it's really windy and cloudy and rainy here today, but, of course, president obama, a big day for him today, especially what just happened a few moments ago, shaking hands with raul castro at the palace of the revolution and also this access that the media is gettingto the president, it's really unprecedented how close they are getting to president obama, jawann. >> absolutely, jackie. going back to your question, sheli. there's a split. there's definitely still a divide whether it's in south florida or here on the i'll. here on the island, many of the people i spoke wiwi especially, some of the stories that we've that there's hope, hope for a better tomorrow, for a better future, if t for them, for generations to come, so that's theay they see this whole thing. going back to the video of jackie, that jackie was talking about there, what you guys have been witnessing, it's just monumental. seeing the president here on the island, you have to understand, this is something that's been 88 years, almost 90 years. i mean, this is incredible, jackie. >> yeah, president coolidgeho came 88 ye

president obama is 30 minutes away from meeting with raul castro in cuba. here when he landed. >> it's been nearly 90 years since the u.s. president stepped foot in cuba. it is wonderful to be here. >> this is day two of the president's three-day visit. the culmination of a diplomatic thaw. the president and his cuban current part raul castro. we join melissa chan in havana. >> the biggest event is going to be president obama's bilateral meeting. it is important to mention that he's not going to be meeting with fidel castro. the two are going to assess the progress of normalization, their new bilateral relationship and they have re-established diplomatic ties. now for the goal of president obama very much on this trip it is symbolism to a certain extent misbecause he's thinking about his legacy, but he's considering the possibility that the next president might not move the process forward enough. his trip exceptionally makes it very difficult, irversible, in terms of the changes we have seen in the u.s.-cuba relationship over the past 14-15 months. now on t

obama, president obama and raul castro agree on one thing, it's not going to be easy. president obama said okay, it's going to be a process. raul castro gave the example of a swimmer that took four times and finally succeeded and i thought that this was really wo workable that both of them put on the line. we have done our best today, but this is a process that has to go forward. the thing that i found the most interesting about president castro was the fact that he talked about guantanamo and the embargo, because thighs are always the things that they want to mention, they didn't mention the wet foot, white foot policy, so wondered if something happened behind the scene, they didn't want to raise the issue. one of the best things, of course, is that they both gave their views on human rights, and they did it in a debate, in a discussion. president obama made a great point - with other countries we don't have embargoes and policies against them when we don't like their democracies or dictatorship or human rights, but we talk to them about it. and, therefore, we should g

. >> president obama travels to cuba this weekend. it will be the first visit by a sitting us president and nearly 90 years. white house national security adviser susan rice provided a preview of the trip while speaking at the atlantic council about us foreign policy in central and south america. this is 35 minutes. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] tran 11 tran 11. [inaudible conversations] >> afghan welcome. i am president ceo of the atlantic council and i'm delighted that the chairman is here today, governor huntsman on his behalf in particular on the half of adrian artist, the founder of latin america center, peter schecter, the director of the center and capricious marshall, the advancer and residents. i'm delighted to welcome you to this very special engagement and address by ambassador susan rice on the administration approach to western hemisphere. ambassador rice, we are immensely honored to be hosting you hear at this historic moment. the one thing i always have to say at events lik

this is the vision that has guided president obama for the past seven years. partnerships, rooted in mutual interests, and mutual respect. collaborations committed to expanding prosperity and opportunity. promoting our shared security and upholding democratic values and human rights. that's the vision the president will carry forward next week. in havana and buenos aires, we will be reminded that even more than our common interests, the peoples of the americas are united nearly one billion strong by shared values. we work together, study together, and protect our communities together. we see this most clearly in the 55 million hispanic americans who enrich and strengthen our nation, a major reason why we must continue working for a fair and functioning immigration system. from alaska to tierra del fuego, we are bound together by common hopes, by our dreams for a better future for all of our children, a future where our sons and daughters can go to school without fearing the violence of drug traffickers. where young entrepreneur or farmer can have a shot at succ

help the american people, or stick it to president obama. time after time, they chose to stick it to president obama instead of helping their own constituents. payroll tax cuts, mortgage student loans, immigration , reform. automobile bailouts. all of these polys used to enjoy bipartisan support. republican leaders kept repeating the big lie. if president obama supports it, it won't help you. like any lie, repeating this one got republicans deeper and deeper into it. republicans found that propping contradicted -- they started denying science, or any research that supported democratic policies. the big example, climate change. in the face of consensus worldwide, republicans say they don't believe in science. preventing gun violence is another example. in the wake of an epidemic of mass shootings, republicans reject common sense solutions like background checks. they claim that more guns is the answer. republican leaders even put a -- objective facts above the state of the economy. they claim that the unemployment rate is greater now than when

