President Joe Biden has notified Congress of his intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

The determination by the outgoing Biden administration is likely to be reversed as early as next week, when Donald Trump takes office.

Biden administration will move to lift Cuba's state sponsor of terror designation in final days of term, AP sources say.

It is unclear how long this new status will last. Trump, who takes office again next week, has tapped Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of State, and he is likely to be approved. Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, is expected to take an especially hard line on Cuba and might quickly attempt to reverse the terrorism designation.

Ted Cruz and Rick Scott reacted angrily to news that the president plans to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration is expected to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing unidentified officials familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday is expected to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The Biden administration sought to warn Russia's Vladimir Putin off after pallets of cargo from Russia burst into flames after being flown to warehouses in Europe, The New York Times reported on Monday.