raul castro's successor, hugging they are. straight away they restored the line. >> when a politician like the vice president in cuba defends you publicly, it employs personal responsibility and has an impact on what you do. the challenge was how to do what we were doing after the visit. some might thing having a relationship with politicians will save you. the challenge is to do the same afterwards. that's what we tried to do, to maintain the editorial line. that's become easier in cuba, because times are changing and a middle ground is emerging. despite the fact that computer equipment may look like something out of a bygone era, bloggers are updating the resolution by critiquing if from the inside. the issue is it is yet to arrive. here there's little connectivity and communication is face to face. that, too, is it set to change as internet companies fi for opportunities in what promises to be a new era in political and technological communications. >> cuba is one of the countries, estimates differ, but 3-25% of the populat

now there is some talk that fidel's brother, raul castro, could come to the united states. i wanted to ask you, will he be coming to the u.s.? there is talk also that kerry being in havana is setting the stage for president obama to go to cuba before the end of his term. discard that might happen. i don't think it will happen soon. but that is an interesting question. one interesting thing about raul castro is that he doesn't attend very many international events. he rather likes to be here in cuba working for the changes that are taking place. he is not a big traveler, if you compare him with fidel or with some other heads of state who travel a lot. he likes to be here, and that is good. the perception is he is taking care of the problems we have, which are big. if president obama comes to cuba, i think he will be welcome as we welcomed the pope. and nowelcomed two popes third pope is coming. the president of france was here. those are possibilities. in my view as an elder diplomat, let's say, it will take some time but it will be good for both sides to start normalizing r

leading the rights for gay rights is raul castro's daughter, mariella castro. >> a ideologic enrichment of the cuban society. >> reporter: for decades after the 1959 revolution homosexuality in cuba was criminalized. some were forced into work camps. but beginning in the late 1990s the state began so muching its stance. cuba altered its criminal code, which allowed police to arrest people for being gay. times changing in the country for games, lesbians and transsexuals. >> thanks to movies and documentaries people have seen, things have developed in the world and people are seeing us in a different view of life. >> reporter: lesterham let, a gay cuban. >> translator: i have been very surprised lately as how organized everything is. >> reporter: his provocative retelling of a cuban play, tells of a gay man who finally reveals his sexuality. >> translator: because i am gay. because i have friends that are gay. and i felt a lot of pain. and i have seen a lot of situations, we have been seen as repulsive and this is not acceptable. so it's better to put it in a movie. >> reporter: activists

in 2006 fidel castro's power failed and he handed power to raul castro. relations grew especially after raul castro and president obama shook hands at nelson mandela's funeral. secret talks followed. leading to cuba releasing american alan gross, who had been in prison for five years. >> welcome home. glad you are here >> reporter: and exchange president obama returned the three remaining members of the cuban five. and the two neighbours in december announced they'd setatide five decades of hostility. >> today the united states of america is changing relationships with cuba. >> reporter: that officially happened at midnight, july 20th. hours later the cuban anthem played and the cuban flag raised over cuba's embassy in washington. >> we reaffirmed cuba's willingness to move forth in a constructive spirit. it's a relationship that has a long way to go. >> i've been clear we'll continue to have serious differences. however, i strongly believe the best way for america to support values is through engagement. >> that engagement will reach its highest point wi

what happens next after fidel castro dies, raul castro dies - does it stay in the family. >> it's clear for following the family, the regime plans a family transition. his daughter is being paraded around as a political figure. if we continue with unilateral transitions we have a family progression, leading to a failed state and greater problems. >> we would have anyway. >> you have a prosperous cuba. and then change. >> there was nothing happening. >> there's a clear message to the general castro that true change will be accepted. now they don't know what to do. >> i'll let that be the final word. we have run out of time for the debate. thank you for joining us. thank you so much for joining us. "third rail" panel is next. >> are we saying now, because we are intimidated, that we will excuse the muslims, you can't cherry-pick who will fit in. >> we are not that much of an equal opportunity. >> what are they? >> it fits into a mind-set that >> growing up fast. >> my quest is to find me and me is not here. >> fighting for a better future. >> if you don't go to college you're gonna end up

