CNN news 2014-12-23 加文本

cnn news 2014-12-23

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: A teacher whose school is out Fridays, asked me to say Thursdays are epic! Welcome to our pan-ultimate program of 2014, it

starts with news concerning Cuba. Yesterday, President Obama announced a major change in relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The U.S. government

is reopening its embassy in the communist country. It`s allowing travel and trade that`s been banned since President Kennedy was in office. The

two nations have been at odd since 1959 when communists overthrew the island`s government and took control.

During the Cold War, it`s a rivalry between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Cuba was an ally of the Soviet Union. At point allowing nuclear missiles

to be installed as a threat to the U.S.

In an effort to punish Cuba, the U.S. put an embargo in place, a ban on trade with Cuba. U.S. officials hope that isolating the country would

influence its government to turn from communism and give its people more freedom. President Obama says that didn`t work.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I believe that we can do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values through

engagements.

After all, these 50 years have shown that isolation hasn`t worked. It`s time for a new approach.

AZUZ: Part of that approach involved an exchange of prisoners, the U.S. sent three convicted Cuban spies back to their home country. Cuba sent

home a U.S. intelligence agent. Also, Cuba freed Alan Gross, a 65-year old American. He`d served five years in a Cuban prison for delivering phone

equipment that could access the Internet. Cuba`s government restricts Internet use.

President Obama`s shifting policy was made without congressional approval. Critics call it illegal and say that the U.S. gave up everything and gained

a little.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R) FLORIDA: This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie. The lie and the illusion that more

commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people.

AZUZ: Analysts are calling it a loss for Americans` freedom of expression, the release of a comedic film, critical of North Korea has been postponed,

and it`s all because of anonymous hackers. There was a cyber-attack at Sony Pictures. It shut down computers and exposed all kinds of private

information about employees, actors and business. Then, on Tuesday, a hacker group threatened to any theaters planning to show the film.

Major chains canceled screenings and Sony pulled the movie.

It says it stands by its filmmakers and their right to free expression, and that it`s extremely disappointed by this outcome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hackers claiming to be the same group that stolen data from Sony Pictures took a potentially violent turn towards terrorism.

Along with the document dumped that`s described as a Christmas gift, a group delivered a warning to people planning to see the movie "The

Interview."

The film is about two hapless journalists recruited by the CIA to kill the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. The film has infuriated Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-un`s government calling it an act of war.

JEFF KINGSTON, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: They are denying that they are directly involved. We all suspect they were.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The movie is a comedy, but after this message, no one`s laughing. It says "soon all the world will see what an awful movie

Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11 of September, 2001.

The Department of Homeland Security says it`s aware of the threat, but hasn`t found evidence of an active plot within the United States.

ERIC GARCETTI, MAYOF OF LOS ANGELES: We don`t have any credible threat specifically of any violence or anything. I would encourage people to

continue enjoying their lives, going out shopping, doing everything else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Still the stars reportedly stopped media appearances and Thursday`s premier in New York has been canceled. All of this as

federal investigators scrub Sony`s computers to try to figure out where this threat of a bitter fate came from.