>> yes. i have to say happy holiday season to all of you. today is the first day of hanukkah. and i guess so far it's the best hanukkah that i'll be celebrating for a long time. what a blessing it is to be a citizen of this country. and thank you, president obama, for everything that you have done today and leading up to today. i want to acknowledge the extraordinary and determined efforts of my wife, judy. 44 1/2 years we've been married. i know you're not 44 1/2 anymore. and my lawyer and personal moses, scott gilbert. and their efforts to restore my freedom. they have my endless gratitude, love and respect. the relentless and often intense

efforts by judy and scott, the partners and associates and staff of gilbert, llp law firm. that's where we are right now. they made me take the jacket off. i didn't want to take it off. but they said, you got to take it off. tim reiser of capitol hill, jill zuckman of skc knickerbocker have been inconceivable. senator patrick leahy of vermont has been instrumental in shepherding the arrival of this day. i want to thank all of the members of congress from all sides of the aisle, such as senator flake, representatives chris van holland and barbara lee and numerous others who spoke up or visited me, subjected themselves to my ranting and helped me regain some of my weight. even in cuba, m&ms melt in your

mouth, not in your hand. to all of those who tried to visit me but were not -- were unable to, thank you for trying. i'm at your service as soon as i get some new teeth. and i hope they'll be strong and sharp enough to make a difference. to the washington jewish community, ron halber in particular and his staff at jewish relations council, jcrc, all the executive directors, staff and volunteers of participating jcrcs, federations, synagogues, schools and other jewish, christian and organizations nationwide, god bless you and thank you. it was crucial to my survival knowing that i was not forgotten. your prayers and your actions have been comforting, reassuring and sustaining. and to my extended family, especially my sister bonnie, my cousins and friends, howard, our

s shabot group, and so many others who exemplify the true meaning of friendship, thank you. i do understand that there are many others who actively participated in securing my freedom, of whom i'm only nominally aware at this juncture. i promise i will express a more direct and personal gratitude just as soon as i know who you are. but ultimately, ult malt mimate decision to arrange for and secure my release was made in the oval office. to president obama and the staff, thank you. in my last letter to president obama, i wrote that despite my five-year tenure in captivity, i would not want to trade places with him, and i certainly wouldn't want to trade places with him on this glorious day.

five years of isolation, notwithstanding, i did not need daily briefings to cognizant of what our undoubtedly incredible challenges facing our nation and the global community. i also feel compelled to share with you my utmost respect for and fondness of the people of cuba. in no way are they responsible for the ordeal to which my family and i have been subjected. to me, kruchlt b achcubanos, mo are incredibly kind, generous and talented. it pains me to see them treated so unjustly as a consequence of two governments mutually belligerent policies. 5 1/2 decades of history show us such bee lidge republicans inhibits such judgment.

two wrongs never make a right. i hope we can get beyond these mutual belligerent policies. i was very happy with what the president had to say today. it was particularly cool to be sitting next to the secretary of state as he was hearing about his job description for the next couple of months. in all seriousness, this is a game-changer. which i fully support. in the meantime, i ask that you respect my wishes for complete and total privacy. a judicious lesson i learned from this experience is that freedom is not free. and as personified by scott and our entire team, we must never forget the two pillars of moses' covenant, freedom and responsibility. i'm incredibly blessed finally

to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. but for now, i'll close with a quote from one of nelson demille's characters. it's good to be home. thank you and i wish you all a happy holiday season. thank you. >> what are your wishes for -- >> and you've been listening to american alan gross, who's back on american soil today after being released from a cuban prison, where he's been held for five years. good afternoon. i'm joy reid. we continue our breaking news conference of gross's release. gross arrived back in the u.s. just after 11 a.m. eastern time, accompanied by some members of congress. three cuban nationals convicted in miami on charges of conspiracy were also released from u.s. custody in exchange for what administration officials are calling an intelligence asset. the new policy change centers on the u.s. beginning talks on

