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Cuba Declares Nine Days of Mourning; Crowds in Miami Cheer News of Castro's Death; Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia Mourn Castro; Shifts in U.S.-Cuba Ties Mark Castro's Final Years; Syrian Forces Enter Key District in Eastern Aleppo; Fidel Castro, Very Divisive Figure; Life Under Castro's Rule; Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 27, 2016 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[05:00:07] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really celebrate because the guy has been a monster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): The Cuban people is feeling sad because of the loss of our commander-in-chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, and we wish him, whenever he is, that he's blessed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: You hear there a mix of reaction to Castro's death. Hundreds of people, though, took to the streets in Miami to celebrate his death. While many in Cuba are mourning the loss of their former leader.

Plus this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARTHUR BRICE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN: I was born in Havana, Cuba in April of 1953 and my life started basically about the same time as the Cuban revolution did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Life under Castro's rule. A CNN executive producer recounts his early life under the Castro government.

Also in Aleppo, the Syrian government says their forces have moved into a major rebel-held district in the city's east. We have a live report ahead.

From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

It is 5:01 on the U.S. East Coast. One day after the death of Fidel Castro, his funeral set for December 4th, and leading up to it the island nation has declared nine days of mourning.

Castro died at the age of 90 years old late Friday. His remains will be cremated and will displayed at Revolutionary Square in Havana. That plaza was completed in 1959. That was the year that Castro came to power.

The mood in Havana was quiet. Many people there thought of him as a father figure to the nation. Quite the opposite, though, in Miami, Florida. You see here as Cuban exiles celebrated. They took to the streets in Calle Ocho in Little Havana to celebrate the death of Fidel Castro through the night and into Saturday. There are some and many people around the world who consider him a brutal dictator.

CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live following developments in Havana and is here to talk more about the situation there.

Nic, first of all, what is the reaction you're hearing from people on the streets of Havana?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (via phone): Yes, it's somber. It's solemn. It's certainly a contrast to Little Havana in Miami. There's no sense of celebration whatsoever here. It's one of, you know, a sense that a great figure in the country has passed. The government has ordered flags to fly at half staff, for all public events to be cancelled. Nightclubs, for example, to be closed. Placido Domingo who was going to perform here last night didn't.

So the nation is, if you will, taking this quietly. Very quietly. And some people here in Havana think that they're drafting a few more police, a few more army on the streets, there were a few police cars last night in small groups, but nothing -- nothing large, nothing ostentatious. Just quiet as the news sinks in.

Everyone here knew this day was coming. Knowing its coming, on the day itself arriving, obviously, two entirely different planes. The government has said that people will come and pay their respects at Revolution Square, host a march in Revolution Square. They'll be able to do that on Monday and on Tuesday here in Havana. They are planning a rally or expected to have a rally Tuesday evening, and then Fidel Castro's ashes are expected to trace a reverse route past his Revolution towards the capital.

And then will take the ashes from Wednesday, come back across the country all the way to Cuba, and then expecting a funeral service to be held a week from today, on Sunday.

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: Nic, I apologize for interrupting you here during your report. We're hearing a lot of wind in this phone interview with you. We may come back to you here just a little later in the show. So, Nic, please stand by and we'll return to you. But Nic, again, giving us some insights, saying that this is a day that people knew was going to come, and we can talk more to Nic about the reaction and people's concerns moving forward, given the death of Fidel Castro.

For many people, many Cubans living in exile, Castro's death brings closure. Take a look at this. [05:05:02] This is the scene in Little Havana in Miami. People poured

into the streets screaming with joy. Many people banging pots and pans, flying their flags high.

CNN's Boris Sanchez has more now on the celebrations there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The party is just getting started here in Little Havana. We're in Calle Ocho, outside Cafe Versailles. This is the epicenter of the Cuban American exile community here in Miami. And there are literally hundreds of people celebrating the death of Fidel Castro.

There's music playing, people banging pots and pans, hundreds of flags and lots chanting. One of the chants that we've heard over and over again is, "Fidel, you tyrant, take your brother with you." It's very kind of dark to think that people are celebrating someone's death, but people that I have spoken to here say this has been something that they've been waiting for, for a very long time. They perceived Fidel as someone who is incredibly repressive and someone who essentially stole their homeland away.

