his brother, raul castro announced his death. look back at fidel castro's life. >> reporter: to his followers, he was commander or fidel. to enemies, a dictator. one of the world's last communists. the illegitimate son of a land owner. he graduated with a law degree and doctorate. tried running for the assembly until power seized. in 1953, castro led a coup. castro ended up in jail for two years after it failed. in mexico, castro regrouped with his brother raul and fellow revolutionary. the three led a force back to cuba in 1956 waging guerilla war. day, they marched into havana. at first the young leader promised democracy. telling the u.s. he was not a communist. meet the press in 1959. >> i am not communist. >> later, he went on the tonight show with jack carr. >> you can ask all you want for the public states about anything you want. >> reporter: almost from the start, castro took the wealthy and silenced newspapers and nationalized oil refineries and signed a pact with the soviet union. in 1961, president kennedy ordered the

in mexico, he regrouped with his brother raul and ernesto. the three led a force back to cuba in 1956 waging guerlla war in 1959. at first the young leader telling the u.s. he was not a communist. "meet the press" in april of 1959. >> i am not communist. >> reporter: he confiscated the property of the wealthy and silenced newspapers and signed a pact with the soviet union. in 1961, president kennedy ordered the cia to invade cuba of anti-castro exiles. the results debacle helped castro consolidate power. by then, declared socialist, he improved health care and literacy. also accepted soviet missiles bringing the super powers to the brink of nuclear war. >> requiring a full retaliatory response upon the soviet union. >> reporter: until kennedy's hard line got pull back. for 25 years, moscow helped castro throughout latin america. but with the end of the soviet union, cuba's economy imploded. on makeshift boats, thousands fled the regime. >> the legacy is a complicated one. there's no for getting how many cubans left the island under duress. >>

and we can say under raul reef include allowing cubans to use cell phones. and this is video from a recent trip we took down there. they started opening up a public wifi spot. they are jam packed because this is really the only place ghekt that wifi. they will tell you, the internet is slow. many sites restricts and it is expensive to use. there is also a surge in entrepreneurship. cubans on average make 25, 50 bucks a month. that is it is interesting pause the catholic church. you recall the vatican was huge and reestablishing diplomatic relations, they are helping teach new cuban business owners how to start their own companies. you see some change, what cubans hope to be progress. but they worry at times it is not enough. nor is it moving quickly enough. and they hope that the changes are lasting. but i can tell you for the typical cuban t reality of a dramatic change in access or freedoms after fidel castro's and we'll see what happens with president elect donald trump and what he chooses to do with president obama's executive orders. >> we'll follow it

raul has been revolutionary in his own way. he has reached out to the united states and has accepted some market reforms. used. some telephone communications. there's postal service for the first time in more than half a century between the united states and cuba. also airline service as well. there have been changes, but not changes in terms of free expression and democracy. >> very interesting. andrea, thank you. >>> a lot of cuban-americans celebrated as soon as they heard the news. spilling out in the streets of spots. nbc's kerry sanders in miami this morning with more on that and reaction from around the world. kerry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, hallie. one of three people who lives in the greater miami area is a cuban-american. not all of them refer to this as home. their political exile.

fidel -- raul is 85. i hear people say the younger castro. he is 85 years old. he has been involved in the government since day one. he has been governing for the last ten years. the thing people don't un reformer thinking for the best interests of cuba. his number one interest is to make permanent the system of government. because they have an extended family and friends who depend on the system of government for their livelihood. they want this system of government to become a permanent and accepted way to govern an island nation. that's the number one interest is. >> you put out a statement a couple weeks ago saying this, rolling back president obama's one-sided concessions to the castro regime, a key campaign president-elect trump will be a top priority for me next year. >> absolutely. >> are you convinced it's a top priority for president trump? >> i am. >> you are going to fight to lift, to put back in the travel sanctions on commercial and private travel? are you going to put cuba back on the state sponsor of terrorism list? are you going to close the emb