he is not slated to meet raul castro or former president fidel castro who claims the country is owed millions of dollars in damages from the u.s. caused by that half century embargo. kerry: signs of life, the rubble inside after two explosions in tianjin killed 50 people. 32 hours after those explosions the firefighter was rescued after being buried alive. the explosions happened in shipping containers don't buy company of a rise to handle hazardous material. they struck on a mostly nonresidential warehouse district. the death toll includes 17 firefighters. 700 people remain hospitalized. ben: right now in connecticut there are a dozen people, 11 the exact number, on death row but that will be overturned. they will announce the rest of their lives in prison, conn.'s penalty in that state. juliet: the 11 men will not be executed. includes two in make. these horrific people were sentenced to die for killing a mother in two daughters, raping two of them in a 2007 home invasion. robert moses joins us with more including reaction from that family. >> reporter: connecticut last executed an

in 2013, raul castro says his current five year term will be his last as president. if he leaves office it would be just the second transition in power on the island since the revolution. fidel castro was president for nearly 50 years, he ceded power to his brother in 1998. raul is 88. diaz canel is considered the likely successor of castro. >>> wayne smith was a young diplomat at the u.s. embassy when it closed in 1961. in late '70s he served at the head of the american intersection in havana. i met with him at the historic hotel national when he reflected on the events of the day. >> it was owonderful moment. i've waited all these years to return. i mean i've been back to cuba many times but to return with normal conditions between the two countries. i had begun to believe it was never going to be in my lifetime. now, wonderfully it's happened. >> when you came here as the head of the intersection, did you think back then that relations would be normalized quickly? >> i was delighted to come back and to become the chief of the intersection under carter. and hoping

. >> ¿por quÉ el poeta american richard blanco no le darÍa la mano a raÚl castro?. >> hasta que no se encamine la cosa no podrÍa en ese momento. >> guillermo moreno nos dice qÉe harÍa con miles de haitianos con peligros de inmigraciÓn. >> y hablamos con salma hayek de su nueva pelÍ ♪ ♪ alex: hoy es un dÍa abrumador activo para los volcanes del planeta, tres de estos que estÁn preocupando a quienes viven en sus inmediaciones, el volcÁn de colima, en mÁs de 40 veces en los 500 aÑos estÁ lanzando humo y cenizas en el aire, en ecuador obligÓ una evacuacion preventiva en pequeÑas poblaciones del centro del paÍs, esta madrugada expulsÓ flujos piroplÁsticos y esto hizo que el presidente declarara un estado de emergencia. en japÓn residentes obligados a evacuar por un volcÁn, precauciÓn porque hace dÍas que activaron una planta nuclear cerca del volcÁn. personas muertas y heridas en sao paulo brasil, asesinatos en dos horas y media en 10 puntos diferentes de la zona metropolitana del paÍs. en londres el primer ministro y el prÍncipe carlos realiza

. >> ¿por quÉ el poeta american richard blanco no le darÍa la mano a raÚl castro?. >> hasta que no se encamine la cosa no podrÍa en ese momento. >> guillermo moreno nos dice qÉe harÍa con miles de haitianos con peligros de inmigraciÓn. >> y hablamos con salma hayek de su nueva pelÍ ♪ verde, verde, verde ♪ es tu hogar ♪ es tu ambiente ♪ la prueba de radón ♪ la salud la protege ♪ hazlo verde, verde, verde el vivir verde es asegurarse que el aire en su hogar es saludable para su familia. asegúrese de hacer una prueba de radón en su hogar. es fácil, para saber más, llame al... proteja la salud y el bienestar de su familia. eso es vivir de manera saludable y verde. ♪ la prueba de radón ♪ la salud la protege ♪ haz verde, verde, vde la prueba de radón es fácil. sólo llame al... ♪ ♪ alex: hoy es un dÍa abrumador activo para los volcanes del planeta, tres de estos que estÁn preocupando a quienes viven en sus inmediaciones, el volcÁn de colima, en mÁs de 40 veces en los 500 aÑos estÁ lanzando humo y cenizas en el aire, en ecuador obli

