young people in china start to smoke cigars.. >> reporter: the same auditorium is turned into a classroom to learn how to roll a cigar. it looks easy enough, but it is very difficult, and people are coming here from all over the world to learn how to do it. among them george from new york, who says he smoked his first cuban cigar before the u.s. economic embargo that barred americans from bringing cuban cigars into the country. >> my father gave me a box at 17. >> reporter: but until now he couldn't come here legally to smoke them in. now with the restoration of diplomatic ties between havana and washington, a record number of americans are here openly to take part in the festival. >> i thought it was a long time coming, and i'm glad to see that obama has finally opened up the gates. >> reporter: this year's festival is also special because it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the cigar brand, rolled by hand, as are all cuban cigars. this factory was opened in 1966 to make this, fidel castro's favorite cigar. it was used as gif

cuba's famous cigar festival has some new clientele. me new clientele. >>> welcome back.he top stories. donald trump was branded a phoney and a fraud by his rivals at the latest debate. which was sometimes crude and nasty when ted cruz and marco rubio lodged attacks at the front runner. a sharp rise in allegations against u.n. staff. a new report claims 99 cases of abuse in ten different countries. that was out from 80 in 2014. police policemen have been killed in a car bottom in south-eastern turkey in nusaybin, which is close to the border >>> european council president donald tusk has warned economic migrants not to come to europe. his comments come as thousands of people gather as greece-macedonia border. refugees blocked a railway line in a protest to let them in >> translation: we are not prisoners, she says. we are humans. we escaped from i.s.i.s. and we came to you. pleas that have become more desperate aas each day goes by. if there was any hope that the bottleneck at the border would be soeld in a few days, it is now all but gone, replaced by this pair, anger an

start to smoke cigars. the trend. >> the place is turned into a classroom for aficionados to learn to roll a cigar. >> people are coming from all over the world to learn how to do it. among them, george from new york, who said he smoked his first cuban cigar. >> my grandfather was a physician, game me a box of romeo and juliet at 17 and i was looked. >> until now he couldn't come here illegally to smok legally . now with the diplomatic ties restored, they are here to take place in the festival. >> i'm glad obama last opened up the gates. >> this year's special because it celebrates the 50th anniversary of fest cuba's premier cigar brand, the coeba. the lancero, fidel castro's favorite cigar. as gifts until 1982 when the coeba was finally put on the market for everyone to buy except the americans. now they can buy and bring home up to $100 worth, not much when you consider many here will be leaving with tens of thousands of cuban cigars, maybe just maybe enough to last them until next year answer cigar fest.

fidel castro's favorite cigar. it was exclusively for the leader of the revolution and visiting dignitaries. and in 1992, when it was final put on the market for anybody to buy except for the americans. now you can buy and bring home $400 worth. not much when you consider that tens of thousands of dollars worth of cuban cigars, just maybe enough to last them until next year's cigar fest. aljazeera, havana. >> bangkok is the scene of an art exhibition that pays tribute to endangered species. aljazeera's wayne hay. >> reporter: they have been flash mobbing their way around the world. and now in thailand they will be popping up in various locations to try to raise awareness about the plight of their counterparts. there are 1600 of them in 2008, when they started, >> tony, we begin with the elections, five states to go, their votes may tell us what they thought of last night's republican debate. david schuster has more. >> it's a minor civil case. there are many, many civil cases. >> count to 10 donald, count to 10. >>

brand, rolled by hand, as are all cuban cigars.was opened 1966 to make this, the lancero, fidel castro's favorite cigar. it was great to give as gifts in the 1982 when the coeva was put on the market for anyone to buy except the americans. now they can buy and bring home up to $100 worth, not much when you consider that many here will be leaving with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cuban cigars, maybe just maybe enough to last them until next year's cigar fest. lucia newman, al jazeera, havana. >> i was wondering if anybody was going to sneeze. obviously somebody did. >> wonder how they keep the ash stacked. up next, her person experience proves clinics should stay open. >> and sexual abuse by u.n. peace keepers, as the u.n. touts its role in protecting women. >> we'll be back in two minutes with more of your world this morning. >> that harmony, that politeness and that equilibrium that japanese people call "wa." at the other side of history, fukushima's heroes were not enough. people have lost their trust, especially in the