normalizing full diplomatic relations with cuba. president obama spoke on the developments earlier this afternoon. >> going forward, the united states will 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. >> and for more on the shift in u.s. policy toward cuba, we're joined by nbc's kristin welker, live at the white house. alan gross speaking for the first time in five long years. he hailed what he called a mutually belligerent policy between the u.s. and cuba. what does the white house have to say about this mow men to us development and him speaking out? >> reporter: they say it's an historic moment. they call this the biggest shift in u.s./cuban relations in more than 50 years. that's what it is. president obama announcing earlier today that in addition to the release of alan gross, there would be significant

easing on restrictions of travel, commerce. they're going to increase telecommunications between the two countries. so, this is certainly significant. of course, three cuban prisoners were released as well. the administration making it clear that those prisoners were released in exchange for an intelligence official that was being held for more than 20 years in cuba. officials won't identify that person, but they say that he delivered some incredibly significant intelligence. but a lot of questions remain. what happens next? will cuba move toward a civil, more democratic society? that is something certainly the obama administration would like to see, but how will they make that happen? where the teeth in this deal. of course, the trade embargo can't be lifted by president obama, so the administration has said he'll push members of congress to do just that. but, of course, a lot of resistance on capitol hill. some republicans staunchly opposed to this move, including

marco rubio. back to you, joy. >> one quick question to you on that point because there has been a fair amount of criticism from the ranks of marco rubio, also from senator menendez from new jersey. how much interaction did the white house have with members on capitol hill before this announcement? were people briefed in advance? was the white house expecting -- were those the expected reaction from largely cuban/american members? >> reporter: i think it was expected, that's an important point. administration says they have been in touch with lawmakers. the significant news we learned, which is that president obama had a phone conversation with president castro that lasted for more than 45 minutes yesterday. so, the president, top administration officials here, have been doing some significant outreach into the run-up of this historic day. joy? >> nbc's kristin welker at the white house, thanks very much. and a note to our viewers that the white house briefing is coming up shortly. when it happens, we will go to that live. for now, i believe my producer just told me we have luke russert on capitol hill.

do we have you, luke? okay. luke, i'm curious about the dichotomy between members on the hill who are criticizing this, the two prominent ones, cuban/americans, senator menendez of new jersey and marco rubio out of florida, but what about the members who stand to potentially gain from the commerce side of this? i know in states like texas and other states there has been a fair amount of push to actually change the policy. what are you hearing on the hill? >> reporter: well, as of right now i think the loudest voices on the hill, joy, are the ones opposed to this. there has been forceful language. speaker boehner saying it emboldened state sponsors of terror. marco rubio saying the president it willfully ignorant of how the world works and he's made another concession to tirn any. have you that strong language from the right. from the left you have language, it's great, fresh start, gets rid of the antiquated view of the cuba policy that's been plaguing us in latin america for

quite some time. a lot of the u.s.'s allies say, why do you still have this policy if you opened up things, it would probably do more to hurt castro than anything else? now, on the point you raised about the business interests in here, this -- that is something that's been privately floated by a fair amount of members in the past. never really been that public because of the fear of the backlash politically, but make no mistake about it, there will be -- if things truly do normalize, you can see significant u.s. business interests. what does that bring, joy? that brings much more lobbying here on capitol hill. how quickly things could change overnight. so, there is, i think, an element of truth to that, without doubt. once you get into the business side, then you might not hear the voices be as loud on the right. but where we go from here, from the hill, i spoke to a few republican aides before i came onto your show. they're going to seriously examine what they can do next congress to defund this policy,

if there is a way to do it. they're honest right now saying they were sort of taken by surprise by this. they don't know exactly congress can do. but this will be a political issue next year with the new republican senate and the emboldened republican house, joy. >> a lot of defunding going on where you are over there on the hill. >> reporter: indeed. >> we would love for you to play spot v. chamber of commerce. we'll count your number and checking your twitter feed for the head count. luke russert on the hill, thank you. some reaction from the cuban/american community, nbc's claudine cairo is joining us from little havana. what are you hearing in the epicenter of the cuban/american crowd? >> reporter: it's getting a little heat. this information -- this news today has been a little bit hard for the cuban community here in the heart of little havana.

