Castro temporarily cedes power

Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba, has temporarily delegated power to his brother, Raul Castro Ruz. The text of the letter read on Cuban national TV is available from the Washington Post. This is the first time in forty-seven years that Castro has not been in command of Cuba. There has been a lot of debate in that national media on what this means. Check out the Denver Post's article "Castro's status not yet known" or maybe listen to the coverage on NPR's "Castro Surgery puts Brother in Control of Cuba." For more on U.S.-Cuban relations, check out the State Departments Background Notes on Cuba.