to answer any questions last month posed by marco rubio about the state of affairs with cuba, suggesting again this they wanted to hold this very, very close to the vest and that some sort of a deal, some sort of a deal might have been afoot. that is about as close as we can come to that, bill. it was indeed kept very quiet.

>> you have an embargo that goes back to 1961, that is american law even today. the president suggesting he will go to congress and talk to congress about this. how will that be met with members of congress, republicans and democrats? >> we are seeing an alignment of pretty strange bedfellows. i talked earlier about menendez being deeply opposed to this. rubio deeply opposed of it a republican from florida. jeff flake very much in favor of it. he said when he spoke to alan gross he expressed that this or teal may lead to positive changes between the united states and cuba. he goes onto say with today's significant and far-reaching announcement i think it already has. it's going to be really fascinating to see how congress alliance on this thing. the president's movement today falls short of an out right a repeal of the embargo with cuba. that would take a congressional vote. rubio says he doesn't think

there are enough votes in the senate to repeal an embargo others think differently. >> doug, thank you. alan gross age 65 landing outside of washington just last hour, five years in jail in havana. at least three cubans jailed here in the u.s. for the past 15 years will be released back to havana as well. we are also hearing and watching the cuban president raul castro. he started speaking about 20 minutes ago. the american president, president obama saying an american embassy will be established in havana. we will watch all these developments and stay tuned to the fox news channel and this fox station for all the coverage of this story and all the day's breaking news on this and everything else online any time at fox news.com. until then i'm bill hemmer in new york. if a lot of money makes it the funniest

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