i had the opportunity to speak to legal analyst a short while ago and he said not having relations with cuban was thinking it would help bring down the communist party. and it has not happened. so, it's time for a change. and the people that has really suffered has been the cuban people. however, i also spoke with another cuban, a gentleman 47 years old. he said that he understands and he agrees. go ahead, cuba and united states to open relations, but he doesn't think it's appropriate, the fact that they let go three of the five alleged cuban spies and give them freedom. so, it's been very hard to process. minute by minute, hour by hour by the cuban community, it's a very heat subject. everybody's trying to figure out exactly what -- how exactly of this going to play out and what the right answer is. take a listen. >> nbc's claudinne caro, thank

you very much. let's go to josh earnest and check in and see what they have to say about this change in policy in cuba. >> he is among the republicans in the united states senate who happens to support the president's policy. senator said, eye been in congress and house for 14 years. all 14 of those years i pushed to lift the travel ban and normalize relations. it's high time for a change. that's consistent with the sentiment the president expressed today. i think it's a common sense position that i think is also strongly supported by the vast majority of the american public. >> reporter: he's been trying to do this for quite some time and has not been able to. what can -- can the president count on actual change in attitudes in congress? >> i guess revealed by the math

here it looks like he entered united states congress at the beginning of the bush administration. president bush did not support making this policy change. president obama ran for office in 2008 vowing to address cuba policy that for more than five decades has failed to bring about the kinds of results that are in the best interest of american national security. the chief impediment to his ability to make that change was the unjust attention of mr. gross. and because his -- he was released today on humanitarian grounds, because the -- through the work of this administration we're able to secure that release on humanitarian grounds. we've we removed the impediment to being able to implement some of these policy changes that the president clearly believes are in the best interest of this country. they're in the best interest of our economy and in the best interest of our national security. >> can you clarify a little bit about how -- this gentleman

who's been in prison for 20 years, how he helped in the prosecution and investigations of montez and myers, even though their arrests didn't occur until 2001 and 2009 respectivelily. how was he able to do this? from prison? information he was supplied before? can you shed some light on that? >> there's not a whole lot that i can share about this high priority intelligence asset that has been in cuban custody for nearly 20 years now and is back -- or is now on american soil. i can tell you that he provided valuable intelligence and valuable counterintelligence. that he did provide information about americans who -- who were sharing information with the cuban regime. because of his efforts and because of information that he

shared, it led to the discovery and conviction of a couple of these americans who were spying for the cubans. we also know that he provided valuable intelligence to help us uncover the wast network that was a cuban-run intelligence network in south florida. and the kind of spy swap that was executed today, essentially trading some members of that wasp network in exchange for this highly valued intelligence asset in cuba, is keconsistent with the kind of spy swaps that have been executed by many presidents. not just over decades, but over centuries. we certainly are pleased that we're able to bring that highly valued intelligence asset, an individual who is a legitimate hero, to american soil. >> you don't know when it was

that he provided this information that led to those particular cases? >> i'm obviously not in a position to provide a lot of information about the clandestine efforts of this. >> can you talk about the relationship between shaw's departure isd and this decision to open up cuba? >> there's no relationship at all. i know administrator shaw is someone who has served this administration for nearly five years now and his role was administrator of the -- of usaid. he's a very talented young man who has had an opportunity to use his expertise, both in -- in medicine but also his background in development to run that agency and to take on some very significant responsibilities. and whether it was, you know, the success that we had in terms of making a contribution to the efforts to rebuild after the

