The Biden administration is facing pushback from both sides of the political aisle for moving to cross Cuba off of the state sponsors of terrorism list.

The U.S. slapped Cuba with the designation in 2021 shortly before then-President Donald Trump left office. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that the administration is ‘taking several steps to support the Cuban people as part of an understanding with the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis and improve the livelihood of Cubans.’ 

‘First, today we notified Congress that President Biden determined Cuba should no longer be designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism,’ she continued. 

‘Secondly, we notified Congress that the President issued a waiver for Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, otherwise known as the Libertad Act, for a period of six months.  Finally, President Biden rescinded the 2017 National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 on Cuba policy to eliminate the so-called ‘restricted list’ and by extension the additional regulations on engagement by U.S. persons and entities with Cuban persons and entities, beyond that which is currently prescribed in U.S. legislation,’ she noted. ‘We have also been informed by the Catholic Church that the Cuban government will soon begin releasing a substantial number of political prisoners.’

Democrats are divided on the matter.

The chair of the Florida Democratic Party urged the administration to ‘reverse course immediately.’

‘I am disappointed at the Biden Administration’s plan to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,’ Nikki Fried said in a statement shared on the Florida Democratic Party’s X feed. ‘We condemn in the strongest terms Cuba’s removal from this list, as well as any possible lifting of economic sanctions, and call on the Biden Administration to reverse course immediately.’

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., also disagreed with the administration’s decision.

‘Do the majority of Cuban Americans support the removal of Cuba, an adversary of the US, from the list of state sponsors of terrorism? If the answer is ‘no,’ then why is the Biden Administration unnecessarily alienating Cuban Americans? I agree with the Florida Democratic Party here,’ the congressman posted.

Rep. Cathy Castor, D-Fla., declared in a statement, ‘Autocratic Cuba has failed its people, and I disagree with the President that sanctions should be lifted without an end to the Cuban regime’s repression.’

Some Florida Republicans have leveled fierce criticism.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., decried Biden’s decision as ‘pathetic and cowardly.’ 

Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., declared in a post, ‘Once again, the Democrats have BETRAYED the Cubans! Shame on the entire Biden Administration for taking Cuba off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. Cuba is a LEADING sponsor of Terrorism, harboring, training & enabling Hamas, Hezbollah & other terrorist enemies of the USA.’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also blasted the administration.

‘The Biden Administration continues on its quest to leave as much wreckage behind on its way out the door as possible. Cuba should not be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,’ he declared in a post on X.

However, some Democrats have applauded the administration.

‘I welcome the Biden administration’s steps to remove Cuba from the state sponsor of terrorism list – a long overdue action that will help normalize relations with our neighbor,’ Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said in a statement. 

Former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., was flanked by both sitting Wisconsin senators in a bipartisan show of support to kick off his Wednesday confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee.

Duffy, who served five terms after flipping a seat held by Democrat David Obey for decades, later moved on to work at Fox News; most recently co-hosting ‘The Bottom Line’ with Dagen McDowell on FOX Business.

‘I’m humbled by the fact that President Trump has nominated me to this very important position,’ Duffy said in his opening statement.

He also introduced the eight of his nine children present – as well as his wife, ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy.

He noted that his eldest son could not be in Washington on Wednesday, as he and his wife recently had a child and also live in Southern California, which is being ravaged by wildfires.

‘No federal agency impacts Americans’ daily lives and loved ones like the Department of Transportation,’ he said, adding that President-elect Donald Trump ‘is a builder’ and knows the importance of maintaining and building critical infrastructure. He also noted that Campos-Duffy survived a deadly head-on automobile collision, which brought highway safety to the forefront in his family.

Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., disclosed he too was involved in an accident with a drunk driver 30 years ago and does not like to talk about it.

Lujan appeared to get briefly emotional as he addressed Campos-Duffy in connecting over their shared experience – and praised Duffy for his stated goal to be remembered as a secretary who improved transportation safety.

Later in the hearing, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., also stressed the importance of highway safety and disclosed he had been hit by a car at age 5.

Duffy also pledged to restore Americans’ trust in the airline industry amid some recent incidents, including problems at Boeing. ‘We want the best and the brightest air traffic controllers. We must modernize our systems with cutting edge technologies. I’ll work with Congress and the FAA to restore global confidence in Boeing, and to ensure that our skies are safe,’ he said.

Similarly, Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan noted the Last Frontier was not yet a state when President Dwight Eisenhower launched the federal interstate program – and that 251 communities in his state still are not connected by roads.

Duffy pledged support for the federal program that ensures essential air service to far-flung communities in Alaska and other sparsely-populated states.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., brought up the importance of making sure Hurricane Helene victims are ‘not forgotten.’

Blackburn noted Interstate 40 – a crucial transcontinental artery from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Barstow, California, remains washed out across the Great Smoky Mountains.

During the September hurricane, a stretch of the eastbound lanes in Haywood County, North Carolina, collapsed into the then-raging Pigeon River, stymieing regional commerce and access to mountain communities. Parts of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee continue to see long-term closures of major arteries and communities trying to rebuild.

‘We’re continuing to try to work through this process to get that rebuild, but we need to know this will be front and center with you so we can get that interstate rebuilt and reopened,’ Duffy told Blackburn.

He pledged to make his first official trip as secretary be one to the Helene-affected region of those states.

