. >> mark potter in havana. thanks for that. >>> for more on what the changing dynamics will mean for the obama administration, let's bring in the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, between cuba and north korea, i suppose this will be what they call a working vacation? >> reporter: definitely a working vacation for the president, but in many ways, carl, a preview of the final two years of the obama administration. and frankly very similar to what you see in the final two years of any eight-year tenure of a presidency which is foreign policy dictates a lot. both in choosing what foreign policy issues to go after to build a legacy because you're

>> our thanks to mark potter in havana for us tonight. mark, thanks. and to your last point, anyone in their mid 50s and on up remembers what is a looming presence cuba has been in our lives from the cold war era until present day. back in '59, castro overthrew the president, declared a revolutionary socialist state. then president kennedy tried and failed to overthrow castro at the bay of pigs. then the cuban missile crisis. soviet missiles were moved into position, remember, 90 miles from the u.s. many thought nuclear war was inevitable, something we talked about today with the head of the council on foreign relations, richard haass. >> there was no guarantee we were going to survive this. this was the first real nuclear crisis, and there was -- there was a sense when people went off to school, or husbands and wives kissed good-bye in the morning that it was fateful. >> having survived that fateful times in recent years, americans watched the boatlift, 125,000 cubans came to our shores, then witnessed the kind of tawdry custody battle over a young bo

nbc's mark potter is in havana tonight with one of the classic forms of transportation in that city. mark, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we talked to a lot of people today and we drove all around havana. and we took our trip in the vintage style that has helped make this city famous. >> hello sir. >> reporter: hello there. our tour guide makes his living driving tourists around havana in his fully restored 1956 chevy bel aire. we begin on the famous coastal road where he says has high hopes that normalized u.s./cuban relations will bring even more visitors and money here. >> it's better for my business. better for everything. >> reporter: around the bend along the harbor we come upon havana's central park, where the owners of these vintage american cars have used cuban ingenuity for years to keep them running. the trade embargo has kept them from buying american parts since 1961. they all hope that changes soon. buying american parts in cuba, would that be a good thing for you? would you like that? >> yes, i would like that very much. >> reporter: then we're back on

mark potter, nbc news, havana. >>> we're back in a moment with a refund announced tonight for millions of cell phone customers. every day is a new opportunity to help make life better right here in san francisco. whether it's helping local businesses like the fruitguys grow and prosper, supporting nonprofits like juma ventures as they fulfill their mission or helping neighborhoods like the tenderloin become vibrant communities. if there's a way to help the people of san francisco thrive and succeed, we'll find it. that's the power of local connections. that's bank of america. >>> swimmer michael phelps, the most decorated olympian in history, pleaded guilty to his second dui offense in a baltimore courtroom today. phelps was sentenced to a year in prison, yet he won't see the inside of a prison cell. his sentence was suspended, but he will serve 18 months of supervised probation. after his arrest on september 30th, phelps entered a treatment program for six weeks. he is barred from competing until march of next year. >>> tonight, the feds say t-mobile will pay about $90 million in refu

as nbc national correspondent mark potter explains, some of the game's best players have come from cuba, but it's been a very difficult journey for them to get here to play. >> reporter: it's the last game of the regular season in the cuban national baseball league. the havana industrials versus the tigers. at bat, one of the best players in cuba, hitting a home run today. in the off-season, he played in japan but dreams of playing for the new york yankees. why would you like to go there, porque? >> for me, the best team in the world. >> reporter: but under economic sanctions imposed by the u.s. after the cuban revolution, the only way a cuban player can join a u.s. team is to defect and leave his country behind. cuban historian ismael knows many players lured away by millions of dollars versus what they make here. $40 a month is what they make here. >> yeah. >> reporter: but now with the u.s. and cuba promising to normalize relations, fans hope new rules will someday allow players to join american teams. if that happens, cuba could insist its stars play at home for a few years before g

carl. >> mark potter in havana. thanks for that. >>> for more on what the changing dynamics will mean for the obama administration, let's bring in the moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, between cuba and north korea, i suppose this will be what they call a working vacation? >> reporter: definitely a working vacation for the president, but in many ways, carl, a preview of the final two years of the obama administration. and frankly very similar to what you see in the final two years of any eight-year tenure of a presidency which is foreign policy dictates a lot. both in choosing what foreign policy issues to go after to build a legacy because you're sort of a lame duck at home. in this case that's where cuba falls in for president obama. and then there are events that are out of your control that get thrown into your lap, north korea in this case a classic example. and the entire issue of cyber terrorism. so in many ways on one hand the president is choosing what to deal with on a legacy issue with cuba

mark potter has our report. >> reporter: the historic ruling. the murder conviction of 14-year-old george stenny jr., reversed the decision 70 years ago that led to his execution in the electric chair. the judge said he was the victim of fundamental constitutional violations of due process. for his family, great relief. >> i was jumping for joy. and i said at last someone is listeni listening. >> reporter: the case began in the string of 1944 in south carolina. a tiny segregated mill town where the brutally beaten bodies of two white girls, 11-year-old betty june betticer and mary tems were found in these woods. shortly afterward the boy was charged with murder and his family run out of town. officers said he confessed to the killings and there is no evidence of that. and at his trial, there was no evidence presented and the defense put on no case and the jury reached the verdict in 10 minutes. >> after he was convicted and sentenced to die, his court appointed lawyer never filed an appeal. had he done that, his execution could have been delayed