[applause] president obama: we have been busy. [laughter] president obama: we have been busy. we have been as busy as a one eyed dog in a smokehouse. [laughter] thatdent obama: i heard while i was down here. [laughter] [applause] president obama: and we are still busy. still hustling. we have more work to do. cynics wex told us -- -- told us we could not change the country, they were wrong. if somebody had told us we would have 20 million more jobs, marriage a party and bin laden out of the picture, you would not have bought what they were selling, you would have said they were hollering down a well. the truth is, america is pretty darn great right now. america is making strides right now. it is better off right now. the american people should be proud of what we have achieved together over the last eight years since the recession hit, we are great right now. [applause] and what thema: folks who are running for office should be focused on, how to make it better not insults. or schoolyard brawls. hats.cturing the lines of race. certainly not violence against other americans or

while president obama was en route to the communist nation, the dissident group tweeted president obama, while you travel to cuba, about 40 ladies in white have been arrested. during therrests in havana, you hea someone in the crowd say, easy, easy, the press is heje. been detained so president obama lands in cuba without a visible opposition. >> reporter: different groups and different generations stood together with a different stance. >> we need to stand up for democracy and never take for granted what this country stands for. >> there should be opening up democracy, freedom, elections. that comes first. >> it is a sad day for america. it is a sad day for freedom, happiness. >> reporter: important to note there are others of course who agree in t miami area with the cuba. that being said, however, also important to note, as you saw in that video, this trip has struck a nerve with the cuban american since i've been covering on decemberer17th, this is the biggest demonstration to date. back to you in havana, cuba. >> reporter: laura, thank you. even tough we are in havana, we have to t

this is a test for the obama doctrine. presidentaid throughout this administration, you know what, we tried being adventurous, interventionist in other parts of the world and we will try engagement. the question becomes, what does engagement get you in the end? does it get you real changes from the cuban people and the government? if the president does not get those things, maybe it will happy the end of his administration. if we don't get those people will say that is a nice idea but didn't work out. >> this is not permanent. this is done you talk to people up on capitol hill and people inside the white house, they're saying never say never. >> it's the cuban people saying this wasn't supposed to happen, either. >> maybe not during the remainder of president obama's time in office, but if hillary clinton becomes president or even if donald trump, remember donald trump has said he doesn't mind what's happening in cuba right now. he said he might make a better deal is what he says. but he's not against this new engagement with the cu

president obama: and trumpet and hillary. ghter] >> for you, president castro, can you say what you said about political prisoners? >> did you ask if we had political prisoners? did you ask if we had political prisoners? to know if you had cuban political prisoners, and why you don't release them. of politicala list prisoners, and i will immediately release them. give me a name or names. your this meeting is over can give me a list of political prisoners, and if we have those political prisoners, they will be released before tonight's end. i cannot vote in the united states. [laughter] question is for raul castro. stated, andeatedly today once again that we must learn to coexist in a civilized manner with our differences. could you brought in this concept at this historical moment that we are living? and then i have a brief question for president obama. president obama could did give more space to eliminate u.s. , sokade during your mandate another generation of cubans would not have to suffer this blockade against cuba? the f

president obama is in havana sitting down for talks with cuban president raul castro. >> if you see violence, condemn it. if you see a bully stand up to him! >> tough talks from candidates trying to move pro-israeli tenants at aipac. >>> new strikes in europe. all right, al jazeera senior washington correspond mike viqueria is liven for us in havana. so mike what can we expect from this meeting that's happening now and tell us what's often th- on the president's agenda. >> well, the president has two goals here really. one is really to cement in the public's mind the perception that this opening to cuba is real, it's permanent and it is irreversible. to do that the president has embarked on two things. a lot of ceremony here walking through streets of havana upon arriving yesterday with his family, today laying a wreath at the memorial for jose marti, a 19th century cuban nationalist. bringing along in toe, ceos from american corporations who hope to do business in cuba. he can encourage the congress to get off the mark, republicans are dead set against what the president is doing, dead set