Speaking about support for alternative transportation means, ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., noted at one point that the monthly cost to own a car can be as high as $1,000, while riding public transit averages $100 per month.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said one issue that the Department of Transportation must address is the lack of means for electric vehicle drivers to pay into the highway trust fund. At present, taxes on gasoline are the main component of that revenue source.

Duffy responded that there should be a method through which green vehicles help fund the roads they drive on.

In a light moment partway through the hearing, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, made mention of Duffy potentially visiting the Aloha State, to which Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joked that it may be a good junket for the entire panel.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., asked Duffy to bring attention to passenger rail service in the Heartland, remarking that many times the primary focus has been on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional – which runs between Newport News, Virginia, and Boston.

He mentioned the Southwest Chief, a key two-day run between Chicago and Los Angeles, and how it is key to his state.

Additionally, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim discussed recent mysterious drone sightings across the Garden State, as well as regional transit issues plaguing New York City suburbs.

U.S. Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi clashed with a senior Democratic senator during her confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday.

Bondi was forced to defend President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, when Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed her on his past comments. 

He referenced Patel’s suggestion of closing down FBI headquarters and threatening an ‘enemies list,’ among other remarks.

‘Is that a person who, appropriately, should be the FBI director? Aren’t those comments inappropriate? Shouldn’t you disavow them and and ask him to recant them?’ Blumenthal hammered.

Bondi replied, ‘Senator, I am not familiar with all those comments. I have not discussed those comments with Mr. Patel.’

‘What I do know, is Mr. Patel …’ she began before Blumenthal attempted to cut her off.

Bondi pressed forward, ‘Excuse me. What I do know is Mr. Patel was a career prosecutor. He was a career public defender, defending people. And he also has great experience within the intelligence community.’

‘What I can sit here and tell you is, Mr. Patel, if he works with running the FBI, if he is confirmed, and if I am confirmed, he will follow the law. If I am the attorney general of the United States of America, and I don’t believe he would do anything otherwise,’ Bondi said.

Blumenthal replied, ‘Well, let me just submit that the response that I would have hoped to hear from you is that those comments are inappropriate, and that you will ask him to disavow or recant them when he comes before this committee, because they are indeed chilling to fair enforcement and the rule of law.’

It comes after Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., similarly pressed Bondi on what Democrats have called Patel’s ‘enemies list.’

They are referring to a list of 60 people in Patel’s book ‘Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,’ who he branded as part of the ‘deep state.’

Bondi defended Patel during Whitehouse’s questioning as well, while vowing there would never be an ‘enemies list’ at the DOJ.

Conservatives erupted on social media Tuesday following an exchange between Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy regarding gender identity. 

‘How many genders are there?’ the Montana senator asked Hegseth on Tuesday. ‘Tough one.’

Hegseth responded, ‘Senator, there are two genders.’

‘I know that well, I’m a Sheehy, so I’m on board,’ Sheehy responded, referencing the ‘she’ and ‘he’ that make up his last name.

After Hegseth laughed at the freshman senator’s joke, Sheehy then went on to ask Hegseth, a fellow combat veteran, the diameter of a round fired out of a M4A1 rifle and how many pushups he could do.

The line of questioning, particularly the exchange on gender which Sheehy previously joked about on the campaign trail, immediately drew a response from conservatives. 

‘Right on,’ GOP Congressman Darrell Issa posted on X.

‘QUESTION OF THE DAY,’ conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X.

‘Legitimately the best joke every [ever] told in Congress,’ conservative commentator Ian Haworth posted on X.

‘BEST EVER!’ radio host Steve Gruber posted on X.

‘Well, it looks like the new senator from Montana is a huge upgrade,’ RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway posted on X in reference to former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who Sheehy defeated in November.

‘Montana knew what they were doing when they put @TimSheehyMT in the Senate,’ conservative commentator and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines posted on X.

‘A-freakin’-MEN!’ Wendy Rogers, Republican state senator from Arizona, posted on X.

Sheehy told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that Hegseth is going to do a ‘great job’ and ‘we support him.’

‘That’s why my questions were directed the way they were,’ Sheehy said. ‘ I wanted to remind people what this job is really about and it’s supporting the war fighter and protecting America.’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country ‘never’ plotted to assassinate President-elect Trump and affirmed that ‘we never will.’

Pezeshkian made the statement during an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Tuesday in Tehran. U.S. intelligence authorities had stated that Iran was exploring an attempt on Trump’s life prior to Election Day. 

‘This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. … Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know.’

‘You’re saying there was never an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump?’ Holt asked.

‘None whatsoever,’ Pezeshkian replied. ‘We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.’

The statement comes as Trump’s incoming special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, recently stated that the United States must return to the policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran.

‘For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be reinstated, and it must be reinstated with the help of the rest of the globe, and that includes standing with the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,’ Kellogg said.

The retired lieutenant general said that Iran’s development and acquisition of a nuclear weapon would be the most destabilizing event for the Middle East. Kellogg reminded the opposition group that then-President Trump walked away from the Iran nuclear deal during his first term, even with opposition from those who served in the first administration.

Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, during his first term in 2018 and reapplied crippling economic sanctions. While some, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, applauded the move, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany had urged the president to remain committed to the deal.

Kellog’s remarks, made just days before Trump is set to take office for his second term, are yet another signal of how a second Trump administration will face the threat posed by Iran in a new environment with much of the Middle East embroiled in conflict since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.