Focus Washington February 2019

Deputy AG to Leave Justice Department Next Month

February 19, 2019 Focus Washington

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is expected to leave the Justice Department in the middle of March, a department official confirmed Monday. The deputy AG became a high-profile figure at the department considering he oversaw […]

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Saudi Arabia Refutes Iranian Claims for Attack on IRGC

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

A senior Saudi diplomat on Monday fired back after Iran initially blamed the Kingdom for an attack last week that killed 27 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, AP/Washington Post reported. Adel al-Jubeir, the minister […]

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Kamala Harris Surges Ahead of Democratic Contenders in 2020 Presidential Race

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Senator Kamala Harris has had a quick start compared to her Democrat colleagues who have entered the 2020 presidential race, The Hill reported, citing party strategists and experts who are closely following the polls. Senator Harris […]

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U.S. Accused of Breaching WTO Principles

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Oreshkin told television channel Rossiya 24 that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been slowed down by the United States and its operation has apparently come to a halt, according […]

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Warren Interrupted by Protester During Rally, ‘Why’d You Lie?’

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren was speaking at a rally when a protester interrupted her by shouting “Why did you lie?” as reported by Newsweek. CBS46 has captured footage of the man before being removed with […]

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Trump Science Adviser Calls for Increased Collaboration with Industry

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s new science adviser Kelvin Droegemeier wants industry to take a larger role in funding research, with the ultimate goal of beginning a new “second golden era” of U.S. science, Nature reports. Collaboration […]

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White House, Republicans Defend President’s Emergency Declaration

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency in order to get funding for his long-promised border wall was defended Sunday by his GOP allies and top advisers amid harsh bipartisan criticism and a […]

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NASA, SpaceX to Purchase Additional Astronaut Seats Aboard Russian Rocket

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Space agency NASA said on Friday it was considering buying two additional astronaut seats aboard a Russian rocket as a contingency plan against further delays in the launch systems being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and […]

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Trump Tells European Countries to Take Back ISIS Fighters

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump took to Twitter over the weekend telling European countries to take back ISIS fighters captured in Syria and put them to trial. “Time for others to step up and do the job […]

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Heather Nauert Withdraws from Consideration for UN Ambassador

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Heather Nauert, has withdrawn from consideration due to a scandal involving her employment of a nanny not eligible to work. The State Department confirmed […]

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McCabe Says Rosenstein Wanted to ‘Wear Wire into White House’

February 18, 2019 Focus Washington

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said in an interview over the weekend that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “offered to wear a wire into the White House,” as no one would notice. The former […]

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McCabe Says His Interview with Trump was ‘Bizarre’

February 17, 2019 Focus Washington

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe stated that he had a “bizarre” job interview with President Donald Trump where the President discussed his 2016 election victory conducted with him. McCabe, during an interview on CBS’s […]

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Schiff Says Trump Has no Basis for His Emergency Declaration

February 17, 2019 Focus Washington

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff stated in an interview on Sunday that President Donald Trump has no basis on his emergency declaration for the border wall. According to The Hill, Schiff, the chairman of the House […]

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Russia Says Ready for Arctic LNG 2 Project Even If U.S. Sanctions Scare off Investors

February 17, 2019 Focus Washington

Moscow will launch the Arctic LNG 2 project even if it has to do it on its own, Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has said, adding that a new U.S. bill introducing fresh sanctions against […]

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U.S. Businessman Calvey to Be Detained in Russia Until April 13

February 17, 2019 Focus Washington

The founder of Russian equity firm Baring Vostok, U.S. investor Michael Calvey, told a Russian court on Saturday he would cooperate with an investigation into alleged financial misconduct and comply with terms if put under […]

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Trump Declares Emergency on Border, Eyes $8B for Wall as He Signs Spending Package

February 16, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he is declaring a national emergency on the southern border, using his executive powers in order to allocate billions towards building a wall, although he has already signed […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Amazon in New York – Trump’s Re-nomination – Candidate Coalitions – Jacksonville Mayor

February 15, 2019 Lisa Clayton

Your Daily Polling Update for Friday, February 15, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Down 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 39% (Reuters) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without […]

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Robert Wolf: ‘Former Vice President Biden is 90% Running for President’

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

Former Vice President Joe Biden is serious about entering the 2020 presidential race, sources familiar with his plans have stated. “It’s pretty clear he’s jumping in,” one source with direct knowledge of Biden’s plans told […]

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Amazon Cancels Plans for New York Headquarters

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

Amazon is canceling its plans to build a new headquarters in New York after facing backlash from members of the community, CNN reported. “After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with […]

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Trump Intends to Allocate $8 Billion to Fund Border Wall, Source Says

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s plans to declare a national emergency in order to fund his long-promised border wall will enable his administration to move $8 billion from various federal agencies to fund the project, a senior […]

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Trade Talks with China to Continue Next Week in Washington

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

The trade talks between China and the U.S. will continue next week in Washington as both sides said that during this week’s negotiations in Beijing progress was made. According to Reuters, The White House is […]

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Apple to Ship iPhones with Qualcomm Chips to German Stores

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

Apple said Thursday that it will resume selling older iPhone models in its stores in Germany, where they were banned last year due to a patent infringement ruling, Reuters writes. The iPhones will be sold […]

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Fresh Russia Sanctions Hinder Gas Export Pipelines

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

Fresh sanctions against Russia proposed this week by U.S. legislators could hinder the development of some natural gas export pipelines, but otherwise do little to harm the country’s largest energy companies, Bloomberg writes citing analysts. […]

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Top General Disagrees with Trump Over Syria Withdrawal

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

The U.S. commander who has been leading the war against ISIS disagrees with President Donald Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria, warning that the terror group is far from defeated, CNN informs. Joseph […]

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Pelosi Says a Democratic President Could Declare Gun Violence a National Emergency

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday stated that if President Donald Trump can declare a national emergency in order to circumvent Congress to fund the border wall, there’s no reason that a Democratic president […]

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Pompeo Expects Trump, Kim to Discuss End of Korean War Declaration

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that he expects President Donald Trump to discuss the possibility of formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War at his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap/The […]

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Trump Administration Demands Tougher Action from Europe on Iran

February 15, 2019 Focus Washington

U.S. and Israeli leaders continued to push for confrontation with Iran at the Warsaw ministerial meeting on Middle East security Thursday, strongly criticizing Europe in the process, CNN informed. According to Vice President Mike Pence, […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Polling the Green New Deal – Macron in France

February 14, 2019 Lisa Clayton

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, February 14, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45% Down 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on six polls, ranging from 39% (Reuters) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without […]

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Ocasio-Cortez ‘Shocked’ at Lobbyist Tactics to Gain Influence

February 14, 2019 Focus Washington

Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she was “shocked” when she found out that Washington D.C. lobbyists pay great amounts of money in order to buy influence. “Today I left a hearing on homelessness & saw […]

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Head of FEMA Brock Long Resigns

February 14, 2019 Focus Washington

Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long announced his resignation Wednesday after two years on the job. “While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to […]

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