haiti earthquake to even, you know, putting personnel on the ground to try and stop this ebola outbreak in its tracks in west africa, that he has provided over a usaid that's been remarkably challenging but he's been remarkably effective. i understand the announcement made today was one that's been in the works for quite some time now. >> reporter: as you know, the cuban government has not been happy with usaid programs in cuba. the juxtaposition of the two does raise some questions. if you didn't -- >> that's what i was trying -- >> reporter: could one have been delayed? >> that's why i'm trying to answer the questions to make clear what's happening. the other data point i can provide to you is that the usaid programs that have been in place and that have drawn the criticism of the cuban regime will continue even after dr. shaw transitions out of his current job. >> thank you. >> reporter: josh, does the

president envision a visit to havana? >> there's nothing on the schedule right now. the president did hint that there will be senior government officials who will carry out the kind of work that's indicative of two nations seeking to normalize their relations. so, i certainly wouldn't rule out a presidential visit but i don't have anything to announce at this point. >> reporter: but he would like to go, though? he would like to go? >> i assume, like many americans, he has -- he has seen that the -- that cuba is a place where they have a beautiful climate and a lot of fun things to do, so there's an opportunity for the president to visit, i'm sure he wouldn't turn it down. how about that? >> reporter: one of the points senator rubio made -- >> josh earnest giving the daily briefing. the release of alan gross as well as an american spy, came in part through the u.s. release of three of the men known collectively as the cuban five. they spent more than a decade in u.s. prisons on spying charges.

nbc news reports the release outraged a family of a cuban/american. the sister of one of the men killed on that flight says, quote, we simply cannot understand how this is happening. we are very pleased mr. gross has been released, but this is not an even exchange. richard klugh is the lawyer for the cuban five. let's walk through the case that landed these men in prison. two of them were previously released and three were released as part of this exchange for a spy not to be named by the united states. tell us who the cuban five were. what were they accused very quickly of doing? >> i think as the press briefing indicated previously, they were intelligence agents from cuba sent to south florida to monitor events of importance to cuba. there's always concerns by cuba that particularly in the '90s that the exile community would

take certain and was taking certain steps that were both economically and otherwise harming cuba. and they were tasked with a non -- truly a non-espionage mission here which was to look into whether or not certain exiled groups were undertaking what could be called terrorist or other types of actions that would be harmful to cuba. >> and one of the groups they were spying on was called brothers to rescue which was mounting flights in the cuba straits to look for potential migrants. one of their planes was the one that was shot down. now that one of the members who was involved in that shootdown, that was accused of it, is being sent back to cuba, have the men ever acknowledged or at least has that one member of what they call the wasp network, acknowledged responsibility for that shootdown? >> he had absolutely nothing to do with it. he was not charged with committing that offense. he was charged under awe very strange theory of conspiracy, that the court of appeals -- a

majority of the court of appeals that heard it either found the evidence completely lacking or highly questionable. but he is actually innocent. this will n all likelihood, terminate the legal proceedings that have gone on for 16 years in which we're still trying to erase any doubt about his noninvolvement with that event. that simply is not something that can be fairly attributed to gerardo hernandez. it would take a long time to explain all the factors why that's true but it's legally impossible for him to have participated in that event. >> the names of the men are gerardo hernandez, ramon labanino and antonio guerrero. rene gonzalez and fernando gonzalez were released earlier this year. do the men acknowledge they

were, in fact, spies? >> yes. they were not technically dealing with espionage but if you refer to a secret intelligence agent, yes, they have always admitted that. at the start of the trial they admitted that. that's one of the things that made it so difficult to get a fair trial in cuba -- i'm sorry, in miami, which was that the very beginning of the case, all of the defendants admitted they were agentings here working in cuba. what they were disputing at trial and what we continue to litigate up until today was whether they did commit the particular violations they were accused of, which includes national security violations and this incorrect and really tragic charge that was placed on gerardo's shoulders. >> there are other things of a violent nature they were accused of. this group called the wasp network was credit the -- credited with foiling a 1994

plot to set off bombs in havana's iconic tropicana nightclub and other plots, bomb attacks on havana hotels succeeded. are meese men -- have they been involved in any violence at all, to your knowledge? >> absolutely none. and their whole purpose was to protect cuba from violence, both physical violence and economic violence. >> all right. we do know that people inside of cuba are very happy to have them back. there are actually murals and stamps being made for them there. they're on their way back. richard klugh, an attorney for the men, thank you for being here. coming up, could president obama's major diplomatic move on cuba become an x-factor in 2016? we'll break down the response from the top potential presidential contenders. i truly hope we can now get beyond these mutually belligerent policies. and i was very happy to hear what the president had to say today.