You have to remember, Fidel Castro was in power in Cuba since 1959. So these are very different generations of people, young and old, that have come out to show their joy and their hope that this could mean a new chapter for the island of Cuba.

Of course, the other thing to consider is that there are many personal stories here. There are a lot of people that wish that their families could be alive to see this. That's another thing that I've heard over and over again. I spoke to a gentleman who said his mother died about two years ago and that one of his hopes was that she could live to be here to enjoy this moment. He says it's a very emotional moment for him, a very sad one, but he still is joyous. As you heard.

Boris Sanchez, CNN, in Miami's Little Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Boris Sanchez, thank you so much.

Fidel Castro found allies in countries across Central and South America and now some Latin American leaders are mourning his death.

CNN's Shasta Darlington has more now from Rio de Janeiro.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Condolences are pouring in from across Latin America, a region where Fidel Castro was considered an idol by many, especially during the darkest years, when military dictatorships seized power in many South American countries, civil wars raged across Central America.

Fidel Castro was the prototype of a rebel leader fighting from the jungle for something he believed in, and, of course, he won. He went on to become the prototype of a populist president. Railing against the regional superpower. And even after Cuba lost its main ally, the USSR collapsed, Fidel Castro managed to reinvent himself as the godfather of a new generation of leftist leaders in Latin America from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to Evo Morales in Bolivia, and Rafael Correa in Ecuador.

During my seven years living in Cuba, covering in Cuba, there was a constant stream of presidents and leaders from across Latin America, across the political spectrum really, paying their respects to a man they admired. Even after he was no longer the president. And that's because Fidel Castro had stood up to the United States for decades, and this is important in a region that grizzled at being considered America's backyard.

That's why we're seeing all of these messages today, from the "Viva Cuba" from Evo Morales in Bolivia, to here in Brazil, the center right president, Michel Temer, calling Fidel Castro a man of convictions. And of course, in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro declaring that, "Now it's our turn, we'll keep the revolution alive."

Of course, that's a bigger challenge, as Latin America shifts further to the right and away from Fidel Castro's legacy.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: And now to the political reactions here in the United States. The president of the United States, Barack Obama, struck a neutral tone. Here is part of his statement.

"At the time of Fidel Castro's passing we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans in Cuba and the United States with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation."

A very different response, though, from the U.S. president-elect. Donald Trump has been a frequent critic of restoring U.S. diplomatic ties with Cuba and he didn't mince words. First reacting Saturday on Twitter saying this, "Fidel Castro is dead," with an exclamation point. But later he released a statement calling the Cuban leader a, quote, "brutal dictator." He went on to say, quote, "While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom that they so richly deserve."

[05:10:06] Now moving on to the government of war-torn Syria facing U.S. and international sanctions. It's not surprising perhaps that the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad offered these words of praise after learning of Fidel Castro's death, saying the following, "Our friend, Cuba, was able under his leadership to stand its ground in the face of the most ferocious of sanctions and unfair campaigns witnessed in our modern history. The name Fidel Castro will forever live in the minds of generations and remain an inspiration for all the peoples who aspire to achieve real independence and liberation from the yoke of colonialism and hegemony."

Fidel Castro made many enemies during his time in power but he became a bitter adversary with the United States. He also survived numerous assassination attempts. And he outlived many of his opponents, even living to see relations thaw with the United States.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more now on his final years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fidel Castro knew his days were dwindling, telling Cuban communists before his 90th birthday this year, soon I will be like everyone else.

After a near fatal illness in 2008, Castro turned the reins of power to his younger brother Raul. And as Cuba's new president began taking tentative steps towards reform, the U.S. began to ease its restrictions, but Fidel Castro was suspicious, writing in January 2015 that although he doesn't trust U.S. policies and have not exchanged a word with them, this does not mean, however, that I would oppose a peaceful solution to conflicts or threats of war.

In September last year, Fidel met with Pope Francis. They talked about common problems of humanity, but the Pope had once condemned what he called Cuba's authoritarian and corrupt regime.

In March this year, American president Barack Obama visited Cuba seven months after the two countries reestablished diplomatic relations. He met with Raul Castro, but not Fidel.

At his 90th birthday party in August this year, a frail Fidel Castro appeared at a theater named for Karl Marx and was shown in occasional photos with foreign leaders.