sunday, hours before president obama arrived. earlier the ladies in white were forcefully suppressed. raul castro took the president to task, citing health care, public education and equal pay for men and women in america. >> translation: i think human rights issues should not be politicized. that is not correct. raul castro says if change is to come to cuba, it is for cuba alone to decide. president obama agreed. tuesday he'll meet with a group of local dissidents that he has with others around the world. >> i have met with people subject to arbitration. that is something i have to speak out on because i hear from them directly and i know what it means for them >>> raul castro called for an end to the decades old trade embargo on cuba, a coal shared by president obama, who told a group of ceos and cuban entrepreneurs that his days are numbered. >> a way to help succeed and improve lives is to lift the embargo once and for all. >> inviting american business along for the trip is designed to make it harder for republicans and other

a searing hatred of president obama whom they considered an illegitimate president.views that the tea party wave was driven forward by some of the darkest person -- forces in our cull true. but republican leaders tried to -- this resentment took three main forms. first, rendering president obama illegitimate. second, fear mongering against muslims. third, hatred against latinos. these forces, which are all now synonymous with trump's candidate are incubated by the republican leaders for the past eight years. the most recognizable attempt to make president illegitimate is the birther movement. started when a web site asked, where is the birth certificate? before long, more and more conservative media outlets were discussing this absurd conspiracy theory. republicans in congress did nothing to quell the blatant lie. nothing. republicans in the house introduced legislation suggesting that the president wasn't born in america, and would was the most prominent american to get the birther movement a platform? yeah, trump. i find it ironic that mitt romney is now speaking o

president obama the first u.s. e air force one has been here. let's fill you in on the latest. the president just addressed the embassy staff. >> the president just visited with staff of the u.s. embassy here in havana at a nearby hotel and mentioned the fact this is a big moment for him and the country. he said in 19 28 president cool ridge ca ij came heer /* /- -- he said about his relationship with the cubans and the cuban people sh is a historic visit and opportunity. that goes back to what we were talking about earlier. the president of the united states is taking a risk making this trip down here investing so much in cuba and the final year of his administration. what if it gount well. what if the cubans don't reciprocate? we saw ladies in white, dissident group held a protest. they were arrested on the streets nearby. this is going to be one of the concerns the president will raise here. >> how do you deal wit and define change and that gives you a list of plus and minuses. on don't reward the castros. it is

president obama met face-to-face on cuban soil with 48-year-oldd president raug castro. the first meeting on cuban soil since diplomatic ties were re-established. afterwards they emerd for what turned out to be a tense give and take with the press, ending with this awkward clasping of the hands showing this relationship is still very much a work in progress. our andrea mitchellll was among the few called on at the press conference and joins me now. it was uncomftable to watch this. >> reporter: it's uncomfortable and it's clear raul castros does not do press conferences. that's was part of it. the two leadede agreed to disagree on the u.s. and cuba, chiefly the u u. trade embargo which president obama would like to end and cuba's treatmentf dissidents, testing the boundaries of a new relationship. it was a day of historic firsts. the handshake on cuban soil. the cuban military band playing "the star

president obama goes to cuba. anthony bourdain, president obama as anthony bourdain in cuba a little bit. >> dangling things in front of him. all of these people, big businesses, potential for investment. potential to change lives of people. literally paraded before their eyes. american baseball. obviously the passion of this country and of america. rolling stones here on friday. really the best of cultural kind of cooperation is going to be laid at their feet. >> the message from president obama is okay cuba, you are rolling out the red carpet, we are pulling out all the stops. if you seize the opportunity, business will come. they don't have the soviet union, venezuela, petrol dollars are gone. this is the way it move into the 21st century. they are still prose frozen in time. they need the cash to come in. >> they used to say about the cubans, they never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. this is the last chance. this transition is not locked down. fidel castro is 84. anything can happen at that age.