raul made so many changes. the market reforms, opening to the u.s. and fidel castro never fully embraced and critical of somewhat diplomatically if you will. now we have to see the reaction of the u.s. side and there is they're very nervous about what to expect an the fact that president obama has been so heavily invested in the changes is the expectation they cane b undone and by canceling the executive orders. a lot is in place, postal service, airline travel just beginning, regular commercial flights. so the addition of more cultural exchanges, people traveling. that said, that is turning conscious of the political changes in the u.s. >> andrea, you have spent a lot of time there in cuba including a long, extended interview of castro in 2002 giving you a tour of the country effectively. what were your personal impressions of the man up close? >> reporter: well, he was so argumentative. i first went in 1999 when there were so many protests against the u.s. at the height of the controversy of elian gonzalez, that 6-year-old boy. and we would argue,

i don't know how to say it in english. >> this is as good as raul castro opening to the u.s. cruises come to florida and americans are spending money. >> we are getting economy. >> what will happen if the new president elect, the next president trump changes all that? >> that'll be bad for us. >> donald trump once explored business deals in havana. >> how much to roll back and sending signals today. >> nothing indefinite, he will be speaking to his advisers. signaling some flexibilities. everything should be guided by our goals. our goals are not the punish. >> reporter: until fidel's burial of a week from today t cuba are closing a lot of events and forgoing their fund for baseball. the legacy of its legendary and founding father, and also havana tonight. >>> now to new orleans an early shooting left nine person dead. >> panic in the streets of new orleans. >> we need ems, people are running to escape the gunfire. >> i got one shot in the chest and another shot in the hands and some other ones, i cannot tell right now. >> surveillance video 1:30 this morning. >> mountains of

raul castro has kept many of the political fundamentals of the revolution. there is no free election. but he has, the somewhat younger brother, raul castro, has certainly opened up the markets. there have been economic reforms. most dramatically, raul castro's opening to the u.s. in 2014. which was still a work in progress. that is the concern of many in the white house. president obama so heavily invested, david, in this opening, in this new relationship, trying to cement things in place. but as long as congress still has the full trade embargo in e, without an act of congress. the president has done everything he can by executive order, and that -- a lot of that can be reversed by donald trump. >> on that point, andrea, i know talking to cubans down there, they have this cautious optimism about change. when we look at u.s. policy with cuba, we've seen where things changed in the past two years. what is your sense of what is going to be happening next, post fidel castro? engaged in the campaign, he was praising the obama initiatives. more recently, he's com

in 2006 fidel castro temporarily turned over power to raul castro. two years later he stepped down and succeeded by his brother. he wrote columns about his life's experiences. emerging publicly for xi jinping in 2014. this past march fidel castro was nowhere to be scene during president obama's meeting with raul castro. fidel castro wrote an editorial saying we don't need the empire to give us anything. fidel castro never tolerated free election or dissent but gave his people better health care and education. still, his real legacy may beholding power for nearly half a century. longer than any other modern leader. we went to cuba in 1999 to cover the anti-u.s. protest during the fight during elian gonzalez. in my first interview with fidel castro and over the years in many interviews, he was argumentative, he would talk all night, he would debate. he was on the internet even though his people could not, for the most part, be on the internet. he followed our newscast. he told me what he didn't like. and we had a lot of arguments over years. his final

there will be a message from his brother raul. the u.s. says they're not sending, president obama will not be a part of this, nor is secretary of state john kerry. that is the latest live right now here in havana. now back to you. eun, aaron? >> thank you. >>> "news4's" david culver is en route there. if you're looking for more washington app and search castro. >>> just about 5:48. snow forecasted through wednesday in the state of dakota. authorities say they have no plans to enforce that. thousands of native american activists have been camping on u.s. army corps of engineer plan because they don't want a new 1,100 mile pipeline built there. >>> today governor dave doocy of arizona will dedicate a memorial for the 19 firefighters that were killed in arnell. it happened in 2013 and it was the greatest loss since 1933. it will be located to the northwest of phoenix and it will be open to the public tomorrow. about the silver line. the meeting is set for 3:00 in lease ford. on monday night he caused multiple crashes. he's at the rappahannock

