updating that is an important step on the new cuba policy something highlighted in the state of the union. >> the shift in the cuba policy has the potential to end the mistrust in our hemisphere and removes the phony excuse for restrictions in cuba, stands up

step on the new cuba policy something highlighted in the state of the union. >> the shift in the cuba policy has the potential to end the mistrust in our hemisphere and removes the phony excuse for restrictions in cuba, stands up for democratic values, and extends a hand of friendship to the cuban people. congress should begin the work

updating that is an important step on the new cuba policy something highlighted in the state of the union>> the shift in the cuba policy has the potential to end the mistrust in our hemisphere and removes the phony excuse for restrictions in cuba, stands up for democratic values, and extends a hand of friendship to the cuban people. congress should begin the work of ending the embargo. >> republican leaders do not want to rebuild ties, as long as the communist party remains in control. obama has done whatever he could, in terms of easing travel restrictions. there has been a trickle of americans. ernest hemingway's house. now, even more will come. more will come to boost the private sector and communications technology. the images of cuba that appeal to tourists do not compare to the hardship of the lives the cubans endure. they hope their lives will improve now. >> this is a historic moment and you feel the weight of history and passions nurtured over years of hostilities. dealings of a different system of government. restoring diplomatic ties may be the easy part. normalizing relations

wants to get cuba out of the terrorist list, but cuba is providing hostages to american terrorists, including a woman who killed a state trooper in newersey and escape from prison and is now in cuba. if you look at the list that is out here now that woman is in that most wanted list. somebody else put that flyer in the presence briefing so that he we will be aware of what he's doing with. >> we have time for one or two more questions. the gentleman in the front. >> thank you. i was wondering what you think about it, 53 political prisoners were released and if you answer my question, do you have any good estimates of how many political prisoners there are in cuba? during the talk your that the regime was adding more political prisoners as the negotiations are going on. >> can i jump in very briefly pleased to answer more thoroughly. i was in cuba in 1998. i have the honor of visiting with archbishop santiago. and i asked him, how many political prisoners are there? today 11 million. it is difficult for us to understand that. the state reserves the right to jail anybody for any reason, absolutely arbitrary it is shocking that in the co

bursting with life. . >>> back to breaking news the new u.s. cuba and/u.s. es go into effect tomorrow. michelle caruso-cabrera joins me. what do we know? >> reporter: we've looks through the new regulations. a lot is similar to what we already heard. significant, first of all what you said goes into effect tomorrow, based on the way i read this jose that means for the first time in many years kuhn cigars once again permitsed in the united states. only $100 worth, but certainly that's going to be significant to a lot of people who are aficionados of those cigars. $100 doesn't buy a lot of them, but back in 2004 they got extremely strict. no more. even for personal consumption. maybe that's the first thing. the other new thing in here a lot more specific about the type of telecom equipment, included software. to those -- experts reading these details, it suggests perhaps they're thinking about taking cuba off the state sponsor terrorist list. remember, there's all kinds of security issues involved with telecom equipment. seen merger deals and scuttles because o

these small steps have added up to new hope in cuba. after years in prison we are overjoyed that alan gross is back home where he belongs.

these small steps have added up to new hope in cuba. after years in prison we are overjoyed that alan gross is back home where he belongs. welcome home alan we're glad you're here. >> historic talks on the story,

new poll shows that many americans do support the immigration policy of the president and also the new cuba policy. >> that's good news for the president. 52% support the immigration action. 60% support having diplomatic relations with cuba. on the downside some of president obama's priorities like climate change trade, even some of the other things he wants to do with immigration aren't viewed as big priorities by the american public. >> we'll have a lot to talk about tomorrow. we'll look forward to seeing you, thank you. you can watch the state of the union on nbc 4 at 9:00 and online at nbcwashington.com. >>> the pope has advice for married catholics and family planning. the animal he does not want you to imitate. >>> and the oreo i >>> pope francis says while the catholic church doesn't approve the use of contraception, catholics shouldn't breed like rabbits. on a return trip from asia, he criticized the philippines recent legislation to make contraceptives more. easily available to the the public. he says there are church-approved methods to prevent from having too many children. he al