rolled by hand as are all cuban cigars.y was opened in 1966 to make this fidel castro's favorite cigar. it was exclusively for the leader of the revolution and for visiting dignitaries as gifts until 1982 when it was finally put on the market for anyone to buy except the americans. now they can buy and bring home up to $100 worth. not much when you consider that many here will be leaving with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cuban cigars. maybe, just maybe enough to last them until next year's cigarfest. lucia newman, al jazeera, havana. >>> much more ahead, including -- >> i'm rob mcbride in the fell peens on the trail of a dying language that is only a few speaker away from dying out all together. >>> and we hit the road with rwandan cycles making uphill climbs in the sport. ♪ >>> the philippines has 184 languages and a number of them are dying out. in the second part of our series on languages at risk, rob mcbride traveled to one region to visit a community with what is considered to be the most owning dangered lang

. >> hatzel: and cigar making was the driving force. 230 cigar factories producing 700 million cigars. >> that's more cigars than they was based. >> hatzel: ebor city becomes the cigar capital of the world. in tampa's early history. in tampa, hatzel vela, local10 news. >> calvin: tampa was not only settled boy cubans we'll be right back also became had a rallying center for cuba's independence from spainnater on in our newscast hats el shows you the historical sights that link tampa and cuba. and local10 will be in cuba for the president's historic visit. i'll be joined by microx victor oquendo and hatzel vela. a. we will also have live coverage of the president's arrival on cuba on sunday. >> janine: an person student has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in north korea. otto warmbier was arrested in january. he was visiting and admits to trying to steal a ban were a political slogan from his hotel. he was arrested at the airport while trying to head home. >>> the pakistani prime minister is condemning a bomb attack to a bus that killed at least 15 others. the explosive had been p

. >>> if you're a cigar lover, hundreds of officia noddos gathered for the 18th annual cigar festival in havana, cuba. who could create the longest, unbroken ash. they held their seven-inch cuban cigars as long as they could to keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at the end of this week. that's strange seeing someone smoke a cigar upside down. >> that's strange to see a room full of people smoking period. >>> a congressional delegation is headed to flint, michigan. delegation on a fact finding mission. >>> and it's happy birthday to josh bowman, he turns 28, nba all star, turned mayor, kevin johnson is 50, and patricia heaten turns 58 today. now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early jason: we are on top of breaking news. a man is killed after being hit by two vehicles on a local room -- a local road. plus,a man is murdered at an orlando apartment complex. what we' re learning abut the investigation. then. >> this guy has lied so much. >> if there is any one who ever deserved to be attacked that

. >>> if you're a cigar lover, hundreds of officia noddos gathered for the 18th annual cigar festival in havana, cuba. whwh could create the longest, unbroken ash. they heldheir seven-inch cuban cigars as long as they could to keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at that's strange seeing someone smoke a cigar upside down. >> that's strange to see a room full of people smoking period. >>> a congressional delegation is head to flint, michigan. nancy pelosi will lead the delegation on a fact finding mission. >>> and it's happypy birthday to josh bowman, he turns 28, nba all star, turned mayor, kevin johnson is 50, and patricia heaten turns 58 today. now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early make it a great frida >>> right now nbc 6 is everywhere. >>> right now at 4:30 police think was an elaborate scheme to steal gasoline. >> two men arrested after offering to help a woman fix a flat tire, but police say it's what they were plotting that got them in trouble. >> and three young men behind bars for a crime they d

. >>> if you're a cigar lover, hundreds of officia noddos gathered for the 18th annual cigar festival in havana, cuba. who could create the longest, unbroken ash. they held their seven-inch cuban cigars as long as they could to keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at the end of this week. that's strange seeing someone smoke a cigar upside down. >> that's strange to see a room full of people smoking period. >>> a congressional delegation is headed to flint, michigan. nancy pelosi will lead the delegation on a fact finding mission. josh bowman, he turns 28, nba all star, turned mayor, kevin johnson is 50, and patricia heaten turns 58 today. now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm dara brown. today." make it a great friday and have >> >> you see what happens again when you challenge him on a policy issue? the first thing he does is launch an attack on some little guy thing. mark: another bout of bickering at last night' s republican presidential debate. how ohio governor john kasich attempted to take the high road amongst all the arguing. lisa: a

