that's a bill robert menendez oppose.both democrats and republicans support the idea of sending say anti-tank weapons to the ukrainians, which would be a very smart thing to do under the circumstances. to hedge against any kind of adventurism. i do not think president obama will sign it. >> i think you can give obama credit for the sanctions this summer, but fund -- always trying to find a way -- the french and italians, if you back down a little bit, it will be back to business as usual. he will not send arms to ukrainians. >> if you console date the gains you already made, we'll ease up on sanctions and get back to business as usual, that's where he seems to come out. so i mean, you expect the same thing? >> look, this is the sanctions give him flexibility to do nothing. you'll see the same story that played out in syria, ukrainians will not get arms they need and that will be further induce. to russia to act. >> sounds pretty ominous. we have to take one more break. when we come back, hits and misses of the week. huh,

robert menendez does not support drilling off the coast of new jersey. if he is waiting for people in new york and new jersey to drill to build our highways we'll be building a long time. but you know what bob menendez did do? to save 450,000 people from having their insurance rates go through the sky. so you should thank senator menendez and not criticize him for doing something that your leadership wouldn't do. >> i thank robert menendez because what he got passed in -cassidy e the grim amendment so premiums would not go through the roof. he used my bill to save you money. secondly, i can say that he is trying to ban billing off the entire atlantic coast not just new jersey and new york but also virginia. virginians want that drilling. it creates jobs, creates money to build roots. >> we've reached the point where we come to a question from each of the candidates to one another. and by luck of the draw that comes first from congressman cassidy to senator land rue. >> senator land rue, recently you said before that you would vote for obamacare again tom

senator to robert menendez of new jersey. >> cuban american. >> cuban american and bob graham. both criticized the deal and said it went way too far. any politician who understands cuba realize that is what obama has done is way beyond anything. >> we have been criticized. we got the ei-mails which was kind of skeptical of this although not totally condemning because we did endorse the prisoner swap. they're saying you're behind the times, we got to get into cuba, big business opportunities. >> if there's such big business opportunities, why are the mexicans saying hey, you go in. why don't they go in? >> because they don't have an embargo on them. >> exactly. why are they encouraging us to go there? i smell a rat. >> when we come back, hacker threat causes sony pictures to cancel a high-profile movie release. did the u.s. just lose the first major battle of the cyber warrior are? re? e? r? a? introducing the new philips norelco shaver series 9000 with contour detect technology that flexes in 8 directions for the perfect shave at any angle. go to philips.com/new to save up to $

but also some democrats including most notably senator robert menendez, a democrat from new jersey opposing huge congressional battle looming for the new year on cuba. we'll have to see what happens. >> quick, we did get word that the panel had new recommendations for the secret service. they are recommendations we've heard before. this time it has to be different, right? >> it has to be different. it has to be different, angie. it's been an embarrassing year for the full of headlines that the secret service don't want to use. the one of the recommendations is to build a higher fence. i think the secret service is going to be making some strong changes. >> a lot of work to restore the faith of the american people in the agency. >> absolutely. have a great friday and holiday! >>> just ahead a big battle at the box office this weekend. plus, the stars were out for the biggest award show yesterday. details as "first look" returns. ♪ earlyfit ♪ latefit ♪ risefit ♪ fallfit ♪ ballfit ♪ wallfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ pingfit ♪ pongfit ♪ rowfit ♪ throwfit ♪ slowfit ♪ olliefit ♪ oopsfit ♪ otisfit ♪ t

many lawmakers oppose the idea, including new jersey senator robert menendez. >> it's a reward that aotalitarian regime does not deserve. cubans are less free today than they were yesterday and i believe the announcement only perpetuates the castro regime's decades of repression. >> congress would still need to approve ending the economic embargo on cuba. "nbc nightly news" with brian williams will have more reaction on president obama's new policy, coming up at 6:30, right after this news cast. >>> question for you. how safe are schools in the garden state. >> a new report card reveals more about new jersey's classrooms. why students make the grade when it comes to more than just academics. >> movie theaters across the country cancel an upcoming controversial film. next, find out who might be responsible for these anonymous threats. >> and we have colder temperatures setting in for tonight. then we're dry for a little while until that chance for rain and snow moves into the forecast. i'll show you the updates on it. that's coming up. >>> this is nbc 10 news. >> we have this breaking

