nation. i m now taking steps to place the interests of the people of both countries at the heart of our policy. reporter: those steps include reopening an embassy in havana. high level visits between the u.s. and cuban governments and easing some economic sanctions, including the longstanding ban on importing cuban cigars. now licensed american travelers to cuba can come back with up to $100 of tobacco. the imprisonment of american alan gross convicted by cuba of espionage had long been considered a major impediment to any renewed relationship between the two nations. gross was released and is now back home in america. i am incredibly blessed finally to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. reporter: in an exclusive interview with abc s david muir, president obama described talking to gross on his flight home. we had a nice conversation.
deal after more than a year of secret talks. and personal involvement by pope francis. in an exclusive interview with abc s david muir, president obama calling the pope the real deal. the assistance, not only of him and his office in providing a moral authority to the issue, but also his practical facilities in the vatican, i think was very important. will you visit cuba in your final two years as president? i don t have any current plans to visit cuba. not ruling it out? let s see how things evolve. a lot of fanfare in havana as the three cuban prisoners stepped off a plane yesterday greeted by president raul castro. they were arrested in 1998 and later convicted of spying on anti-castro groups in miami. you can stay with abc news as we cover the impact of this accord with cuba. more reaction coming up on america this morning and good morning america. now to the fallout over sony s decision to shelve a movie because of threats from hackers linked to north korea. so
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
anti-anxiety drugs. they say senior citizens take those drugs three times as much as younger people. many are taking xanax or to help them sleep but the drugs can hamper thinking, movement and driving and increase the risk of falls. there s new hope for smokers who want to quit this morning. a naturally occurring plant compound may be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy. the chemical has been used in eastern europe for decades but it s not widely available here. callers calling a quit line in new zealand got significantly better results with it and it s much cheaper. seems like it s hard to smoke. i m not a smoker, but somewhere like new york where it s so expensive and you can t smoke inside anymore. were you ever a smoker? never a smoker. never a smoker. yeah, it s kind of hard to break. it s like whatever habit you have. people try the patch, the gum. president obama has done the nicorette gum and i think it worked for him. think he s really done? every once
he, obviously, is joyful about being reunited with his family. reporter: republican senator marco rubio of florida, a cuban american, blasted the president s announcement. the cuban people aren t any more free today than they were yesterday. reporter: but president obama cannot end the longstanding embargo with cuba because that requires congressional approval. karen, thank you. they ll release an exchange for three cuban agents. the men were greeted by raul castro as they stepped off of a plane in havana yesterday. they were arrested in 1998 and later convicted of spying on anti-castro groups in miami. stay with abc news as we cover the far-reaching impact of the accord with cuba. full reaction on america this morning and good morning america. we may get a look at boston bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev. it would be the first time we ve seen him since last year. he s expected to be in court for the final lawyer conference before his trial set to start