so recal raul castro needs to ks political position strong in cuba. you could see tax incentives being offer, task free investments other types of things. there are some historical precedence for this, not much with regard to vietnam or with regard to iran. but we're really entering into interesting territory. >> jason marzack, thank you. >> great thank you. >> this friday al jazeera will broadcast live from cuba. antonio mora will host the international hour live from havana as this friday, 9:00 p.m. eastern time right here on al jazeera america. >>> one of venezuela's many jaimed politician he has been released on house arrest. daniel seballos woke up at home in caracas after several months behind bars. his wife was elected in a landslide to replace him. today he called for all political prisoners to be freed. >>> the u.s. army's outgoing chief of staff is offering advice on what to do about iraq. in his final news conference today, general ray odierno called the iraq situation a stalemate. mike viqueria has the story. >> today general ray odierno t

but i'll call this raul castro's economic rumba. he takes two steps forward and then one step back because he doesn't want to lose control and he is concerned about the social issues arising. >> you have been down there this past weekend. can the chinese model work in cuba? can we have this mix of communism and capitalism? and again, how much willingness is there in cuba to move forward with serious economic reform? >> i think to some degree that's what the government of cuba wants to do. it wants to maintain the revolution quote, unquote, and induce economic reform so that cubans don't have to import 80% of their food as was mentioned. i think that so far it has been good, but the problem is that the government is very hesitant to allow individuals in the private sector to accumulate wealth. they still want to maintain their monopoly on imports and experts, so right now the reforms have hit kind of a sticking point. there has been a lot more hesitancy than boldness in the reforms, and some people are wondering whether raul will not

when you open up to the cuban economy, you open up to this holding company run by raul castro's son-in-law. so what american companies will find it cuba, they will find a government that says we will let hotel underag in a

it only started to end after raul castro shook hands with president obama. and on the same day last december, the two neighbors announced that they would set aside more than five decades of hostility. >> today, the united states of america is changing it's relationship with the people of cuba. and the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years. >> that officially happened at midnight on july 20th. hours later, the cuban an tem was played and the nag was raised over what is once again the cuban embassy in wash. >> we go to the normalization of relations with the united states in a constructive spirit. >> but it is a relationship that still has a long way to go. president obama has said specifically that the united states will continue to have very serious difference was the cuban government. tony >> so talk to me about a couple of things for a second. secretary kerry as you know, is taking heat from senator marco rubio over the guest list of tomorrow's flag raising ceremony, and what's that all about? >> reporter: yeah, senator rubio was ver

when raul castro took over the runginrunning of this country ht forward be agriculture. >> we did not have a place to sell our products. going analysts estimate that half a million farmers in cuba now own or lease private land for personal profit though cuba still imports 80% of its food. which means the country still has a long way to go with its experiments before it will see better results. melissa chan, al jazeera, cuba. >> you can see melissa's report at 9:00 eastern time. >>> wildfires are burning in some cases out of control in california. we'll have that report on al jazeera america, in the meantime, thanks for joining us, i'm david schuster, the news continues, live from lorched. london. remember you can get the news any time day or night by going to aljazeera.com. >> this is al jazeera. >> hello there i'm barbara serra. this is the newshour from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes, the united states and russia aim to calm fears. >>> a syrian fighter jet crashes into a packed market killing at least 27 people. a major resignation in the af

raul castro's government is different. he is laying the groundwork for economic reforms. you see small businesses everywhere you go. things that you would have not seen 10, 20 years ago. houses being repaired. people selling things. people selling houses. actually went to see a house the other day, just yesterday. so there's commerce taking place. there's economic freedom starting to take hold. cuba is changing. and we have to change with it. >> as long as the embargo is still in place, is this only change along the margins as far as american u.s. investment? >> yes. unless the embargo is lifted this can be somewhat symbolic, a little bit superficial. until we go all the way, there won't be a normal relationship. it's hard to come here and meet people, meet average cuban people and not feel like, my gosh, what are we doing? why do we have this policy in place? because those are the people who are hurting. i just hope more people come down to havana, to cuba, and get a feel for it themselves. >> you're going to, i think, go back and try to find the home that was taken from