Fidel Castro came to power as a revolutionary inspired by Marx, but as he died, Castro was watching his revolution change in a way that was beyond his control.

Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Rafael, thank you.

Government forces in Syria are closing in on East Aleppo after entering a key part of that rebel-held area. We have a live report on that situation ahead.

Plus, voting is under way in France in the second round of the Republican runoff. A look at the contenders as CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:15:44] HOWELL: We continue following the brutal fighting that is taking place in Syria. The government there, the forces, have entered a key district in the besieged eastern part of Aleppo. State media report that the troops are now in the largest district in that part of the city. It has been under rebel control since July of 2012.

The U.N. says at least 250,000 people are now under siege in eastern Aleppo, as fierce fighting continues between Syrian rebels and government forces.

CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen was in Syria earlier this year and now joins live in London this hour.

Fred, from hospitals to even homes, so many different targets have not been spared. This has been the focus of the Syrian government with weeks of heavy bombardment. What more can you tell us about where they are now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right. You know, this has been very much the focus not only of the Syrian government, but, of course, also with all of the forces that are allied with them, as well. You have some Shiite fighters from Iraq. You have, of course, Hezbollah fighting there, and the Russians, as well.

And it was one of the key things for them to try and take Aleppo because it is the last urban stronghold that the Syrian rebels still hold or at least where they have a large area that they do hold, and you're absolutely right, the fighting there has been very intense over the past couple of weeks. The area has been under siege. There have been a lot of aerial bombardments, as you said. Many of the hospitals there hit.

We're also hearing that, quite frankly, the food and water supplies there and medical supplies are running out, as well, and that people there are under threat of starvation. It's something that the United Nations has said as they haven't been able to run any sort of convoy, any sort of food aid into the eastern parts of Aleppo for months. So that really is something where people there are in grave threat to not only be in danger from the fighting, but, of course, also from shortages, as well.

And now we're seeing these gains made by the Syrian military and their allied forces after these very big bombardments that have been going on. And certainly something that is very, very significant, because the Syrian military has been trying to enter those districts of eastern Aleppo. There have been many people who thought that quite frankly the Syrian army didn't have the manpower to actually achieve that, but now it seems they are making some very significant gains. As you mentioned, this is the biggest district of eastern Aleppo, the area that's held by the rebels -- George.

HOWELL: And there have been images of families killed. There have been images of children buried in rubble.

This very disturbing statement also coming from UNICEF talking about the fact that half a million children are still trapped in these war- torn areas, even in Aleppo. A lot of children trapped there.

PLEITGEN: Yes, many children on the ground there, as well. Of course, witnessing the fighting, endangered by the fighting. Not being able to go by their daily routines because of the fighting that's going on. And you know I talked a lot to UNICEF officials in the time that I was in Syria and continue to do so, and they are very concerned about the situation of children in that entire country.

They say about half a million children there are in areas that are under siege, not just in eastern Aleppo. Also in places like Deir-ez- zor where they are under siege by ISIS. In some other areas of Syria, as well, but specifically in eastern Aleppo, they say it's about 100,000 children that are in that besieged area. Of course, also very much in danger of all the things that are going on around them.

They say there's, obviously, no chance for them to play. Apparently in some places there are basements that have been converted into playgrounds to at least allow the children a little bit of time to be able to play.

You know, George, earlier this year I was in an area besieged before, Darraya, where people have set up an underground library that a lot of children went to as well. It certainly is a very, very difficult thing and certainly no place that children should be, so stark warning there coming from UNICEF saying these children are in danger and they are in these besieged areas and something needs to be done -- George.

HOWELL: Fred, an underground library? I was also reading about an underground or just hidden playground for children.

PLEITGEN: Yes, absolutely. A hidden playground, apparently also in eastern Aleppo. That's something that UNICEF was talking about, as well, where apparently some residents there say at least give the children a little bit of respite, a little bit of calm, from all the things that are going on overhead.

[05:20:04] Of course, you're talking about barrel bombs, you're talking about other aerial bombardments, you're talking about artillery shelling, fighting, have apparently linked several basements in one of these places in Aleppo to allow some children to play. And they say up to 200 children come there every day, simply to be able to play, and that's only one of the things that these children are usually not able to do.