cuba. an historic day, and what's coming next. tonight, new details inside the talks between the u.s. and cuba. the first disagreement here. as both sides push for diplomatic ties. the first time since the cold war. the mystery russian spy ship that pulled into port here. the u.s. coast guard tonight now patrolling off florida for cuban refugees. and of course, the american cars, right here from the 1950s. >>> back home, before the super bowl, the super scandal tonight. the new report, what it reveals about those footballs. did the patriots cheat? >>> the new storm coming. will it turn into a nor'easter? ginger zee is standing by. >>> and the royal mess tonight. the headline breaking now about the newest sex scandal. what they've revealed. and the prominent americans caught in the middle of it. >>> good evening tonight, as we come to you live from the heart of historic havana, where history has been made yet again. the u.s. and cuba and the first talks of this magnitude since the cold war. we've learned the first meeting, about 3 1/2 hours today. and tonight, as we're on the air, the h

. >> there is a new rule book for dealings between cuba and the united states. the obama administration is released a new set of guidelines governing rules for travel money, technology and more. now the hard part starts. that's inside story. hello, i'm ray suarez. because a small number of americans had to deal with the restrictions you might have gotten the impression that since the embargo of trade and travel to cuba might have changed. things would freeze and thaw. there were high profile cultural exchanges. then there would be incident and provocation and the doors would slam shut. now the new administration in the face of angry push back against republicans are hoping to take the u.s. out that have freeze-thaw cycle for good. the obama administration moved on its promise on friday. the opening of banking relationships, and the allowance for americans to travel on a general license for authorized purposes and projects. americans who visit cuba can return up to $400 worth of goods. >> this easing of the economic embargo will allow lives to improve. >> this rel

cuba. first on the announcement, it's just generally really good news. this is a fundamental change in u.s./cuba policy. it wasn't half measures or couched in rhetoric against the castros. what it does is flips the debate upside down. this is the first time sincen 2000 when congress was passing the trade sanctions reform act where we have a policy of engagement that opponents, the few of them that are left, have to respond to. the other thing that it does is it sends a signal to the business community that it's ok to express interest and start to explore cuba. i think there will be a lot of curiosity from the business community. it's been off limits for so long so you'll see a lot of interest in exploring the situation on the ground. i think what the administration's announcement will do -- the president'sya announcement will do, will enable that curiosity and enable businesses to start exploring cuba. i wanted to go through a couple of the provisions that have been announced so far that i think are of particular importance to the business community. the

s new relationship with cuba. there's new concern over whether cuba is ready for an influx of american tourists. >>> meteorologist chuck bell has his eye on storm team 4 radar. >>> welcome back. this weekend marks a turning point in changing the relationship between the u.s. and cuba. >> a group of congressional democrats is on the island right now working with cuban officials. nbc's dan shenaman has more. >> reporter: six u.s. lawmakers arrived in havana. >> we've seen a remarkable change in he lagses between our countries. >> reporter: just last week the administration loosened regulations on travel to the island nation allowing a lot more americans to go a lot more easily. it's a green light for educational groups cultural groups journalists, medical and religious organizations as well as family visits. >> i think that intellectual exchange cultural exchange artistic exchange is always wonderful. >> reporter: the concern is growing over whether cuba is ready for influx of american travelers. from restaurants to

news conference at the white house tomorrow. lou? lou: ed, thank you from the white house. the obama administration making moves to not only close down guantanamo bay but open up cuba. new rules significantly easing travel and trade sanctions with the communist island said to take effect tomorrow. commerce secretary will visit the country later this year. steve harrigan with our report. >> reporter: as of midnight tonight, americans will visit cuba without a government license, book their own travel, use credit cards spend as much in cuba as they want, and send four times as much money as had been permitted each year to relatives in cuba. increase contact and economic ties will empower the cuban people. >> the administration views we should normalize our relationship with cuba. the effect would be by that increased contact with the cuban people and with the cuban government would only serve to put more pressure on the castro regime to abide by, protect and advance the basic human rights we hold dear in this country. >> reporter: critics of the new cuba policy say increased travel and trade is an economic life line for a castro regime that made mow concessions to de

cuba shift. today all of those new u.s. ons on cuba go into effect bhaut will be reality be on the island? we'll talk with the new republican congressman from florida florida. and next on "the rundown," the real problem here in florida you might not expect. bears. also 3,000 wild black bears roaming into neighborhoods. we'll tell you how the state wants to fix its problem a little later on. >>> it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. when this woman wanted to leave a portland company seabags, she found the perfect match. together they've restructured the brand for future success. for more watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this