. >> new jersey senator robert menendez is one of many who say the us is crossing a red line.enendez said president obama's policies regarding cuba are misguided and fail to understand the cuban government. he also says he's disappoint he had non about the president' negotiations for a year. >> more americans than ever could travel over the next few days. >> why experts are saying this year in particular could be a travel nightmare. >> howard? >> lesean mccoy responds to his playful video ripping desean jackson. that and another eagles injury that forces another next man up. that's coming up in sports. >> and frantic restaurant employees call 911 when customers start a massive brawl inside. >> oh, my god! please come. please come. >> okay. >> attacking the cooks with beer mugs throwing thing at the waitress. tonight at 10:00 how cop (vo) nourished. rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars o

robert menendez of new jersey says this was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent american. he went onto say that president obama's actions have rained ka datevindicated the brutal behavior of the cubans. marco rubio said it sets dangerous precedents. >> we are changing our relationship with the people of cuba. in the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to norm lic normal lice relations between our two countries. we intend to create more opportunities for the american and cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the americas. there is a come phra indicate complicated history between the united states and cuba. i was born in 1961 two years after fidel castro took power in cuba and a two months after the bay of pigs even vagues that tried to overthrow his regime. the relationship between our countries played out against the cold war and america's steadfast opposition to communism. we are separated by just over 90 miles. year

. >> reporter: in the meantime new jersey senator democrat robert menendez who is cuban blasted the president'secision. >> at a critical moment in which the regime would have to make decisions to change because its own economic vitality could not be sustained we're going to send tons of money. it's just fundamentally wrong so i disagree with the president. >> reporter: lifting the trade embargo with cuba will take congressional approval and senator menendez went on the record saying he'll not support any change with u.s. policy with cuba. in the sat center pat ciarrocchi "eyewitness news" on the cw philly a pretty warm day by december standards but temperatures are about to plunge. meteorologist kathy orr is on the sky deck with the latest. kathy. >> jess, the winds of change are blowing in and it is cold out here, bluster regent winds are gusting to about 30 miles an hour and that means it is going to be a cold night and we're talking wind chills come tomorrow morning. we are seeing skies clearing out. that is the good news. on storm scan3 we have a partly cloudy skies across the delaware vall

. >> new jersey senator robert menendez, whose parents came from cuba, spoke out against the president a's decision saying his actions vindicate the brutal behavior of the cuban government. >>> new jersey governor chris christie will soon deciding whether to run for president, now the governor says he will discuss with his family over the holidays. christie says he will announce his decision early next year. this week former florida governor jeb bush said he would actively explore his own potential campaign, governor christie and burba peel to many of the same donors. >>> there is much more to come on "eyewitness news", who won't be taking the field when the eagles play washington. >>> and broad street will not be the only place, you can see the mummers strut this year. we will tell you bit the on the other side. good morning. seek a minute net. >>> the mummers are looking ahead to 2015. this year they won't be strutting only to ring in the new year. they will have a high profile for mardi gras. >> we will be hosting a mummers parade on main street in manayunk this february. >> the par

. >> reporter: in the meantime new jersey senator robert menendez blasted the decision. >> at a critical moment in which the regime would have to make decision toss change because its own economic vitality will be sustain we will send tons of money. it is just fund. ly wrong. i disagree. >> reporter: he disagrees with the president. menendez says there are no guaranties that the cube inn regime will change its economic suppression of the people have the lifting embargo with cuba will take congressional approval. menendez went on the record that he would not support any change in u.s. policy with cuba. >>> in the sat center, pat ciarrocchi, cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >>> pat, thanks very much. >>> the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley will have much more on the release of alan gross and this historic a announce on u.s. cuban relations coming up at 6:30 right after "eyewitness news". >>> outside today a windy but mild december day. the cooler air is set to return, plus possibly a chance for some snow this weekend. meteorologist kathy orr is live on the sky deck, checking all of the change

senator robert menendez now joinses now.menendez as i mentioned before is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. condolences for at least a couple of more weeks and then you'll be ranking member of the foreign relations committee. senator from new jersey, appointed in 2006, i believe, and then served in the senate consistently from that. born in -- in new york city, and of cuban immigrants who arrived here, i think, the year before you were born. so, classic american story. you heard senator paul. i wonder, do you feel sometimes that you've switched political parties when you've listened to the senator? >> no. i have a great deal of respect for senator paul. he sits on the senate foreign relations committee and he has interesting perspectives at different times. look, i think part of your line of questioning with senator paul really came to the question of when is strength appropriate? and after 22 years serving in the congress, between the house and the senate, all sitting on either the house or senate fore

landrieu: can i respond to robert menendez and clear his name, please? [laughter] robert menendez does not support drilling off the coast of new jersey, and if he's waiting for some people in new york and new jersey to build our highways, we'll be waiting a long time. do you know what bob menendez did do? he led the fight to save 450,000 people from having their insurance rates go through the sky. so you should thank senator menendez and not criticize him for doing something that your leadership wouldn't do. cassidy: can i respond to that? >> moderator: please. cassidy: yeah, he got passed in the senate the grimm-cassidy amendment which fixed flood insurance so premiums would not go through the roof. i do thank senator menendez, he used my bill to save you money. secondly, i can say he's also trying to ban drilling off of the entire atlantic coast. not just new jersey and new york, but also virginia. virginians want that drilling in the ocf. it creates jobs and money. >> moderator: we've reached the point where we come to a question from each of the cand

