Good morning everybody. NBC ‘s “Today” show host Matt Lauer is in Havana, Cuba today and we’re going to liveblog as much as we can from the program. So pull up a seat, join me for a cup of coffee, and let’s find out how Lauer and company do from Cuba.
7:53am- Even in cuba sign-toting tourists surround Matt!
7:30am- Now a report from correspondent Kerry Sanders on the Cuban embargo, and those who want it either kept or lifted.
He opens by showing several items he purchased at a Cuban market including Heinz ketchup and Windex window cleaner.
He ends the report by noting how Cuba’s oil reserves may be a key factor in the future of the embargo and the island.
Next, Lauer interviews a Cuban businessman who notes how the island’s economy has expanded despite the embargo as well as the head of a U.S. trade group opposed to the embargo. Congressman Bob Melendez, who is of Cuban decent, gives a contrary view and observes that while the embargo may have its problems it is still a necessary tool of U.S. policy on the island. He says that despite increased tourism the island government has not become more democratic and the Castro regime continues repressing opposition activists and journalists.
Note that Melendez, a Democrat representing New Jersey, was interviewed for the previous segment rather than the other legislators of Cuban decent who are Republican and represent districts in southern Florida. (The political center of the Cuban exile movement).
7:20am- “You can’t believe what you hear because the government controls the information.”
With that, another report opens that describes historical pop culture perceptions of
Cuba, then segues into recent achievements such as the burgeoning tourist industry and the health care industry.
However, several negatives are also mentioned such as the island’s massive poverty, very low wages, and lack of housing.
Thus far, the reporting has not been skewed too far to the left or right. It’s obvious that the program is trying to walk a thin line by portraying the island via a relatively centrist view.
7:15am- a report on “Cuba’s future after Castro” centers on the U.S. embargo on the island and a possible transition from power in the near future. The report includes an interview with National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon who claims that conditions on the island are “normal” yet says that the embargo as hurt the island. Also interviewed was U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, a Cuban exile himself, who noted that the Cuban government has been a failure. The report wisely ends by noting that stuck in the middle of U.S. and Cuban government policies are families on the island.
Both Lauer and correspondent Andrea Mitchell observe that the Cuban people are worried if exiles living in the U.S. return to the island, though acknowledge that part of that “fear” is drummed up by the government.
7:05am- the program opens with a rather stunning view of the Caribbean from what appears like a colonial Spanish fort where Lauer is located. Though I was afraid he would come out in a guayabera shirt, he is well dressed in a business casual style.
Amongst several bits of information told by Lauer is the video that will be shown tonight by Cuban state TV of Fidel Castro being interviewed.
