C cvin and, laurie, we had that discussion earlier today along with my producer michelle. We asked if president castro actually greeted the french president when he came here, Francois Hollande in may have last year, and the answewe was no. We were told by another jououist that castro did not meet french presididt Francois Honda hat Jose Marti International airport. So i think its us mayor, its a formality nott to greet another head of state there, but as you know they did mt on monday, yesterday, at the palace of the revenues you have revolution. Janine and the president right now the leaving from the stadium where there was that big baseball game sti going on, and that is where our own hatzel vela is. Wed like to check in with him. Hatzel. Hatzel janine, you can tell you the game is still going oh. Were at the top of the fifth. Usa with the Tampa Bay Rays are winning 30 last check, and the we can also tell theres a lot of folks leaving the saddam this point but when we were inside, you could not believe the type of energy and excitement inside this stadium. The stadio latino americao, especially when the president walked in with the first family a condo companied by the president of cubaba raul castro. You can tell yout one point the president gets up from his seat after sitting down and greets jackie robinsos widow and her daughter who are sitting not too far from where the president was sitting. What an amazing time her e at Estadio Latino mentiona. The game 30 top of the fifth. But talk about baseball diplomacy bought for the first time you see both countri coming together. We saw et in the game with the Baltimore Orioles but ts is definitely a different setting and the people are justoing crazy inside right now. Laurie hatzel, we now have the game on the right side your screen but at this moment the standing side by side as they have been since they walked out on on to the tarmac auction translators to say their final words. He j jt shook hands with the foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez. And jeffrey delauren tis. And now they are saga their final thoughts to each other. Michael ive got to say this is a very animated conversation. Its been going on all as they walked along on the tarmac to the plane. They spoke a lot, it seemed to me, while they w we at the baseball stadium. I think that developed some kind of a personal relationship, and if you want to be on good termswith a country, thats a good thing. Laurie and it certainly follows along. Calvin michael, if i can add to that. Laurie pleasas do, calvin. Laurie michael, if i can add to that, i was speaking with a cuban diplomat, a longtime diplomat carlos. He told me earlier today that raul casaso is very fond of he is fond of pope francis. So its not by its not out of character by fact that president castroas reached out to president obama in the way that he has and tried to raise his hand. There it is. The president and Michelle Obama the first lady waving goodbye, enteringir force one, about to leave Jose Marti International airport after a twoday trip ha has been nothing sort of historic. The last time a sitting american president has come cuba sips 1928. Since 1928. The friendship hb has developed or at least extend understanding between them, tha is what so many have focused on, and this is a strong visual as michael pointed out, the two leaders talking with smiles, and now raul castro standing there speaking to the, technically, the ambassador of our u. S. Embassy shaking hands. Gentleman on the right with the sunglasses. Jeffrey delauren tis. He has spent a good deal of time in miami. I have interviewed him a couple of times, very planet, welllike by the cubans. Janine what a contrast, the sort of Comfort Level, at least what appears to be a Comfort Level as opposed to that impromptu News Conference yesterday after the bilateral talks when the two were standing at their podiums with their headphones on so they could listen to the translation of each others statementssnd they could listen to the questions, what a difference at least when ititomments to, as we are calling it, optics. Laurie a v vy different raul castro right here and seeing him at the game and now seeing him with president obama. Calvin, you say from all indications raul castro is veryfond of president obama, and those stories today that the president shared, he really tried to foster that feeling to the cuban people that he is a friend of the country and a friend of the people. Calvin and, laurie, as the story goes, it is by design i think that the president brought up the meeting between raulcastro and the president and south africa during the Memorial Service for nelson mandela. That is where the president shook castros hand, and it certainly was a big deal back in south florida, but for those two men, it was not so much of a big deal, and i will tell you why, because president obama extended his hand to castro at that time, and then castro apparently turned to one of his aides and says, oh, they respect us. The u. S. Respects us. And then it was shortrt after that that t sequence of negotiations began that lasted some 18 months and before the major announcements back on december 17th of 2014. So there you see president castro about to enter Jose Marti International airport. To his right side you have Bruno Rodriguez, the chief negotiator government and the president of cuba surrounded by security, and a look at air force one befefe the president heads to argentina i under with laurie, michael and janine, its a ninehour flight to get to argentina from cuba. Laurie yes, the president will not be there until tomorrow mide day. He actuallyrrives there tomorrow about just about noontime to meet with president Mauricio Macri who is trying to make tremendous change in his latinamerican country as well, and the two men will b meeting behind closed dodos but it is a long flight. Michael and we should poin out, if anyone cares, that most of the