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use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i love myself as a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. cuba today released one of the most important intelligence agents that the united states has ever had in cuba and who has been in prison for nearly two decades. this man's whose sacrifice is known only to a few provided us with the information to arrest the network of cuban agents including the transfer of the men to cuba today. >> that was president obama earlier today speaking about the release of american alan gross in cuba and also an unnamed intelligent asset traded for the men known as the cuban five. joining me is a pro-democracy advocate and director of cuba now. rick, let's get your reaction to the release of alan gross and

also the release of this second intelligence asset in exchange for the cuban five. >> we couldn't be happier that alan is back home and just in time to celebrate the hanukkah holiday with his family. let's think about what really happened here. we have the cuban government releasing alan gross as humanitarian gesture. what we really exchanged were three cuban spies for one american intelligent asset that we had, that had been in jail for about 20 years in cuba, who had provided information that led to the conviction of those spies. so, it was a -- this was not the traditional spy swap or prisoner swap that has been criticized and abdicated for by several groups over the last few years. it was something very different. we also got as part of this package the cuban government to release over 50 political prisoners.

overall, i would think it's a very reasonable deal. >> obviously, your organization is promoting the idea of democracy and democraticizing the nation of cuba. do you see this as an opening, the fact we could see the restoring of normal diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opening that would actually change cuba? >> absolutely. there is no better way to influence the future of cuba than by playing a role in its present. by having diplomatic relations with the island, we're in a much better position to engage with the cuban government on issues of mutual concern and also on issues when we disagree, such as their ongoing human rights abuses. but it's a lot more efficient than just screaming from miami, hoping they'll eventually do what we think is right. as far as the other changes that were announced today, i think they are going to go a long way into -- in helping -- in making it easier for americans to help empower the cuban people. empower the cuban people in ways

that 50 years of blanket sanctions, frankly, weren't able to achieve. >> and the polls do show that the american people do seem to, by in large, agree with you. we'll talk about the polling around this. we appreciate you being here. we'll of course have more coverage on the cuba policy exchange. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> i think it's something great. everybody wants liberty, you know, and we live in a country that everybody wants to be free. >> well, it's good for alan gross but very bad for the united states. >> deep down inside, my feeling is, why did it take so long? jooishgsz

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release of alan gross but jeb bush also weighed in revamping u.s./cuba relations. according to "usa today," the auto would-be candidate said, i don't think we should be negotiating with a repressive regime. he's not alone. senator marco rubio wasted little time. >> this president has proven today his foreign policy is more than just naive. it's willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works. >> for more on how today's news affects the race for the white house, i'm joined by kevin kate, and annett taio who ran for lieutenant governor this cycle. thank you for being here from florida. i want to get into this, first of all, about jeb bush. jeb bush's positioning going into 2016, should he run, is sort of the centrist version of the republican brand.

does he have to stay where he is on cuba or is there room for him to move by the time the race actually gets under way and kevin, i'll start with you on that? >> thanks, joy. first off, it's a great day for alan. it's a great day for america and i believe for the cuba people because we're moving forward. i do think that jeb has to see what happens over the next few months. he's trying to stake out this moderate position. certainly marco rubio didn't sound like much of a moderate today. cubans here in florida and america are evolving, changing. the american public is in favor of this. if jeb bush wants to be the moderate he has come out and cast himself to be, he's going to have to evolve that position, certainly for the general election if not hedge during the primary as well. >> and, annett, let me hit you way couple of poll numbers to say this may not have the

