Month: December 2017

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to repeal rules relating to net neutrality, which Democrats hope could prompt millennials to vote for them in next year’s elections. Democrats may try to present the […]

Johnson Amendment in GOP Tax Bill Blocked by Senate Parliamentarian

Ron Wyden, a Democratic Senator, said that a proposal in the GOP tax bill allowing churches and charities to engage in partisan politics has been blocked by a Senate parliamentarian, The Hill reports. According to Wyden’s […]

U.S. Presents Evidence of Iran Weaponry from Yemen

For the first time the United States presented pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Houthis in Yemen, including charred remnants of what Pentagon claimed to be an Iranian-made short-range ballistic […]

Department of Justice Rejects Accusations of Wrongdoing in Release of FBI Agent’s Texts

The House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department’s spokeswoman Sarah Flores on Thursday, asking her how texts messages exchanged between two FBI officials were obtained by the media. The text messages from […]

Democrats Accuse Jared Kushner of Hiding Info

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is being called out by Democrats for failing to comment on whether he leveraged his role as a White House senior adviser to bail out a financially troubled family […]

U.S. Fighter Jets Chase Off Russian Jets in Syria

Two Russian attack jets that crossed into U.S. coalition airspace in Syria were intercepted by two U.S. Air Force stealth fighter jets. According to Fox News, the American F-22 jets fired flares after cutting across […]

DACA Likely to Slip to January

Despite Democratic efforts to have DACA dealt with before the end of the year, Democrats are now facing prospects of Congress postponing a decision on the immigration program until January. When asked if the issue […]

Special Counsel Requested Emails from Trump Campaign Data Firm

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, which is investigating the alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and the connection between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russians, reportedly requested information from the data company that […]

Trump and Putin Discuss How to Resolve ‘Very Dangerous’ Situation in North Korea

President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone about the situation in North Korea, the White House said in the brief statement related to the call. According to the White […]

Putin: Trump’s Political Opponents Block Efforts to Improve Relations with Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks that the political opponents of President Donald Trump are preventing him from strengthening the relations with Kremlin. According to Putin, reports about the alleged Russian interference in U.S. presidential election […]

Senate and House GOP Reach Agreement on Tax Bill

Congressional negotiators from both chambers have reached a deal on a tax plan, bringing Republicans a step closer to their goal of passing a sweeping tax overhaul before the end of the year, according to […]

U.S. Military Sued by Advocacy Groups over Sexual Assault Records

The U.S. military is being sued by two advocacy groups for sexual assault records as well as records pertaining to the military justice system, ABC News reports. The two groups, Protect Our Defenders and the […]

US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

China Accuses U.S. of Interfering in Its Internal Affairs

After President Donald Trump signed into law an act that lays groundwork for possible U.S. navy visits to Taiwan, China got angered, blaming Washington for interfering in its internal affairs. Beijing also said it had […]

White House and Rex Tillerson at Odds over How to Deal With North Korea

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared that Washington was ready to open talks with North Korea without precondition, but only a few hours later, the White House distanced itself from his overture. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee […]

Trump’s Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Makes Counterterrorism More Difficult

Outgoing National Counterterrorism Center Director Nick Rasmussen thinks that President Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric and the policies of the administration like the travel ban are making counterterrorism more difficult, CNN reports. “I don’t think it’s arguable it’s more […]

U.S. Will Provide Military Aid to Lebanon

The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon announced on Wednesday that the United States would provide a $120 million worth of military aid to Lebanon. The announcement followed a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Included […]

Republican Lawmaker Accused of Sexual Assault Commits Suicide

Dan Johnson, a Republican state lawmaker in Kentucky who was accused of molesting a teenage girl, committed suicide, the country coroner said. Johnson had previously denied the allegations that he assaulted the girl in the […]

Omarosa Manigault Newman Leaves White House

Omarosa Manigault Newman, one of the president’s most prominent African-American supporters will leave the administration, the White House announced in a statement. Her resignation will become effective exactly one year after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, […]

Rosenstein Sees No Reason to Fire Mueller

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, defending Special Counsel Robert Mueller from allegations that his Russia investigation might have been biased. Rosenstein maintained there was no good cause […]

Trump Signs into Law Government Ban on Kaspersky Antivirus

President Donald Trump signed into law legislation banning the use of Kaspersky Lab software in the U.S. government. This move caps an effort to put an end to the use of the Russian firm’s antivirus in […]

Gillibrand Says Trump’s Tweet Is “Sexist Smear”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand responded to President Donald Trump’s tweet, which he posted after the senator called for an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct made against the president, saying that she would not be silenced. […]

Senate Confirms Federal Judge Rated “Not Qualified”

The Senate voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s judicial nominee Leonard Steven Grasz, who has been Nebraska’s chief deputy attorney general for 11 years. There would be no problem if Grasz hadn’t earned “not qualified” […]

Rex Tillerson: U.S. Ready to Talk Anytime North Korea Would Like to Talk

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson softened United States’ stand on possible talks with Pyongyang and said that it is unrealistic to expect North Korea to come to the table ready to give up weapons of […]

Source Says FBI’s Deputy Director Won’t Testify

Andrew McCabe, Deputy Director of the FBI, will not testify on Tuesday as he was scheduled to, but will instead meet with the House Intelligence Committee next week, according to Department of Justice officials. The […]

Doug Jones Wins in Alabama, Moore Refuses to Concede

Doug Jones scored a win in Alabama on Tuesday, becoming the first Democrat in almost three decades to win a seat in the Senate in that state. Jones beat the Republican candidate Roy Moore, whose […]

Donald Trump’s Allies Want Special Counsel Probe of DOJ and FBI

After it has been revealed that a senior Department of Justice official met and had close ties to the opposition research firm and British spy behind a controversial anti-Trump dossier, President Donald Trump’s allies called […]

Islamic Nations Leaders Gather to Respond to Trump’s Jerusalem Decision

Islamic nations leaders gathered in Turkey for the summit of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation which is expected to result in a unified stance against President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital […]

Nikki Haley Will Unveil Evidence Iran Is Supplying Yemen Rebels

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikky Haley will unveil evidence that Iran is providing missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen. That move is a threat to Saudi Arabia, which is a key ally […]

December 12, 2017 Focus Washington

Tax Bill Will End Benefits for Wildfire Victims

California wildfires continue to rage, with 98,000 residents being evacuated so far and at least 25,000 homes being under threat. At the same time, Republicans in the Congress want to limit the ability of taxpayers […]

December 12, 2017 Focus Washington

U.S. Leaving Paris Climate Accord Was Mistake, Emmanuel Macron Says

President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord was very aggressive, but created more momentum to act on climate change, French President Emmanuel Macron thinks. According to Macron, the […]