fidel -- raul is 85. i hear people say the younger castro. he is 85 years old. he has been involved in the government since day one. he has been governing for the last ten years. the thing people don't understand is he is not a reformer thinking for the best interests of cuba. his number one interest is to make permanent the system of government. because they have an extended the system of government for their livelihood. they want this system of government to become a permanent and accepted way to govern an island nation. that's the number one interest is. >> you put out a statement a couple weeks ago saying this, rolling back president obama's one-sided concessions to the castro regime, a key campaign promise shared with president-elect trump will be a top priority for me next year. >> absolutely. >> are you convinced it's a top >> i am. >> you are going to fight to lift, to put back in the travel sanctions on commercial and private travel? are you going to put cuba back on the state sponsor of terrorism list? are you going to close the embassy? >> first of al

the dictator raul castro will continue his war. fidel castro's passing was noted in different ways. but by president obama and president-elect trump. obama praising history will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him. trump blasting castro as a brutal dictator with a legacy of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights. for decades congress has refused to lift the trade embargo against cuba, so president president-elect trump can reverse all of that once he takes office. he is sending mixed signals to his aides as to how much he wants on roll back. back to you. >> david culver is on his way cuba right now. and will be\on roll back. back to you. >> david culver is on his way cuba right now. and will beon roll back. back to you. >> david culver is on his way cuba right now. and will be reporting arrive in the coming days. >>> details on a new proposal that would provide up to 11 weeks of paid leave to d.c. workers. d.c. council chairman phil mendelson is behind it. the new pl

police have arrested 21-year-old raul ramos. he was a counselor at the kids after hours program held at flower valley elementary school. ramos is accused of inappropriately touching a once while he was playing tag with the child. he now faces several charges, including sexual abuse of a minor. now, while the program, the after school program is held here at flower valley elementary school, it is actually a private after school program. it is not run by the montgomery county public school system. anyone with information about what allegedly happened here or anyone with concerns about other children enrolled in the montgomery county police. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, megan. >>> it was a new trial with new evidence but the same verdict, guilty. raminda cower will be sentenced in january. prosecutors convinced the jury she came here from tennessee to help her husband kill his ex-wife. the couple was tried together in 2014 but cower was granted a new trial based on ineffective council. john mccarthy says the evidence we

castro's brother raul remains president but he's 85 and says he'll retire in 2018. now there's hope for the future. chris pollone, nbc news, new >>> i talked to culver about the nine days of mourning for castro. >> the first major gathering we can show you is going to be in havana, cuba's capital, tuesday night 7:00 p.m. cubans are going to gather here at the revolutionary square, essentially, it's there cubans will pay tribute. this is a public square and you'll notice on some of the buildings it's surrounded by with fuegos, che guevara. the kraem mated remains of fidel will be taken cross country. this gives you an idea how big cuba is. it would be the eighth-largest state if it was a u.s. state. over three days is how long it's going to take to get it from havana to santiago de cuba in the east cross country. this weekend there will be another public gathering, this time for the people in the gathering. here's a look at the cemetery where he's going to be interned, the same cemetery where famed cuban revolutionary jose marti ausberried. >> fidel castro's own sist

raul ramos worked at a privately run program. he is facing several charges including sexual offense. between the end of august and the end of october, ramos inappropriately touched the victim while playing tag with her. the alleged abuse took place while the girl was enrolled in the kids after hours program at flower valley elementary school. police. >>> right now, newly elected members of congress are getting ready to make the trip here to washington. orientation on capitol hill begins at 8:00 a.m. on monday. it will include briefings, lunch, and photo sessions. the new comers will be placed in a lottery for office space. the republican led congress will likely play a big role in helping donald trump fulfill his campaign promises. here are 4 things to know about the plan for the first 100 days. it ld appoint a supreme justice. repealing the affordable care act won't be easy. some analysts say a replacement will need to be in place before it is dissolved. democrats are likely to filibuster and senate republicans would need 60 vot

