Focus Washington 2017 - Page 44 of 61 from

West Virginia Democratic Governor Announces Plan to Switch Parties

August 4, 2017 Focus Washington

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who was elected last year as a Democrat, announced Thursday that he will change political parties and become a Republican, The Hills reports. “Let me just say this to you […]

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Sekulow: Trump Not Considering Firing Mueller

August 4, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow said Thursday that the president is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, The Hill […]

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Kushner Asks Tech Giants to Help Upgrade Federal Agencies

August 4, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is considering a system where leading tech engineers would serve a “tour of duty” advising the government on how to upgrade its digital infrastructure, The Hill […]

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Intelligence Official Says U.S. ‘Decades Behind’ on Russia’s Propaganda

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

A top U.S. counterintelligence official says the United States is “decades behind” in countering Russian propaganda, Newsmax reports. In an interview posted Wednesday by The Cipher Brief, Bill Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence […]

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U.S. Bans Travel to North Korea

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

A ban on travel by U.S. passport holders to North Korea will take effect on September 1 and Americans in the country should leave before that date, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. Journalists […]

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Kelly Sets Ground Rules for Information Flow in White House

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

Recently appointed White House chief of staff John Kelly, has set ground rules that any information intended for President Donald Trump must first pass by him, Politico reports. Kelly took over the post from Reince […]

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Vice President Pence Says Russia’s ‘Destabilizing Behaviors’ Are Unacceptable

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

Russia’s “destabilizing behaviors are not acceptable to the United States” Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News on Wednesday after President Donald Trump signed a new sanctions bill that seeks to punish Moscow for interfering […]

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McCain Expects Swift Return to Senate

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

Senator John McCain said on Wednesday that he could return to the Senate as early as September. “It’s a tough challenge, you know, of course. But I’m getting the best care you could possibly have, […]

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Border Patrol Staff Ordered to Block Congressmen During Travel Ban

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials ordered agency personnel at airports not to engage with journalists, lawyers or even members of Congress as President Donald Trump’s first travel ban executive order took effect. The Daily […]

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Senior Official Leaves the National Security Council

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

The senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council (NSC) left the agency, the White House confirmed Wednesday. A White House official said Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who was hired during the brief tenure of former […]

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Trump Allegedly Wants to Oust Afghan Commander

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump reportedly pushed to fire the general in charge of the war in Afghanistan because the United States is “losing” the war, according to a new report Wednesday. The suggestion came during a […]

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Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Bill

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump signed into law Wednesday morning legislation that levies new sanctions against Russia and restricts Trump’s own ability to ease sanctions in place against Moscow, CNN reports. The bill is one of the […]

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First Successful Human Embryo Editing Experiment in U.S

August 3, 2017 Focus Washington

Scientists have successfully edited the DNA of human embryos to erase a heritable heart condition that is known for causing sudden death in young competitive athletes, cracking open the doors to a controversial new era […]

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Special Counsel Team for Russia Investigation Expands

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

A former Justice Department official has joined special counsel Robert Mueller’s team as it investigates Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.Greg Andres becomes the 16th lawyer to join the team, special counsel spokesman Josh […]

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Senate Leaders, Mnuchin Discuss Debt Ceiling Increase

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

Senate leadership and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin held a closed-door meeting on Tuesday as they try to plot a path toward increasing the debt ceiling. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he, Mnuchin, and Minority Leader […]

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DHS Waives Environmental Rules to Speedup Mexico Border Wall Construction

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

The Trump administration is waiving numerous major environmental laws to build a wall and fencing along the border with Mexico.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the waiver Tuesday, citing its authority under a 2006 […]

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White House Defends Trump’s Effort to Write Son’s Statement

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

The White House on Tuesday defended President Trump’s decision to help write his eldest son’s statement about his election-year meeting with a Russian lawyer, calling it “something any father would do” The Hill reports. White […]

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Coast Guard Officials Voice Support for Transgender Members

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

Coast Guard officials reached out personally to their transgender service members to express support after President Trump’s announcement of a new policy barring transgender people in the military, according to Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft. “The […]

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Rosenstein Brushes off Trump Attacks on Sessions

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein brushed off President Donald Trump’s attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions in an interview published Tuesday, saying the morale at the Justice Department remains “pretty good,” despite the president’s comments, […]

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Senate Confirms Christopher Wray as New FBI Director

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

The Senate easily confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI on Tuesday, following the firing of James Comey earlier this year. Senators voted 92-5 on Christopher Wray’s nomination to lead the bureau. Democratic […]

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Scaramucci Says Vulgar Remarks about Priebus, Bannon Were a ‘Joke’

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

Anthony Scaramucci, who recently resigned as White House communications director, said Tuesday he was “joking” in the comments he made to a New Yorker reporter about other Trump administration officials, The Hill reports. “Most of […]

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Trump Planning Trade Measures against China

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

The Trump administration is purportedly preparing trade measures against China, including a crackdown on intellectual property theft, signaling a shift by the Trump administration away from working with Beijing, The Hill reports. Several media outlets […]

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GOP Chairman Ready to Work with Democrats on ObamaCare

August 2, 2017 Focus Washington

A Senate chairman on Tuesday took a significant step toward working with Democrats on stabilizing a core facet of ObamaCare – the healthcare exchanges, The Hill reports. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, who helms the Senate […]

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Key Homeland Security Anti-Terror Official Resigns

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

The resignation last week of George Selim, a key Homeland Security official, might signal a shift away from treating the American Muslim community as partners in the struggle against radicalization, the Atlantic reports. “There were […]

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Obama’s EPA Museum Scheduled for Trump Rebranding

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

The Environmental Protection Agency’s one-room museum initiated by the agency’s administrator under former President Barack Obama is being redesigned to reflect the Trump administration’s priorities, the Washington Post reports. But the work was initiated by […]

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Web Prankster Fools Scaramucci And White House Officials

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

A self-described U.K. “email prankster” fooled White House officials into thinking he was one of the, pretending to be Jared Kushner and getting a White House cyber security adviser to give up his own private […]

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Conway to Reportedly Replace Scaramucci

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

Kellyanne Conway could be Anthony Scaramucci’s replacement as White House communications director, a White House source told the Daily Caller. Scaramucci was fired Monday after he unleashed a profanity-laced tirade directed at then-chief of staff […]

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Unclear Whether Trump Will Hold Signing Ceremony on Russia Sanctions

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump has committed to signing a Russia sanctions bill, but it’s unclear if he’ll highlight his signature with a big ceremony. Major bills often have White House signing ceremonies, but Russian sanctions isn’t […]

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Trump Reportedly Dictated Statement for Son on Russia Meeting

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump reportedly dictated a misleading statement about his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer that was ultimately issued to the New York Times by Donald Trump Jr., The Washington Post reports. Trump dictated […]

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North Korea Potentially Able to Hit Most of U.S.

August 1, 2017 Focus Washington

North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch makes it appear possible the nation could hit a majority of the United States, Reuters reports. The news outlet cited two U.S. officials’assessment of Pyongyang’s capability, while two […]

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