. >> robert menendez tore in to the republican opposition to sal dans. >> they refuse and obstruct and delay and reverse their positions when they voted for her to be a united states attorney and now use the nomination to store political points because they disagree with the president's politics. >> reporter: democrats are expected to push through the anthony blenkins. and also 12 circuit court nominees. and charles grassley of iowa is deeply opposed to that. and said people with the power of the circuit court judge would be pushed through a lame duke congress. all product of harry reide's nuclear option. thank you. >> former governor jeb bush is announcing he is seriously considering a run for the republican presidential nomination and poes posted this message on facebook. i have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the united states. i hope to visit with many of you and restore the promise of america. jerry, it seems like the announcement in here, i am somewhere between thinking of it and doing. it why make the announcement. >> you form the explorat

that is from robert menendez, of his statement today. let's go back to our calls. massachusetts.eo is in favor of the change in relations. leo, hello. of his statement today. it is long overdue and, you am relieved since 2009 our lesson the when president obama lessened the restrictions. ever since, like, these i my family -- to great relief to be able my -- relieved to go visit in 2009 because obama allowedi t. host: so you are saying that you went to cuba in 2009? caller: yes. i have been going every month, except for hurricane season, of course. host: give us a snapshot of your latest you there. when you t like to you go there? caller: well, iit is changing pretty fast. a ericans have missed out on lot of opportunities, whether it is business or social. good now, it is -- it was to see that my relatives the ged to survive in cuba past for generations -- host: leo, we are going to let you go there. life to capitol hill -- live to capitol hill. >> that is exactly why today's announcement from the white house is so profound a disappointing. it is a victory for the oppressive gove

new jersey senator robert menendez whose parents are from cuba said president obama's actions have vindicated brutal behavior of the cuban government. while president obama can make many changes on his own, congress would still need to approve ending the economic embargo on cuba, however, licensed american travelers will be able to return with cuban goods, including those famous cuban cigars. live in the digital operations center, jacqueline london, nbc 10 news. >>> happening now, delaware county district attorney jack whalen is announcing the arrest of a doctor accused of running a pill mill. the doctor allegedly ran the operation out of his home. we're at that news conference right now to find out more about the arrest. count on updates on nbc 10 news coming up at 5:00. >>> 20 minutes of nonstop news continues with new information on the man who went on a killing spree, killing his ex-wife and five of her relatives before taking his own life. tonight we're learning more about how he died. deanna durante has been in pennsburg and other communities hit by this tragedy. she's live in norristow

>> democratic senator robert menendez, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, came out swinging is frustrated with the white house for not coming clean about whether they intend to send ground troops to iraq and syrian he is proposing a three-year authorization for the use of military force, an aums. carry asked that it not be geographically constrained. >> to the extent that isil poses a threat to american interests and personnel in other countries, we would not want an aumf that constrained our able to use appropriate force against isil in those locations if necessary. in our view, it would be a mistake to advertise to isil that there are safe havens for them outside of iraq or syria. >> democrats on the committee want a new uaumf to bar u.s. ground troops. >> i mentioned the secretary of defense in baghdad. what is his message for the baghdad leader. >> the iraqis greated hagel with a request for more air power and heavy weapons. hagel was noncommittal, we're told. this is his first trip to baghdad since the war with isis began. in fact it's the first time any defense secreta

senators robert menendez and cory booker are holding the news conference right now. it has been more than two years since sandy devastated the jersey shore. earlier this week, they were among a group of senators who pressed the fema administrator on the handling of insurance claims. a federal judge found possibly widespread efforts to low ball federal flood insurance payments to sandy victims. >>> the second time is the charm. nasa's orion spacecraft is on its way back to earth after a successful launch into space. the capsule is expected to splash down in the pacific ocean any minute now. jay gray has more on today's mission. >> five, four -- >> reporter: a ball of fire. >> two, one. >> reporter: and blast of smoke. >> liftoff at dawn. >> reporter: just after sunrise as orion pushed away from pad 37 and into history. >> a new era of american space exploration. >> reporter: mission managers called the liftoff and flight perfect. cameras on orion providing a view from space. about two hours into the 4 1/2 hour unmanned test flight the second stage burn pushed the caps