reaction. >> in obama, president obama had a much-anticipated speech. a blej for a close ally. . >> be will do what is necessary to bring to justice those responsible. >> president obama called for a unified fight against what he referred to as the scourge of terrorism. >> we can and will defeat those that threaten the safety and security of people around the world. >> the president released a photo of this photo with susan riots. mr president obama called the belgium prime minister and offered his condolences. speaker of the house paul ryan expressed his solidarity. we must confront this threat together. we must defend democracy and defeat terror. >> testifying before congress, the military collision against isil is vit am. it's only one part of the fight. >> we need the intelligence, the homeland security and law enforcement so do our partners, because of the kind of thing you saw in brussels. at the chicago airport, there were long lines and beefed up security. it was a similar scene in new york, where the mayor tried to reassure the public. >> there is no threat to new york

caroline malone, al jazeera. >> the president's trip ocuba is a serious affair but mr. obamas also getting some laughs. on friday he taped a segment with pon filo, a cuban comedian with a running joke about calling the white house. >> this is president obama. >> que bola? be. >> que bola? >> i'm looking forward to it. the american people and the cuban people are friends. >> ponfilo show watched by two-thirds of all cubans. i'm randall pinkston. thank you for tuning in. more news from doha, next. next. >> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. >>> obama becomes the first serving president to visit cuba in almost 90 years. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the next half an hour. >> hold your horses >>> syria is accused of stalling the geneva talks. now the opposition is calling on russia to put pressure on the bashar al-assad government. the u.s. steps up air strikes against i.s.i.l. in iraq

president obama began his day with a visit to the grave jose marti. in havana, protestors denounced the president as a traitor for working with the island answer communist regime. al jazeera's political reporter mike viqueria joins us from havana. >> reporter: it's fascinating really. things aren't going quite as smoothly perhaps as the white house had hoped. some unexpected moments as raul castro wer was challenged by a member of the white house press corps. never on more stark display than today at that press conference. where he strongly defended himself and supported his country's record on civil rights. this was the moment president castro and president obama shaking hands for the first time in front of cameras. they talked about two hours behind bars but acrimony couldn't be forgotten even by the historic nature of visit. asked why cuba had political prisoners, castro bristled. >> translator: what political prisoners? give me a name or names? or when after this meeting is over you can give me a list of political prisoners and if we have those pol

. >> it seems clear that president obama made this nomination not, not with the intent of seeing a nominee confirmed, but in order to politicize it for purposes of the election. >> the republican controlled senate says president obama's choice to fill seat vacated 50 death of supreme court justice antonin scalia will not even get a hearing. >> so if you've been waiting for right moment, now's the time to come join us! >> and there is great anger, believe me, there is great anger. >> a pivotal night in politics appears to put hillary clinton and donald trump on a collision course but their opponents insist they'll keep up the fight. >>> the federal government calls for a reduction in opioids to treat chronic pain. how to slow the drug overdose ep epidemic. we begin with a showdown brewing between president obama and the republican controlled u.s. stat. the president nominated highly respected federal judge merrick garland, to fill vacant supreme court seat. the response from gop leaders was swift. majority leader mitch mcconnell says there is absolutely no chance the candidate will get a he

obama, president obama and raul castro agree on one thing, it's not going to be easy. president obama said okay, it's going to be a process. raul castro gave the examplf

why is this so important for president obama, this move? t the president has always been struck by is sort of this conventional foreign policy -- conventional wisdom of foreign policy in washington d.c. that is sometimes backwards. the fact that we can talk to the soviet union in the cold war but we can't talk to cuba, a small country, you know, 100 miles off the coast of florida simply because there's domestic politics around it made no sense to him. like i said, we still have problems with congress with the embargo, but if the policy, we did the same thing for 50 years and nothing changed. let's try to do something different here, and if we -- the president always has a theory, the more you get people involved in the world, that will bring them into the modern world and into the modern set of democratic nations in the world. it's going to take time, but this is a start. >> professor zelzer, these maimamai images are from moments ago. the honor guard here. these images would have been unthink able a generation ago, yet you write that there

