Month: October 2018

Prosecutors made a decision to drop some charges against Paul Manafort as Virginia state judge set Feb. 8 for the ex Trump campaign chairman to be convicted. Manafort, who reportedly showed up to court in […]

Republicans Clash with Trump over Khashoggi Death

Republican Senators ditched the interpretation of Saudi authorities over Jamal Khashoggi’s death, thus clashing with President Trump who claimed Saudi Arabia’s explanation was “credible”. A state-owned Saudi television made a government announcement and confirmed the […]

Migrant Caravan Reaches Mexico Border

The Honduran migrant caravan moving toward the United States surged across a bridge leading to Mexico on Friday and entered a chaotic confrontation with Mexican police. The migrants’ efforts, who were cheering and chanting while […]

Treasury Department Extends Russia Sanctions

The U.S. Treasury Department has extended the term for American investors to complete operations with the shares and debt instruments of Russia’s GAZ Group until December 12, Vedomosti reports citing to a statement by the U.S. Department of the […]

Russian Woman Charged with Attempted Election Interference

A Russian national was charged by the Department of Justice Friday for allegedly funding online propaganda campaigns to influence the upcoming November midterms as part of a wider conspiracy to hurt American democracy. Elena Alekseevna […]

October 19, 2018 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Indiana, West Virginia, Nevada, Tennessee, California – Friday’s Generic Ballot Update

Your Daily Polling Update for Friday, October 19, 2018 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46% Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 44% (Gallup) to 47% (Rasmussen, Fox). This is […]

Trump Praises Congressman for Assaulting Reporter

President Donald Trump on Thursday openly praised Representative Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) for assaulting a reporter in his bid for Congress last year, Washington Post reported. The remarks from Trump at a campaign rally, staged at […]

Kelly, Bolton Engage in Profane Argument

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton got into a heated argument outside the Oval Office on Thursday, three people familiar with the incident said. Kelly and Bolton reportedly […]

OPEC, Allies Struggle to Fully Deliver Promised Oil Output Boost

OPEC is struggling to add barrels to the market after agreeing in June to increase output, an internal document seen by Reuters showed, as an increase in Saudi Arabia was offset by declines in Iran, […]

Trump Blames Democrats for Migrant Caravan

Speaking at a rally in Montana, President Donald Trump accused Democrats of being responsible for the formation of the caravan of 4,000 migrants which is moving north towards the U.S. border. “Now we’re starting to […]

Washington Threatens to Cut All Aid for Central America, Close Southern Border

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will send military staff to the southern border, threatening that he will be closing the border passing if the thousands of immigrants coming to the United States are […]

Russia, Iran Join Forces to Counter U.S. Sanctions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has blasted new U.S. sanctions on Iranian businesses, saying Washington appears to be taking every opportunity to exert pressure on countries it dislikes, RIA news agency reports. The U.S. Treasury […]

Special Counsel to Wrap up Probe by End of Year

Special counsel Robert Mueller is speculated to be nearing the end of his Russia investigation, even though sources say he has not been given an exact date by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein by which […]

Lara Trump Says More Women Will Vote for Republicans after ‘Kavanaugh Effect’

Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump said that the recent events regarding Brett Kavanaugh’s new position as a Supreme Court justice has had a strong impact on women who are allegedly going to vote for Republicans […]

Rosenstein Will Sit for House Interview Next Week

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is scheduled to appear for a transcribed interview with two House panels next week, following a postponement in their meeting with him earlier this month. The deputy attorney general will […]

Zinke Violated Travel Policies, Watchdog Says

The Interior Department’s internal watchdog has released a report which says that the department allowed Secretary Ryan Zinke to violate travel policies so that his wife can accompany him on his trips. “We determined that, […]

October 18, 2018 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Indiana Polls Show Close Races – Latest Numbers from New Jersey, New York, California

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, October 18, 2018 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46% Up 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on six polls, ranging from 43% (ABC/Wash Post) to 49% (Rasmussen). Without […]

Ericsson Dismisses 50 Employees Following U.S. Corruption Probe

Mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson announced on Thursday that it has dismissed 50 people over a U.S. corruption probe that could lead to a financial penalty, Reuters informed. The Swedish company has previously said that […]

Commerce Secretary Says U.S.-China Trade Talks Deadlocked

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross noted Wednesday that trade talks between the world’s two largest economies, the U.S. and China, are currently on hiatus. “I don’t know that I would call it a continued impasse. We […]

Connecticut Police Fires ‘Trigger Happy’ Officer

A police officer in Connecticut was fired Wednesday, months after a video surfaced of him telling a group he was “trigger happy” while responding to a suspected trespassing call, USA Today informed. After a video […]

ICE Releases Detained Immigrants Due to Lack of Space

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been forced to release a number of immigrants in Arizona as it has begun running out of housing space and faces an agreement that limits how long they can detain […]

Mattis Seeks More Resilient U.S. Ties with China’s Military

Defense Secretary James Mattis told his Chinese counterpart on Thursday that the world’s two largest economies needed to deepen high-level ties so as to navigate tension and rein in the risk of inadvertent conflict, Reuters […]

White House Counsel McGahn Leaves Administration

A prominent White House official, and one of the people who played a key role in the president’s most important accomplishments, Don McGahn resigned Wednesday after 21 months in the administration, the White House confirmed […]

Senate Truce Collapses as Republicans Rush to Confirm More Judges Begins Anew

Senate Democrats struck a deal last week with Republicans that saw the quick confirmation of 15 more conservative judges in exchange for a rapid flight to the campaign trail. Liberal activists were infuriated, but after […]

Moscow Angry over Washington’s Plan to Copy Weapon Designs

The U.S. military has supplied hundreds of thousands of Soviet-style assault rifles and machine guns to allies and partners over the years and acquired some of its own for special operations and other training purposes, […]

Washington Opposes Koreas’ Plan for No-Fly Zone in DMZ

The United States opposes a plan by South and North Korea to set up a no-fly zone over their heavily fortified border, the latest sign of a rift between Seoul and its top ally, Reuters […]

October 17, 2018 Focus Washington

Trump Wants 5% Budget Cut on All Departments for 2019

On Wednesday President Donald Trump stated that the Pentagon plans to request $700 billion for the next fiscal year, which is $16 billion less than the previous year, NBC News reported. “We know what the […]

October 17, 2018 Focus Washington

Honduras Migrant Caravan Grows to 4,000 Despite Trump’s Threats

A caravan of migrants escaping Honduras has grown to as many as 4,000 parents and children, forcing Mexican authorities to send additional police to the country’s border with Honduras. NBC News reports that the caravan, […]

October 17, 2018 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: World Series Preferences – Cruz, Feinstein, Cantwell, Newsom, Polis, Brown, Dunleavy, Wexton

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, October 17, 2018 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45% Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 43% (ABC/Wash Post) to 49% (Rasmussen). Without these […]

October 17, 2018 Focus Washington

U.S. to Sanction Russian, Iranian Companies over Reconstruction in Syria

The administration of President Donald Trump is drafting a strategy allowing to impose sanctions against Russian and Iranian companies involved in post-war reconstruction in Syria, NBC News reported citing sources “familiar with the plan.” According […]