new jersey senator robert menendez condemned the deal. senator nelson, a florida democrat called it a hallelujah day and hopefully a rebirth of economic ties between florida and cuba. but marco rubio strongly disagrees. >> this entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie. the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the cuban people. all of this is going to do is give the castro regime which controls every aspect of cuban life the opportunity to manipulate these changes. to perpetuate itself in power. >> this debate has been going on for decades. it's deeply personal. political commentator and gop strategist navarro and senior western security affairs on the counsel. ana, you're critical of the agreement. to rubio's point, there's relationships with china and vietnam, why not with cuba? >> well, first of all, china and vietnam are not in the state-sponsored terrorism list as cuba has been. instructing secretary kerry to take them off. you know,

. >> new jersey senator robert menendez disagrees. democrat says the us is crossing a red line and president obama's policies regarding cuba are misguided. menendez says president obama's actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the cuban government. >> police identified someone they call a career criminal in that gruesome case in august when two men were beaten, stabbed and dumped in the schuylkill river. a third barely escaped with his life. lee from the born to kill gang is on the run charged with murder and attempted murder. authorities added him to the 15 most wanted fugitive list today hoping his days on the lamb are numbered. there's also a $25,000 reward in this case. >> second look -- lock down in days at a northeast philadelphia high school and tonight some parents and students say they've in enough. samuel fels high school was set you have off by a gun ton night parents want to know how someone could get the weapon by the metal detectors. fox 29's dawn timmeney spoke with some students who say they want to transfer. >

today, senator robert menendez and other new jersey lawmakers announced that fema will take new stepso help these people. menendez and others have called on fema to look into claims that insurance companies handling sandy-damaged claims are manipulating them to support and shortchange home owners. a task force will meet in the coming weeks to address the issue. >>> it was a solemn ceremony on board the battleship "new jersey" today. officials gathered on the fan tail of the ship in camden to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack on pearl harbor. the actual anniversary of the attack is this sunday, december 7th. on that day in 1941 japan attacked the pearl harbor navy base in hawaii. the attack killed more than 2,400 americans. the u.s. ended their war on japan when president franklin roosevelt called the attack, "a day that will live in infamy." donald norcross delivered the speech today. the commemoration has been a tradition for 24 years now. >>> it's not long distance. >> but the impact will be far-reaching. how one local town's loss becomes another city's gain with hundreds of j

. >> new jersey senator robert menendez disagrees, democrat says the united states is crossing a red lion, and president obama's policies regarding cube are miss-guided. menendez says president obama's actions have vindicated brutal behavior of the cuban government. >> meanwhile, new jersey state police hope the plans to normalize relations with cuba will lead to the capture after woman convicted in the death after state trooper, joanne was convicted of murdering trooper westerner, back in 1973, she later escaped from prison, was granted asylum in cuba. several attempts to extradite her have failed in the past. >>> new jersey college tops it all when it comes to value. kip linger personal finance runnings princeton university as the top of the best college value. which combines the ranking of public, private, liberal arts schools. i believe princeton got the top honors by us world news and report as the best university. magazine gave princeton that overall high rang at affordable price, yale came in second, philadelphia by another local school, swarthmore college in delaware county,

even senator robert menendez is not wild about president obama's plan. he said trading mr. gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous press denting. and joining us -- john, what did we get out of this? >> we got a chance, an opportunity to turn the page. >> for what, though? >> he's talked about this going back to 2007-2008. he'd wanted to say let's get rid of the old policy and start a new policy. that wasn't possible as long as alan gross was held captive. releasing him gives you the chance for the new page but there are limits to what he can do. senator graham is going to try to hold up funding. the idea of full normalization, a lot of lift has to happen and that's where the give and take has to happen with the castro regime. you wouldn't see that at all without these first steps. >> susan, i'm all for making friends with everybody and i think it's important everybody be friends, but the fact is that this regime, they're monsters. i mean we're not talking about the human rights violations going on in cuba right now. i'd love to have a great place and