president to set foot on the island in nearly 90 years. mr. obamaailed it as a new day in relations. mike viqueira reports from havana. >> reporter: this was the moment, president obama and president raul castro, shaking hands for the first time on cuba soil. they talked for two hours behind closed doors, but when they emerged it was the clear that the acrimony, 54 years wouldn't be forgotten. asked by an american reporter why cuba has political prisoners, castro bristles. >> translator: what political prisoner? give me a name or names. or after this is over, you can give me a list, and if we have those political prisoners they will be released before this night ends. >> reporter: arrests and short-term arrests of dissidents in cuba have risen in the past years. sunday just hours before mr. obama arrived a protest by a group known by ladies in white was forcibly dismissed. castro also took president obama to task. >> translator: i think human rights issues should not be politicized. that is not correct. >> reporter: castro says if change is to come

of course we do want to know how they feel about president obama. and there is a lot excitement, because they believe that president obama will bring hope and change to the situation going on here. the situation is not good. and if you come here and you're a visitor for the first time, you see good and bad. and when you see bad you see bad. and many of them believe he brings about hope to the island. >> and speaking of hope, many believe that the president will be here to visit on sunday, to actually be part of the ceremony celebrated here in havana. we'll have more on that coming up later on in the weekend. but for now, live in havana, cuba, on this historic presidential trip. jackie and jawan, thank you. >> all right, thank you, jackie and jawan, great coverage down there. >>> and for everything you need to know about the president's historic trip to cuba, visit the crossroads section on the nbc 6 news and weather app key. >>> and another big story, the base is pumping, people are dancing, they're filling the air here, looking at that taking over b

president obama kicks off his controversial trip to cuba. the first by a u.s. president in nearly 90 years. >> this is a historic visit, and it'a historic opportunity to engage directly with the cuban people. >> the president set to meet raul castro later today. lester holt is there live. >>> mr. trump goes to washington. donald trump reportedly set to meet with republican party leaders today, ahead of a key speech on america's role in the middle east. this as the gop front runner says he doesn't condone the growing violence at his rallies but understands it. >>> and pure madness. a string of fantastic finishes caps a wild weekend at the ncaa men's basketball tournament. from buzzer beaters -- >> rises up, and it's good! it's good! >> to last-second heroics. >> to a comeback for the ages. >> throws it into the hands, and lays it in. >> the unbelievable ending being called one of the best ever. today, monday, march 21st, 2016. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >>> welcome t

it's interesting how president obama gets blamed for everything. all the approval rating of the supreme court has gone down, gone down. the majority of the supreme court our republicans. they have been avoided or nominated by republican presidents. we are going to blame president obama because the republicans dominated by republican presidents are bringing down the approval of the u.s. supreme court? according to my dear friend from iowa, he is saying president obama should be blamed for what those republicans on the supreme court did. this is alice in wonderland. this is alice in wonderland. i don't care what happens to president obama has to get blamed for it. if we have a hurricane or something, must be president obama's fault. but this is as far a stretch as i've ever heard, that was the supreme court goes down in approval rating because of the five members -- [phone ringing] -- i apologize for that. because of the five members of the supreme court. i apologize. i'm sure president obama is going to get blamed for that. but if the approval rating

alex diprato has a recap. >> reporter: president obama took the stage in havana. here he would highlight the united states and cuba's painful past. what the president believes is a hopeful future. here to bury the lt remnant of the cold war in america. >> president obama: the president had an audience of more than 1,000 and his remarks clearly aimed tat cuban people across the island. the speech was carried live on government-run television. he spoke of the 90 miles between the neighboring countries and perilous journeys undertaken at a chance for freedom. >> president obama: that has been crossed with exiles on plains and makeshift rafts. >> reporter: and he speak of the cold war era. >> president obama: the cuban revolution took place the same year my father came from kenya. the bay of pigs took place the year i was born. >> reporter: he spoke of democracy and human rights and perhrhs the strongest term since >> president obama: i believe citizens should be free to speak their mine without fear, to organize and criticize their government and to protest peacefully