i think we should point out though, it is possible raul castro puts in more changes now that fidel is dead. we don't know but it's something to watch for. >> you mentioned it a little, president obama's statement. when you look at that, what do you make of kind of dancing around some o talk? >> look, i've done some reporting on this. the white house's view is it plays into the hands of the hard liners. plays into the hands of castro if you continue to bring up some of the old criticism. >> he got upset with the president once he left after the visit. >> they didn't want to do that. but it seems as if they sort of -- seems to me they went to announced the policy. when he officially announced the opening of the embassy that he was going to do, reopen diplomatic relations, that speech was criticized by many people in miami because it lacked an acknowledgment of so many people that either whose lives were physically harmed by castro or who had family members die at his hands, and not acknowledging that so many americans participated in that and were victims of him. it always felt as if do

some opponents say they don't think castro's death will change much more cubans because his brother raul still in power. there is also concern that the new u.s. president could change the improved relationship between the two >> what will happen if the new president, the next president trump, changes all of that. bad fo >> president-elect donald trump made earlier promises to reverse president obama's efforts to restore u.s. relations with cuba. it is not clear whether or how quickly that could happen. >>> right now in prince william county police need help finding police say his vehicle was found parked at a miss in that area. if you know where he might be call police. >>> and in frederick county maryland a man is facing indecent exposure charges this morning. deputies arrested russell hendley after he allegedly pulled up to a woman in his car and touched himself in front of her. this happened near elmer durr and south wrenn will continue their fight to say in their manassas homes. residents of the east and mobile home park are being evicted in february. the city of manassas bought the

is not the passing of an era, as this is still a communist country in the hands of castro's brother raul, but it comes at a critical time in the relationship between the u.s. and cuba. the massive line snaked into the stood in the hot sun, clutching flags and photos, waiting hours to pay their respects to their controversial, former leader, fidel castro. >> it's important for the cuban people to be here, and everybody is here precisely because of what he said. >> you see soldiers crying, old ladies crying, men crying. >> reporter: at the top of each hour, the booms of 21-cannon salutes echo through havana during this official nine-day decade now, in death as in life, his name sparks deep emotions. castro, the hero and freedom fighter. castro, the ruthless tyrant. the world that even some here still debate his legacy. >> love it or hate it, he was an incredible man. you can agree or not with him, but he was incredible. he did many, many things for cuba. >> reporter: castro rose to power in 1959, leading a guerrilla force that toppled cuba's u.s.-backed dictator. democracy. >> i am not com

. >> reporter: but now with raul in power, he has renewed hope. >> translator: when that happened i saw the salvation of the cuban revolution. >> reporter: a revolution sparked by the man they now honor. with nine days of mourning. >> translator: dedicated to that party despite pressure from the >> translator: we're not returning to capitalism. we're going to perfect our social economic system. we're going to do socialism with new philosophies. >> reporter: new philosophies deeply rooted in their past. >> that was nbc's jay gray reporting. >>> after a deadly shooting on the world famous bourbon street. a security camera captured the chaos as crowds ran f shots. police responded on horse back. they're searching for two men who were arguing in the street. >> i'm confident we will track down those responsible for this crime and make sure they are brought to justice. >> 10 people were shot including tolliver who died from his wounds. >>> after this weekend's four-day shopping frenzy, retailers are hoping to cash in deals on everything from electronics to appliances and even home tools. mean

his brother raul making the late night announcement on cuban >> as celebrations spill o out into the streets of miami's little havana. castro's half century reign forced thousands to flee for their lives and brought the u.s. and cuba back to war in the '60s. he presided over 11 presidents in power. now the u.s. and cuba are enjoying better relations, what