the 18th annual cigar festival in havana, cuba. who could create the longest, unbroken ash. they held their seven-inch cuban cigars as long as they could to keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at the end of this week. that's strange seeing someone smoke a cigar upside down. >> that's strange to see a room full of people smoking period. >>> a congressional delegation is headed to flint, michigan. nancy pelosi will lead the mission. >>> and it's happy birthday to josh bowman, he turns 28, nba all star, turned mayor, kevin johnson is 50, and patricia now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm dara brown. >>> now at 4:30, special session. how much it's going to cost you if north carolina lawmakers challenge charlotte's lgbt bill. plus rising crime in class. the cms statistics showing the danger your child could be facing on a daily witnesses. >>> anyone who ever deserved to be attacked that way is donald trump. >> waging war. three republican candidates take aim at the g.o.p. frontrunner. good fri

pand cigar 3 pstanding this morning. pthis is where all the magic phappens for cigar city. pif you've enjoyed maybe a little ptampa style lager, this is where pit happens. pstick around, everybody. pcontinuing to grow p>>charley: "good day." pi'm charley belcher coming from pcigar city. ptheir main brewery. pthey have some group of prestaurants around town, there's pthe airport, they're all over pthe place. pyesterday was a birthday. pseven years cigar city has been paround. pwhat does it mean to be a roduction manager at cigar pcity? pscheduling, everything takes to pget the beer in the glass pthrough all of our departments, pthrough brewing, all the way to ackaging where we put it in pbottles, kegs and cans. p>>charley: tampa is on the map pfor craft beer. pcigar city a success story. p>> it is. pthrough our constitutes success, we've phelped other businesses and pother craft breweries through pthe years. p>>charley: it's almost like a plearning tree. psomeone has a connection back to pcigar city. p>> we have a joke here. pwe don't know how long is going pto last at cigar

. >>> plus, cigar aficionados are puffing today in havana. officer moeny of cuba's cigar festival. >>> but first, self-drive cars are coming to tampa this year. how much do you trust these cars? ( soft, calm music ) hi, you've reached emma. i'm out of the office right now but will get back to you just as soon as i possibly can. your call is important to me. join princess cruises discovery at sea experiences. 6-day caribbean cruises from just $549. call your travel consultant or visit princess.com princess cruises. come back new. driving cars once considered only a thing of the future are now a reality. and they may be coming to florida a lot sooner than you think. driving cars? americans don't. lindsey mastis is following the lindsey, what are some of the concerns that drivers have. >> reporter: gayle and gene, good morning. there are are a lot of reasons people are against the technology but one thing is clear, the less thing people know about how autonomous driving work, the more fearful they are. 75% of americans are afraid to the even take a ride in a self- driving car. more than

pat cigar city. pstick are we're celebrating ptampa bay beer week. pcharge of your home can be perfect. even when life isn't the spring home event is happening now. havertys. covering is caring because covering heals faster. for a bandage that moves with you and stays on all day, cover with a band-aid brand flexible fabric adhesive bandage. if your family outing is magical for all the wrong reasons. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec is different than claritin . because it starts working faster . muddle no more pgood day tampa bay i'm charley pbelcher coming to you from cigar pcity brewing there. pare you brew he headquarters pthere in tampa. pmaking some pretty good signs phere. pwe're celebrate tampa bay beer pweek. ptalking to sean about at barrel page iggy process. pthis has become all of the rage pfor craft brewery barrel aged pbeers. eople are going crazy for them. punique character a little bit. pa lot of character that comes pin the barre

talking about the cigars. the country's annual cigar festival kicked off on monday. >> it's the 18th annual festival and attracts hundreds of buyers from around the world. cuba's weather adversely affected this year's tobacco crop shrinking it siftly. >> there still 150e78 to be plenty around with the u.s. and cuban relations warming many say it won't be long before more and more of those famous cigars make it here legally. >> what i want to know is it still going to be a thing if they're legal now? >> oh, i mean, they still -- they're still pretty good. >> you still enjoy a good. >> legal or illegal i think. yeah. >> i'm not really into smokes but you are. >> i mean, try it once in awhile. >>> come up, we're going behind the scenes of the quirky hipster >> who would try to rip off the girl scouts by paying for cookies with counterfeit money? who saved the day after an outrageous ripoff. >> the tearful answers from erin andrews. her her difficult day in court in a case getting widespread attention. that's afte