You're talking about things like going to school. You're talking about things like getting medical attention when they need it in an area that has no -- literally no hospitals left. So a very dire situation and the people there certainly trying to come up with any sort of -- I wouldn't say solution, but any sort of way to at least try to keep the children out of harm's way and let them have any sort of childhood. But of course, in the situation right now it's all but impossible, George.

HOWELL: While you were talking, there were images rolling of the situation in Aleppo and to even talk about or think about children playing, just a hard concept, but it is the reality for so many families to find a way for the children to play.

Fred Pleitgen. live for us in London, thank you for your reporting. We'll stay in touch with you.

Here in the United States, Hillary Clinton's campaign says that it will participate in a recount of presidential votes in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The campaign spokesman says that an internal investigation has found no evidence of tampering or hacking, but the campaign decided to back the recount to, quote, "ensure that it is fair on all sides."

Wisconsin is one of three states where the Green Party is trying to get recounts. The other two, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The U.S. president Donald Trump -- elect Donald Trump, was quick to call out the Clinton campaign for suddenly getting behind the recount effort. Late Saturday Mr. Trump tweeted the following, quote, "The Democrats when they incorrectly thought they were going to win ask that the election night tabulation be accepted. Not so anymore."

Trump also denounced the recount effort as a, quote, "scam by the Green Party to raise money." Jill Stein, who is the Green Party's presidential candidate, brushed off the criticism in this comment to CNN. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JILL STEIN, 2016 GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: He may be creating his own facts here, as he's been known to do sometimes in the past. And I think, you know, he himself said that it was a rigged election unless he won it.

The point to drive home here is that having a secure elections process benefits us all. And I invite everyone. I invite Donald Trump's campaign, Hillary's campaign, we've had calls out to Gary Johnson's campaign, this should be a non-partisan, people-powered effort to ensure that we can rely on the integrity and the security of our votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Wisconsin election officials say the state recount could begin as early as this week. It's considered highly unlikely, though, that a recount will change the election results.

Moving on now to France and that nation's Conservative Party, which is about to choose its presidential candidate. The second round of voting in the party primary began just a few hours ago. Two former prime ministers are in the running. They are conservative Francois Fillon and moderate Alain Juppe.

Fillon is the front runner after the first round of voting. He received 44 percent of the vote last Sunday. This in comparison to Touppe's 28 percent.

The former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has also cast his vote. He came in third during the first round of primary voting, which happened last week, and he asked that his supporters vote for Fillon.

Moving on now to Qatar. Unusual rains are causing flooding in many parts of that country this weekend. And our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is here.

Derek, that is a part of the world that doesn't get a lot of rain.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Only 3.3 millimeters of rain on average for Doha. And we're talking about quadruple that in less than 24 hours.

HOWELL: Wow.

VAN DAM: So we sometimes go to social media to find some of our trusted sources, say our friends who actually live there, for instance, and I indeed have some friends who live in Qatar that were posting pictures of water in the streets of Doha up to their ankles. And even past that, as well. And there were some swift water rescues that took place across the region.

(WEATHER REPORT)

[05:26:20] VAN DAM: And George, you know I like the cold weather, the snow, as being a snowboarder. Going to end off with a pretty picture coming out of Yellowstone National Park.

HOWELL: It's good to see the --

VAN DAM: White and covered in snow.

HOWELL: Good to see the snow there. Derek, you know, you talk about Qatar. No rain here in the Atlanta area.

VAN DAM: No rain in the Atlanta area, but that is going to come to an end on Tuesday and Wednesday finally. And places like in Alabama, they haven't seen rain in over 70 days.

HOWELL: Wow.

VAN DAM: They want to get rain.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you.

VAN DAM: All right.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, a divisive icon of the 20th century dead at 90 years old. We go back to Havana for more on the death of the former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:35] HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN center in Atlanta.

We continue following the death of Fidel Castro, one of the most defining figures of the 20th century. This former Cuban leader dead at the age of 90 years old. He passed away late Friday, triggering two very different sets of reactions. Some mourn the loss of what they described as an inspiring revolutionary. Others, though, celebrated a promising step toward a new, freer Cuba. He was a very divisive figure, some people loved him, others hated him.

Our diplomatic -- international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, he's live in Havana.