raul castro along with others in the government on served a moment of silence. thousands waited in line to file past the urn and pay their respects. "news4's" david culver is live in miami, expected to join us in president-elect donald trump has picked tom price to join hz his team as health and services secretary tear. he has several meetings today including one with mitt romney who's being considered for secretary of state. tennessee's bob corker is also being considered. he will also meet with donald trump. meanwhile jill stein's request for a recount could begin as early as thursday. of the busiest airports could experience major delays. workers at chicago o'hare are expected to walk off the job. >> the strike is over money, of course. they're skl for $15 minimum wage. right now it's $10.25. elsewhere it's >>> the new paid family leave. it applies to workers in dc. not the federal workers or government workers. it the proposal will be funded by a new payroll tax on businesses. she has not seen it but may not go far enough. if it passes, it may still require

raul ramos worked at a privately-run program in rockville. montgomery county police say between the end of august and the end of october, ramos inappropriately touched the victim while playing tag with her. the alleged abuse took place while the girl was enrolled in the kids after hours program at flower valley elementary school. anybody with concerns about police. >>> we are working to find out the condition of two men who were shot this morning. d.c. police say that they found the men on stanton road southeast between suitland parkway and elfen's road. the man went to the hospital but it's not clear how seriously they were hurt. police say they have not arrested anyone so far and are working to learn more about a deadly shooting in northeast washington. d.c. police say a man was killed in grant place just p.m. right across the street from thomas elementary school. no word on a suspect at this time. >>> a puppy named cruise is back with its owners. he was stolen from his front yard last month. d.c. police say they found him last night. and w

stretch for hour, cubans from every corner schoolchildren,ed a did you tell adult, everybody the son of raul castro, thousands waiting for a chance to file past the simple memorial. items just a few seconds, bruh for many, an emotional good-bye. >> he's a symbol of cuba. >> reporter: cuban journalist says even though he was no longer el president, the death of fidel castro leaves about what comes next. >> we grew up always thinking he was the person with all the answers. now i don't think anyone can say what is going to happen. >> reporter: many concerned about what castro's death means to the growing economic relationship between cuband at united states. and as the first commercial flight lands this afternoon, there are questions state side, as well. the obama administration standing by its ongoing effort >> i wouldn't expect any impact on the kind of progress that we're committed to making on our end. >> reporter: but a social media post from president-elect donald trump this morning threatens to terminate the growing relationship if the countries can't broker is, quote, better deal. but a

raul castro joined the throngs of people during the two days his ashes will be there. those ashes will be buried at santiago where he launched his revolution. david culver is in cuba and joins nus our next hour to show you how the people in cuba are paying their respects to castro. >>> they were on their way to represent their country on a global stage when tragedy struck. figure out why a plane carrying a soccer team crashed. . >>> it's that i'm of year when thieves could take your package deliveries right off your front doorstep. things you can do to make sure thieves don't take what's yours. >>> the white house is getting ready for the holidays. we'll take you inside and e show >>> hundreds of workers at reagan national airport took part in a nationwide protest just a few hours ago demanding cleaners and wheelchair attendants want their pay raise ed to $15 an hour. they just authorized the strike vote during the holidays. they marched for about a mile outside of the airport. it's all part of a growing labor movement called the fight for $15. we talked to one worker

a 21 gun salute to el commandante perform schoolchildren, adults, even the son of raul castro, thousands wait f past the simple memorial. it's just a few seconds, but for now, it's an emotional good by. >> he was the symbol of cuba. >> reporter: this cuban journalist says even though he was no longer el president, the death of fairfax countyleaves >> we grew up thinking he was person with all the answers. now i don't think anyone can say what is supposed to happen. >> reporter: many concerned about what castro's death means to the growing economic relationship between cuba and the united states. and as the first u.s. commercial flight to havana lands this afternoon, there are questions stateside, as well, the obama administration standing by its evident to normalize relations in the wake of castro's death. >> i wouldn't expect any we're committed to making on our end. >> reporter: because social media post from president-elect donald trump this morning threatens to terminate the growing relation ship. f. the countries can't broker, a, quote, better deal. it's a deal that for now will hav