. >>> coming up on the "morning news," opening up cuba. new rules today make it easier for americans to travel to the communist nation. >>> but first duke universithreats. this is the "cbs morning news." muslim call to prayer amid threats. this is the "cbs morning news." . so let's do something about it. premarin vaginal cream can help it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use it if you've had unusual bleeding breast or uterine cancer blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache pelvic pain, breast pain vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogens may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease hear

cuba? tragically, although the new approach is being touted as a historic shift in the u.s.-cuba relations, all of the measures being implemented as far serve to reinforce the status quo, legitimizing and benefiting a 55-year track record of opposing change. purposeful travel is a good thing. i made a visit to cuba in 1998 and acquainted myself with a stifling oppression that exists and its impact on the cuban people. the obama regulations make it easy to travel to visit family members for other purposes. the concern is the u.s. tourism will represent a windfall to the hospitality sector all of which is co-owned by the regime and most of which benefits the military and security apparatus. other new regulations performers humanitarian -- small farmers, humanitarian projects and the telecom companies to offer services and invest in cuba. and well continual while restricting the benefits to the people. and will continue to restart the shoot down u.s. companies while restricting the that the to the people. accepting that this is not what the president intended, he must get serio

each without their displacement was only temporary, that they would return to create a free cuba. >> the newsing from cuba is very encouraging to us. the workers have not gone over to communism. the peasants have not gone over to communism. the students have not gone over to communism. the regime exists today because of two reasons -- because of the apparatus of betrayal and espionage and because of the military apparatus set up and handled by the muscovites. >> the world awaits the next act of history with millions of people in cuba and throughout the world directly affected by the next turn of castro's ambition. the world now awaits with anxiety and content. this is their verdict. the deputy prime minister of thailand, prince one. >> the subversive attempt to bring cuba under communism has been done tortuously in the manner of a snake. it is only right that the united states has taken out the snake's fangs. as shakespeare said, the snake is not killed. castro is more dangerous than a snake. >> we see cuba moving in an opposite direction. >> when it joined the communist lock, it turned matte

cuba. listen to this. >> when what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new. and our shift in cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of

cuba. listen to this. >> when what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new. and our shift in cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere it removes the phony excuse for restrictions in cuba stands up for democratic values and extends the hand of friendship to the cuban people. this year congress should begin the work of ending the embargo. >> strong words from the president. joining us from capitol hill is republican congresswoman ileana ros-lehtinen the first cuban american elected to the united states congress. you're not very happy with this at all. but do you see the train leaving the station, that it's only inevitable that within the next few weeks or months the u.s. and cuba will have full diplomatic relations and american embassy in havana a cuban embassy in washington? >> i was deeply disappointed in hearing the president's remarks about cuba last night. wolf i was staring right into the eyes of two dissident leaders from cuba who were the guests of speaker boehner last night. one who spent 17 years in castro's jail his

up next, we go live to havana, cuba. a new chapter in u.s.-cuba relations. more state of the union reaction. "bottom line" continues in a moment. ♪ >> another big story where following on this wednesday, a new beginning in cuba. live in havana where the high level delegation begins today's negotiations to restorative o-matic relations with the communist government. what is the focus of these stocks? -- talks? >> the assistant secretary of state for the western hemisphere affairs touchdown in havana earlier today. both sides and say they want safer immigration. they will focus on things like reestablishing diplomatic relations. >> what does the united states hope to get from these talks? >> there's a whole range of issues. a lot of people are talking about increased freedom for the cuban people. member of the u.s. state department mentioned even talking about immigration could provide better opportunities for cuban people. a lot of the focus will be over reestablishing diplomatic relations. things like converting the u.s. intersection into a full-fledged embas

so the opportunity to unify and by bringing cuba into the tent and opening up all of these new i think tourism is in my district the most asked question. every time people hear about me going to cuba, how can i go? why can't i go? i have very close professional friends saying if i go illegally will i get caught? i said, probably not. here's how you do it. i think the battle and i'd love to hear my colleagues, the battle is going to be in congress because you have a really small minority of interests, cuban americans who, by the way can go to cuba without a license. any cuban american can. cuban american members of congress can go. you can't. they can send money to their relatives there. you can't. their relatives in cuba can now invest. we can't. so there is almost -- there's almost an interest there that i hope some of you in the press will look into about conflict of interest with members of the house and senate who want to restrict others from getting the privileges that they now have. but it's going to be a fight. as they say, i think that the conservative viewpoint is going to be