relations only began to improve after rawl raul castro became president and shook hands with president obama at nelson mandela's funeral. secret talks brokered by pope francis, and the neighbors announced they would set aside five decades of hostility. >> today the u.s. government is changing its relationship with the country of cuba, the largest change in our history in 50 years. >> that officially happened on july 20th. hours later the cuban anthem played and cuba's flag was raised over what is now once again cuba's embassy in washington. >> translator: we reaffirm cuba's willingness to move towards normalized relations in a constructive spirit. >> antonio mora joins us, antonio you are of cuban descent, this is not your first time back, but as you talk to people is there a renewed sense of optimism? >> lisa i i've returned to the island three times, it is similar to the visit of pope paul the sek 2nd. , it hasn't happened in 70 years it was also a rare occasion because they got to see the official of the embassy live on national television including secretary of state john kerry's s

. >> secretary kerry while he's there will not be meeting with president raul castro or his brother fidel castro. >>> tonight we've learned a young american hostage who died earlier this year was repeatedly raped by the top leader of isis. this news comes on the same day that kayla mural would have turned 27 years old. u.s. intelligence officials say mueller was the victim of repeated sexual assault. mueller's father says he was told his daughter was forced to marry. isis claims mueller was killed in a jordanian airstrike. >>> there are even more concerns about washington post reporter jason rezaian. today human rights experts called on authorities to release him immediately. rezaian went on to trial behind closed doors in tehran's revolutionary court may 26th. the final hearing was held this past monday and his attorney expected a verdict soon, but there been nothing yet. the washington post's petition to the u.n. says that iran has violated its own law as well as international law. >>> we now know the name of the man killed after a roller coaster struck him in an ohio amuse. park. polic

castro or his brother former president fidel castro who millions in damage from the u.s. caused by the decade's old embargo. >> there are lots of issues and i am not saying this is one of them but lots of issues that in the process of normalization aspect will be discussed. i have seen nothing that would indicate that is one of them. >> reporter: despite the embassy reopenings a rookie issues remain between the two government including character terrorism efforts, drug smuggling and trade. juliet: pope francis's visit to new york is a month away but officials have been busy planning for it for awhile now. the pontiff will address the u.n. at madison square garden. at the u.n. general assembly, a visit by president obama. this city will be before the feeling. it will create a security environment that police commissioner bratton. >> meteorologist: trenton to and many of whom will get an up close and personal -- >> comingle a lot more than we used to. we advise personnel to do that while we are here. >> new jersey transit will add extra trains and buses and urging people to

castro which paveled the way for the country's to reopen their embassies. one of the president's key second-term agenda items. but yesterday, fidel castro asked the united states to pay many millions of dollars in damages while the castro government continues to push for the lifting of the economic embargo is in place since 1962. president obama himself has called for an emend to the embar -- end to the am bar go that faces an uphill battle on cuba. >> president obama has awarded the castro regime. >> reporter: ten presidents have walked the halls of the white house since diplomatic relations were suspended. the american flag was raised today by the same marines who lowered it 54 years ago. in washington, joel waldman, fox news. >>> residents now suing theirenland lord in the wake of that massive and deapedly mission apartment fire. you will remember this video from january. the fire killed one man as it burned through 45 apartments on 22nd and mission. now residents are saying that the ownerses neglected the building and that their neglect helped the flame

when raul castro rolled out his reforms a few years ago he targeted agriculture as a top priority. we spend time with susanna cordero who worked in the cuban economy. >> farmers used to lose a lot of money, thousands of pesos and products because we did not have a praise to sell them. analysts estimate that half a million farmers in cuba now own or least private land for personal profit. cuba still imports 80% of the food which means that the can country has a long way to go before it's experiment sees better results. >> you can see melissa's full report tonight at 9:00 eastern. thank you for joining us. i'm randall pinkston. the news continues next live in london. you can keep up at www.aljazeera.com. >> russia ritz its commitment to helping middle east facings tackle worsening crises. hello there i'm barbara serra. you're watching al jazeera hacking for good causes? we'll meet the high tech volunteers that say they're on

