Month: August 2019

Iran and the U.K. are making progress toward the release of an Iranian tanker impounded in Gibraltar, according to people familiar with the talks, a move that could prompt Tehran to free a British-flagged vessel […]

Major Tech Companies to Testify in U.S. Against French Tax

Alphabet Google unit, Facebook and Amazon are just three of the big names that will testify on Monday at a hearing in the U.S. on the newly-introduced French government’s digital services tax. The 3% tax, […]

Chinese Riot Police Clashes with Protesters at Hong Kong Airport

Riot police clashed with pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong’s airport late Tuesday night, moving into the terminal where the demonstrators had shut down operations at one of the world’s busiest transport hubs for two straight […]

Salon: Trump’s New Crackdown on Legal Immigration

When Democrats dismissed the Fox News-led fear-mongering about “hordes” of undocumented immigrants “invading” the United States from the south as a manufactured crisis, they were pilloried by Republicans and the mainstream media alike for not […]

Trump in a Phone Call with Democratic Senator Talks Background Checks

President Donald Trump on Tuesday stated that he spoke with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy about going forward with background checks as new series of mass shootings shook the country. “We had a very good conversation. […]

Trump Defends his Tweet Accusing Clintons for Epstein Death

President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his baseless conspiracy theory that connects the Clintons to the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying it was “fine” because he was only retweeting what someone else […]

Trump Delays Tariffs on Chinese Cellphones, Laptops, and Toys

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off his Sept. 1 deadline for 10% tariffs on remaining Chinese imports, delaying duties on cellphones, laptops and other consumer goods, in the hopes of blunting their impact on […]

U.S. Aviation Regulator Bans Select MacBook Pro Laptops from Flights

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned certain models of Apple’s MacBook Pro laptops on flights, after the company recalled select units which had batteries posing fire risks, Reuters informed. “The FAA is aware of […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Public Option vs. Medicare-for-All – General Election Match-Ups

August 13, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, August 13, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 41% (Morning Consult) to 47% (Rasmussen). Without these […]

Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit by Groups over New Immigration Law Rule

The Trump administration introduced a new rule Monday that would give priority to wealthier legal immigrants in obtaining a green card and make it harder for those relying on food stamps or Medicaid to do […]

House Judiciary Committee to Investigate Circumstances of Epstein’s Death

The House Judiciary Committee is looking into the circumstances of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, which was reported as a suicide, requiring answers from the Bureau […]

Apple to Pay Hackers More Than Million Dollars to Find Security Flaws

Apple will pay ethical hackers more than a million dollars if they responsibly disclose dangerous security vulnerabilities to the firm, the company announced at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Guardian reported. The […]

Trump Considering Biegun as Next Ambassador to Russia

Stephen Biegun, the diplomat who has been leading efforts to revive stalled U.S. denuclearization talks with North Korea, is under consideration to be President Donald Trump’s next ambassador to Russia, a source familiar with the […]

Saudi Aramco Remains World’s Most Profitable Company

Saudi Aramco remains the world’s most profitable company, and paid out almost all its net income in dividends, despite the dwindling price of oil, Bloomberg reported. Profit slid 12% to $46.9 billion in the first six months […]

U.S. Delegation Begins Work on Syria Safe Zone

Turkey says a U.S. delegation has arrived in the country to set up a coordination center for a so-called “safe zone” in Syria, part of an agreement struck last week that appeared to avert a […]

Majority of Americans Want Undocumented Immigrants to Stay

A new poll by the Pew Research Center has shown that two-thirds of Americans have voiced support for finding a way to help undocumented immigrants stay in the United States legally. The survey released Monday […]

Maduro Lashes Out Against Opposition, Charges Three Lawmakers with Treason

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro continued lashing out against the opposition in the country, after it was hit with punishing economic sanctions earlier this month, charging three opposition lawmakers with treason and other crimes, Miami Herald writes. […]

Trump Policy to Give Advantage to Wealthier Immigrants for Green Cards

The acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services this Monday supported the controversial White House rule that links immigrants ability to secure green cards to their use of certain public programs. Director Ken […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Bottom 20 Dem Candidates Only Getting 3% of Total Vote – Border Security – Obamacare – Last Debate

August 12, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, August 12, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Same as Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 41% (Morning Consult) to 47% (Rasmussen). Without these […]

Syrian Army Takes Strategic Town from Rebels

Syria’s army has captured a strategically important town in Idlib in the rebels’ last major enclave, a war monitor and a military media unit run by its ally Hezbollah reported on Sunday, Reuters informed. The […]

John Bolton Travels to UK in Highest-Ranking U.S. Visit to Country Since Johnson Became PM

National Security Adviser John Bolton traveled to the UK on Sunday in a two-day visit to meet top government officials. Bolton is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the United Kingdom since Boris Johnson became […]

Pyongyang Threatens to Freeze Seoul Out of Future Talks

A senior North Korean official has railed against ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drills and threatened to freeze out Seoul by only holding future talks with Washington, CNN reported. Kwon Jong Gun, the director general […]

Almost 100 Anti-ICE Protesters Detained

Nearly 100 demonstrators protesting outside a New York City Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office were arrested Saturday after blocking a major Manhattan freeway. The protest was non-violent, with people just sitting down with linked […]

Democrats Blast Trump for Retweeting Epstein-Clintons Conspiracy Theory

President Donald Trump retweeted over the weekend a conspiracy theory linking the death of millionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, again without providing any evidence […]

Guaido Says Maduro Plans to Dissolve Opposition-run Legislature

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Sunday President Nicolas Maduro’s government is preparing to dissolve the opposition-run legislature and call new legislative elections, potentially escalating Venezuela’s political crisis, Reuters informed. Guaido, who is also […]

Iran Sanctions Cause Surge In U.S. And Venezuelan Oil Exports To India

U.S. and Venezuelan oil exports to India have surged as a result of sanctions against Iran. By targeting Iran’s lucrative oil sector, sanctions have impaired the longstanding energy trade between New Delhi and Tehran, forcing […]

Scaramucci Hits Back at Trump, Says He’ll Eventually Turn on “Entire Country”

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci blasted President Donald Trump in a tweet Sunday, saying that Trump turns on everyone and will do so on “the entire country.” “For the last 3 years, I […]

August 11, 2019 Focus Washington

‘Race is U.S.’s Achilles Heel,’ says Kamala Harris

Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris made an appearance in an interview where she claimed that the Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election was a clear indication that U.S.’s ‘Achilles heel’ is indeed race. “[T]hey decide […]

August 11, 2019 Focus Washington

SpaceX’s Mars-Colonizing ‘Starships’ are Under Fast Construction as Private Sector Space Race Ramps up

SpaceX is building two Starship forerunners. The first prototype named Mk1 is being built at the company’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and the second one called Mk2 is being built on Florida’s Space Coast. […]

August 11, 2019 Focus Washington

NASA Accepting Student Proposals for Moon and Mars Missions

NASA is seeking ideas that can be applied in space exploration. This is a request to the young minds to contribute to humanity’s future space exploration, as the agency calls for proposals from students for […]