. >> critics of the new cuba policy say the increased travel and trade to cuba is an economic lifeline a castro regime that has made no concessions to democracy. >> it is this naive notion that somehow you extend your hand to a brutal dictator that somehow that would change them and they would no longer be a brutal dictator. >> that comes after the release of political prisoners that the u.s. wanted free. while the overall economic embargo remains in place it will now be easier for u.s. industries to export to cuba. >> there is an put, particularly in the tell -- telecommunications to occur and more travel to occur. >> reporter: they are hoping for a windfall. >> we think more americans will come. we'll have more customers. regardless of the country, it is always good for the economy for our own business. >> reporter: next week a high level delegation from the u.s. state department goes to havana. on the agenda migration and possibly opening the industry. >>> up next, difficulties with taxes coming up. >>> and in portland, the story of a man threatening to blow up a jewish deli in the

cuba today who are the good guys and with the bad guys. quite frankly it's not that complicated. those of us are critics of president obama's new initiatives on cuba do not oppose it because we hope you strong but because we know he is wrong. we know that the single biggest obstacle to economic and political freedom in cuba for 55 years has been and still is the castro regime. we know that a courageous, quiet christian who sought -- under casual own constitution was killed when police ran his car off the road in southeastern cuba july 22. we know an american aid worker, alan gross, who tried simply to offer cuba small judiciary committee internet access on the island was held hostage for five years for his efforts. we know that while the obama administration was holding secret talks with havana, the castro government arrested more than 9000 dissidents committed to journals, human rights activist and other political people. so yes, we know better than to expect anything from

cuba as of march 1. mastercard said it acted after receiving guidance from the treasury department. >>> please join me for a special look at policy and fallout fox newsreporting cuba losing the last battle of the cold war premieres saturday. >>> a final senate vote on the keystone pipe eline could come as early as next week. the debate lasted into the early morning hours. members voted and tabled a series of amendments disposing of five by democrats and leaving six more to review monday. >>> stocks were mixed today. the dow lost 141. the s&p 500 dropped 11. the nasdaq gained 7.5. for the four day week the dow was up almost a percentage point. the s&p 500 gained 1.23. >>> still ahead, if you think your personal information is secure and private on the obamacare website you may be in for a surprise. >>> a big weekend for republican presidential hopefuls. we will go live to the freedom summit in iowa after the break. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment

the 17th of december up through today, not even one has been released. >> reporter: critics of the new cuba policy cite this has the policy driving their opposition. >> we don't know of political prisoners that were supposedly going to be released. >> no one's seen a list of the political folks who are being released from jail. >> most of the mysterious 53 have been released. whose political detentions have reportedly continued unchecked. >> at this point there is no reason to think they are walking back any part of the agreement. >> republican carlos car bellow is an incoming house freshman from california whose parents fled castro's cuba. >> the cuban government has promised to release -- sometime that is have released them out of convenience, but at the end of the day, mr. castro made clear that there will be no changes in cuba. >> even some foreign policy heavyweights who support mr. obama's policy shift say he needs to show progress on this front. >> if the white house has cut a deal that involves as part of the quid pro quo, a return of political prisoners, they've got to really make