castro va a poder controlarla. >> sin lugar a duda esa es una de las incÓgnitas como dijo ivÁn taylor de la habana, tambiÉn estÁ el tema del embargo de las propiedades confiscadas por el rÉgimen castrista asÍ que vamos a ver, el tiempo solamente dirÁ, marÍa celeste arrarÁs. >> asÍ es san angie muchas grac ♪ hoy revelaron la ruta por la que aseguran huyÓ joaquÍn "el chapo" guzmÁn luego de fugarse del penal del altiplano. >> josÉ el informe indica que el capo pasÓ dÍas en sinaloa antes de refugiarse en el sur del paÍs, vamos con jimena que estÁ en ciudad de mÉxico para contarnos cÓmo le estÁ siguiendo la pista adelante jimena. >> asÍ es buenas tardes supuestamente las autoridades mexicanas han utilizado diferentes mÉtodos para dar con el paradero del joaquÍn "el chapo" guzmÁn desde drones incluso el testimonio de algunas personas que dicen haber tenido contacto visual con Él. >> se dice que guzmÁn tan pronto saliÓ del tÚnel habrÍa tomado carretera junto al poblado de las palomas ubicado a 142 kilÓmetros del penal, informaciÓn que para algunos es parte de

it marks the latest step in a process that began late last year when barack obama and president raul castro announced the countries with seek to normalize relations -- would seek to normalize relations. >> the streets were packed for friday's ceremony. ordinary cubans flocked to the seafront, eager to see. it showed how important this moment is for many on the island. also present for the ceremony worth three men who played their own part in history. 54 years ago as young marines, they took down the stars and stripes outside this building as the u.s. shut down its embassy. at the key symbolic moment, they handed over the flag to the next generation. as the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry looked on. the flag was hoisted once again. the stars and stripes on the havana seafront. this was a site many americans and cubans thought they would never see again. looking back on the decades of tension between the two countries, john kerry said the thawing of relations was a courageous move. he said both countries stand to benefit, but key differences remain. john kerry: we remain convinced

. >> reporter: when raul castro rolled out his reforms a few years ago, he targeted agricultural as a top priority. crops could rot because officials failed to distribute them in town. >> farmers used to lose a lot of money. thousands in products because we did not have a place to sell them. >> reporter: until recently farmers like this woman worked like all cubans as part of the country's centrally planned economy. but now she sells 70% of what she grows to private buyers. not all cubans can afford to hope here. one bag of fruit might cost a fuel day's wages. state owned markets with lower prices remain available, but those places often run out of food. most people here pay a premium for choice and abundance. they represent the new business class, owners of small restaurants and stores. >> translator: i have shopped here ever since it opened. prices are moderate and it's the only central market we have in town and the only one where we can buy large quantities. >> translator: we buy here and resell for a profit of 30%. >> reporter: this time of the year you have mangos pineapples and

he praised president obama and cuban president raul castro for working to normalize relations, but he acknowledges there are calls for change. >> we remain convinced the people of cuba would be best served by genuine democracy where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas, practice their faith with a commitment to economic and social justice realized more fully, where institutions are unanswerable to those they serve. >> secretary kerry met with political disdentals in cuba who embrace that call for democracy. here in d.c. the story was one of waiting for a green light. >> reporter: i'm surae chinn in front of the cuban embassy in northwest washington, folks anxious to go to cuba for so many reasons including reuniting dying relatives. >> i have my mom in hospice. she's very sick, very bad. >> reporter: this man drove 16 hours to get his passport stamped so he can fly tomorrow to see his dying mother. >> maybe today she's living, tomorrow she dies of. >> reporter: rebecca sebastian desperately trying to reunite her mother with her dying grandmother in cuba. these

it marks the latest step in a process that began late last year when barack obama and president raul castro announced the countries with seek to normalize relations -- would seek to normalize relations. >> the streets were packed for friday's ceremony. ordinary cubans flocked to the seafront, eager to see. it showed how important this moment is for many on the island. also present for the ceremony worth three men who played their own part in history. 54 years ago as young marines, they took down the stars and stripes outside this building as the u.s. shut down its embassy. at the key symbolic moment, they handed over the flag to the next generation. as the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry looked on. the flag was hoisted once again. the stars and stripes on the havana seafront. this was a site many americans and cubans thought they would never see again. looking back on the decades of tension between the two countries, john kerry said the thawing of relations was a courageous move. he said both countries stand to benefit, but key differences remain. john kerry: we remain convinced

