Page 68 - Patrick Oppmann News Today

Dictator and rode tanks and jeeps into cubas capital, havana. >> and for decades after that he ruled cuba with an iron fist, creating a one-party state and bringing the cold war to the western hemisphere. aligning his country with the soviet union and denouncing the united states. he swept away capitalism in cuba, abandoned and expanded education and healthcare, but he clamped down on religious freedom and banned free speech and executing or jailing thousands of political opponents. >> patrick o...

I just keep going back to this. every cuban i talked to, when i told them this they changed physically. you could see they would remember for the rest of their lives when they learned this news, it is that big an event here. those kind of scenes will be going on in the hours to come. >> patrick oppmann, live for us in havana, cuba, our dedicated correspondent there on the ground and live this hour. patrick, stand by with us. we will be back with you to talk further throughout the hours. lets tal...

Firmly in control here. the transition essentially at this point has been completed. now with fidel castros death, he has another year in power raul castro says he will step down in february of 2018 and well see if he rules any differently with out his brother looking over his shoulder. this is so important to point out, they may have differences in some of the reforms, but raul castro says that his number one priority is to conserve, to protect the revolution that his father -- that his older b...

Indoctrinated on this type of political persuasion from the time they go to elementary school. i was mentioning a little earlier the case of elian gonzales, if you remember back in -- it was actually thanksgiving day 1999 when he was found alive after a number of cuban migrants including his mother had died trying to get to the united states. several months later, go to june 2000, he is sent back to cuba, and last october we did a story on him. now he is about to finish college. he is one of the...

In russia, the kremlin sent official condolences to the cuban people and president vladmir putin praised castro for building a free and independent cuba. and in china, the president said castro was a great leader and hailed his achievements for the development of world socialism. patrick oppmann is the only u.s. television correspondent in cuba. he joins us from havana. what kind of reaction are you getting from people there in havana? >> reporter: cuba is now officially in a state of mourning t...

For s to see that place. but there is also a stark realization that perhaps all of the changes, when the moment came, it hasnt unfolded the way many thought it would. and many will also tell that you perhaps any kind of real change in cuba wont happen until raul castro steps down from power, which he has said he would do in 2018. but that in many ways that initial step in that process, this decades long struggle that they say they have been fighting to bring about real democratic change to the i...

Cuba, cuba, soon commercial flights from the united states will resume to the island nation for the first time in more than half a century. the state department says it has reached an agreement with cuba. right now charter service is actually the only way to go you can fly between these two countries. this is the latest step to restore ties between the united states and cuba after decades of very frosty relations. patrick oppmann is our correspondent based there in havana. this is exciting for p...

What you were talking about earlier is absolutely true. ive lived here four years and im stunned by the images weve seen in person and on tv of the pope and the effect that hes had on people. constantly stopping, reaching out, grabbing hands, blessing children. its been very emotional for people here. you have to think during much of the cuban revolution, these scenes would have been impossible, carol. you were not allowed to engage in large religious processions, churches, pretty much the only ...

Popemobile, bringing their children so the pope could hand out a few kisses. hes sort of like a politician, right, kissing babies and doing the fabulous papal wave. there you go. security personnel here in the united states are kind of concerned that the pope does this kind of thing because it makes their job much more difficult to protect him, but i dont think the pope will stop. obviously, the people love it. pope francis will, of course, begin his trip in the united states and washington, d...

Last minute here in revolutionary square. but in a few minutes time, the pope will land at the international airport and will go down one of the main roads into havana. we expect lots of people by the side of those roads cheering him on. this pope, of course, the first latin pope, the first pope from this hemisphere, but also the first pope whos played the biggest role in improving u.s./cuban relations. so it seems like a bit of a victory lap. but the pope is not the kind of person to rest on hi...