you can see the president with his two daughters and the first lady, as well as surrounded by security and translators. they have always had translators very close to each other, making sure that the messages get communicated to each other. the president brought up in one of his many speeches, human rights and theheight to work and the right to own your own business. >> anchor: and after thaha historic speech that he gave at the grand theater, the u.s. embassy, and u.s. secretary of state john kerry was there, and craig stevens joins us live on the phone, and craig, he's capping off his visit, i hear, walking across the tarmac with cuban leader, fidel castro, and talk about the optics as he wraps up his trip in cuba. >> reporter: i think from the administration's point of view

view this trip will be what the sent out to aomplish. and as the pred said this morning, to put a sentence, officially declaring the cold war over. that's the most direct language that we have heardrd from him so far, particularly when you consider that it wasith raul castro there, and televised nationally when he called for free and fair elections. he pressed his case for democratic reform. he talked a good deal on economic reform. and improving the economic condition of the island of cuba, that will benefit the liv of every day people. but today, he focused on the political aspect in very very clear terms. again, the president doesn't expect it to change overnight, 50 years of estrangement but from their perspective, as he

what he sent out to achieve my coming here in his view. >> lynn: and craig, we're looking at a live picture of mrs. obama shaking hands with dignitaries and the obamas as well. getting close to the stairs, and there's a throng of people around them, surrounded by security. u've been there for a couple of days and in cuba a couple of times. what's the sense of the cuban people as he leaves? are they hopeful or is it business as usual? >> i think a little of both. people couldn't help but be struck by the sight of he american president, broadcast on national television, speaking direrely it them about what he sees as their future and the papa to get there, and how he says that they, the cuban people are the strength of this country and the strength of ts island. but i think that there's also a sense of lets see what happens.

met with the president and the members of the once communityt% and what happens tomorrow and a week from now and a month from now? to some extent, the cuban people are worn down in that they understand what their plight is, and they don't expect rapid change. and i mention too that the white house dido some extent want to downplay expectations that the president would come here and overnight, people would see that. none expects that, least of all the cuban people. >> anchor: and again, you're looking at the live pictures, the tarmac at the international airport. handshakes and smiles there from raul castro and the first family, sasha, mali a. the president's daughters, and michelle, and theresident himself waking up the gangway there on aforce 1, getting ready to cop off his historic

and craig, he did meet with those dissidents this morning. and any word on that meetup? secretary kerry was there at that meeting, and any word on what came out of that today? >> reporter: not yet, bah we're going to be talking more about that. >> our team has beenhere trying to collect position and the impression of some of those, ere was a lot of anticipation heading into that event, and i'll be curious to see, because there's skepticism, quite frankly, on whether today amount to much of anything. the president did acknowledge their struggles, did praise, in his wor, courage. so we'll wait and see as we reach out to our team later on and find out what, if anything, has come out of that. >> lynn: so we were looking at, as you said, jeff, the live picture of the president and want first family p. in airforce 1, and the doors are shut. and raul castro, this is a live picture of him talking to a few

lots of cameras, lots of people there, waiting for this airplane to take off. we were analyzing the picture of the president after he said good-bye with the translator to raul castro, and it looked like perhaps the first ladyas speaking a little bit of spanish, because she was having a brief conversation with him, and then the translator, who is all the way to the right, wearing an orange shirt and black blazer, ran over to him after a few seconds, and the first daughters spoke as well. you're looking at a live picture of raul castro and the president of cuba, waving good-bye after he said good-bye to the president of the united state after a historic two-day visit to havana. >> raul castro, right there, getting ready to getet noosers one and take off to argentina, as the family continues his trip with the first family.

mother-in-law is on the aircraft as well. looking back to this mning whe he again called for the end of the embargo, was that broadcast live to cubans across the island nation? and what are you hearing from the people who heard those remarks -- i believe they were 50 minutes in length -- today? >> reporter: it was broadcast on state-run television, and again, you find when you approach people here, even under these circumstances, to som extent, they're afraid to talk to the media. so when you want to survey their reaction to something like this, they tend to not want to talk to you with the camera on. off-camera, i think there were a lot of folks -- it was a jaw dropping moment -- the president of the united states, this grand stcture, raul castro in the audience, as he makes a case for

right to gather, and basically laying out the case of the dissident. their rights to gather, their right to protest the government and not fear reprisal. it was a striking moment, and i can only imagine what it must have been like for the every day person to watch it on television. >> lynn: striking indeed. something else that we have never seen before were reports of how people in havana are making a living, and one of those incredible reports came from our 7's alex diprato. who showed us yesterday a story of basically a family who opens a restaurant, which happened to serve the president and it was in their own home. alex diprato, are you with us? >> reporter: yes, i am, i'm here. >> lynn: so what is your take from your view? you witnessed the people of

getting ready to leave any minute now, what is your take there? >> reporter: well, these people are very ingenious in what they have had to do to cope with the embargo and the other factors of life, living in cuba. you know, we met this family last night. they live in what is a big home in old havana. however, a few years ago, the castro government allowed people to operate what is called a pala dar, which is a restaurant inside of their home. so what theamily did, they took bedrooms and the living room and they made them into dining rooms. and this particular pala dar has become very famous. the president dined there when he was there, and jay-z and beyonce' have dined there. but in the meantime, the family did this as a matter of circumstance. they have had to make money, and