and the uncomfortable moment with president obama. and right after, my exclusive interview with the president. we asked, what was said inside that room with raul castro. you were in that room, do you trust president castro? do you believe that he truly wants change here? we also asked the president about criticism back home and the arrest of disdepartments right here in cuba, even as he arrived, as he now prepares for his historic speech to the people of cuba. >>> tonight, donald trump wi defending his supporters. what he's now saying tonight, and we ask president obama about trump's prediction of riots, if the republican party tries to stop him. >>> good evening tonight from havana, where we witnessed and historic moment today. president obama standing side by side with cuban president raul castro. saying, the united states and cuba are no longer enemies. a thaw, decades after the cold war ended. but there were tense moments today. the two leaders did not always see eye to eye. there was the hand shake between the american president a

do stay with uses for complete coverage on president barack obama's historic visit to cuba. there are so many moments to come. look for us in the next half hgur. a specific look at how the uncuban community here in south florida is reacting to the president's trip. >> janine: in other news today, miami-dade metromover supervisor facing some very serious charges in after p afternoon. he is accused of raping a woman. police say that woman from brazil and had just left the ultra nuke music festival. livingston live in miami with these distutuing details. >> layron: that's right with we've learned 41-year-old carl wilt started with the crown in 2003, eventually moving upo metromover maintenance supervisor. we're flamingo miami-dade poli that he confess dollars to having sex with this woman inside one of the utility rooms here on the first floor of the park west station. >> they knocked on the doooo be with took about five minutes. once he came out he sll had his pants undone or his zipper was down. >> layron: miami-dade police say after wilt bkled his britches he confessed to hav

president obama: this is a new day. [speaking spanish] ngozi: working toward a normore positive future. president obama: for about the >> the blockade stands as the most substantial obstacle. marci: president obama believes it will be lifted, but not before he leaves office and he also discussed concerns about human rights. political dissidents regularly arrested first speaking around regime. many call president obama's visit a slap in the face. here in havana, the tone is one of optimism. tonight, they will come together again for a state dinner. tomorrow, president obama will talk directly to the cuban steve: there was an amazing moment during the news conference between president obama and president castro when an american reporter asked a question about human rights and political prisoners locked up. the response is making headlines around the world. marci: yeah, it is really baffling. there was a lot about the news conference that was really awkward. raul castro basically denied that there are political prisoners he

girls and the first lady michelle obama and then with president barack obama before the president boarded air force one, leaving at exactly 4:18. but earlier today in a speech that was historic and extraordinary, president barack obama talked directly to president castro, telling him that he should consider more change on the island and also more democratic reforms. let's take a listen to the highlights. democracy, freedom, human rights, some of the key concerns today in a speech broadcast live throughout the island nation. >> i must speak honestly about the thingngthat i believe, the things that we as americans believe. as marti said, liberty is the right of every man to be ones, to think and to speak without hypocrisy. >> calvin: while acknowledging cuba's many resources, obama called on castro to open the nation to the internet and to american business. >> there's no limitation from the united states on the ability of cuba to take these steps. it's up to you. >> calvin: he also spoke of the& dreams and desires of cuban americans, saying reconciliation is fundameme

we begin with president obama's historic trip to cuba. air force one touching down in havana last yesterday. the first time a u.s. president has visited the nation since 1920s. >> sasha and malia, michelle obama and her mother, tropical rains as you can see, greeting the group as they walk through old havana. >> the trip is coming with plenty of controversy. bazi kanani is live with the details. >> reporter: president obama and president castro have been working for more than a year to normalize relations between the nations. president obama is pushing for new ties that would be too hard the historic first moments. a u.s. president arooifgs in cuba for the first time in nearly 90 years. >> it's wonderful to be here. >> reporter: president obama and the first lady greet staff at the recently reopened u.s. embassy. crowds cheer, as their daughters join them for a tour of old havana, the weather building and the vintage american cars before the embargoes. in the last year, the cube ban government has relaxed limits on the internet, cell phone

then raul castro and president obama went to the capitol and that's where president obama talked about the visit when he arrived with michelle and the two daughters and even the mother-in-law. there was talk about the daughters getting if tour of the country. he said he enjoyed the tour of the country yesterday. they had dinner at a house where people served food out of their own kitchen and the two walked over and castro shook diplomats from both countries and the two talking and shaking hands and this afternoon, the two met with entrepreneurs. you can see signs of entrepreneurship and signs of capitalism all over. for example, people opening up their homes and home stays and people picking up people for rides. now, this afternoon, he met with the entrepreneurs and this is a symbol of capitalism evolving economy. the u.s. businessmen there included the ceo of the marriott hotels who we will hear from at 6:00. we had a chance to speak with them. many of the self-owned businesses here in cuba had a diplomats including president obama. elliot, you have had quite an experience here as wel