. >> well, as you just heard there, you saw democratic senator and foreign relations chair robert menendez opposing the policy shift. and there's a rift between high-profile gop senators rubio and paul, with one of the few republicans backing the president's move. joining us, florida congressman and cuban-american himself mario diaz-balart. welcome, sir, nice to have you here on the program. >> thank you, good to see you. >> your ties to the cuban community of course run very deep. you've called the president, quote, an appeaser in chief. and the president obama white house is allowing the castro regime to blackmail the u.s. how so? >> well, because what president obama did once again is -- by the way, something he said he would not do. is he's given three high-value spies, one who has been in prison for life for murdering americans. those three spies trying to penetrate our military facilities. he's given them back to the castro regime in exchange for an american who was taken hostage by castro precisely to try to get the spies, precisely to blackmail the american president, our president

this play out that only republicans and democrats, we have heard a number of democrats including robert menendezstep up on this. this, i think, will be a pretty hot political topic. >> yes, this will be a defining issue between the house and senate republicans and the president because the president cannot unilaterally lift the embargo as much as he would like to and signed by president clinton pretty much defines and refines the embargo for a new era. it says specifically cannot touch it without congressional approval, and congress is definitely going to define themselves and obviously upset with the president and he has done unilaterally and the stable make some strong, old moves and we will see more rubio trying to find his presidential candidacy and that will maybe reignite that within forward. martha: the politics, getting back to that, marco rubio rumored to be 2016 contender. we talked about jeb bush throwing his hat in the ring looking at maybe running for office and hillary clinton also last night speaking at a gala on human rights. these potential presidential candidates will have to w

new jersey senator robert menendez disagrees with this. the democrat said the us is crossing a red lion. president obama's policies regarding cuba are quote misguided. menendez says president obama's actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the cuban government. >> meanwhile, new jersey's state police are hoping plans to normalize relations with cuba will lead to the capture after woman convicted in the death of a state trooper, joanne was convicted of murdering trooper warner on the new jersey turnpike, back in 1973. welshing she later escaped from prison, and she was granted asylum in cuba. several attempts to extra diet her have failed. comes say two ex cons in florida tried to pull off major heist. >> some bad acting foiled their plan. did you say this in florida? >> indeed. so police say tara scott and jen adder dupre hatched a plan to steel christmas gifts from a wal-mart. dupre fell to the ground faking heart attack. while everyone was distracted, helping him, scott walk out of the store with a cart filled with toys and tablet

robert menendez of new jersey. they've been very critical of president obama's decision to try to normalize relations with cuba. senator rubio told me he'll use whatever power he has to block any funding for a newest embassy in havana. what's your reaction when you hear these cuban americans speak out against this effort to normalize the relationship. >> i have heard, of course, and read about the critical voices in the united states. but there's a majority of people and inside congress that have supported the decision made by president obama and cuba has been the same. the majority of the population. the human rights problems that exist in cuba right now. as you know, the state department has documented and other international human rights organizations have documented an enormously long list of lack of democracy, lack of freedom for cubans. are you going to take steps now to reassure the united states, the american people that you're moving away from some of those totalitarian anti-democratic positions of the pas

today robert menendez slammed the deal, and as a democrat, the president's own pal, trading mr. gross for three people sets an extremely disturbing press department. >> is this a precedent that the u.s. should set? >> there were some released in cuba too and it shows that the united states will bring back our own. we brought this contractor back in time for hanukkah. secretary kerry met him on the tarmac and embraced him. the loser here is russia. their economy is crumbling and they had investigated in this satellite nation of cuba during the cold war and now cuba wants nothing to do with russia. i think there is a win there. if the cold war was about the united states and russia, we got a big win in the fact that cuba is doing anything to try to work with the united states. and we deal with bad people all of the time. who likes the chinese government. so we've got to be real iistic, opening up the embassy and opening up talk and if this isn't working, you close shop and say we at least tried. it has gotten stale out there and this isn't a surprise, clinton earmarking this would

we can create jobs and build highways. >> cannot respond to robert menendez and clear his name?upport killing off the coast of new jersey. the coast of new jersey. you know what he did do? view that the fight for us to save 450,000 people from having their insurance rates go through the sky. you should thank senator menendez and not criticize him for doing something they grow leadership -- >> cannot respond? passed in the senate the grim cassidy amendment. it is what fixed flood insurance so premiums would not go through the roof. i do think senator menendez. he used my bill to save you money. secondly, he is also trying to ban drilling off the entire atlantic coast, not just a jersey new york, but also virginia. virginia is one that drilling. it creates jobs and money to build roads. >> we've reached the point where we have come to a question from each of the candidates to one another. by luck of the draw, that comes first from commerce and cassidy to senator landrieu. >> senator landrieu. recently, he said before you would vote for obama carrigan tomorrow. jonathan gruber, des

[applause] senator robert menendez now joins us. senator menendez, as i mentioned before is the chairman of the , senate foreign relations committee. for at least a couple more weeks. then he will be ranking member of the foreign relations committee. senator from new jersey appointed in 2006, i believe. served in the senate consistently from that. born in new york city, of cuban immigrants who arrived here i think the year before you were born. a classic american story. you heard senator paul. i wonder, do you feel sometimes that you have switched political parties when you listen to the senator? >> no. [laughter] i have a great deal of respect for senator paul. he sits on the senate foreign relations committee and he has interesting perspectives. i think part of your line of questioning with senator paul came to the question of, when is strength appropriate? and after 22 years serving in congress between the house and senate, sitting on either the house or senate foreign relations committee, i've come to the clear view that weakness