saliency on the right side of a ledger it may have. normalized relationships in cuba as of february 2014, 63% of floridans favoring normal relations. only 30% opposed. then let's go to support among latinos for more normal relations with cuba. 62% in favor. and finally, the age split among those who favor continuing the embargo. look at the difference between those 65 and over and those 18 to 29. only 18% of young americans, according to florida international university. does this become one of those issues like immigration where the gop might be behind the times demographically, annette? >> i believe the gop is definitely going to be behind the times. first of all as a jewish latina, i want to say as today we're celebrating hanukkah and what a miracle today has become for the release of alan gross. i'm very happy with that. i know all of us agree with that. now, what's happening in florida you-s you have jeb bush, who a few weeks ago gave a speech

right here in miami, florida, saying we need to go further to the right and be even more conservative when it comes to cuba. so, i think this puts definitely him not as a centerist but extremist to the right. if you listen to cuban radio, they're flabbergasted and not happy at all, but i think -- >> i think we lost annette's signal. do we still have you, kevin? >>, yeah i'm here. >> i want to pick up on that. annette was just saying that there -- that the sense is that jeb bush is moving too far to the right on this. on the ground, there is a sense over the years that i lived in florida that at least among younger cuban/americans, they want more contact, they want more travel, they want more remittances and the policy on the ground feels like it's moving more towards normalization. would that be an accurate read? >> that's right. you see in some hot spots today, down in miami, there's more cameras and reporters at these

protest sites than there are protesters. this is an issue that has been evolving. you'll remember in 2008, i worked for president obama, he talked about moving forward and taking a look at this cuban policy. it didn't backfire then. i think when we move into the general election, these positions that jeb bush and marco rubio are trying to use during the republican primary may come to backfire because more normal relations with cuba, obviously, it's good and helps the people of cuba, but it also helps florida's economy. i mean, this is a good thing politically. it's a good thing for the state of florida and the economy at whole. it's going to be hard for them to rationalize an extreme position once they hit the general election if they get that far. i certainly think jeb bush has a better opportunity of doing that than senator rubio. >> the hotel, agriculture industry, commerce industry, all want back in there. hillary clinton, another potential candidate for president. let's hear what hillary has to

say about the embargo. take a listen. >> is it time to end the cuban embargo? >> yes, yes. >> we're having a couple glitches today but hillary clinton said she would like to end the embargo. she said she thinks it's been a failure. on the democratic side, annette, does the embargo have any saliency at all? we see menendez still for it. does the embargo play at all on the democratic side for hillary? >> what we're seeing, certainly when it comes to florida, it does play, but most democrats and all democrats and certainly most republicans even agree, we all want human rights lifted and we don't want any of these violations that are happening in cuba. just the difference in how we go about it. hillary and many of us obviously believe that we just need to try something new after more than 50 years. i believe that that approach is the one that will work with the voters and the majority of the

voters, as we have seen election after election in florida. >> kevin and annette, thank you for being here. and coming up, more heat reaction from capitol hill as lawmakers split over president obama's move to normalize diplomatic relations with cuba. >> a judicious lesson i've learned from this experience is that freedom is not free. and as personified by scott and our entire team, we must never forget the two pillars of moses' covenant, freedom and responsibility. i'm incredibly blessed, finally, to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. [ male announcer ] are you so stuffed up, you feel like you're underwater?

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i think the president thinks not. and so we collectively have to decide how we are going to battle terrorism. and there's no way in the world that you're going to say that cuba is a terrorist government. >> that was new york congressman charlie rangel within the last hour on "ronan farrow daily" responding to a point of criticism of some americans on the policy change to terrorism, a point raised by house speaker john boehner which released the following statement. if anything, this emboldens all state sponsors of terrorism. they now have an even better idea of what the president meant when he once told russian leaders that he would have more flexibility after his re-election. we've seen this before and i fear we'll see it again, end quote. joining me now is california congresswoman karen bass, member of the house foreign affairs committee and a member of the congressional black caucus, in fact, the whip of the congressional black caucus. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me on. >> the criticism we've heard