. >> when raul castro rolled out his reforms a few years ago he targeted agriculture as a top priority. in our full report we spent time with susan da cordero who worked as part of the country's centrally planned economy. >> farmers used to lose lots of money because we did not have a place to sell them. >> analysts estimate that half a million farmers in human being now own or lease private land for personal profit, although cuba still imports 80% of its food. which means that the country has a long way to go in its experiment before it will see better results. al jazeera cuba. >> and you can see melissa's full report at 9:00 eastern. the journey is over for now for a robot that was hitchhiking across the u.s. the team behind behind the hitch bot said that it was vandalized and abandoned over the weekend. it had traveled 300 miles in the u.s. before it was destroyed. it was a social experiment to see if robots to trust human beings. up to this point he had successfully relied on strangers that traversed 3600 miles in canada and europe. it went to a wedding checked out a game and went

when you open up to the cuban economy, you open up to this holding company run by raul castro's son-in-law. so what american companies will find it cuba, they will find a government that says we will let you fly a flag in a hotel under your name but it belongs to us. the workers work for us and you have no real ownership stake other than 20%. and there are no contract second -- contract rights. i don't think it will be as quick as people think. the initial bump his travel and remittances. some minor investments but not major investments. i am in favor of any policy that brings about change in cuba. i will tell you today that what the president had done had been in exchange for concrete promises by the cuban government. we will begin to do this and that. i would be uncomfortable with elements of the deal but it would be harder to argue against. understand this arrangement. we are going to do all these things with cuba. we will open up all these things we're willing to do with cuba. cuba says, thank you very much. we still want you to pay reparations and we're not going to change a single th

had a lemonade at the same restaurant where raul castro dined with jimmy carter in 2011. >>> tonight, we learned no one was at the controls for hours when a small plane crashes. >> first, this san francisco apartment was tagged for the sky high price. now it has been tagged by vandals. ♪ [ music ] [ singing ] >> well, tonight, taylor swift rocked levi stadium. we will take,,,,,,,, >> tonight, the coast guard has called tough search for the pilot of a small plane that crashed into the pacific. he started off in southern california before then veering dramatically off course. reporter crystal cruz reports the plane likely flew for hours along the bay area coastline with no one controlling it. >> reporter: long time pilot troy johnson is missing friday night. johnson was flying an experimental airplane similar to this one that crashed into the pacific ocean thursday night. >> he is a christian man and we know that he is at peace. and, it is just a difficult time and we ask that everyone would keep the family in their prayers during this difficult time. >> reporter: lindsay woods is joh

president raul castro met with havana's archbishop to discuss the upcoming papal visit. francis is expected to celebrate mass and meet with castro during that visit. francis will be the third pope to visit cuba in the last 17 years. >>> a man nbc 10 met in the pope's homeland issic maing the trip to philadelphia for the papal visit. he's hoping to meet face to face with the pontiff himself. nbc 10 was the first local news operation to put reporters on the ground in argentina. patri patrice lentz take jim rosenfeld into one of the poorest neighborhoods there. he'll travel to philadelphia for the pope's visit with a group of orphans from honduras. he's hoping they can meet the pope in person. he said he can't wait to hear the pope's message during his first visit to the u.s. >> he's coming to speak about simplicity, to speak about poverty, to speak about çlove. in the middle of a country which is so powerful. >> and prosperous. >> and prosperous in many ways. >> yes. >>> you can see more from our visit to the pope's homeland tomorrow night. nbc 10 had a firsthand look at