talking about the cigars. the country's annual cigar festival kicked off on monday. >> it's the 18th annual festival and attracts hundreds of buyers from around the world. cuba's weather adversely affected this year's tobacco crop shrinking it siftly. >> there still 150e78 to be plenty around with the u.s. and it won't be long before more and more of those famous cigars make it here legally. >> what i want to know is it still going to be a thing if they're legal now? >> oh, i mean, they still -- they're still pretty good. >> you still enjoy a good. >> legal or illegal i think. yeah. >> i'm not really into smokes but you are. >> i mean, try it once in awhile. >>> come up, we're going behind the scenes of the quirky hipster comedy portlandia. >> who would try to rip off the girl scouts by paying for cookies with counterfeit money? who saved the day after an outrageous ripoff. >> the tearful answers from erin andrews. her her difficult day in court in a case getting widespread attention. that's after today's fore

. >>> if you're a cigar lover, this competition might be for you.ered in savannah, cuba, thursday, for the 18th annual cigar festival. quite the unusual competition. who could create the longest unbroken ash. clouds of smoke were everywhere as contestants held their seven-inch cuban cigars ash as long as they could to dprekeep falling. >>> headed to flint, michigan, the first look at the water crisis. house leader nancy pelosi is leading 25 delegates on a fact-finding mission. tour the city and meet with residents affected by the crisis. >>> all right. that did although it for "early today." i'm danielle serino. remember, you can get all your news, weather and sports right here. have a great weekend. thanks for watching. dramatic details coming in of water scue in aioch--- aftera a woman launches her r intthe r. >>> traumatic details of a water rescue in antioch after a woman launches her car into a river. who pulled her on to dry land. >>> a melee at the santa clara county jail and the newly installed cameras there capture the brawl between dozens

. >>> if you're a cigar lover, hundreds of officia noddos gathered for the 18th annual cigar festival in havana, cuba. who could create the longest, unbroken ash. they held their seven-inch cuban keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at the end of this week. that's strange seeing someone smoke a cigar upside down. >> that's strange to see a room full of people smoking period. >>> a congressional delegation is headed to flint, michigan. nancy pelosi will lead the delegation on a fact finding mission. >>> and it's happy birthday to josh bowman, he turns 28, nba all star, turned mayor, kevin johnson is 50, and patricia heaten turns 58 today. now keep it right here for more news, weather and sports. i'm dara brown. thanks for watching "early today." a terrific weekend. but it's all rain now. you're probably wondering how long that's going to last... your super doppler 10 forecast is seconds away. only on 10, video showing a local bus driver hitting a student. find out why the student is also in trouble this morning. a snack that could help you live longer. what scientist

. >> hundreds of cigar lovers gathered at the cuban cigar festival in havana for a strange contest to see how long they could keep their ashes from falling. wow. look at that. the annual cigar festival has attracted people for nearly 20 years. >>> this may shock you, but officially made by the state of new york. >> what? come on. >> a deputy in erie county new york stopped amanda scwiker. she had a suspended registration and no insurance. the license plate was made of card board and paint. she is facing a felony. >>> and if a british man makes it across the atlantic in this boat, he will have quite a whale of a tail to tell. he named this boat moby, prince of whales. it is docked in scotland. it has a spout that can shoot water 20 feet into the air. he is raising money for his voyage first to the azors and then onto new york. >> is it a motor or a sailboat? >> i don't know. but if you could ask people for money to go to the azors, i would like to ask for money for that. >> so start a go fund me for jennifer leigh. >> let me get out my credit card. >> yeah, to my go fund me page. >> ye