their second floor, they constructed two bedrooms, and now downstairs, the entire home is dining room, as well as their kitchen prepares food forhis restaurant. the cubans are very ingenious people, but we were talking to the chef, who attended the business forum with the president, and he said we welcome these new changes here in cuba, and we hope that some of these changes make life better. >> lynn: well, alex, we should also mention that those people are not able to k kp all the proceeds, correct? the government takes a sizeable chunk of everything that they make. >> reporter: correct, they wouldn't tell us the exact amount, but some cubans are reluctant to talk to the press. however, the do have to pay a fee every month to the

business, and it ca be substantial. you k kw, we have also been taking cabs here here, and the cab drivers have to pay a fee to the government, for their vehicle, which is in essence a tax. but when you're not making a lot of money per day, that means some days they come out even, or even behind. they have to owe the government, which i believe is about 70 cuban dollars a day, which is a lot of money here in cuba. but however, they don't make that some days, so it can be difficult for some of these people to get by. >> anchor: and at the 4:00 hour, you just saw the cuban delegation taxi down the tarmac on its way to take off to. [ arguing ] in just a few moments, they will take off to

that being said, the visit for the president in cuba, and giving that big speech this morning to the cuban people, and you talk to the families and the people on thetreet. and do you get the sense in the long run that change is going to take place eventually? and do they feel like the trip is going to make a difference in the long run? >> yeah, the overwhelming amount of cubans that we have talked to, and we have been here almost a week now, they're optimistic about the fute and they hope that it makes a difference in their lives, but there are cubans who obviously don't support this measure. but however, the overwhelming majority that we have met here in havavana are optimistic and hopeful, and here in cuba, there's a sense of excitement in the last couple of days that the american president ras here, the

the last president to come here was calvin coolidge in 1928. and he took a battleship. and president obama said that it only took him three hours compared to calvin coolidge, it took him three days to be here. but there's excitement and optimism as the president wraps up his visit, that there will be positive change here in cuba. >> lynn: well, this indeed was a very very historic visit just on some of the things that we have already mentioned, the first time that the president has come to cuba in 90 years, but also the fact that the president and raul castro had a joint news conference if you will, and that raul castro took questions from the media. that's something that many cuban americans thought that they would never see. in addition to today's speech, as you mentioned, jeff, with the esident speaking and raul castro in the audience, talking about freedom, choices and rights.

air force 1 taking off at jose marti airport. and calling for an end to the trade embargo. that has been in place for several decades, and he said congress, who can basically squash that, that they need to see the cuban people, the cuban leaders making strides with human rights, and the embargo, and maybe not in his term, but in the future may go away. so he wants to see the cuban leader and people make strides in human rights in the years to come. >> lynn: and again, he did not stay, he's just leaving. he was at the baseball game for an hour and a half. he didn't stay for the whole game. it took him a lot of time to say good-bye, and there was a lot of pomp and circumstance in the begigiing of the game. he stayed for the first half, a couple of innings, the first

next to him, sitting right next to raul castro. and it looks like cloudy skies, taking off, and president obama and airforce 1 about to leave for buenos aires, argentina. >> anchor: and craig stevens, if you're still on the phone with us, let's talk about what's going to happen next here? john kerry and his department keeping a close eye on how things are happening in the years and weeks to come. and down the road, how are those nversations going to happen from here on out? second. if you ask what's happening for the future, a lot of it depends, quite frankly, on the outcome of the november election. the republican candidate, those are remaining, and those already filed out, are taking a much different approach when it comes to the castro government. andd so i wonder, i can't predict, i don't think that

out. but if the republicans prevail in the november elections, if they go rolling back the executive order, they are having a direct impact on every day people. the restoration of mail service for example, or making it easier to get from the u.s. here. the remaining candidates are taking a much different view frfm the president on this, but how do they go about rolling something like that back? but with an executi order, as easily as one president can issue one, another president can roll it b bk. so that's yet to be seen after the election. >> lynn: that is so true, and as you said earlier, craig, change does not come quickly to cuba. and these last two days have

many cuban americans and cubans never thought that they would actualal see possible. question saw a picture of president raul castro still at the airport. awaiting this plane to take off and go in the sky after he said good-bye about 30 minutes ago. >> and this trip continues, again, the first family onboard the plane, the cuban delegation led by raul castro, as airforce 1 caps leaves and caps off this historic trip to cuba. the first time in more than 80 years. president obama talking to the cuban people by television, talking about how they need to work to strengthen human rights in that country. here we are with airforce 1, at the end of the runway, capping off theistoric visit to havana, cuba. >> lynn: as the president departs cuba along with his

the way to argentina, and that trip is also loaded with controversy. we'll talk abobo it later, and he's going to be the first president to visit argentina for the first time in two dececes.

