>> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> well, good morning to you. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm t.j. holmes. thank you for being with us. we begin with that surprise deal wiping out the last trail of historic animosity. a historic prisoner swap restoring ties between the u.s. and cuba for the first time in more than half a century. >> alan gross was released after spending five years in a cuban prison for espionage. also back on u.s. soil, a u.s. intelligence agent locked up in cuba for two decades in exchange for the u.s. released three jailed cuban spies. here's a look at gross reuniting with his wife in just a moment after touching down at andrews air force base. >> i'm incredibly blessed finally to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. >> the deal follows more than a year of secret meetings between the u.s. and cuba and personal interventions by pope francis. >> just hours after president obama announced plans to restore