from john boehner is joined by at least one democrat. that would be senator robert menendez, currently the chair, for now, on the equivalent committee on the senate side, senate foreign relations committee. he said president obama's actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the cuban government. there is no ee quif lance between an international aid worker and spies who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage on our country. remember, it was not for alan gross. it was for an unnamed intelligence officer. >> i agree with representative rangel. in fact, i was just in cuba, i was in havana yesterday with charlie rangel. barbara lee led a delegation there. i think our policy is extremely outdated, as the president said in his comments. you can't have a policy for over 50 years and not work and

continue that policy. so, i'm glad to see a new day. i would like to give you a very specific example of how both sides are hurt because of this policy. we were in cuba because the cubans discovered of a way of preventing amputations in diabetics. tens of thousands of diabetics have their feet amputated in the united states every year. the cubans have discovered a medication. that medication needs to be available to diabetics in the united states. because of the blockade, that is not the case. now because of this policy, maybe we will be able to have a medical exchange pp, scientific exchanges, educational exchanges. this is the only country on the planet we have this type of policy with. and it has made no sense for many years. i'm very proud of the president's actions today. >> congresswoman, the congressional black caucus, many people may not know, for a long time has been advocating changing this policy, including right at the start of the president's term in 2009. talk a little about what the root of that is. i know part of it has to do with

the -- the policy toward the former apartheid south africa. the cdc does want this policy change. >> that's absolutely right. let me give you another specific example. we have today right now over 100 u.s. students studying medicine in cuba. that was one of the initiatives of the black caucus, that they were able to get the cubans to train our students. now, these students will come back with no student loans at all. and their only commitment is that they serve in underserved areas in the united states. so, when the congressional black caucus members went to cuba and saw this medical school that was training people from all over the world, they made the specific request that our students be allowed to go there as well. and when i was there over the weekend, we had dinner with several american students who are studying medicine in cuba. i look forward to them coming back to the united states and providing health care to our population here. >> congresswoman, i want to pay

president obama responding to those who oppose the actions he took today. take a listen. >> sure. >> 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 decades and expect a different result. >> congresswoman, is this an example of the cbc exerting pressure on the president and bringing him to your side or is this one of the issues the cbc and president were on one accord on from the beginning of his presidency? >> well, i think it's an example of many issues that we're on the same accord on. i don't believe that the congressional black caucus pushed the president to do this. i think this is something that the president committed to doing when he was running. but let me just echo something the president said, because i do understand that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, who are cuban/americans, have a very different view of this policy

because it's very personal to them. it involves their families. i understand and i respect that. but i do think, though, after 50 years of the same policy, it was time for a change. and i'm glad that the announcements were made today. >> california congresswoman karen bass, thank you very much. >> thanks for having me on. nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell just spoke with alan gross and she joins us on the phone. thank you for being here. i know you're not in full voice. you're working extremely hard. i appreciate you calling in. tell us a little about your conversation with alan gross. >> reporter: you bet. i just hope you can hear me. he was in a back room with his wife, with his legal team. he didn't know how hard they were working for him during the five years he was in prison. they gave him some champagne. he said it was the first time he'd had alcohol in five years. he wants to get his life back together. he wants to meet his new

in-laws. they wants to look at his apartment. because of the financial strain they lost their house in suburban maryland and lives in a small apartment. he hasn't seen that. he's heading home. he's feeling wonderful. said he's grateful to the president. just happy to be back in the united states. >> absolutely. he talked about even getting some new teeth. we understand he did lose some teeth. his nutrition was in question. do we know what his physical state is or whether he -- when he will be getting a physical evaluation? because we had heard that his health had been actually det ll deteriorating. >> reporter: there was a medical doctor -- there was a doctor, i think, on the plane. some medical checkup. but that was just very quickly. he looked really fit. he's lost a lot of weight. obviously, he's concerned about his teeth. he wants to get that fixed. that's going to take a little time. won't be sitting down for any television interviews, he said, immediately. he's not lost his sense of humor. he's just remarkable, joy. and very grateful.