cigar city was sold. the cigar city founder explains he is staying on with the new ownership. brewery keep growing which is great news. >> and it's just another sign that people are note noticing us as a brewery destination. >> yeah, they make good beer there. >> yeah. >>> weather and traffic on the 8s is three minutes away. >>> plus, a story to hear before you put on your makeup this morning. researches now believe some of the products contain chemicals that can cause tumors and alzheimer's. in the next half hour, a doctor >>> at 5:28. still tracking foggy conditions for kids at the bus stop. when they come home today, 81, mostly sunny. for those kids enjoying spring break, you will love it. the rain chances increase, up to 50% by saturday. >>> well the skyway bridge, fhp has closed it due to fog. if it's close when had you come by, take -- closed when you come by, take 75 instead. fhp says skyway bridge is >>> good tuesday morning. welcome to news channel 8 today. i'm gene ramirez. >> and i am gayle guy

especially when it comes to one of cuba's greatest exports, cigars. there's already major demand among american consumers for cuban cigars which makes them a natural fit. or as one cigar salesman told cbs -- >> i feel it's like two lovers that are ready to meet, you know? there's a romance here, it feels both sides really want it to take place. now, it would be nice to just see it happen. >> seth: okay, something's going on with that guy, right? [ laughter ] i mean, either he really loves cigars or he's harboring a secret unrequited love for that reporter. [ laughter ] "i just feel if two people feel a connection, even if they just met five minutes ago, for a tv interview on a porch, they should just go for it." [ laughter ] also, two lovers is a terrible analogy for cigars. if there's a cigar involved, it's one lover saying to the other, "that smells like ass, put it out or i'm leaving." [ laughter ] now, despite the thawing of u.s.-cuba relations, this trip still had some awkward moments. because in some ways, the leaders of these two countries want

also, two lovers is a terrible analogy for cigars. if there's a cigar involved, it's one lover saying to the other, "that smells like ass, put it out or i'm leaving." [ lavghter ] now, despite the thawing of u.s.-cuba relations, this trip still had some awkward moments. because in some ways, the leaders of these two countries want different things. obama wants to engage with cuba to open that country to the rest ofhe world. and cuban president raul castro wants to use the meeting with obama to gain legitimacy on the world stage. and that awkwardness was never more on display than when the two men shared the most awkward handshake in presidential history. [ lauger and applause ] what? look. what is -- look at obama going rag dodo limp. [ laughter ] that might be a puppet's arm. [ laughter ] that is the handshake of a aan who does not want a photo taken. [ laughter ] but it's understandable that obama played handshake defense given how much flak he took earlier that day for being photographed in front of a mural many criticized obama, a

pand we are at cigar city. pthe original tasting room like peverything else with cigar city pit keeps getting bigger and pexpanding the wall used to be pright here. poh no we've got their own gift pshop and an expanded tasting proom. pstick around everybody. pwe're talking to the original p>>> our military, the men and pwomen who serve this country, rotect from enemy both foreign pand domestic. pthey have done that a lot more pin our recent history. phurt. pin fact some permanently injured pboth physically and mentally. pand that's why this next story pwe have for you this morning is pjust so inspiring. pwalter allen is covering it for pus. pand walter, as we talk about it, pwe're getty there he is. pi'm sorry. pthis young man his family is pbeing honored. pi'm amazed at the number of psurgeries he's gone through. pdozens. p>> yeah. pthat's right. pdozens. pyou said p>> 33. pi think. pthat's fox and friends. p>> oh, of course. phow many surgery has defrn kyle phad some 90, right? p>> it's been close to that. pi

they allow smoking in private cigar clubs. currently, private clubs can allow smoking if they're not attached to other buildings, don't have employees and are nonprofit. the new bill would remove those restrictions. clifton residents are one step closer to having a grocery store. saturday, the clifton market held a construction kickoff. clifton has been without a grocery store since back in 2011, when the keller iga closed. since then, members of the community have been raising funds to bring a grocery store back to the area. clifton market will be a full service upscale grocery with up to 80 employees. >> it's the heart of the community, a great place to come other and food. jonathan: developers expect the construction build-out to take four months, followed by two months for fixture installation