the prime minister has invited president obama there. e could be such pop in circumstance if he chose to do that. it is traditional actually for the u.s. president to make his first foreign visit to canada. shortly after he was elected, president obama did that and it is a really big deal in ottawa. get presidentgo obama cookies that were made for him. it is a very warm welcome that he got, kind of like this. host: the president alluded to the fact that sometimes the u.s. takes canada for good -- granted. do you agree and what is the attitude toward the state? louisa: i think in a way it is true, but not necessarily a bad thing. i think that, where is the attention of washington of the white house, it is him -- it is on the problems, syria, afghanistan, looking at the refugee crisis, russia and ukraine, so it is so important economically and important to the daily lives of families, but it is not a crisis. this is not a problem. so it is not in the headlines. when it gets in the headlines, that is not always a good thing. keystonene was -

president to visit the island in 88 years. obama is scheduled to meet cuban president raul castro this morning at the palace of the revolution in havana. a state dinner for the obamas will be held tonight. on tuesday obama will address the cuban people. he is also scheduled to meet with cuban dissidents. we'll have more on obama's historic trip after headlines. in arizona, demonstrators shut down a highway leading to a rally for republican presidential candidate donald trump outside phoenix saturday, delaying the rally ahead of tuesday's key primaries. three people were arrested, including jacinta gonzalez, a leading immigrant advocate who had locked her neck to a van's window as part of the roadblock. gonzez said e was th tranerred tommigrati custy, despi being a.s. citizen. >> yesterday when we were arrested, the two colleagues and was arrested with released. because my last name was gonzales, i was questioned by ice and placed in the detainer. proves the hatred and the profiling that trump sense and trust remote is the same that

we have a live picture as president obama is meeting with some business leaders right now. some companies are wasting no time getting in on the president's loosening of relations. google announced a joint venture to provide internet and smartphone technology for the people. lowest rates of internet penetration in the world. google's head of cuban operations spoke about the joint venture. here's what he had to say. >> i think thenergy and the feedback that we're getting from our counterparts in cuba is there is a lot of excitement. >> reporter: travel also a hot topic in the warming of relations with cuba. we're expecting news from carnival any minute now. we'll have those details coming up in our next half hour of news. as of just a few minutes ago, when we checked, there have been no disdents detained today. that was a different story yesterday. the ladies in whitehas a peaceful protest yesterday and many of them were detained as well. another dissident i spoke to was detained for three hours before being released right before our interview with him. >> not only are the pro

president obama also talked about the supreme court nomination. this is 50 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the prime minister of canada. you,dent obama: thank everybody. please take a seat. once again, i want to welcome prime minister trudeau to the white house. we just completed a very important meeting. we have not reached an agreement on hockey, but it is not interfering with the rest of our bilateral relationship. we dousiness is something not say enough, which is something -- which is how much we value our partnership we are woven together as societies, economies, and it is sometimes easy to forget how truly remarkable our relationship is. our shared border of more than 4000 miles is the longest between any two nations the world. every day, we do some $4 billion in trade, the longest bilateral relationship. every day, more than 400,000 canadians and americans cross the border. workers, business people, students, tourists, neighbors. every time we have a presidential election, our friends to the north ha

up next what's on the agenda today for president obama. >>> we have special coverage of president obama's visit to cuba. for the first time since 1928 a president is in the communist nation. president obama is working to extinguish the tensions routed between the two countries. >> in an effort to restore relations with cuba many business deals between the two countries are in place or are in the works including direct flights and soon cruise ships docking in havana. >> today president obama will meet with president raul castro. >> good morning from outside the latino americano stadium where the rays will take on the cuban national team on tuesday. it's been a rainy start to this historic visit of president obama. the president was here and everyone was trying to catch a glimpse either on the street or where they could, in their homes. a lot of optimism here for the president's visit. of course tourism in cuba has increased about 77% over the past year. more needs to be done. the president has a congressional delegation here with him, business leaders here with him and all of this comes th