members of congress, nearly 40 members of congress, accompanied the president to cuba, most of them will be flying back to washington because not everyone wanted to be away for five days or so. The president left sunday afternoon from andrews, joint base andrews outside of sunday afternoon, and here we are on tuesday, and so it has been about 72 hours in all that the president and his party have been in cuba. Janine he arrived on a cloudy d d with a little bit of rain and hes leaving on a cloudy day, althoughhe weather is similar in cuba as it is here. So no rain, it doesnt look like, in the forecast, just a cloudy day, a cool day, so not a bad day for baseball really. Laurie Calvin Hughes is going to stand by for us. Well be joining him again nay in a few minutes. We also have hatzel vela in cuba for us. We have our crewthere to brings Live Team Coverage throughout our afternoon newscast as we shared this picture live with you from the Jose Marti International airport. People mustust be buzzing with the speech and about all the visuals they have seen on cubannational television. We saw it during the president s speech this morning from cuban half a second delayed. The people heard from the president of the United States on their soil for the first time, michael, and they really heard him speak directly to them. Michael we have heard ever since this trip was announced several weeksgo that the expectations of the cuban peoplee have beeee raised, i mean, sky high. People were looking forward to this because they are ready for chanan, and i would say that maybe the only downside to this visit is that when change does not occur quickly, and nothing in cuba really occurs very quickly, there may be a kind of postpartum depression that goes on after president obama leaves with people saying, hey, you know, wheres my new job . Why am i still living in a cheap aparent . I want Something Better in my life. Janine we should also mention that there are cuban americans here in south florida o do not want change. They did not like the News Conference yesterday. In fact, some people say it looked like president obama was being lectured by a dictator, and then there are others who are of the opinion that when you started having american journalists asking castro questions, it made him look weak and, michael, i believe you used the term crotchety old man. Michael i did. I thought he looked rattltl. I thought he looked uncomfortable. He looked defiant. And the reason is, if youve been in charge for over five decades, he and his brother, of a country, you are not used to impertinent reporters pestering you with all these questions like why do you have political prisonere and why dont you release them . That was the question that really got raul castro rattled and crotchety, as i said. Laurie we just saw a glimpse of him waving goodbye plane, air force one. Fascinating`that he is waiting new friend, his new ally, if you will, in this changing relationship. Janine i think you could say that they maybe respect each other as people. The president said he likes the cubabapeople. Dont have to like each others politics, and i think that was the point that the president made. He has the freedom to say his opinions, and thats what freedom and democracy is all about. Laurie the way he defend freedom was really butiful with his own story and basically saying how else could i, with my background, ever become president of the United States. Michael extly. And to sort of corroborate a point that janine just made, in the past several hours, since this trip began, i have received many emails from friends, acquaintances and people i dont know in south florida who are cuban american who think that this is a disgrace, that president obama is there, that he is legitimizing a corrupt oppressive and totalitarian, authoritarian, so there are plenty of people who are maybe watching even now and thinking to themselves, yeah, g g the heck out of there. I mean, the president shouldnt be there. Laurie when you talked about the need for change there quickly in order to keep thecuban people feeling that there is a pathway ahead, the president did announce a lot of changes just yesterday and hes banking on several Major Companies bringing about change very quickly. Miciael well, he hopes that they will move quickly, but, as has been reported widely in media, a lot of american ceos, including from this community, have gone to florida, have tried speak with cuban bureaucrats, and basically have gotten nowhere, and so it is not easy, i am told, to do business in cuba. You need lots of permissions. You need licenses. And generally if you want to do business there, you need a joint venture with the cuban the business but you provide all the capital, and then they tell you who to hire. Thats another big Sticking Point here. The president said in his speech, in his remarks that companies, Foreign Companies have to be able to hire their own workers. Right now and for a long time they cannot. Janine and a single concerns would be helpful as well. Michael yeah. Laurie there have been so many changes with the mail service, with ease of travel, ternal with some concerns at least no, the exchange rate, the actual fee has been dropped. So there are incremental changes, but, yes, the president calling for so many more if there is really to be change. Michael and by some time this fall, if things go along the way they hope they do, there will be direct flights of, what, 110 flights a day from United States cities to i think what is it . Eight or nine cities that have international airpos in cuba. Happen. Janine keep in mind under the current rules and regulations, an american tourist cant just get on a plane and to go cuba. You still have toe under one of those categories munch 12 licensed categories. They Just Announced in this past week that individual travelers would be able to go without going in a group. Now, thats a big change. Janine people to