Nic, it's good to have you back with us again this hour. So again, the first question that I wanted to ask you is just to get the reaction there in Havana now that people understand this very heavy news for them, many people who are mourning the loss. What are you hearing?

ROBERTSON: Well, obviously, no surprise for people here that this was going to come. Fidel Castro himself had eluded to this fairly recently. So it's not a shock, but it's a reality. And the reality sets in and there is a somber feeling here.

The government has, as we know, called for nine days of international mourning, flags to be at half staff, public events to be cancelled, you know, popular places for people where they might go to listen to music there, those have all gone quiet.

There was a candle lit vigil last night or overnight tonight at the University of Havana. This is where Fidel Castro studied law in the late 1940s, so there is a sense that the inevitable has happened, but there is still a sorrow and sadness for some people. Some people here looked up to him and saw him as a father figure.

The mood here has not been what we've witnessed in Little Havana in Miami in the United States, you know, barely 100 miles away, if that. It's a feeling here that this iconic figure, this strong man leader of the nation influenced in the region is gone. So people are coming to terms with that. People will here, from what we understand, will be able to pay their respects at Jose Marti Revolutionary Square here in Havana over the next couple of days. So it's expected to be a service, a religious service, on Tuesday evening.

Around the country, as well, we're told that there will be memorials, that there will be places for people to gather and mourn his passing. And then on Wednesday, Fidel Castro's ashes we understand already cremated per his wishes early yesterday, early Saturday morning, that his ashes will begin a sort of reverse journey of his revolution, leaving Havana on Wednesday and arriving in Santiago de Cuba on Sunday next weekend and that's where his funeral will be held.

HOWELL: Nic, you've described this as, you know, hearing from people there a day that people knew would be coming. You describe a sense -- a somber sense there on the streets of Havana, but the question, what are you getting from people when it comes to their future? Is there a sense of uncertainty now that this former leader, the shadow of Fidel Castro, is gone?

ROBERTSON: Again, this is a transition that's been working its way through the country for a decade now, since Fidel Castro first had to undergo intestinal surgery and pass temporary control of the country in 2006 to his younger brother Raul. Raul becoming full president in 2008, taking the full powers of the country then. So this is a transition that people have become used to and that become already to see in the rapprochement and the diplomatic re-establishment of ties with the United States. The visit earlier this year of President Obama, so people can see some changes coming.

What pace and what to expect next, there isn't a sense of bursting pressure from people to see that change immediately, but there is a sense of potential expectation that this may be different. But this is not something that is manifesting itself on the streets by any stretch of the imagination. Merely perhaps that expectation.

[05:35:05] HOWELL: CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson live for us in Havana, Cuba. Nic, thank you for the reporting. We will stay in touch with you again as that island nation is honoring nine days of mourning.

Fans of Fidel Castro describe him as a savior, his critics, though, very different take. He was a cruel tyrant to them. Our Christiane Amanpour looks back in history to explain why Fidel Castro is such a divisive figure in history. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. The reactions to the death of Fidel Castro have been as divided as the former Cuban leader was polarizing. For some people he was a hero, for others he was a ruthless dictator.

CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has more now on his life, a very divisive figure. More on now from London for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fidel Castro was revered and reviled around the world, depending on what part of the world you came from. In the communist spheres, particularly during the Cold War, he was a revolutionary hero that many, many sort of liberation movements talk as their hero to toss the shackles of imperialism off and colonialism. So that's for this part of the world.

And of course in Latin America, many right-wing oligarchies and dictatorship were then turned over, they became left wing, some of them quasi democracies, some of them dictatorships, which took Fidel Castro as their godfather and still exists today, for instance, in Venezuela and elsewhere. But a lot of those are now beginning to go out of power. So whole sort of balance of power that Fidel Castro represented is sort of being crumbling over the last several decades, that's for sure.

[05:40:05] The Vatican has expressed condolences. You know, Pope Francis himself was one of the mediators, one of the go-betweens, between Havana and the United States for the rapprochement that President Obama instituted two years ago now. And even Havana was the place where the Colombia rebels, the FARC rebels and the government of Santos there, came together to negotiate the end of that 52-year war.