president obama is about to speak with cubans president. i am trish regan. welcome everyone to the intelligence report. he actually will become the first u.s. president in nearly 90 years to visit cuba. obama and castro, they still have room found differences. political dissent. this is the result. others see this as a big business opportunity. all of the economic opportunity that you could actually buy present. republican strategist leslie marshall. starting with you. giving some background. you are really struck here by the fact that growl castro did not come out and personally greet president obama as he came down from the plane. >> chavez, a complete slap in the face. we are the host. we are more important. cuba is getting the upper hand. that is a complete joke. having to make sure that this would not go down that way. >> it did go down that way. what diplomacy means. it is important. that was sad to see. overall, this was the last year in office. the people of cuba. cubans cannot tell this to america. >> you think about what it represents to all the pe

obama, mr. presidentthey said do you have a bucket list since this is your last rodeo as president. he said no, i don't have a bucket list, but i have a list that rhymes with bucket. now, you use your imagination. mr. obama said it and we all heard it. >> ma lrimaria? >> there's no comparison. president obama said that at a white house dinner during a roast. trump would never allude to anything. he would actually say it the way he has these past few months. pastor, let me finish. i didn't interrupt you. pastor, i did not interrupt you. >> let maria finish, mr. pastor. >> my bad. >> let's remember our manners. thank you. secondly, yes, trump has been vulgar. he doesn't just allude to vulgarity. he says the words. look, absolutely president obama will help hillary clinton. we all talk about she needs, if she's going to be the nominee, the obama coalition to come out for her in record numbers. who better to mobilize and energize and excite the obama coalition than obama himself? he is incredibly popular with

. >> president obama the first sitting president to visit the island nation in more than a century. we'll brg you live coverage all the way to havana. >> that's where we began with nbc 6 anchors jackie spral and jawan strader. >> hello there from a veryet and rainy havana. right behind me is the statue. we're in march 13th park. jawan, it's ironic that it was a beautiful day, sunny and hot here today. and right before air force one landed at jose marti international airport, it started to pour. >> how amazing is that? day three for us in havana, cuba. it's been nothing but beautiful weather. it was very hot earlier today. but now it is a wet one. president's arrival. here is look at air force one as the president entered jose marti international airport at around 4 critical condition 20, tweeting cuba. looking forward to hearing directly from the cuban people. its same airport where raul castro greeted pope francis during his trip last year. eight senators and 31 members of the house are traveling to cuba with the president. most are democrats, but a few republicans, including arizo

president obama is trying to help. rote the group a letter, promising to raise their cause with cuban president raul castro. president obama was asked directly about the white ladies arrest today. his answer, engage with cuba. >> i think if you meet cubans here and cubans meet americans and they're meeting and talking and interacting and doing business together and going to school together and learning from each other, then they'll recognize people are people. and in that context, i believe that change will occur. >> reporter: daisy and her daughter want president obama to stand up for freedom. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: she tells me they're marching for freedom first, for the political prisoners, for the freedom of the country of cuba. treatment of protesters like the ladies in white is part of why some, including presidential candidate ted cruz, oppose president obama's cuba deal. >> my dad was born and raised in cuba. as a kid, he fought in the cuban revolution and he was imprisoned and tortured.

president obama hand over heart as a cuban band played america's national anthem. following a brief review of the troops, the leaders moved behind closed doors for bilateral talked described as productiviv by president obama. >> for more than half a century, the sight of u.s. president here in havana would have been unimaginable. but this is a new day. >> reporter: the men discussed a wide range of topics, including human rights, easing travel restrictions restrictions, and the trade embargo that's been in place for more than 50 years. >> and the sanctions we have on cuba are stricter than anything we have anywhere in the world. think about that. that's amazing. >> reporter: amazing or incredible, words you hear quite a bit during this historic visit. there's a state dinner this evening. then tomorrow president o oma will address the cuban people during an historic speech broadcast live on state-run television here. jay gray, nbc news. trump. was mentioned in that news conference todday. when asked who does he prefer llary clinton or donald trump, the u.s. politics