10 things you need to know today: December 18, 2014

Obama and Castro
(Image credit: AP Photo)

1. Obama announces historic diplomatic thaw with Cuba

The U.S. and Cuba announced Wednesday that they would reestablish diplomatic relations after a half-century rift that began in the Cold War. "Isolation has not worked," Obama said. "It's time for a new approach." The decision followed 18 months of secret talks, and Cuba's Wednesday release of U.S. aid contractor Alan Gross, who had been held by the communist Caribbean government for five years. Conservatives in Congress vowed to fight the easing of sanctions. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the rapprochement amounted to "coddling dictators."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.