now with raul in power he has renewed hope. >> translator: when that happened i saw the salvation of the cuban revolution. >> a revolution sparked by the man they honor. >> for cubans, fidel castro is an indispensable being. >> dedicated to that party, despite pressure from the u.s. and others. >> translator: we're not returning to capitalism, we're going to perfect our social economic system. we're going to do socialism, with new philosophies. >> new philosophies, deeply rooted. in their past. jay gray, nbc news, havana. >>> right now, jury selection is under way in the trial of the man accused of killing nine black parishioners inside a so a judge ruled dylann roof can act as his own attorney. the 22-year-old will represent himself. roof is charged with 33 hate crimes for the 2015 shooting emmanuel a.m.e. church. the government is seeking the death penalty. lawyers have said it could take two weeks to pick 12 jurors and six alternates. >>> the search continues for two gunmen responsible for a deadly street. a man died and nine others were hospitalized. kelsey davis has more. >> stu

few are expected to sit as tens of thousands including cuban president raul castro gather >> we all feel very sad with the loss of our commander, although he will forever be a light in our hearts and our minds. >> reporter: all day yesterday lines stretched in all directions for hours and as far as you could see. thousands waiting for a chance to file past this simple memorial. a few seconds. a final >> you see soldiers crying, old ladies, men, even the guard, those guys were trying to hide a tear but they just can't. >> reporter: tears come with concern here. even though he was no longer el presidente, castro's death leaves many wondering what comes next. >> we grew up with the person who knew all the answers. now i don't think anyone can say what's going to happen. that most surely will be influenced by the country's controversial past. jay gray, nbc news, havana. >>> and news 4's david culliver is in cuba. you can see his live report on news 4 at 5:00. >>> this morning students are back to class at ohio state one day after a violent rampage on campus. federal investigators are trying

a 21-year-old counselor, raul ramos is accused of inappropriately touching a 5-year-old girl enrolled in that program. ramos faces several charges, including sexual abuse of a minor. police say he worked in this privately run program called kids after hours. it is held inside the flower valley elementary school but the program is not a part now, investigators say the alleged abuse happened between the end of august and the end of october. ramos touched the girl more than once while playing tag. now, anyone who has concerns about the possibility of other children enrolled in the program being victims of abuse, you're asked to call investigators, here is the phone number, >>> a man stabbed multiple times in southeast and now police are looking for the person behind it. we can tell you this happened just before 2:00 this morning on the 2500 block of pennsylvania avenue. a man, multiple stab wounds taken to the hospital. no arrests in this case thus far. i'm erika gonzalez. >> thank you. 5:05 now. we're following a developing story out of the district where d.c. police are trying to find

the ditaor raul castro will continue fighting his war having fought 11 presidents and is seen in a strikingly different way from president obama and saying this enormous impact of this figure and the people around him and donald trump president-elect, fiing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and denial of human rights. obama sees the opening of cuban connections as his legacy. direct commercial flights, internet service. cracks in the 50 year trade embargo like the first tourist dollars like this immigrated who drives a 1950 chevy red convertible. >> we are getting better. >> reporter: since congress has long refused to lift that trade embargo with cuba, president obama made these changes by executive order. president-elect trump can change all of that when he takes office. today, his aides are sending mixed signals how much he intends to roll back. major developments in syria where the government has captured eastern aleppo, held for the past four years. forces have captured nearly 10 neighborhoods putting nearly 30% of aleppo under government control. thousands of civilians fled

raul castro closed the memorial with a speech calling his older brother with a revolution for the humble and by the humble. >> we now know who won the powerball worth $420 million. a group of portland workers who came forward to claim their prize. they spoke at a news conference about the huge win. >> you never think you're going to win this lottery but you do it for son. my son saw it on tv, and started texting, i know mama bought that ticket, wake her up. i started screaming, i know i'm in a of gold. this isn't chaning what they've always done. i was on my way home last night from here and my check engine light came on. i don't have to get frantic about that now. >> i called billy and he said, man, you need to get up and watch the news. i went, why? he went, we won the lottery. >> i hope to do a lot of good kindness, you know, no change. that's my motto. you get the feeling they're not going to change, played together for eight years. >> after taxes they each get $13 million, just in time for christmas! >> and for that check oil or engine light. >> a check of the forecast. >> i have a