"I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people", Obama said in a speech at the Grand Theater of Havana. He also called for the lifting of the embargo (only the United States Congress can do that) and for the return to Cuba of the naval base at Guantánamo Bay.

"This is something I didn't believe until I hugged my niece", Varona said Monday after seeing relatives in Cuba. "Cuba has emphasized the role and rights of the state; the United States is founded upon the rights of the individual".

Castro acknowledged there were still "profound" differences over Cuba's human rights situation and the decades-old, crippling U.S. economic embargo on the island.

Fifth Harmony's Camila Cabello, who is Cuban-American, expressed that Obama in Cuba was "awesome" and later stated that she's going to miss Barack as POTUS. "The word liberty means so much to me, and we all know that in our country, that does not exist", he said in an interview with El Nuevo Herald.

Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro sat side by side behind home plate to watch the game along with the thousands that were in attendance at the crowded park. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to demonstrate to a Cuban audience the strides that America has made in the last several years.

Belgian broadcaster identifies 2 suspects in attacks
One person has been arrested after Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels , CNN reports , citing state broadcaster RTBF . Russell Jarvis for TravelStart also says, "Travellers should remain alert and vigilant, stay away from crowded places".

Why would the USA president indulge in sports after two terrorist attacks hit Belgium, killing almost 50 people?

"You had two Cuban Americans in the Republican Party, running against the legacy of a black man who is president, while arguing that they're the best person to beat the Democratic nominee who will either be a woman or a Democratic socialist", he said to laughter from the crowd. He called Obama's visit a "stab in the back" for those who fought against a communist dictator. In Cuba, members of the hierarchy never have to face questions about the authoritarian disregard for human rights that characterizes their failed state. "Creo en el pueblo cubano", he said, then repeating himself in English: "I believe in the Cuban people".

The address touched on the close historical and cultural connections between the US and Cuba, while laying out Obama's vision for the new normalization of relations.

"We stand in solidarity with them [the Belgian authorities] in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people", Obama said in Havana. ESPN broadcaster Karl Ravech brought up the recent efforts by Major League Baseball to speed the game up - like limiting the amount of time between innings - and Obama jumped in and said with a smile that he's all for those rules.


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