It's also about disengaging from a country where history shows in other parts of the world engagement is the key to liberalization in those countries. But late today, Senator Jesse Helms called the sanction waiver a terrible mistake' saying the president is giving up U.S. leverage to pressure allies to reform their Cuba policies. In Washington, I'm John Dimsdale for Marketplace. More than a hundred thousand people remained away from their homes in Northern California, amid continuing high water after torrential rains and melting snow bloated rivers. In Yosemite National Park, a plan to evacuate 22 hundred stranded tourists by helicopter was postponed after there was trouble locating an appropriate landing sight.
Evacuations also continue in Idaho and near Reno, Nevada.
While property damage and disruption is widespread, the effect on agriculture is mitigated by the timing. John Davis is a Chicago-based meteorologist at the investment firm Smith Barney. When you start dealing with summer crops, especially in the San Joaquin Valley, things like cotton and some of the row crops, of course, are planted this time of year. So this situation would have been far, far worse if it would have occurred in, let's say, March or April versus January. Even people on the opposite side of the country could feel the effect of the floods come the middle of next month.