what napa or bordeaux is to wine, this place is to cigar leaf.ood box of cohibas can sell for 1,000 bucks apiece, they pay him only $10,000 a year to grow it. so for a guy who only knows homegrown, hand-rolled, dorian deserves a cohiba. >> let me buy you a cigar. i've always wanted to say that. >> ah. >> nice, huh? >> muy bueno. >> so what are your thoughts about maybe the end of the embargo with america? but the demand for these will skyrocket. if americans can suddenly buy your cigars, do you think you can keep up? would you have to stop growing other crops? >> but imagine if the government got out of the way entirely. imagine the high-end tourists who would flock to this place to taste his wears the way wine lovers sip and dine among the vines. you should have americans come and taste your tobacco and have a little restaurant right there. okay. all right. right. well, we'll go into business together. we have to change you into a capitalist but we can do it. honestly, he seems more interested in camaraderie than capital gains. same goes for the

and there's a lot more to this place than old cars and forbidden cigars.oming in, i didn't know that. see, when i was a boy, cuba was an enemy, too close for comfort. cuba equalled duck and cover and soviet missiles and a scary, shameful place known as the bay of pigs. so now that i'm in, it seems only fitting to start in the bay of pigs. >> fighting continues. >> it was here in '61 when 1500 cuban exiles tried to take their country back from a communist named fidel. they were trained by america and it was a complete mess. for one thing, the cia helped pick an invasion route with one road. ocean son that side, swamp on that side. the old world war ii bombers they used missed every target. their ships ran into either coral reefs for fidel's air force and their cover was blown so badly a local radio station broadcast the exile's every move. mercenaries made it this far. the sign says, a monument to one of the most spectacular failures in military history. ♪ but fish know nothing about politics. crabs are clueless about communism, coral can't mount a revoluti

there's a cuban cigar called the henry clay. and we see this box is probably -- i'm not sure if it's a chewing tobacco box or snuff box. probably chewing tobacco, with a henry clay face on it. the other thing i found was franklin pierce gets literally shafted here. he gets made into a pipe head. during the campaign of 1852, everyone thought it would be a great idea to put franklin pierce's head on a pipe and smoke it. what can i say? kind of a misunderstood figure, franklin pierce. other questions? i assume you all figure at this point that we don't duel anymore. yeah? or do we? well, i just had one other thing, then. i had a few slides ready for you. here is one. it's this. you're on your cell phone doing the paces on the duel. so hold on. i've already lost track of my place. sorry. it's kind of funny. although dueling has ended, guys, the rhetoric of dueling has not. i was shocked. i remember actually watching this in 2004 and, thanks to youtube -- the joys of youtube, i have been able to find this clip. and at the time, i did

seventeen other house democrats will join the president. 3 tampa's cigar city brewing has been sold. oskar blues brewery from colorado has bought controlling interest in it. the aquisition puts months of rumors to rest. a boston-based equity firm... called fireman capital is a financial partner in the transaction. the founder of cigar city brewing, joey redner, will remain c-e-o. 3 3 ((vanessatake vo)) happening today, governor bill that expands medical marijuana use in florida to terminally ill patients. the new legislation allows people with seizure disorders and cancer to have access to a non-euphoric strain of marijuana. patients were supposed to have access to the drug more than a year ago... but legal fights caused delays. 3 happening today... people in saint pete have another opportunity to voice their visions for the new pier. officials are holding a pier approach public workshop today. it's on u-s-f's saint pete campus... inside the student center ballroom. the design team will be there to hear feedback as they present some new layouts for the pier. that workshop runs from 7

. :22 - :27 david savona/ cigar aficionado magazine "it's a lot of fun to do this cigar "longest ash" contest. i've never done smoking long, i've never done an ash contest or any of this so its all new to me. i was looking around, looking to other people trying to see the keeping cool." there were several upsets from contestants who couldn't keep the ash from falling. the winner will be announced at the cigar festival in the next few days. look, i know you're a cow and all. and you may not know what i'm talking about, good morning. time now is 8-28. let's get right to jen lewis with an update on this morning's messy commute. good morning, hampton roads. let's check winter weather advisory in effect until noon for sussex county to james city county to gloucester county and points northward. today: rain this morning with a wintry mix at times. snow showers north of the metro. this will taper off later this morning, and then we'll be mostly cloudy and windy. highs will be in the mid 40s. winds nne 15-25mph with gusts to 45mph. tonight: partly cloudy. lows in the mid 30s. wind north 10-20

