Exchange for releasing you . Yeah, i think they want something thats completely unrealistic. Since im not really a prisoner, im a hostage, they took me with the idea of trading me. Reporter the landmark deal involves the release of three cubans convicted in the u. S. Of spying. Part of the socalled cuban five. For more than five decades, the u. S. Has observed a trade embargo on cuba, imposed during cuban revolution and Fidel Castros takeover of the island. In 2011, president obama relaxed some travel restrictions and last year he raised eyebrows in the cuban exile community, telling a fundraiser in miami the embargo doesnt make sense saying we have to be creative and we have to be thoughtful and we have to continue to update our policies. And, carol, the initiatives the president will announce today, im told, including a major relaxing of travel restrictions for americans, were talking about a general license to travel to cuba for practically anything but tourism. A resum slption of b
south africa during apartheid, it made a difference in chile during the pinochet regime. interesting how people pivot and change their point of view on the subject depending on the ruler. i m going to have to leave it there. thor halvorsen, thank you so much for joining me, i appreciate it. i want to bring in congresswoman barbara lee, a democrat from california. she joins me on the phone. welcome and thank you for being with me this morning. thank you. really happy to be with you. happy that you re here. so you just returned from cuba four days ago? no, no, i returned from cuba, actually, last night. i was with i actually led a seven-member delegation to look really, quite frankly, at the public health system and all the issues around scientific research, diabetes and tell me what you think of this? oh, i think this is a major step. i have had the opportunity to meet with alan gross on four
relationship. i think we ve lost congressman farr but thank you very much for joining us. i appreciate the democrat from california being here. i want to bring in thor halvorsen, he s the president of the human rights foundation. welcome. thank you. thank you for having me. is i have to tell you, the congressman was wrong on the facts, wrong on the law and wrong on human rights. it s really sad that a member of the u.s. government would say such things that are so outrageous on this show. comparing alan gross someone engaged in civil society and human rights work with men who murdered innocent people trying to leave cuba. again, it s embarrassing that a member of the u.s. government would say such things. i understand you were recently cuba and you were mistaken for alan gross? well, actually, the last time i was in cuba was about two or