people. Youre right, absolutely. Our colleagag Calvin Hughes actually is there and he is on the phone. Calvin, tata to us about what youre seeing. Calvin well, i am looking at air force one right now as it is getting ready to take off, and. [ not audible ] as we have a life picture of jose m marti, aiforce one looks like its making its way down the runway is taking off around sunday with just after 4 00. And the president , after two days of several events, including the speech today t tt most are praising, especially the locals that we have spoken with, as well as even some cuban diplomats, they have praised his speech, and one calling it a fath forward finally b between the two nations after a half century, and another saying that i was quite surprised of the president s speech and quite happy to hear what the president had to say because he did not have a preachy tone. But this particular cuban diplomat said he wanted to make sure that the president knew that its the cuban people who will have to decide their future and not an american president. Michael indeed, calvin, that is exactly what mr. Obama said in his speech. He said, the future of cuba is in your hand, not in the hands i thought that was a big moment in that speech. Calvin and the president began his speech think by saying the obvious, and that is, look, i am extending a hand of friendship to the cuban people, and he wanted to make he was not talking about to the invited diplomats who were in the room. The cuban dignitaries in the am, some of whom did not applaud when the president began to talk about american democracy and amereran values and principles of fair and free elections. You almost felt there was a lot of hesitation in the room when the president began to speak about american democracy and how cuba should think about opening up its economy and not miss an opportunity with its future byp being so reprev with its people on repressive with human rights, but the president made it clear, too, that he wanted to bury the remnants of the cold war, and thought it that really what he had to say that followed that seemed to be again not so preachy but it s seemed to spell out exactly what the president s vision was Going Forward for thenext next of cubans. Michael calvin, as we can see, air force one is doing its final role there. It is going to take off here momentarily from havana, a historic trip. There it is lifting off from jose marti airport. What a sight. Calvin and the president even quoting jose marti earlier. Go ahead. Laurie youre so right, calvin. He quotetejose marti throughout this trip. Calvin and then laying the wreath. There he is, president castro looking at air force one take off. The last time a sitting american president has come here was 1928. Calvin coolidge speaking at the where president obama spoke earlier today. President castro stepping out to see air force one take off, delighted by that sight like so Many Americans are, and cubans here on the island were not only excited to see the beast, the transportation for the president , the limousinene but air force one flying into havana was an incredible sight and a spectacular one for so many. And for some of the older cubans on the island, something that th thought they would never live to see. Laurie an american psident whose Approval Ratings are through the roof in cuba, with the cuban people and now, calvin, those ratingsp would no doubt be even higher after this 48hour whirlwind visit. Janine and wouldnt it be interesting to know what those final parting words were between president obama and raul castro when they were speaking on the tarmac. Laurie hopefully we will learn those from o o pool reports from the white house trip and we willy hopefully g t a sense of what these two leaders shared in thing moment. President castro staying in thevery end to waif to president obama. With that, this trip has come to and end p. As michael points without it will be the change in cuba, the incremental slow change that everyone can help for. Janine our colleague, Calvin Hughes, he did file a report about this trip. Lets take a listen. I have come here to bury the lastemnant of the cold war in the americas. Janine as he took the states for a 30minute speech broadcast live to the island nation with president obama called to the cuban people to set the course for their own future. Many suggested that i come here andsk the people of cuba to tear something down. But im appealing to the young people of cuba who will lift something up, build something new. [ speaking in spanish ] president raul castro about the importance of democracy. I believe my visit here demonstrates you do not need to fear a threat from the United States. And given your commitment to cubas sovereignty and selfdetermination, i am also confident that you need not fear the different voices of cuban people and their capacity to speak and assemble and vote for their leaders. Calvin along with differences, the president spoke of similarities between the u. S. And cuba, countries built with the ingenuity immigrants amidst the shadow of slavery. In cuba we wt our engagement to help lift you have the cubans who are of african descent who have proven there is nothihg they cannot achieve when given the chance. Calvin following his speech the president held a private meeting with cuban dissidents to discuss their concerns about the future. All of the individuals around this table have shown extraordinary courage. They have spoken out on behalf deeply about, some of them represent specific constituencies inside of cuba, some of them have broader concerns regarding democracy, the ability to speak freely or worship freely or assemble or advocating on behalf of democratic practices here in cuba. Laurie that was Calvin Hughes reporting for us. Heas been there for the last week to cover this historicvisit. And do stay with local10 news on air and online forur continuing coverage of president obamas historic visit to