certainly grateful to his wife and his family and all the members of the community here in d.c. that have worked so hard. and the bipartisan congressional and senate delegation that have worked so hard. you just spoke to the congresswoman. but this has been a big effort behind the scenes for many years. >> and, andrea, the significance of having this release happen on the first day of hanukkah, of course, one of the things alan gross was accused of doing was accused of distributing radios to the jewish community. there is a flourishing jewish community in cuba. de talk about that, his religion and how that played into what he was doing in cuba and the significance of having this first day of freedom during the hanukkah season? >> reporter: it's clearly meaningful to him. he wished everyone happy hanukkah. he talked to one of his daughters who lives in israel, another is in the pacific northwest. he talked to his sister bonnie. he was given a pancake known as

latka, with sour cream, traditional jewish food. he thanked the jewish community in maryland and washington, d.c. who worked very hard for his release. religion is a big part of it. i asked if he prayed in jail. he said a little. i think he went through a lot of emotional ups and downs, frankly. >> absolutely. alan gross, when he did give his press conference, did talk about what he called the mutually belligerent policy. weighed in and seemed very happy the policy is going to change and commending the people of cuba. did he have a lot of contact -- obviously, he was incarcerated but did he talk a bit about his experience with the people in cuba? >> reporter: don't think he had that much contact. he seems to have a great affection for the people of cuba. but i think once in jail, contact was mostly with his jailers. and his, you know, anger and resentment, bitterness over that experience. but this is a man that was

basically optimistic and very -- i must say, strikingly optimistic in his demeanor going forward. and i think feels very supported by the new policy being outlined by the administration. he's only now a small part of what has created an enormous change in american/cuban relations, unless one of the sides shuts it down. and barack obama and john kerry won't shut is it down so now it's really up to raul castro and the cuban/americans -- you know, whether the cuban officials. from what i know of them, they are as eager for this as this white house is. >> this is an enormous policy change to say the least. it will be interesting to see how they implement it or whether it gets obstructed. of course, we'll be turning to you, andrea, for analysis as we

watch that unfold. nbc's andrea mitchell, a true trouper there. take care of your voice. happy hanukkah. thank you for joining us. >> reporter: thank you. >> don't miss "andrea mitchell reports" at noon eastern on msnbc tomorrow. she'll have homeland security secretary jeh johnson on the show. of course, that show daily is a must see. that does wrap things up for "the reid report." i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2 p.m. eastern where we'll air my exclusive interview with attorney general eric holder. visit us online at thereidreport.msnbc.com. ♪ earlyfit ♪ latefit ♪ risefit ♪ fallfit ♪ ballfit ♪ wallfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ rowfit ♪ throwfit ♪ slowfit ♪ olliefit ♪ oopsfit ♪ otisfit ♪ thiswayfit ♪ thatwayfit ♪ daddyfit ♪ pappyfit ♪ datefit ♪ weightfit ♪ goalfit ♪ gooooooalfit ♪ stepfit ♪ stairfit ♪ smartfit ♪ heartfit ♪ spinfit ♪ bikefit ♪ hikefit ♪ yikesfit ♪ wheeeeefit ♪ wowfit ♪ whoafit ♪ findyourfit

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policies. which i support. it's the best hanukkah i'll be celebrating for a long time. >> cycling right now, a hanukkah miracle. that is what alan gross's family is calling his release after five years as a cuban prisoner. as we come on the air, the 65-year-old finally back home. his family is elated. at the time of his arrest he was working as a usdai worker. we expect to hear from secretary of state john kerry this hour. we're monitoring his remarks for you and we'll let you know if he makes additional news. the white house says gross's release on humanitarian grounds opened the path for a broader deal. one u.s. intel agent for three cuban spies. >> in exchange for the three cuban agents, cuba today released one of the most important intelligent agents the united states has had in cuba and has been in prison for nearly two dec