that was jim avila reporting. president obama released a statment -- following the death that was jim avila reporting. president obama released a statment nats - baseball game in cuba that same month - rock legends rolling stones strutting in front of a crowd once forced to listen to their favorite bands behind closed doors. soundbite: (english) kasha (no second name given), polish tourist "it's brilliant, it's very historical thing, that's a lot of change in just over a year? for a country once frozen in time for more than half a - and mostly forgotten by president obama released a statment -- following the death of fidel castro. "we extend a hand of fr we know -- that this moment fills cubans -- with powerful emotions. history will record -- and judge the enormous impact -- of this singular figure -- on the people -- and world around him." his successor -- presiden-elect -- donald trump -- with a more direct response -- tweeting -- "fidel castro is dead!" trump -- also called him a quote: "brutal dictator." the

more now from abc's jim avila. >> reporter: for a half century, fidel castro ruled cuba while the world changed around him. 50 years of isolation finally ended only after he left power. and only with his tacit blessing. castro remained skeptical and suspicious of the u.s. right up to his death. defiantly commenting after president obama's historic visit that cuba will never forget the bay of pigs invasion, and does not need america. his defense of his communist revolution never faltering. >> translator: i am a communist. a marxist socialist communist. i am not afraid to say i'm a communist. sxwrb are. >> reporter: fidel castro was born in 1926 out of wedlock to a wealthy cuban landowner and his maid. he went to catholic schools then studied law. his passions were baseball, he was very good at it, and politics. he became an activist for the poor and working class. in 1956 after being expelled by cuba's american-supported dictator fulgencio batista, castro returned secretly with brother raul, argentinean marxist leader che guevara, and others. they hid out in the mountains and waged a gue

americans gradually returning, it may no longer be fidel castro's cuba. >> jim avila joins us on the phone. jim has been to cuba many, many times. this comes just after those historic relations between cuba and the united states. how do you think this might now effect change in cuba? >> i think that it will continue on the same course. at this point i think the changes in the united states, actually, might have more effect on what's going than the change with fidel castro. because while fidel castro was considered, even to this day, the george washington of his country among those who remain in cuba, he was also a very divisive figure. and he has recently sort of faded into the woodwork, raul castro has taken over, and he really is, raul castro really has been running the day-to-day government. fidel has not. writing, trying to be the conscience of cuba more than the ruler of cuba. but he remains, to his death, a very important figure. while he was -- because of his nationalism, because of what he meant to the people, he meant that cuba would not be dominated by the united states eve

jonathan karl, jim avila, thank you so much for your time. long-time cuban leader fidel castro has died at the age of 90. stay tuned to these abc news stations for more on this developing story. we'll have "nightline" for those on the west coast of the united states and much more on "good morning america." you can find the latest at abcnews.com. i'm jonathan betts at abc news world headquarters in new york. have a good night. . i throw over the bedspread. i'm like, "we're speaking in disney dialogue." i hug owen. i run down. i hug cornelia. >> reporter: that bedside experiment, what ron calls the basement sessions. every night, the family gathers to watch and reenact disney scenes like in "the jungle book." ? wherever a i wander, wherever i roam ? >> cornelia and i basically get phds in disney. >> we were jumping into his language and his world, going in to where he was rather than trying to bring him out to where we were. ron, now a pulitzer prize-winning "wal what he calls a double life. interviewing presidents by day, imitating cartoon cha

>> jim avila with us tonight. jim, thank you. >>> and next this evening, the governor of alabama declaring a state of emergency and warning of a gas shortage after an gas line. the colonial pipeline, running from houston, texas, to the port of new york and new jersey, supplying much of the east coast. that line rupturing for the second time in two months now, and tonight, much of it remains offline. here's abc's phillip mena on the deadly explosion. >> reporter: that massive pipeline fire sending thick smoke into the air. >> look how black that smoke is. >> reporter: aerial footage showing the haze blanketing a vast swath of land just south of birmingham, alabama. >> sound like they have injuries. i think we may need to start additional rescue units. >> reporter: the fire erupting 3:00 p.m. monday, when the pipeline was struck by a track hoe. >> it looked like a plane crash. i've never seen anything like this. >> reporter: one worker killed. several others injured. the critical main gas line shut this explosion ha

