Why senators are important

For the first time in more than 60 years, Cuba is poised to have a government without a single Castro. Raúl Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel as the Communist Party of Cuba’s first secretary in 2011, is expected to step down from his post as the country begins its eighth Communist Party Congress on Friday. “We all expect the old generation to step down from all of its functions within the party, including Raúl as first secretary,” said Ricardo Torres Pérez, a professor of economics at University of Havana. ADVERTISEMENT "That in itself is important. It marks the end of an era." But while an end to the Castro reign is historic, few are convinced the leadership shift will lead to sweeping change for the island nation or its relationship with the U.S. Castro is expected to leave party leadership in the hands of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, while the rest of the politburo will be filled not with the youngest generation most eager for change, but middle-aged party … [Read more...] about Cuba readies for life without Castro

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation on Wednesday to ban the sale and possession of firearm suppressors. His legislation, the Help Empower Americans to Respond (HEAR) Act, is co-sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), among others. It would ban the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of firearm suppressors. Menendez commented on the legislation, saying: Gun silencers are dangerous devices with one purpose and one purpose only – to muffle the sound of gunfire from unsuspecting victims. The sound of gunshots is what signals you to run, hide, take cover, call the police and help others save themselves; however, this is nearly impossible when a gun silencer is used. That is why we must pass the HEAR Act, commonsense legislation that will prevent armed assailants from using these deadly devices to make it easier to shoot and kill another person. Sen. Feinstein also commented: “Gun … [Read more...] about Democrats Introduce Ban on Sale, Possession of Firearm Suppressors

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 16 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Amid the outrage from liberals over the recently passed election security law in Georgia , GOP-controlled state legislatures are advancing bills in other states that Republican supporters say are necessary voting security measures but Democrats decry as attacks on voting rights. The efforts were highlighted by Democrats as they pushed S. 1 and H.R. 1 in Congress last month -- bills that would take many elements of elections out of the hands of the states and put them under the federal government's control. "Efforts have been made to suppress the vote. Efforts have been made to introduce bills that would suppress the vote," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said of GOP-backed bills on the state level. "A dozen states including Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, have introduced legislation to limit access to vote by … [Read more...] about GOP state legislatures move ahead with election security bills amid outrage over Georgia law

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially rescinded the ban on using fetal tissues in research on Friday, reversing a Trump-era policy instituted almost two years ago. President Biden Joe Biden Biden administration still seizing land near border despite plans to stop building wall: report Olympics, climate on the agenda for Biden meeting with Japanese PM Boehner on Afghanistan: 'It's time to pull out the troops' MORE ’s NIH released a notice saying that the agency was overturning the Trump administration’s policy that required all applicants for NIH grants involving fetal tissue from elective abortions to be reviewed by an ethics board. The notice also said the Department of Health and Human Services and NIH will no longer assemble an NIH Human Fetal Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board. ADVERTISEMENT “NIH reminds the community of expectations to obtain informed consent from the donor for any NIH-funded research using human … [Read more...] about NIH reverses Trump administration’s ban on fetal tissue research

Priya Singh is the Chief Strategy Officer of Stanford Health Care and Senior Associate Dean of Stanford Medicine. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. View more opinion at CNN.he views expressed here are hers. (CNN) My journey began 8,290 miles away, in India. I grew up in Mumbai, completed my studies, and first set foot in the United States as a young woman in my 20s. When I boarded that flight to California, I did so with my sister's advice booming in my head: wear long sleeves to hide the henna ink from a recent wedding. But she was really making a bigger point: hide who you are, because they won't understand you. My sister's advice was jarring but well-intentioned. The truth was, I didn't even need the warning: already, for months, standing in front of my mirror practicing each night, I'd worked to stifle my Indian accent. It was the start of my journey as a performer --learning when and how to shed my identity, and trying to anticipate when it was safe … [Read more...] about For immigrants like me, the ‘Great Pretend’ doesn’t work anymore