Ca Cuba News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Island. and initially when i told them alan gross had been released, they were happy and pleased. but then when i mentioned that it was in exchange for three of the cuban five, their tone changed a bit. they were concerned that there was a spy swap in exchange for alan gross's release. you know, we also talked about possibly easing relations, diplomatic relations between cuba and the united states. and that was something that really struck a cord. you've got to remember. there's a long standing history among the cuban community when it comes to the cuban government. these gentlemen i talked to...

I want to take our viewer to cuba now because cnn is the only u.s. network in cuba. by all accounts mr. gross was in bad shape. he threatened to kill himself if he wasn't freed soon. he already said good-bye to his wife and daughter. he can barely walk and has lost five teeth and sight in his eye. how is he doing? i know he's on the plane back to the united states, but do you know? >> reporter: he must be the happiest man alive because he really thought he was going to die in cuban prison. you can go on adding on to that list of things he missed because of his ill-fated a venn chur here. he wa...

Vice rer so. and we'll see how it impacts the lives of those who travel to the island. there's been an important shift in recent years. the number of cubans traveling to the united states has surged. many of them and a lot of them are staying in the country. remember we have the wet foot/dry foot policy where cubans who touch u.s. soil and stay for a year become legal residents and have a very important support package. so all these things are part of this process. we'll see how deep the changes are. from what we're hearing this will be significant, this will be historic, this will not only tr...

Hearing that. there's a line that believes things should change. so it will be interesting and it will be interesting to hear what a senator robert menendez, for example, has to say. 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. fide...

President obama. he is expected to speak about this at noon eastern and what all of this means for the u.s. relationship with cuba. let's start with global affairs correspondent in washington with more. good morning. >> well, carol, cuba has released alan gross as a humanitarian gesture, as you note. his health failing. the u.s. and naturally his family very concerned about him. but in addition to the u.s. and cuba are swapping spies here. now, the u.s. released those three cuban intelligence agents, part of the so-called cuban five. cuba is releasing a u.s. intelligence asset who has been in ...