jonathan karl, jim avila, thank you so much for your time. long-time cuban leader fidel castro has died at the age of 90. stay tuned to these abc news stations for more on this de we'll have full details on "nightline" for those on the west coast of the united states and much more on "good morning america." you can find the latest at abcnews.com. i'm jonathan betts at abc news world headquarters in new york. have a good night. the touchscreen allows you to kind of pinpoint what you're talking about. which makes communication much easier and faster than the old mac that i used to use. i feel like i'm in the future. just like mom, you have dinner on the table at 6:00 every night. hey guys, i'm home! of course no one said it had to be cooked. designed around one pan and your schedule. ? >> jimmy: garth brooks sitting in with the cletones, the rod now that this tumultuous election is behind us it's time to concentrate on what really matters, gambling on competitive ballroom dancing. our next guest is an olympic gold and silver medalist on whom i

. >> jim avila joins us on the phone. jim has been to cuba many, many times. this comes just after those historic relations between cuba and the united states. how do you think this might now effect change in cuba? >> i think that it will continue on the same course. at this point i think the changes in the united states, actually, might have more effect than the change with fidel castro. because while fidel castro was considered, even to this day, the george washington of his country among those who remain in cuba, he was also a very divisive figure. and he has recently sort of faded into the woodwork, raul castro has taken over, and he really is, raul castro really has been running the day-to-day government. fidel has not.

jim avila on what's at stake right now. >> reporter: a sunday afternoon game of dominoes on the porch in havana. bars and nightclubs are closed for the cubans until after the funeral. the visitors have noticed. >> missing all the music which we know is such a big part of the first half of this year. starting monday, american airlines flies from miami, united from newark and delta from atlanta. bringing the total number of direct flights to more than 100. fidel's death unlikely to cool the warming relationship between the u.s. and cuba. but the freeze could come from the north if president-elect donald trump follows through on that campaign warning. >> we will cancel obama's one-sided cuban deal made by executive order if we don't get the deal we want and the deal that people living in cuba and here deserve. >> reporter: this havana family, watching special programming today on cuban tv. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> reporter: they say they are on alert because of trump's hardline statements. >> and jim is with us tonight. you've covered cuba for decades now. uncertainty when it

here's jim avila. >> reporter: in jacksonville, florida, high school administrators are investigating the posting of two signs over water coolers. one saying colored, the other saying whites only. there were flashes of hate during the campaign, signs of trouble. now that donald trump has won, some of his followers have taken the southern poverty law center, tracking more than 300 hate incidents. almost all immigrant, black, and gay victims. with less than 10% against trump supporters. 300 in less than a week, three times higher than the average week. in connecticut, these two men arrested for assaulting a man waving a sign in support of donald trump. with racial images. nadia browning was one of the targets. >> i opened the chat, and there was a lot of derogatory name-calling and a lot of hurtful things. >> reporter: penn alumni have called on president-elect trump to end his "disturbing silence." and condemn these hate crimes. tom? >> thank you. white police officer charged in the shooting death of a black man during a traffic stop. gloria riviera on the deadlocked jury, and what's n

. >>> and there's also reported hate incidents that appear to be here's jim avila. >> reporter: investigators are investigating the posting of signs over water fountains, one saying whites only. and there were flashes of hate during the campaign, signs of trouble. now that donald trump has won, some of his followers have taken hate to the next leve the southern poverty law center, tracking more than 300 hate incidents. with less than 10% against trump supporters. three in north carolina, these men arrested for waving a sign in in pennsylvania, an investigation of a text thread with racial images. >> i opened the etext, and ther was a lot of derogatory name-calling and a lot of hurtful things. >> reporter: penn has called on president-elect trump to end his "disturbing silence" and condemn these hate crimes. tom? >> thank you. >>> and a mistrial has been called in white police officer charged in the shooting death of the black man during a traffic stop. here's gloria riviera. >> sam dubose. sam dubose. >> reporter: tonight, outrage and disbelief filling the streets of downtown cincinnati. >> w