. >> can i respond to robert menendez he doesn't support drilling off the coast of new jersey and if he's waiting for some people in new york and new jersey to drill the highways we will be building a long time but you know what he did do, he led the fight for us to save 450,000 people. you should thank senator menendez and not criticize him for doing something. it's a fixed flood insurance so they wouldn't have to go through the work. i do think he used my dell to save you money and secondly i can say that he's all for trying to ban drilling off of the entire. they want wanted to drilling to create jobs and money. >> moderator: we've reached the point where we come to each of the candidates to one another you said that you would for obamacare. he recently recently somebody as he was compared to consider the american people in such a way to raise taxes on the middle class basically forcing people out of the policy that they were told they could keep if they wish. did you know when they had written this to see the american people and now you do know it would use the work for obamacare

so it will be interesting and it will be interesting to hear what a senator robert menendez, for exampleay. he is is chairman of the foreign affairs committee. he's been working the issue of cuba during his whole career and whatever he has to say or senator marco rubio will be, i think, indicative of what we can expect from the cuban community in the united states. >> i'd like to talk just briefly about younger cubans because, you know, the united states imposed its embargoes on cuba in 1960. it's been a long time. fidel castro has been ill and out of sight for quite a long time and i would think that younger cuban americans have a much different impression of cuba and relations between the united states and cuba than older cuban americans do. >> there are different generations of cubans. those who came directly from the island, then you have several generations who have grown up in the united states as cuban americans. and many of them follow the issue of the islands. others follow the issues of their home country, the united states. so they are interested in cuba but you have seen a sh

the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, the democrat, outgoing chairman, robert menendez from new jersey, very strong criticism. pointing out the three of the individuals who have been released, the cubans, they were all convicted of espionage. one of them in addition to espionage was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder dealing with two civilian aircraft that were shot down over international waters in 1996. several people were killed, i think three americans. so there's still a lot of criticism both having to do with this individual deal but also the fact that cuba is still a very repressive regime -- >> hold on. here's the president. >> in the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years, we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries. through these changes, we intend to create more opportunities for the american and cuban people and begin a new chapter among the nations of the americas. there's a complicated history between the united s

have you robert menendez coming out against the president, senator flake riding back on the plane withgross. i think by the time we get to 2016, it will be pretty partisan. >> hillary clinton is on the record on this issue, which she's not on the record on every issue but one where she's been fairly clear. she wrote in her book" hard choic choices" near the end of my tenure i recommended to president obama that he take another look at our embargo with cuba. after 20 years of observing and dealing with the u.s./cuba relationship, i thought we should shift the onus onto the castros to explain why they remained un-democratic and abusive. this will be a big debate, if not countrywide, but in the swing state of florida. >> earlier this year she called the embargo castro's best friend because she views it as propping up the castro regime this ideological excuse to posture against the united states. she's very much with the president here. that's where she wants to be. she wants to be right with the white house. she was actually there a little before the president was. and, you know, she migh

that would be senator robert menendez, currently the chair, for now, on the equivalent committee on the senate foreign relations committee. he said president obama's actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the cuban government. there is no ee quif lance between an international aid worker and spies who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage on our country. remember, it was not for alan gross. it was for an unnamed intelligence officer. >> i agree with representative rangel. in fact, i was just in cuba, i was in havana yesterday with charlie rangel. barbara lee led a delegation there. i think our policy is extremely outdated, as the president said in his comments. you can't have a policy for over 50 years and not work and continue that policy. so, i'm glad to see a new day. i would like to give you a very specific example of how both sides are hurt because of this policy. we were in cuba because the cubans discovered of a way of preventing amputations in diabetics. tens of thousands of diabetics have their feet amputated in the united states every year. the cubans hav

robert menendez, et cetera.icans may not realize this, through already a great number of american diplomats in cuba right now. there's an american intercept there right now, a u.s. embassy on the coast surrounded with bullhorns and flags, you can see it very clearly when you visit. you have a presence there that you could begin this reengagement even if you don't have approval from a republican-led congress. that's something to keep in mind. but this is a dramatic risk by the obama administration. think of it, you have a phone call between the american president and the leader of an adversary that you haven't had contact with for decades. you have secret negotiations going on in a third country and lo and behold, you have a reengagement with a country you'd been at odds with for years. it's very much like the iran scenario and the iran scenario has shown us both the benefits of that, ongoing nuclear negotiations but also the risks. the nuclear negotiations haven't come to a conclusion, bad things happening insid