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back to south florida with mark potter, our correspondent there. the reaction in washington expected in noon. the president's expected to speak. andrea mitchell saying the cuban leader raul castro also expected to speak at that same exact moment. there are going to be repercussions throughout the united states. nowhere felt more intensely than where you live and report in south florida. talk to me about what we can expect there from the large miami cuban exile population. >> i can expect a mixed reaction here. of course, the older cubans the more conservative cubans are going to react harshly to this. not to the release of alan gross. i mean they clearly want that. they certainly want that. but it's all the other talk that's out there about what this will lead to. does this suggest a softening in relations between the united states and cuba. could this lead to talk about the embargo and all the other things that have been discussed on the program. that's going to concern people here. the cuban five are seen as villains in that community. again, the

nbc's mark potter reports from havana. >> reporter: here in havana, there's a conversation about what raul castro thinks about the plans to improve u.s.-cuba relations. vendors are also weighing in. president raul castro went before the cuban parliament to explain the country's new relationship with the united states. castro said despite efforts to normalize relations with the u.s., no one should expect cuba to give up its socialist principles. he also said improving the state-controlled economy is job one. as castro spoke today, cuban musicians and vendors in historic old havana were working hard to attract tourists from around the world. in the last 20 years, cuba has developed a lucrative tourist economy with nearly three million visitors expected this year. among them, about 100,000 americans. >> we have felt very welcomed, the people are very friendly, and we do not feel at all controlled. >> reporter: under u.s. law, the only way most americans can come here for now is by joining educational tours overseen by cuban companies. >> americans, whenever they go to someplace, they lea

mark potter reports from havana. >> reporter: here in havana, there's a little clarification on whatcuban president raul castro thinks about the plans to improve u.s.-cuban relations. vendors are also weighing in. president raul castro went before the cuban parliament to explain the country's new relationship with the united states. castro said despite efforts to normalize relations with the u.s., no one should expect cuba to give up its socialist principles. he also said improving the state-controlled economy is job one. as castro spoke today, cuban musicians and vendors in historic old havana were working hard to attract tourists from around the world. in the last 20 years, cuba has developed a lucrative tourist economy, with nearly three million visitors expected this year. among them, about 100,000 americans. >> we have felt very welcomed. people are very friendly. and we do not feel at all controlled. >> reporter: under u.s. law, the only way most americans can come here for now is by joining educational tours overseen by cuban companies. >> americans, whenever they go to some p

. >> now we go right to havana where mark potter joins us. what is the reception there? >> hi, ari, a lot of people are just learning about it now. this is the hour of the national news broadcast here in havana. some people saw raul castro at noon. word has spread throughout the island. people are processing this. there's not a big groundswell. people taking to the streets, pounding pots and pans. but i think it's safe to say that people are very engaged by this. they think this is good news. for years and years we heard people here in cuba say they would like to see relations with the united states improve. they think this would improve their lives. most people in this country, have lived under nothing but tense relations between their government and the u.s. government and they'd like to see that change. so there is hope here particularly among the young people that this new opening, these new diplomatic relationships will lead to better economic openings and some political openings. >> sure. and mark -- >> they think this is -- they're looking at this positively. >> h

homecoming of american citizen alan gross who was imprisoned in cuba the last five years nbc's mark potter you again. >> nice to see you. and those agents you are talking about, the three who were released yesterday by the u.s., they were celebrated here last night. they were on cuban television being embraced by the cuban president. and two ere os released earlier are known as the cuban five. they are seen as national heroes. they are reviled in miami by the cuban exile community, but there's an entirely different view of them here. there's also a much different view of what happened yesterday here than in miami. there's no controversy here. the people that we've talked to say they're ecstatic, they're thrill bid the announcement that came out of washington and havana yesterday talking about diplomatic openings and potentially economic openings. the cuban people have long told us over the years they want better relations with the u.s. they see that as a way to potentially end the embargo here to improve their lives economically and politically. they see the talk of openings for travel --

mark potter, thanks very much. the art is fine, the celebrities. i would go for the weather. >> the weather would be great. >> sheinelle and i both at the same time said in mark's piece said trillion airs? >> i didn't know there were trillionairs. >> a billion dollars when -- >> there you go. >> i'm still reeling over that one. >> i would like to know a trillionair. >>> you won't believe some of the toys we found at the banned toy museum in california. there's such a place. would you buy your child something that had actual radioactive material inside? i guess at one time people did. first this is "today" on nbc. i guess at one time people did. first this is "today" on nbc. >> y ♪ ♪ ♪ discover all the naturally moisturizing flavors of burt's bees lip balm. over a million californians have a gotten something that's beend. out of reach for far too long. health insurance. how? they enrolled through covered california. it's the health insurance marketplace where you'll find a range of plans from leading health insurance companies that offer you the bes

