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Students: We're Ms. Morcom's sixth-grade homeroom from Lake Fenton Middle School, and Channel One News starts right now!

Keith: Thanks to Lake Fenton Middle School for getting us started. Okay, today, we begin with the man who was, for a half-century, the face of Cuba: Fidel Castro died Friday night. A staunch enemy of democracy, he built a communist state on our doorstep and left his mark on the region. Tom Hanson has a look at how this tiny island nation and its longtime leader played a big role in history.

Tom: In Havana, Cuba's capital, the people are mourning the death of Fidel Castro. But just 90 miles away, in Miami, Florida, it has been a celebration.

What was it like when you heard that Fidel Castro passed away?

Woman: I ran outside, got my flag and started waving it with pride.

Kid: Cuba deserves to be free, and there’s no more misery, and I have an uncle, and now I have also more cousins over there, and I want them to live a happy life.

Tom: I am standing in Little Havana, which is a neighborhood in Miami that is home to thousands of Cubans who fled Castro's rule. To them, his death is the end of an era in Cuba, and it means hope for the future.

Woman: It’s a bigger step for, like, more freedom for, like, the Cubans, and now, like, the Cubans can, like, live a more, like, happier life since Fidel isn’t there anymore.

Tom: To supporters, he was a revolutionary hero. To critics, he was a ruthless dictator. But, for better or for worse, Fidel Castro led Cuba for nearly 50 years. He was born in 1926, the son of a wealthy farmer. In the late 1950s, Castro, along with Ernesto "Che" Guevara and other rebels, helped kick out Cuba's dictator, Fulgencio Batista, who was backed by the U.S.

Under Castro Cuba became a communist country. The government took over all the land and businesses and controlled almost every part of life. Castro introduced free medical care and education to Cubans. It has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. But he also maintained his power through brutal rule, cracking down on free speech and press, outlawing most religion, beating or imprisoning anyone who spoke against him. 

Castro also teamed up with America's communist rival, the Soviet Union. As a result, the U.S. ended its relationship with Cuba and passed a trade embargo, making it illegal for Americans to do business with Cuba for more than 50 years. It has been devastating on the Cuban economy.

The U.S. also tried several times to overthrow Castro. In 1961 President Kennedy sent CIA-trained rebels to storm the country. Castro's forces crushed the rebels in three days in what became known as the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Then, the U.S. found evidence that Cuba allowed the Soviets to bring nuclear missiles to the island, close enough to attack the U.S. For a tense 13 days, Americans braced for war while the U.S. and Soviet Union negotiated the deal and the Soviets removed the missiles. 

Over the last decade, Castro softened his rule of Cuba, and in 2008 he turned over power to his brother Raul. In 2014 President Obama opened up talks with Cuba.

President Barack Obama: Today, the United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of Cuba.

Tom: And since then, the U.S. has allowed some business and travel there, and the American Embassy in Havana reopened last year. But the U.S. trade embargo still is in effect; only Congress can end it.

Following Castro's death, President Obama released a statement: "The relationship between the United States and Cuba was marked by discord and profound political disagreements. During my presidency we have worked hard to put the past behind us."

Now the U.S. relationship with Cuba will be in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump, who has railed against Obama's policies, leaving the future of our island neighbor up in the air.

Woman: I think there is much more to go, but I still have hope that one day, we will be free.

Kid: I want Cuba to be like us right now: free and independent.

Tom: Fidel Castro was 90 when he died, and now the country is in nine days of mourning. The funeral service will be held on Sunday. Keith, back to you.

Keith: Thanks, Tom, for your report.

And now tomorrow, we take you inside the country of Cuba to see what life is like for young people living there.

Okay, coming up, it's “Shop till you drop!” — or more like “Shop till you can't click no more.”

Keith: This weekend kicked off the holiday shopping season. That used to mean battling the crowds at the stores to snag the best deals. But it looks like that is history, with a new trend giving way: shopping on your phone. And get this — an estimated 40 percent of all Black Friday shopping was done on mobile apps. Azia Celestino has more.

Azia: It is a shopper's favorite season.

Kristen Das: This time of the year, it's fun to, you know, shop around and see.

