Cuba

Opportunity, Caution Seen For U.S. Banks As Cuba Rules Ease

6:32pm December 18, 2014

by Jim Zarroli

President Obama eased restrictions on Cuba this week, including a relaxation of rules barring U.S. banks from doing business there. But banks are awaiting details and are likely to proceed cautiously.

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Anti-Castro protester Lazaro Lozano (left) argues with an unidentified pro-Obama supporter in the Little Havana area of Miami on Wednesday.

New Era For Cuba? Voices From Miami And Havana

12:22pm December 18, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

In Miami, home of the largest Cuban diaspora, two generations faced off on the streets. In Havana, demonstrators spoke of hope.

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Alan Gross and his wife, Judy, in Washington on Wednesday after his release from a Cuban prison.

Alan Gross' Release: How It Went Down

9:44am December 18, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

American Alan Gross had spent more than five years in a Cuban prison, where he suffered ill health. Then, on Tuesday, his lawyer, Scott Gilbert, told him in a phone call that he was going home.

President Obama speaks with President Raul Castro of Cuba from the Oval Office on Tuesday.

PHOTO: The Meaning In A Phone Call

8:25am December 18, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

A conversation between Presidents Obama and Castro preceded a plan to normalize diplomatic relations between historical foes.

Fidel Castro looks up at the Jefferson Memorial on April 16, 1959. The Cuban leader visited Washington several months after seizing power. But U.S.-Cuban relations quickly frayed, and the U.S. imposed an embargo of the island in 1960.

The U.S. And Cuba: A Brief History Of A Complicated Relationship

10:49pm December 17, 2014

by Greg Myre

The stalemate has outlasted 10 U.S. presidents, a failed invasion, a nuclear crisis and countless boatloads of Cuban asylum seekers. All that changed on Wednesday.

Men play chess at the Maximo Gomez Domino park in Little Havana in Miami, where political opinions are shifting.

National

Polls Show Cuban-American Views On U.S.-Cuba Relations Are Nuanced

6:49pm December 17, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

For years, Cuban-Americans in Miami supported punitive policies against Cuba. But since Obama's election, that view has moderated.

New Cuba Policy Is Met With Cheers And Jeers On Both Sides Of The Aisle

3:46pm December 17, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

Sen. Marco Rubio and other prominent Cuban-American lawmakers issued blistering rebukes of plans to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Alan Gross addresses a news conference in Washington on Wednesday hours after his release from Cuba.

Alan Gross, U.S. Contractor Freed By Cuba, Says 'It's Good To Be Home'

2:56pm December 17, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

Havana freed Gross, who spent five years in a Cuban prison, as a humanitarian gesture. The former USAID contractor said he hoped the U.S. and Cuba move past their "mutually belligerent" policies.

President Obama announced Wednesday that the U.S. will work with Cuba to normalize diplomatic ties.

Obama Unveils 'New Approach' On Cuba As Former Foes Chart New Course

2:41pm December 17, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The U.S. and Cuba will start talks on normalizing relations and discuss opening a U.S. Embassy in Havana. Also today, Cuba freed USAID contractor Alan Gross on humanitarian grounds.

Prisoner Exchange With Cuba Led To Freedom For Top U.S. Intelligence Agent

2:22pm December 17, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

President Obama called the unnamed man "one of the most important intelligence agents that the United States has ever had in Cuba." The agent spent nearly two decades in a Cuban prison.