- Making News: Ra--l Castro Takes Reigns from Fidel
In Havana, Fidel Castro has relinquished power for the first time since becoming Cuba's President in 1959. Castro will be 80 this month and is facing intestinal surgery. His 75-year old brother Ra--l will run the government until Castro recovers. Vanessa Bauz-- who covers the Caribbean for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, has an update and a look at the two brothers whose power extends beyond politics. - Reporter's Notebook: Reaction in the US to Castro's Transfer of Power
Fidel Castro has relinquished power for the first time since the Cuban revolution. If there's a somber mood in Havana, the reverse is true in Miami, where Cuban exiles have become a potent force in Florida politics and in American policy-making toward Castro's Communist government. Since 1959, they've been waiting for signs that Castro is failing. We hear more about this "temporary" transition of power, and get the reaction of exile groups in Miami and Washington's plans for the time when Castro passes away.
Fidel Castro's letter temporarily delegating power to brother Ra--l (English translation)
Bauz--'s article on Castro's surgery, handing power to his brother
Zogby's polling in the Middle East
Rosner's blog on the moment of truth for the Bush Administration
Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) on Castro's transition of power
Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba
Cuban American National Foundation
Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 Act (Helms Burton Law)
Miami Herald article on how Castro's health crisis could transform Cuba, exiles in US