senator robert menendez in usa today weighing in on that. by the way, "the washington post" agrees with senator menendez. it extends the regime's bailout it doesn't deserve. morning,times this they agree with it. administration officials recognize that congress is unlikely to take steps toward a healthy relationship with cuba anytime soon, but this will inevitably inform the debate about the merits of engagement. and in all likely that history will prove mr. obama right. the wall street journal editorial rights -- rights that they disagree. bob in jacksonville, florida, democratic caller. what do you think of this? caller: going back to the cuban crisis and everyone trying to get out of cuba because of the over fromstro took baptista as a dictator. i'm worried about the money that will come into cuba, but may not leave. will america be able to own land in cuba? need to seeople their relatives in america. it's a great thing. what about the moneys? what about the financial aspect of it? will they kick us out of cuba in certain areas and just t

. >> senator robert menendez now joins us. >>> senator menendez is chairman of the form relations committee. senator from new jersey appointed in 2006, i believe and then served consistently in new york city and of cuban imgra immigrants who arrived here the year before you were born. >>> do you feel times that you've switched political parti parties. >> no. i have a great deal of respect for senator paul. i thi your poignant line of questioning to senator paul is when is strength appropriate. after serving 22 years sitting on the house or foreign relations k34i9 trelatio relations committee i've come to the conclusion that weakness invites provocation. that is a global message. it's a message if you're dealing with the russian invasion in ukraine. it's dealing with china in the south china sea, in conflicts with japan and south korea. we always seek to use diplomacy. and we always seek to use economic inducements, whether positive or negative, to get a country to act a certain way. but the ability to have political strength is important at the end of the day in order to back-up those actio

have been pushing for this for a long time, but some key senators are against it, marco rubio, robert menendezimmigrants. the politics or complex, no doubt about it. this -- and this opening the door to cuban trade is a positive. that is it for "in the loop" today. janet yellen will be holding her press conference right after 2 p.m. and one of the most difficult moments in his 15 year rule, continuing our conversation on russia's growing crisis. we will bring you all the headlines and on oil, tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. ♪ >> it is statistics that the error and that means bloomberg television is on the markets. i'm scarlet fu. we are 30 minutes into the u.s. trading day and a very different picture across the markets from yesterday. starting with u.s. stocks, recovering from three straight days of losses. all three groups are higher before the announcement at 2:00 p.m. eastern. and stocks advancing for everyone declining on the new york stock exchange. even though we are getting a reversal of yesterday's risk-off trade, not everything has made a -- an about-face. crude oil is thinking more, a low of

robert menendez ranking member on foreign relations committee. out very passionately in opposition of this yesterday likely will be chairman of a subcommittee on western hemispheric affairs. everything regarding the president's new policy will go before him. and jose any attempts to possibly fund a new embassy, expand diplomatic relations on the ground in cuba, the question of funding will come before big critics. rubio said it would be nearly impossible for the president to get a hearing and vote on new ambassador. when it comes to the appropriations process, likely to be stumbles in part because there are house republicans opposed to this and who will not allow it to get into any kind of legislation. >> interesting. every single cuban american legislator in the house or senate, be they democrats or republicans, conservatives or ultra conservative liberal or ultra liberal, speak with the same voice on this issue. >> my favorite is not a cuban american debbie wasserman schultz, congresswoman who is the democratic national committee chair. she wai

houseere are some in the that are not going to be thrilled with this, robert menendez, mark ok -- marcoubio. >> what does this mean for 2016? forhen hillary clinton ran president in 2008, she was for maintaining the van -- the ban. which based on the cuban population in florida, that was always the assumed position of anyone trying to win in that state. she has shifted. who hasn't? jeb bush, marco rubio. on the democratic side, hopefully there is a new population of cuban-americans coming up that want to normalize relations. is that right yet? -- ripe yet? goston could this happen you -- >> how soon would this happen? initially heard was that this would be a symbolic announcement. now i'm being told that there are concrete things being put into place starting today as part of that normalization, both on the cubans time and our site. -- our side. >> stay with us. we have to turn our attention to russia. putin is pulling out all the stops to halt the glass in the ruble. i want to bring in ryan chilcote joining us from london. we started this conversation yesterday, talking about where you

