Dec 21, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Raul Castro stepping down as Cuba's president in April

Cuba's President Raul Castro, center. Photo: Ramon Espinosa / AP

Raul Castro will be stepping down as Cuba's president in April, 2018 according to Cuban government officials, ABC News reports. Castro has been serving since 2006 when his brother, Fidel Castro, encountered health issues. Castro announced in 2013 this would be the last term as president, but this extends the expected timeline by 2 months.

Why it matters: It will be the first time Cuba hasn't been led by a Castro in approximately 60 years, which could mean a further opening with the U.S. — one of the requirements in the Libertad Act of 1996 for a transition government government "not include Fidel Castro or Raul Castro." Although Obama reopened relations with Cuba, Trump has rolled back much of that détente.

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump added more pressure Friday night on China-based TikTok parent ByteDance to exit the U.S., ordering it to divest all assets related to the U.S. operation of TikTok within 90 days.

Between the lines: The order means ByteDance must be wholly disentangled from TikTok in the U.S. by November. Trump had previously ordered TikTok banned if ByteDance hadn't struck a deal within 45 days. The new order likely means ByteDance has just another 45 days after that to fully close the deal, one White House source told Axios.

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Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

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