mark potter, thanks very much. the art is fine, the celebrities. i would go for the weather. >> the weather would be great. >> sheinelle and i both at the same time said in mark's piece said trillion airs? >> i didn't know there were trillionairs. >> a billion dollars when -- >> there you go. >> i'm still reeling over that one. >> i would like to know a trillionair. >>> you won't believe some of the toys we found at the banned toy museum in california. there's such a place. would you buy your child something that had actual radioactive material inside? i guess at one time people did. first this is "today" on nbc. >> you didn't have that? >>> as you make your way through your holiday shopping, chances are you're going to do your best to avoid toys to put your children or other children in serious danger. >> there have been several toys over the years that came with legitimate warnings about how unsafe they were but they sold anyway. they're banned but not forgotten thanks to a corky museum that joe fryer tells us about now. ♪ >> reporter: inside a h

. >> and mark potter joins me in miami. few people have been able to go to these places.ears old. this stuff is grown in very remote areas. way out there in the andes, miles, hundreds of miles from civilization and it shows the lengths to which traffickers go to grow and process this stuff bound for the united states. >> once it gets to the united states where does it go? >> it typically ends up on the east coast. the rest of the country gets the heroin processed in mexico. traditionally on the atlantic seaboard, comes from colombia. when it hits the u.s. shoreline, it goes from the street corners to the suburbs. shooting galleries to schools. it goes everywhere up and down the coast. and there's so much of it. >> what's the explosion due to? >> due to the fact that pills are harder to get now, so people are seeking an opiate substitute. there's so much of it they're seeing it in record amounts. prices are lower than ever before. a kilogram 15 years ago sold for $165,000 take out the 100,000, it is only 65,000, $10 a bag. purity levels were 3 to 5%. now there's so much th

. >> mark potter thank you so much. please bring us some cigars. you can do that now. >> joining us now from miami -- >> broke my heart. >> he broke my heart. he was there when it unravelled. she has no idea what we're talking about. >> stop. okay. joining us now from miami the chairman of the american conservative union. good morning. >> al, 20 years ago the cuban-american community in miami was all, seemed to be all against this. then there started to be some divisions over the past five, ten years, some people saying maybe we need to open up relations. it wasn't quite as straightforward. what is the reaction to the cuban-american communities in miami this morning? >> it's anger, surprise, essential betrayal, joe. look, 20 some years ago i was with president bush when he signed a law that codified foreign policy towards cuba and i still have that pen in my desk, in my office. and the reason why that law was codified and the reason why the president signed it is because there was fear in this community that some precedent in the future would decid

nbc's mark potter is in ha sflan. mark, you made many trips to cuba in the past. is the mood there this morning different? >> reporter: absolutely. the people here are elated, matt. in cuba, the announcement in washington and havana about the diplomatic openings are being celebrated as wonderful news. there's absolutely no controversy here. for years, the cuban people wanted better relations with the u.s., thinking that that could help end the trade embargo and also improve their lives economically and politically, but the biggest celebrations here so far have been for the release of those three cuban prisoners let loose by the u.s. on wednesday. they, plus two others, released earlier are known as the the cuban five, considered national heros, and they were seen on national television last night embracing the cuban president, raul castro. other cubans, many here believe the easing of travel restrictions by the u.s., trading, easier financing bring more goods here, more opportunity, more money to an island long been strapped economically, matt. >> so when you say

mark potter filed this news from havanna. >> cubans welcomed today's news, overenjoyed that the three agents held by the u.s. will be coming home. they're national heros here. but it is much more than that. we are very happy, this man says. we've been waiting many years for this. more than 50 years, in fact. fidel castro swept the power at the height of the cold war, but he's 88 now. last seen publicly in july in failing health. his revolution is showing its age, too. and havanna, known for its charm and vintage cars is on life support, its economy crippled by the long standing u.s. embargo. people here now hope that will change. >> let's see if the embargo can be lifted to our quality of life can improve, so we can get more food, more things from other countries, this man says. the potential for u.s. economic investment here is enormous. even cuba's famous cigars, now restricted in the u.s., could see a booming market. if travel restrictions are lifted, millions more american tourists could visit this island nation so close to the united states. and many cubans and cuban americans, f

>> mark potter in havana. ng up with more people seeking medical attention for their symptoms this year. the cdc will have an update today. we're joined by nbc news contributor, dr. natalie aczar. which parts of the country are we seeing are having the most cases of the flu? >> the greatest activity right now appears to be in the south, as well as the northeast corridor. so we have a little bit of the midwestern states, but as you can see on the map, the northeast as well as the south and the southeast are being hit the hardest, although all parts of the country are being affected. >> and why are people still at risk, even if they've had this year's flu shot? >> well, a number of reasons. number one, traditionally, the flu shot does not give you 100% protection. it's roughly at 50 to 60%. and the more recent concern is that there have been a variant strain of the most virulent one, this h-3 strain and it's drifted a little bit, from genetic mutations. even though the flu vaccine is supposed to be covering that,