the game. >> the other changes that people will see, they're allowed to use credit cards in cuba that is neweel a change. and americans can bring back souvenirs and spend more cash. >> exactly. so it's not only easier to travel there, but easier to travel within cuba. american also be able to use their credit cards. we'll see how that works this weekend when i'm there. it's also easier for cuban-americans to send money back to cuba. you're going to see enhanced telecommunication services. so lots of good things. also enhanced trade. so that's going to be good for business and the economy of cuba and for the united states. >> interesting that these new rules don't allow for basic tourism, but this is a welcome mat to cuba. so what might the typical traveler expect in a trip there? >> yeah i mean i think in the short term it's going to be business as usual. just more people. speaking to our folks on the ground there actually a lot of the hotels are already full. there seems to be a lot more americans already traveling there now. so things are already starting to really pick up steam there. som

cuba. under the new rules, some companies will be permitted to export to cuba. u.s.anks will be allowed to open accounts with cuban banks. airlines will be able to provide service to cuba without a specific license. americans will be able to bring home as much as $100 in cigars. but the travel ban is lifted entirely. the move is outright opposed by some republicans, like marco rubio who with willem marx has been looking into the restrictions. talk to me about who gets some of these exemptions? >> that's not changing. there's a dozen categories of people who have been able to travel to cuba, including journalists, humanitarian workers, sometimes educators. those of cuban-american dissents can go to visit family. athletes, performers come all these people. they are no longer having to seek specific approval from the treasury department in order to travel down there. >> what about the impact to american individuals, and industry in cuba? >> if you were in the telik and medications world, the banking world, you may be able to get on their have face-to-face meetings. bank

cuba during his state of the union address. >> what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new. [ applause ] and our shift in cuba policy has the potential to end, a legacy

cuba. >> as his holiness pope francis, has said diplomacy is the work of small steps. these small steps have added up to new hope for the future in cuba.

live from cuba, the turning point here in havana. a new era begins as the highest level u.s. delegation in four decades has arrived. we are along for the trip on a history-making day that could forever change u.s.-cuba relations. >>> growing scandal involving the number one sport in our nation. and new developments in the investigation thathreatens to tarnish the super bowl. questions about cheating and the new england patriots and the nfl investigation into those footballs. >>> and hitting home. the news tonight that affects every person who owns a home or is thinking about buying one. what experts are recommending that you should do now that could save you a lot of money. >>> also tonight, the secret millions of americans are keeping from their spouses. "nightly news" from havana begins now. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams reporting from havana. >>> good evening. earlier today, just 14 hours after the president spoke about his opening in the state of the union, we arrived here with the first senior american official to visit this nation in decades. we flew

new. [applause] our shift in cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere; removes a phony excuse for

cuba. on the announcement it's just really good news. this is a fundamental change in u.s. cuba policy. wasn't half measures are couched in rhetoric. what it does is it flips the debate upside down so this is the first time since 2000 when congress was passing the trade sanctions reform act where we have a policy of engagement that opponents have to respond to. the other thing that does is it sends a signal to the business committee that it's okay to express interest and explore cuba. i think there will be a lot of curiosity from business community. it's been off the market for so so long long city with a lot of interest in exploring the situation on the ground. i think that the administration's announcement will do what the president's announcement will do will enable that curiosity and enable businesses to start exploring cuba. i'm going to go through a couple of provisions that have been announced so far that i think are of particular importance to the business committee. the first is establishing licenses for travel. the fact the treasury will license travel will significantly expan

new. and our shift in cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere it removes the phony excuse for restrictions in cuba stands up

new. and our ship in cuba policy has the potential to end the mistrust in our hemisphere. >> reporter: wednesday, american diplomats arrived inavana to begin historic talks with their

new. and our ship in cuba policy has

cuba. that will now change. new rules will allow certain people to visit the island nation. however, you cannot just go online and book a ticket. john terrett explains. >> reporter: the door for americans to travel to cuba is now open. new regulation also allow u.s. citizens to travel to cuba if they fit into is 12 permitted categories among those to visit family, education journalist humanitarian purposes. but don't start packing yet. >> you havetourism is not allowed. >> this florida travel agency owner is watching all the rules. >> it's all general. visitors will still need a visa from the human beingen government. president obama made good on his commitment to loosen restrictions on dealing with havana. this is the furthest that any kurt has gone to normalize relations with cuba since it was established 50 years ago. >> it would only serve to put more pressure on the castro regime. >> senator marco rubio, who is cuban-american saying while those statements remain unanswered one thing that is crystal clear is this one-sided deal is enriching a tyrant and his regime. americ