So, you know, they've played some quite important roles, Havana, in recent times. But, of course, you know, if you go back to the Cuban missile crisis, you go back to the Bay of Pigs, all these exceptionally difficult and dangerous confrontations between this communist island and the United States just 90 miles away.

And Cuba, obviously, wants to see a lifting of the embargo, even despite diplomatic relations. That's not going to happen without an active U.S. Congress, but many people have been reporting on Cuba say that with the death of Fidel, the death of the old ideologue of this movement, the sort of owner of the revolutionary era, with his death it may make it much quicker and much faster to institute reforms. Even in March when President Obama went for a visit there, even then Castro, Fidel Castro, even though he wasn't president, he insisted on being hauled out to preside over their party congress, and he was very hard lined, no to reform, no to what the empire has to tell us, talking about the United States, whereas his brother Raul is much more apparently willing to establish reform.

So there's going to be really interesting to see if now released from his older brother's shadow, Raul can enact more freedoms and more democratic and economic reforms in a faster pace. So we're all going to be watching because, obviously, this week it's going to be all revolutionary. We've already heard all the media is going to be about patriotism and history and the whole revolutionary reality being shown again, but afterwards, after the mourning, where is Cuba going to go next?

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, in London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Christiane, thank you.

Thousands of Cubans lived in fear for years while Castro ruled. Coming up, a CNN executive producer recalls when the regime took over and how his parents' -- their hope dwindled as oppression sank in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:46:24] HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. In Miami, Florida, many Cuban exiles are cheering Fidel Castro's death, but for other Cubans, his death has left a void that is not easily filled. Here are some of those reactions to share.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a historic day for the Cuban community here in Miami and we are just happy that we have hope now. We can start from a new beginning now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): It's very sad, painful, because he really was a person who helped us a lot. The Cuban people, specifically those who struggled the most, and it's something that truly left us all traumatized. We are sad and he's a person we will never forget.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really sad. The separation of family, all the death that has been going through, and I really celebrate because the guy has been a monster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): The Cuban people is feeling sad because of the loss of our commander-in-chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and we wish him, wherever he is, that he's blessed. And us Cubans love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Mix of reactions there. Many different reactions also coming in from around the world. One of our own here at CNN grew up in Cuba under Fidel Castro's government. We want to share his story with you now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRICE: My name is Arthur Brice, I'm an executive producer with CNN. I was born in Havana, Cuba in April of 1953. And my life started basically about the same time as the Cuban revolution did. That began on July 26th, 1953, when Fidel Castro and about 100 other people, including his brother and followers, attacked the army barracks in Santiago de Cuba.

Castro at the time was a young lawyer, very idealistic and had been wanting to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had been in power for a long time.

I was a child, and I didn't know it at the time, but I had a front row seat to history, a history that's still evolving today.

I would say that the main emotion in the house during that whole period was of concern, of fear, of nervousness, of having to lead a life and live a life where you couldn't do the normal things that many other people, adult or children, could do.

I could not go outside to play. I spent two and a half some years of the revolution inside an apartment for the most part. I was about 5, 6 years old, so this is in the middle of the revolution, and gunshots break out. And being curious, I went out to the balcony and I looked out, and I could see there was a street that ran to the side of our building, and I could see a young woman, probably high school age, running down the middle of the street. Literally down the middle of the street as fast as she could, screaming for help, and I will never forget the look of terror on her face as she looked around and she's screaming for help.

And the reason she's screaming for help is because there's a car with four guys in it chasing her down the middle of the street, and they have their hands out the windows with guns pointing at her and they are shooting at her. And they disappeared from sight around the corner and I couldn't see them anymore, so I don't know what happened to her. I suspect she didn't live just a few seconds after I last saw her. They either shot her or they ran her over.

That same afternoon, my mother would tell me this story later, and I do remember it, she crawled into the kitchen because I was an active little guy, and I was obviously not doing what I was supposed to be doing, I was sticking my head out the balcony, I shouldn't be doing that.

[05:50:14] She crawled into the kitchen and got a small glass of wine and had me drink it. And of course being that young I just went right to sleep. And when I woke up, there was silence. I like to tell people there was silence, but there still wasn't any peace. We belonged to a beach club, and one day we were driving out there, I do know it was a Saturday in the morning, to go to the beach and my parents had this big car, and as a little guy I would stand on the floor board in the back seat between them holding on to the front seat and I could see down the road.

