Focus Washington December 2018

U.S. Treasury Delays Imposing Rusal Sanctions

December 8, 2018 Focus Washington

The U.S. Treasury Department has once again delayed imposing sanctions on Russia’s largest aluminum producer, Rusal, as it seeks to strike a deal that would allow the company to escape the penalties, Bloomberg reports. The […]

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Trump Nominates William Barr to Be Attorney General

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump said on Friday he had chosen former U.S. Attorney General William Barr to once again lead the Justice Department, a role that would put him in charge of the federal probe into […]

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Philip Morris International: A Fundamentally Weighted Stock for Long-Term Investors

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) recorded -1.89% loss during trading session on December 4th, 2018. The script traded as low as $85.23 and last traded at $85.43. 5.2 million shares changed exchanged hands […]

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Huawei Executive’s Arrest Fuels Trade War Fears

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

At dinner with China’s president, Xi Jinping, on Saturday night in Buenos Aires, President Trump celebrated their “special” relationship and all but predicted they would emerge with a truce in the trade war between the […]

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Clinton Foundation Whistleblowers Have Come Forward with Hundreds of Pages of Evidence, Meadows Says

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

Three people revealed hundreds of pages of evidence of potential wrongdoing by the Clinton Foundation, including misappropriation of funds and allegations of quid-pro-quo promises made to donors during Hillary Clinton’s mandate as secretary of state, […]

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Trump Launches Twitter Rant Against Mueller Before Filings on Russia Probe

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump attacked the Special Counsel Robert Mueller just hours before he was to deliver details on how two of the president’s closest former aides have helped or hindered an investigation into possible collusion […]

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Trump Organization Responds to Claims it Hired Illegal Immigrants

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

The Trump Organization hit back at a bombshell report in The New York Times that stated President Trump’s elite resorts had numerous illegal immigrants as housekeeping, maintenance, and landscaping employees, Fox News informed. “We have […]

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Heather Nauert to Become New U.S. Ambassador to UN

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is expected to be nominated as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said an administration official and a second source. President Donald Trump is expected to make the […]

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Two Saudi-Designed Satellites Launch into Space

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

Saudi Arabia launched two Saudi-designed satellites into space for aerial surveying on Friday morning from China. The two earth-observation satellites that were developed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) were launched […]

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Philip Morris International Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend of $1.14 Per Share

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

The Board of Directors of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) on Thursday declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.14 per common share, payable on January 11, 2019, to shareholders of record as of December […]

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm urged major American oil refiners to increase capacity and decrease exports of refined goods ahead of the winter

No Deal to Cut Global Oil Output on First Day of OPEC Meetings

December 7, 2018 Focus Washington

OPEC ended a meeting on Thursday without striking a deal to reduce oil output and without any clear sign one would be reached when officials from the organization, Russia and other oil producers reconvene Friday, […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Republicans, Democrats Label Themselves – Bush 41 – Border Wall – Congress and Dysfunction

December 6, 2018 Lisa Clayton

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, December 6, 2018 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 43% Down 1 from Tuesday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 39% (IBD/TIPP) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without these […]

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Senate Intelligence Committee Interviewed Bannon on Cambridge Analytica

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly was interviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee last month regarding Cambridge Analytica. According to The Daily Beast, Bannon, who helped found the since-shuttered data company, faced questions […]

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Trump Says Without Mueller His Approval Rating Would Be 75 Percent

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that his approval rating would be 75 percent if it wasn’t for special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. “Without the phony Russia Witch Hunt, and with all that we […]

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Republican Senators Introduce Legislation for Funding Trump’s Border Wall

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

A bill meant to fund President Donald Trump’s $25 billion border wall introduced by Republican senators on Thursday. “The WALL Act would fully fund the border wall by closing existing loopholes that provide illegal immigrants […]

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U.S.-based Russian Businessman Sues Fed for Calling him “Oligarch”

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

A Russian-born businessman is challenging in federal court his inclusion on a Treasury Department list of oligarchs, saying the agency “effectively republished” the list from an issue of Forbes Magazine, Russia Business Today reports. In […]

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Saudi Arabia Back Modest OPEC+ Output Cut

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

Saudi Arabia proposed a moderate oil-production cut from OPEC and its allies that would nudge the market back into balance, seeking to walk a fine line between preventing a surplus and appeasing President Donald Trump, […]

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Trump Organization Tax Record Subpoenaed

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

Attorney Generals of the Districts of Maryland and Columbia subpoenaed the Trump Organization on Wednesday including its tax documents, which significantly raises the chances that President Donald Trump’s corporate returns could eventually be made public. […]

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Alaska Democrat to Appeal after Republican Wins State House Recount by a Single Vote

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

An Alaska Democrat who was defeated after a recount in a state House election by only one single vote stated she will contest the results, Fox News informed. Kathryn Dodge said on Wednesday that she […]

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Grand Jury Will Hear Evidence on Flynn’s Lobbying for Turkey

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

A grand jury in Virginia is to hear evidence about Michael Flynn’s lobbying work for the Turkish government days after the 2016 presidential election, The Hill writes, citing a report. Even though the role of […]

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As Altria Eyes Marijuana, Philip Morris CEO Ignores Peer Pressure

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

Philip Morris International Inc. is keeping clear of the burgeoning pot market for now, in contrast with U.S. tobacco giant Altria Group Inc., which has begun talks with a Canadian marijuana producer, Bloomberg reported. “I […]

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Kamala Harris Aide Resigns over $400G Harassment Settlement

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

A senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., submitted his resignation Wednesday due to inquiries about a $400,000 harassment lawsuit against him while working at the California Department of Justice, Fox News informed. Larry […]

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Democrat Senator Called on Treasury Not to Waive Sanctions on Oleg Deripaska

December 6, 2018 Focus Washington

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday urged the Trump administration not to waive or remove sanctions on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and his companies, Rusal and En+, CNN reports. Senator […]

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Canada Arrests Top Huawei Executive for Allegedly Violating Iran Sanctions

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Huawei on suspicion of violating US sanctions against Iran, according to The Globe and Mail. The CFO, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Vancouver on Saturday at the request […]

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Bloomberg: This Is Where Saudi Arabia Gets Its Oil

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

It’s the world’s biggest crude exporter, pumps from the largest oil field on the planet and holds the keys to the most abundant reserves of black gold globally. The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, or Aramco, […]

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Philip Morris Is On Sales Attack

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

New York-based Philip Morris International (PMI) this week took the fight to rivals British American Tobacco (BAT) in the race to win hearts in the growing new-generation products industry with a launch of its latest […]

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Moscow Receives Notice U.S. Is Withdrawing from Key Arms Pact

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

The Russian Foreign Ministry says that it has received an official notification from the United States that it has intention of withdrawing from a key Cold War-era pact, Fox News informed. U.S. Secretary of State […]

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Trump Associate Roger Stone to Plead the Fifth in Senate Russia Probe

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

Donald Trump’s associate Roger Stone’s legal team revealed in a letter on Tuesday that Stone would assert his Fifth Amendment right not to testify or provide documents to a Senate committee who is probing potential […]

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China Says It Will Take Action on Trade Deal with U.S.

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

China promised Wednesday that it would carry out a tariff cease-fire with the United States, but it provided no details as to what Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump agreed to at the G-20 summit […]

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Trump Meets with German Carmakers Ahead of Possible New Tariffs

December 5, 2018 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump met Tuesday with German automakers as his administration weighs imposing new tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts. Earlier Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said reducing the trade deficit in cars and […]

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