democrat robert menendez is the outgoing chairman of the foreign relations committee. >> i think it stinks. i think it's wrong. i'm disappointed in the president. >> marco rubio said the white house gave up too much. >> this president is the single worst negotiator we've had in the white house in my lifetime who has basically given the cuban government everything it asks for and received no assurances of any advances in democracy and freedom in return. >> reporter: gross was flown back to america. >> the policy that we've had in place for the past 50 years has done more in my view to keep the castro regimes in power than anything we could have done. >> reporter: republicans who will run congress next year have vowed to do everything in their power to block the lifting of a decades-old economic embargo with florida. anti-sentiment has run high and both parties have tried to exploit it. with president obama's move now the policy could be the dividing line for the race to the white house in 2016. gayle? >> all right, major. thank you. it was a surprise but the white house has worked for years

on the democratic side, robert menendez says trading mr.gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous precedent. that invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use americans serving overseas as bargaining chips. we will hear from the president in about half an hour. >> here are some of the programs you will find this weekend on the c-span networks. saturday night at 9:30 p.m. on c-span, actor seth rogen discusses politics and humor. sunday evening at 8:00 on c-span's q and a, author and town hall.com editor on what she perceives as the hypocrisy of liberals on their war on women rhetoric. on c-span two saturday night at 10:00 on book tvs afterwards, william dershowitz argues that the top universities are missing the mark in education in students should learn lessons on how to think critically and be creative and have a goal in life the on the material. sunday morning, before 11:00, book tv visits west lafayette, to interview city authors and tourist literary sites. on american history tv on c-span3, saturday at 6:00 p.m. ea

. >> robert menendez said yesterday the white house and senior administration officials need to stop downplaying the role of sanctions and i'm sure senators like chuck schumer would appreciate the opportunity to vote on a sanctions bill which harry reid deprived them of the last two years. >> i'm sure he is yearning for that opportunity. >> well, that's what being a senator is, congressman, supposed to step up and do the right thing, and a chance to vote. it will be interesting if you have real vote on real sanctions bill. i guess they could be exempt could be waivers and exceptions and maybe -- but the administration doesn't want anything. they want to -- >> they didn't want in -- they talk about sanctions now and how effective they were in driving iran to the negotiating table but didn't want them on the last round, either. they acquiesced when they recognized they were veto proof partisan majorities. >> susan rice says additional sanctions during the negotiations would be dangerous. i remember when i was in the private sector i wanted all the leverage on my side in any negotiation

[applause] >> senator robert menendez now joins us. senator menendez is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. then he will be ranking member of the foreign relations committee. senator from new jersey appointed in 2006, i believe. city, of cubank emigrants who arrived here i think the year before you were born. classic american story. you heard senator paul. i wonder, do you feel sometimes that you have switched political parties when you listen to the senator? >> no. [laughter] a great deal of respect for senator paul. he has interesting perspectives. i think part of your line of questioning with senator paul came to the question of, when is strength appropriate? after 22 years serving in congress between the house and senate, i've come to the clearview that weakness, not strength, invokes provocation. that is a global message. it is a global message whether you are dealing with the russian invasion in ukraine, when you are dealing with china in the south china sea, in conflicts with japan and south korea, and it is

and, you know, when kelly o'donnell shared the statement from robert menendez a powerful, strong statementsignify there is intransigence. >> no. and on the issue of bipartisanship -- let me tell you leahy has been a champion of the ending of the embargo for many years. there was a moment of confrontation in the senate, something we don't normally see between leahy and marco rubio last year. and senator flake of arizona has been a proponent of the end of the embargo, even when he was a member of congress that would go to cuba to ask for better relations with that government. so bipartisanship on both sides. those who support the end of the embargo and those who wish it to continue until there are free and fair elections. thank you so much. we'll have more on the breaking news. alan gross freed and on his way home. still major questions that need to be answered. the president will be answering lots of those questions today at noon. >>> in the last hour i spoke with alan gross' first cousin linda. here is part of the conversation. >> caller: my family is just overjoyed! we're just crying we'r

one of those deeply opposed is democratic senator robert menendez of new jersey. >> i think it stinksointed in the president. and to hear that this has been in the works for over a year and have no engagement and no conversation and no consultation is pretty upsetting. >> reporter: but in the "wall street journal," it was said as ronald reagan understood there is nothing more unsettling to oppressive regimes than allowing the exchange of goods and people, ideas and information to flow freely between countries. there have been many cases where represssive regimes hoard goods and money from open societies, much to the detriment of the people who live there. we'll find out what happens in cuba. back to you in new york. >> dictators are like that. doug mckelway, thank you very much. >> there was a swap of people. alan gross been in prison for five years unbustly. like many others in cuba. and another guy we got back, a spy. he was nameless. and we may some day see him. that's alan gross yesterday. him coming back to america yesterday had nothing to do with this deal that was cut. >> the r