financial transactions in dollars, fewer import dance on products like cuban cigars. a whole range of things that is easier since the thaw began two years ago when u.s. president barack obama broke the ice. president obama: the embargo is now codified in legislation. i look forward to engaging congress in an honest and serious debate about lifting the embargo. reporter: congress has been stonewalling ever since. republicans dislike obama's initiative. there is little chance of lifting the embargo during his remaining time in office. it is they're officially for the foreseeable future, but with a few loopholes for now. >> for more on this story, let's cross over to new york. things are being with us. have you got your holiday to cuba booked? surely a lot of money will flow to the islands now that the restrictions from the u.s. have been lifted. >> so far i have not been to cuba and i am curious overall and if you look at the tourism industry, cuba is the caribbean, and is probably one of the most booming industries on that island. but that said, one of the big question

the cuban cigars. >> a president obama. negotiating a free movement of cigars.nk it has been a long change. >> yes. [laughter] >> i have not done it yet. i cannot tell. it smells rich and strong. >> we give it 92 points. >> i am told that the quality of cuban cigars, in the last 50 years, has gone down. they have not been running things properly. what say you please not they do not have the correct checks and balances. perhaps they are not up to the ledger. some people believe that cuban cigars are the best. proving that the non-cubans are just as good as the cubans. stuart: what is this about -- the best according to this. >> this is a financial show. >> we cannot take any advertising from cuban cigars right now. making some money. >> we will keep it from the cigar industry. >> may be six months from now, the cuban cigars will be all over america. >> i will be happy if that is the case. stuart: get me some cubans. the end of the embargo. it has been a long time. the cuban government is doing well. >> if i keep this, i am going to keep it -- [laughter] >> i will

. >>> a man whose name is sin mouse with cigars was honored by the city today. bob buckhorn unveiled a new street name it will be carlos fuentesway. 25 years ago the oldest family owned cigar companies merged. the newman company and the fuentes companies merged. the street was renamed right in front of the historic building. >> this isnise life, ybor city. this is before any city if the world. not like ybor city. there is nothing like the u.s. >> that's great. and of course cigars were handed out to everyone attending the special ceremony. >>> and the sounds of qualifying runs filled the air in st. pete today. streets are buzzing with the st. st. pete grand prix and the roar of the engines continues throughout the weekend. steve nichols is at the track tonight. steve, a big weekend for everyone. >> reporter: all is quieted now, kelly but the engines fire up tomorrow morning at 7:30 for the qualifying races for the pro mazda series and then engine noise and that's leading up to the event. the st. pete grand prix. the crowds are always the smallest of the three-da

one of tampa's signature breweries, cigar city brewing has been sold to oscar blues. it's a colorado-based brewery he explains he is staying on with the new ownership. he adds the deal will help the brewery keep growing bigger and bigger. >> i love their invasion pale ale. >>> plus, a story to hear before you put on your make-up this morning. some products can cause tumors and alzheimer's. new in the next half hour, what a dermatologist says about some of the products that we >>> sending the kids to the bus stop this morning, remember, it's still dark. 81 this afternoon. and i know a lot of kids don't have to go to the bus stop because it's great spring break weather this afternoon. leslee -- >>> all right, some fog on the top of the skyway bridge. be careful moving across it there. overnight construction. and it's tying up both directions of university parkway. underneath i-75, it is impassable. take state road 70 at fruitville instead. and a couple lanes blocked ontic-75. and it should wrap up in about an hour or so. is the economy rigged? well, the 15 richest ameri

-cuba relations since bill clinton took a cigar and uh... yeah. (laughter) you know, he'll make a wonderful first gentleman. >> for the first time in nearly nine decades, a sitting american president is waking up in cuba. president obama's historic arrival in havana yesterday ends decades of isolation between the u.s. and cuba. >> larry: you know, according to fox news, obama's sitdown with castro marks the first time an evil communist dictator has met with the leader of cuba. (laughter) fox news, man. fox news, telling the truth! (applause) yeah, i know! same thing (bleep) is true. up in the stands, you know what i'm talking about, right. there was a bit of an awkward moment when castro was finishing ducking a question on human rights violations. cheek thi-- check this out. (laughter) >> larry: what was that, obama? like this makes your arm invisible, by going limp? oh, i don't want you to do that... let me give you some advice, mr. president: if you don't want fox news to call you cuba's puppet, don't act like a marionette. human rights, they we

