dictator and rode tanks and jeeps into cuba's capital, havana. >> and for decades after that he ruled cuba with an iron fist, creating a one-party state and bringing the cold war to the western hemisphere. aligning his country with the soviet union and denouncing the united states. he swept away capitalism in cuba, abandoned and expanded education and healthcare, but he clamped down on religious freedom and banned free speech and executing or jailing thousands of political opponents. >> patrick oppmann joins us live from havana, the cnn correspondent in cuba. of course, patrick, you find yourself in a peculiar situation because you have been the one for the last three hours or so more often than not breaking this news to cubans. what is going on now? >> reporter: that often happens here with international events, but it is really the first time i remember in five years of