And then all of a sudden my dad starts -- reaches back and starts shoving my head down, and say, get down, get down, get down, don't look, but I did manage to look over to the side of the road and I saw a man lying there dead with barbed wire wrapped around his neck.

On January 1st, 1959, my dad and I were headed out early in the morning, it's New Year's Day, we're headed to the corner bakery to buy a loaf of bread, and we got to the corner and I remember this very clearly, this man stopped, and says, have you heard? And we said, no, have you heard what? And he said, Batista fled last night. And we said, oh, so we knew that that was the revolution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fidel Castro himself had long deferred to show his triumphant march across the island to the capital following the victory.

BRICE: My parents wanted to go down and see them, or see the rebels going through, and I didn't let them. I was just still too afraid, I was too traumatized by what I had seen and felt all those years, I said, please, let's not go, and they didn't.

Castro and his men drove down the central highway into Havana in a very jubilant victory parade. A few days after taking over, Castro held a speech, first public speech, and it was just people as far as the eye could see.

I guess I was watching it on TV, I do remember that, and Castro was giving a speech and in the middle of the speech this white dove comes and lands on his shoulder. And I remember even as a young child, I was 6 years old, thinking, wow, that's just really -- this is really strange. I mean, that sort of stuff doesn't happen.

I was very excited. Everybody was excited. Everybody was very hopeful. Fidel was a mythic, larger than life figure who had done the impossible. He had overthrown a dictatorship that had a large army, had all the resources.

This is an autograph from Fidel Castro that was made out to me when I was a 7-year-old boy. Up here in the corner it says, "Fidel Castro, a salute, a hello for Arthur from Fidel Castro." The way my father got this autograph was he was at a meeting with Fidel Castro and a bunch of other lawyers and people, and they actually ran a picture in the paper, there's Fidel, there's my father sitting back here second or third row, my mother had marked him, and so this piece of paper was a note pad that Castro had sitting there in front of him while the meeting was going on, and while the meeting's going on and somebody else was talking or whatever, you can see where he doodled and he wrote somebody's name, and he crossed it out, and he's got some other doodles here. He filled in the "O" on memorandum. And so to me that's really interesting because it's not just an autograph, but it's also a look into the man himself and really significant to me.

After the revolution, my parents' feelings were completely different about Castro. They were completely destroyed. They had pinned so much faith and hope and aspirations on him, that he was going to take us from one dictatorship and deliver us to democracy and freedom, and instead he took us from one dictatorship into another dictatorship. And that made it even more bitter for them.

We left Cuba for several reasons. My parents and my mom specifically saw which way the revolution was headed, saw that this was going to be another dictatorship, and they just didn't want any part of that anymore. The day we left, there's a picture of me and my brother standing in front of the house, right before we're getting ready to leave. The driver has pulled up, he's opened the trunk. I knew I was leaving to come to the United States, but I had no idea what that entailed.

This is my passport that we got in Cuba to come to the United States. My parents got it in anticipation I was coming here and moving here, seeking exile here.

[05:55:04] They stamped when we came to this country, September 3rd, 1960. This says naturalization service of Miami, Florida, and that was the one and only time that we used this passport. This was a one- use passport. We used it to get out of Cuba and to come to the United States.

My mother died on the Fourth of July of 2011, and one of my major regrets is that she never got to see Cuba again without Castro. I just wanted her to be able to live through that.

My dad had a saying, whenever something would go wrong, he would say, we lost much more in Cuba. And that's how he would put things in perspective. He was saying, you know, this may be a setback or we may have not gotten this or that, but we lost more in Cuba. You know, your troubles are not that big. We've already been through a lot worse.

Twenty-one months after my dad and I were going to that corner bakery to buy that loaf of bread and we found out that Batista had been overthrown, we left the country, and we started a whole new chapter of our lives that really started on that morning, early morning, streets were deserted, there was nobody around, it was just me and my dad, and a stranger we saw on the corner who stopped us, and he gave us some news that would end up changing my life and the life of so many others for many years to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The look of a family's life changed forever as Castro came to power. Fidel Castro dead at 90 years old.

That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell at the CNN center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For other viewers around the world, "INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST" is next. Stay with us.

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