and cuban relations warming many say it won't be long before more and more of those famous cigars make it here legally. >> what i want to know is it still going to be a thing if they're legal now? >> oh, i mean, they still -- they're still pretty good. >> you still enjoy a good. >> legal or illegal, i think. yeah. >> i'm not really into smokes but you are. >> i mean, try it once in hile. >>> come up, we're going behind the scenes of the quirky hipster comedy "portlandia." >> who would try to rip off the girl scouts by paying for cookies with counterfeit money? who saved the day after an

the manager of this 7/11 told me when the suspects tried to get away they left behind a trail of cigars and police say to their capture. it happened around 4:00 a.m. on the corner of monroe and sharon amity roads. police say two people entered the store and demand cash at gunpoint. and two friends waited in the get away car. the manager tells me two people stole $160 from the register and philly cigars but as they tried to escape, they dropped most of what they took. we spoke with police and spotted them with an envelope full of evidence. police say they didn't make it far. a police dog was able to track the four suspects less than a half mile away on mandarin boulevard. our cameras were rolling as police took the suspects into custody. their identities haven't been released yet. but we're blurring their faces. we're told one of them is only 15 years old. people we spoke with are shocked to hear someone so young would be involved in this. they don't have no guidance no more. parents are not in their lives no more and everything like that. >> no one was hurt in the robbery. and we're con

the 18th annual cigar festival attracted buyers and cigar while severe weather is shrinking the country's tobacco crop, cuban leaders expect the festiv to be extremeately lucrative. >>> right now want to go to key west? here we are. looks pretty good. >> victor: y people probably smoking some cuban cigars there. >> janine: they probably are, drinking a little mojito. checking out the sunset. >> victor: do people drink in key west? >> janine: they might. i've heard. >> victor: especially on a day like this, betty davis. how long is it going to, hang out? >> betty: all week long we are expecting more of the same. today is march the 1st. it is the start of meteorology string so that means meteorologist winner is over. oh, by the way it diagnosis down as the wettest on record. all those days of rainfall really did add u for mime 22.24 itches besting the old& record of just over 19 inches. that standing from 1905. so we are stepping into a new month with some dry weather. right now around hollywood beach, a little swat in palms. the rip current risk low. winds flowing in from the east-southwes

. >> cigars! >> a new audience. >> welcome to world news america. u.s.ecretary of state john kerry was in brussels today to offer condolences and assistance in the week be -- of this week's terrorist attacks. today there was a dramatic shoot-out at a metro stop before a suspect was arrested. the latest from brussels -- a warning, the report does contain some graphic images. >> it's a police operation, the woman's voice says. outside, they advance behind a bulletproof shield. a child emerges and is hurried away. lying in the tram stop, a man has been shot in the legs. police still train for -- their weapons on him the view from across the street shows a bomb disposal robot approaching. he's holding a bag. they want to check if there are explosives. then officers move in. this is the same schaerbeek district for the brussels and paris attackers had safe houses. this operation was triggered from information gleaned in paris yesterday when one man was arrested apparently preparing a new attack in france and not linke -- linked in the brussels bombings. >> th

back to gene and gayle. >> thank you. >>> this morning, hundreds will be at havana's cigar festival. they'll be enjoying that over there. wet weather conditions are being blamed for a smaller yield this season though. still cuban officials are reporting industry growth. americans and cubans alike are awaiting the day that relations normalize between cuba and the u.s. others do not agree with this. but the hope is many want to >>> an alert for parents. a study suggest medications used to treat adhd may affect bone health in teens. researchers measured the bone density in children. those taking adhd medications had significant decreases in bone density compared to peers not taking any prescription drugs. >>> and if you are awake that the hour, we hope you had a full eight hours of sleep. according to new research, a lack of sleep could lead to choices. a study of 14 healthy adults showed sleep restriction boost a chemical in the body that enhances the joy of eating, especially sweet, salty and >> my goodness. >> i don't know what you said burger. that looks good. >> i know. >>> the voi