el pasado 17 de diciembre el presidente "barack obama", y el gobernante cubano, "raul castro", sorprendieron al mundo al anunciar que sus paises restablecerian relaciones diplomaticas despues de medio siglo, tras conversaciones secretas que contaron con la mediaion del papa francisco y el gobierno de canadadesde entonces, se han venido dando pasos hacia el descongelamienrelaciones en cuanto al envio de remesas, intercambios deportivos y culturales. cubanos de la isla, la este acercamiento es una mejora sustancial de su economia. actualidad, la mayoria de ellos apoya la decision del presidente "obama" de replantear la politica exterior respecto a fracaso del embargo economico como medio de presion para lograr un cambio politico en cuba.por su parte, un abrumador 73% de los estadounidenses tambien apoya el acercamiento entre ambas naciones vecinasaunque la apertura de embajadas en washington y la habana es un gran avance, aun hay serios obstaculos que superar para la normalizacion plena de relacion bilateral. uno de ellos es el levantamiento del embargo comercial a la isla, que requiere la apr

castro with an assist from the pope. so far the embargo remains and there are travel restrictions but tourism is already up here by some 35%. dan? >> jim avila is history is made in it cuba. >>> it's being called a miracle rescue, a moment of joy in the middle of all the devastation from those massive warehouse explosions in northern china. a firefighter was pulled from the smoldering rubble, alive, after being trapped for 32 hours. 13 other firefighters are among the dozens of people missing as concern grows over toxic chemicals, the city is being rattled by a string of smaller explosions. >> and here at home, what is being called the gozzilla el nino is brewing in the pacific and could impact weather across america. forecasters say it could be one. strongest el ninos in history with the potential to pound the west coast with monsoon-style rains this winter. the big concern those rains will trigger huge mud slooits. one fire north of san francisco burned 38 square miles. >>> meanwhile, fierce storms dumping flooding rai

kerry is not expected to meet with fidel or raul castro but will visit with dissidents at the u.s. ambassador's residence. he is also likely to see american tourists. hotels there are booked until spring. snwl snwlts. >>> in the race to 2016, there's talk of a possible shake-up on the democratic side. friends of al gore eyeing a spot for him in the race. a gore adviser tells abc news that friends and former aides are having a conversation about the possibility of gore challenging hillary clinton for the nomination. no moves by gore himself, but he has not ruled anything out. another spokesperson tells "the tennessean" newspaper that those reports are untrue. >>> and it looks like vice president joe biden is getting closer to a decision whether he'll run. on the republican side, donald trump is beefing up his political staff. abc's jonathan karl has the details. >> reporter: donald trump plans to take iowa by storm this weekend, taking the trump helicopter right to the state fair, even promising free helicopter rides for kids. >> ladies and gentlemen, president of the united states,

. >> leading the rights of lgbt is raul castro's daughter. she has been a strong advocate for lgbt individuals. >> independently of the fact that not everybody is in agreement with the law for the rights of the lgbt community this will not create a split. it will generate a cultural enrichment, an ideologic enrichment of the cuban society. >> reporter: for decades after the 1959 he revolution, homosexuality in cuba was criminalized. some homosexuals were forced into work camps. police arrest people for being gay. >> i would be proud to see an improvement in the gay community behavior in every way. >> reporter: at his job in old havana artist juan carlos rodriguez acknowledges that things are changing for gays and homosexuals. >> things have developed in the world and people are seeing us in a different view of life. the determination and sexuality of the gay person. >> reporter: havana based film maker lester a gay cuban, a way to shine a light on the group in cuba. >> i've been very surprised at how organized everything is. >> his retelling

. >> while in havana kerry is not slated to meet raul castro or his brother fidel castro who claims this country owes millions in damage caused by the u.s. by the old embargo. >> fight against legionnaires' disease. city council now passed legislation that would require buildings with cooling towers to register twowrs the city. they'll also be required to be cleaned every three months this comes as mayor de blasio said outbreak is under control. here's the mayor. >> no brand new cases since august 3rd now a full ten days since we've seen a new case. pmpleght so far 12 have died. 121 others have been infected. the largest legionnaires' outbreak in the history of new york city. >> 6:10 we have a lot more coming up. >> a good beach weekend. mike is here. mike: fantastic, in fact, it warms up just enough to the point where you feel like you have to get in that water. right now 67 degrees central park. a little cooler than yesterday. mostly sunny very warm. 83 degrees close to it, in fact, going a little bit beyond it. so let's take a look actually and go to the tease for this hour here. so t