Alice Navadeh: I mean, there's nothing like coming out at, like, the wee hours of the morning and having everything be open and, like, seeing all the people — it's an experience.

Woman: It's a little crazy out there.

Azia: Like past Black Fridays, discounts and deals managed to draw millions of people into stores.

Woman: You know what? We're a little disappointed, but if you know what you're getting, and you know how much stuff costs, then you'll do good.

Teen: There's not as many people as there was in the last few years. Sales are not as good. I'd much rather do it online.

Azia: This year, mobile app sales were up, with more people wanting to click on their shopping carts rather than pushing them through the crowds. Thirty-eight percent of young people say they would rather shop online. In fact, this past weekend Black Friday sales topped $3.3 billion online, a record increase of more than 21 percent.

This year, Target saw a 200-percent increase in mobile app sales. Increased online traffic even crashed Macy's site. Blogger Michelle Madhok says mobile apps have become the way to shop because it is so easy to compare prices.

Michelle Madhok: It's a click to see what the other prices are. Before, you had to drive from store to store to compare prices or go through tons of inserts in your newspaper.

Azia: And the online shopping frenzy isn't over yet; new digital discounts were released today for Cyber Monday. So I am going to check those out. Oh yeah — Keith, back to you. 

Keith: Thanks, Azia.

Now, that is all the shopping numbers, but why does it matter? Well, it is because consumer spending makes up the majority of our country's economy, and we normally spend more during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. So experts watch it carefully because it can be an indicator of how healthy our economy is.

All right, coming up, we are getting all your senses involved in this week's Next Big Thing.

Keith: Okay, just in case you didn't get enough food this weekend, we have a Next Big Thing that includes popcorn, candy and hot dogs. But before we grab a seat for this week's NBT, let's find out what you guys thought about last week's.

We told you about the smart luggage giving you a ride into your next vacation —motorized suitcases. So is it the next big thing? Eighty percent said, “Yes — vroom, vroom!” Twenty percent said, “No — hit the brakes!”

Caleb said, “Yes — they see me rolling.”

Gunner said, “It is awesome because it will make shopping a lot more fun.”

But Mrs. Johnson's class said, “We already battle obesity in this country; these motorized suitcases will only perpetuate the problem.”

And Bella said, “The bag is really cool, but overall, it is quite expensive, looks unprofessional and promotes a lazy lifestyle.”

All right, Cassie is joining us now. Now, Cassie, you have a nice Thanksgiving?

Cassie: I did. What about you?

Keith: Oh, it was awesome; it was really awesome.

Now, aside from the turkey, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest movie weekends of the year, and this past holiday weekend was no exception. The U.S. movie market hit the $10-billion mark for the year.

Cassie: Definitely a lot of money and a lot of movies, and that is why this week, we decided to head to the movies for our Next Big Thing for an experience unlike anything you have ever seen or smelled.

Flashing lights, rocking seats and wind gusts — it is all part of the 4DX viewing experience, transporting the audience into the film. The new technology combines a 3D movie on the screen with special effects in the theater.

Randy Troy: You feel like you are just immersed entirely in the film.

Cassie: When it rains in the movie, the audience is showered with water.

Veronica McDowall: The water had me covering myself for a while.

Cassie: There are even smells, like burning rubber during a car scene.  

Ugo Onyintn: I've seen movies in 3D; I’ve seen movies, you know, in IMAX and so forth, but I've never, like, felt like I was, like, right next to Batman, like, right next to Superman.

Cassie: It is already popular in other parts of the world, but here in the U.S., there are currently just four 4DX movie theaters.

So what do you guys think? Are 4D movies the next big thing? Head to to vote and leave us a comment, or send your video responses to NBT@.

Keith: All right, guys, we have reached the end of our show, and we will leave you with a look at how you guys celebrated Thanksgiving.

Turkey Day 2016 was all about food, family and friends. From Thanksgiving Day parades to Thanksgiving karaoke, the day was full of holiday traditions. And when the tables were set, you bet a selfie or two were snapped.

There was a lot to be thankful for, and we are not talking about turkey, stuffing and dessert. In New York City, Channel One student Kinsley visited the famous Rockefeller tree. 

Our Channel One team spent time with loved ones. Azia made an impact by serving meals, and I went home to Cleveland, fishing with my old man.

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