back. >> lindsay: also in the news at 4:00, isis claiming responsibility for the ghastly bombings in brussels, at the airport and then at a subway station. >> we'll do whatever necessary to support our friend and ally, belgium, in bringing to justice those responsible. >> reporter: this morning, president obama out for justice as he addressed the terror attacks that toooo dozens of lives. >> we in new york city stand

every way. >> lynn: and in new york, stepping up security afterer the brusselsttacks with many major cities armed the world doing the very same thing. and now we talk about the devastation in brussels, with the areaa still on lockdown followinged day's deadly terror attacks. >> reporter: we see the surveillance video moments after the blast happened. and meanwhile, cities across the globe are not taking any chances today. team coverage begins with nicole linsilata, in the satellite center with the latest. nicole. >> reporter: we're learning that at least 31 are dead and nearly 200 are injured after the explosions. investigators are uncovering several clues, including a explplive device containing nails and a picture of the person that they feel is responsibility.

for cover, a stroller left abandoned, and others huddled near their lugga. >> suddenly two or three hundred people went rushing from the security checkpoint to the gates. >> reporter: officials shut down the airport, but it was not over. an hour later, an explosion ripped through the maalbeek metro station. meet aftermath showed survivors struggling to escape in the dark, and outside, paramedics tried to save want dozens of wounded. >> it looks like war. it's unbelievable. it's really hard. i have almost 45 years of service, and it's the first time i see something so terrible. >> reporter: and now officials believe that they have a picture of the suicide bombers. the two men on the left, each wearing one glove on their left

the investigators think this they tried to hide detonators in those hands. the police found three suicide belts packed with explosives in the debris at the airport. look at the man in thehe light colored jacket. he's now a wanted man and the police believe that he has crucial information about the attacks that the belgium officials have been bracing for. >> it is what we have feared would happen. our country and our citizens have beenit by deadly attacks. >> reporter: president obama also talking about the violence. >> this is yet another remind that are the world must unite, we must be together, regardless of nationality or race or faith. in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. >> reporter: as dusk fell, the eiffel tower glowed with the colors of the belgium flag in a

and also, detonating suspicious objects in areas already hit at brussels university. the belgiums have declared d three-day period of mourning. nicole linsilata, 7 news. >> anchor: we continue with the bombing in brussels with the terrorist manhunt that's now underway. >> reporter: jeff, at least one bomb was pound and neutralized by the cops, and so what's an isis flag, but what they have not found, the cowardly masked killers not found for the terror strike. >> this included heavy weapons teams, and special weapons teams, and transit canine special operations division, explosive canine, and dogs. >> reporter: the men with long guns on choppers above suburbs of brussels and beyond.

struck. at the brussels airport on tuesday morning, the possible suicide bombers. the man on the right in the hat and lighter clothing could still be on the run, according to the belgium authorities. intelligence officials have been on high alert since the attack in belgium, after the arrest of salah aelslam. after his arrest friday, abdelslam told authorities that he had created a new network and was planning new attacks the officials said that it was unclear if the brussels terror attacks were already planned. if they were, it set it into motion. abdelslam has been on the loose

they announced another attacker, lacroix. and if they are not connect, it was set off a day after the release of his sketch. just a short time ago, belgium interior minister said that though they knew an extremist act was being planned for europe, they were struck by the scale of the attack in brussels. >> lynn: well, new york and washington d.c. ramped up security in the wake of the terror attack in brussels. >> anchor: jessica holly has more for us. >> reporter: jeff, the department of homeland security saying that there's no specific and credible intelligence of a threat to the united states, even so security is stepped up across the nation with new york city taking the lead. throughout the day, the city is boosting the number of police officers on duty by the thousands, across the city's

across the city, jfk national airport in hopes of increasing the vigilance at all of the high-profile areas. >> this includes the special weapons teams transit canine special operations division, special decks canine, the vapor weight dogogthat can movep through crowds and detect suicide bombers on the move. >> terrorists want to undermine our democracy, undermine our values, and they want to see us in panic, and we refususe to change who we are. >> reporter: heightened security at many. nation's airports, including chicago's o'hare,e, and bfw in the nation's capital. we'll have much more on national security coming up at 5:00, jessica holly, 7 news. >> lynn: and a reminde to stay

terror in brussels. we'll have a lot more on the newscast and updates on the website, you know it. wsvn.com.

break. >> off the top at 4:30, we continue to follow the bombings in brussels. dozens dead and many more injured after strikesante local

hello, and good afternoon again. security stepped up nationwide and right here at home as well. >> lynn: that's right, it is, and brian is there live at miami international airport with what is being done there to keep people safe. >> reporter: lynn, the police say that they're on a heightened statef alert. they have added under cover officers here at the airport. and looook behind me, there are a number of additions and terms here. they're even doing random searches right now at airport entrances just as a precaution. let's go to video from inside of the airport. you see federal agents all over the place with their tactical gear, and the police bring in additional canine units and bomb sniffifi dogs. the important information, there are no credible threats to south florida. and meanwhile, want one flight to brussels is delayed. it's going to be rerouted to a different airport in brussels,