. >> there are no plans for kerry to meet with raul castro. the u.s. restrictions to the country but not completely lifted them. only for academic, cultural, sports or religious reasons are allowed for now. >>> david, there is speculation that former vice president al gore may run for president but he put a stop to it. after the hanging chad fiasco, gore said through a spokesperson that he is not exploring a campaign run. >>> a short while ago, euro zone nations approved a deal to keep greece from defaulting on its debt. it was approved after lawmakers passed a painful package of reforms and spending cuts. the bailout is heavy on austerity measures. it will prevent their financial euro. >> the market suffered big losses earlier in the week but regained the footing during the last few days of trading. board. points. >>> now to the legionnaires outbreak in new york city. health officials are taking to the streets to talk to people about legionnaires. office of emergency management brought a mobile unit to the south bronx near the center of the outbreak t

. >> when raul castro rolled out his reforms a few years ago, he targeted agriculture as a top priority. inefficiencies had racked the industry. fruit and vegetables would rot because officials charged with picking up farmer's crops failed to distribute them in time. state owned markets with lower prices remain available, but they often run out of food. >> this time of the year, you've got mangos, pineapples and plantains. 900 farmers, groups of farmers and different organizations have registered to sell at the market here. >> analysts estimate that half a million farmers in cuba now own or lease private land for personal profit. the reforms have in vig rated this farmer. >> when we heard the news, farmers felt great joy. any change would be an improvement. it was excellent, it was freedom. >> farming remains a tough enterprise. the machines are far past their expiration date and often break down. to buy spare parts, they have to wait. the government has complete control over imports and a monopoly on selling new merchandise. once upon a time, cuba exported sugar, tobacco and citrus. th

castro or his former brother, fidel castro who placed. caused by decade old embargo. >> there are lots of issues. i'm in the saying this is one of them. there are lots of issues. in the process of normal says i suspect will be discussed. i see nothing that would indicate that is one of them. >> reporter: despite embassy reopening several key issues remain between the two government including counter terrorism efforts, drug smuggling and trade. jackie ibanez, "fox news". >>> 4:20. sunni militants have bombed their way through city of baghdad leaving at least 76 people dead in the center of the the iraq's shiite community. they detonate aid refrigerator truck in the center of the shiite market. even though u.s. led coalition continues to launch air strikes, isis does control roughly the same territory today as it did last summer. how about that. >>> with fighters joining battle field from neighboring turkey, u.s. military officials say the group is resilient. the general says u.s. might to have embed troops on the ground to help iraq, howev

. >> if you go back and look at some of raul castro's speeches, he's talked about the nonstate sector. >> they won't call it will private sector. it's the nonstate sector. >> and that is going to grow in the future and it's growing now, approximately 500,000 people take part in that. and the problem is, there's no supply chain, they can't get materials, some have to fly to miami with an empty suitcase and bring back materials to havana. so all these people with the energy and creativity to do things, but they don't have the wherewithall. that's where we should be helping. that's where we can help. there's an opening in the president's program that allows for help to entrepreneurs, that's what we should be doing. >> mr. secretary, thanks so much for joining us. we really appreciate it. >> real pleasure. >> get back to all the big events happening at the now u.s. embassy, back to you. >> michelle caruso-cabrera, thank you so much live today from havana. >>> coming up, despite the weak retail earnings we've seen, one of the top fund managers on the street is still bullish on the consumer

castro has pretty much said the nature of the regime is not going to change. historic moment for the u.s. and cuba, but it's a long road back, fred. >> there have been some who were critical that there were no dissidents invited to that ceremony but would that have ever been something the u.s. would consider or did they even consider it before the decision was made that they would not be there? >> i don't think so. i mean let's look at what yesterday was. it was the formal restoration of ties between the u.s. and cuban governments. so cuban officials are not going to come to the embassy if there are a bunch of dissidents there, so what's the real point of the whole ceremony? but secretary kerry did meet with a group of dissidents at a much larger reception at the u.s. residence of jeff delorentis. this was -- they billed it as a government to government event. i don't think they handled it very well how they talked about it. they said there was a lack of space. that's really not true. this is really an event to mark the restoration of ties with the government