Focus Washington September 2019

Sarah Palin’s Husband Files for Divorce

September 11, 2019 Focus Washington

Todd Palin has filed for divorce from Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and GOP vice presidential candidate, citing “incompatibility of temperament” and that “they find it impossible to live together as husband and […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Tuesday Trivia – China and Trade – Gun Laws – Favorability of Dem Candidates

September 10, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, September 10, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Down 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 40% (WaPo/ABC) to 47% (Rasmussen). Without these extremes, […]

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Trump Fires John Bolton as National Security Adviser

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had fired John R. Bolton, his third national security adviser, amid fundamental disagreements over how to handle major foreign policy challenges like Iran, North Korea and most […]

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Border Crossings Drop in August amid Immigration Crackdown

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said Monday that border arrests have marked a sharp decline over the past month, underlining the construction of a new section of the border wall. He said […]

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House Panels Open Probe of Trump, Giuliani Efforts in Ukraine

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Three Democratic-led House committees said Monday that they had opened “a wide-ranging investigation” into reported efforts by President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to pressure the government of Ukraine to help Trump’s […]

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U.S. Extracted Top Spy from Inside Russia in 2017

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

In a previously undisclosed secret mission in 2017, the United States successfully extracted from Russia one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government, multiple Trump administration officials with direct knowledge told CNN. A […]

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Putin’s United Russia Party Loses Third of Seats in Moscow Election

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Russia’s ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, has lost one-third of its seats in the Moscow city assembly, final polling data cited by Russian news agencies showed on Monday, in an awkward […]

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Congress Hopes to Avoid Government Shutdown as It Returns to Washington

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Congress is returning from recess this week as it faces the challenge to once again keep the government open past September 30. Lawmakers need to avoid a repeated government shutdown in three weeks when federal […]

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Hong Kong Tells Washington to ‘Stay Out’

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Thousands of students formed human chains outside schools across Hong Kong on Monday to show solidarity in the push for democratic reforms after violent weekend clashes in the semiautonomous Chinese territory, AP/Los Angeles Times reported. […]

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U.S. Charges Chinese Professor For Fraud Aimed to Benefit Huawei

September 10, 2019 Focus Washington

Prosecutors have charged a Chinese professor with fraud for allegedly taking technology from a California company to benefit Huawei, in another shot at the embattled Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, Reuters reported. Bo Mao was arrested […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Kennedy Leads Markey – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, Massachusetts

September 9, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, September 9, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45%Same as Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on three polls, ranging from 43% (Reuters) to 46% (The Economist, Rasmussen). President Trump’s […]

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Air Force to Look into Overnight Stays at Trump Resort

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

The Air Force has ordered a review of its overnight accommodations and location selection process after it was revealed that aircrews sometimes stayed at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort while refueling. It was reported on […]

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Biden Still in the Lead Among Democrats, Competition Stiffens

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to hold a considerable lead over his fellow Democratic presidential contenders, a new national poll finds, although a separate survey of early voting states has shown a slightly different […]

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Deputy Energy Secretary Claims U.S. Seeks Energy Dominance

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Dan Brouillette, the U.S. deputy energy secretary, said Monday that the country seeks to achieve complete energy dominance no matter what happens to oil prices. Brouillette told CNBC that the American energy policy although not […]

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O’Rourke Calls for Red Flag Laws, Gun Buyback and National Registry

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said during a Democratic Party convention on Saturday that stricter gun control measures must be introduced in the U.S., calling for a mandatory gun buyback program, a national firearms registry […]

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Klobuchar Says Trump Conducts ‘Foreign Policy Like a Game Show’

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Democratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump for his decision to cancel a meeting with Taliban leaders intended to discuss a possible peace deal, saying the move represented “another example of […]

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Tehran Claims EU Failed to Meet Commitments of 2015 Deal

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Iran on Sunday defended its announcement a day earlier that it would use centrifuges prohibited by the 2015 nuclear deal by saying the EU had failed to live up to its commitments under the agreement, […]

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North Korea Tests New Weapons That Could Pose a Threat to the U.S.

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Clicking through a series of photo slides that depict recent North Korean missile tests, South Korean military defense expert Choi Kang reacts in a tone suggesting he’s both fearful and impressed, CNN reports. “This is […]

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Air Strikes Hit Iran-backed Forces Near Syria-Iraq Border

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Warplanes have struck positions of Iran-backed militias near Syria’s border with Iraq, activists told BBC. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said at least 18 Iranian and pro-Iranian fighters were killed. […]

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U.S. Wants EU to Impose Tougher Sanctions on Venezuela

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

The Trump administration will press the EU to impose harsher sanctions on Venezuela as part of a diplomatic visit to Brussels this week, Financial Times writes. Washington has imposed punitive economic measures against Caracas to […]

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Mick Jagger Criticizes Trump over Environmental Policy

September 9, 2019 Focus Washington

Singer Mick Jagger spoke out recently against President Donald Trump’s environmental policy and his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. “We are in a very difficult situation at the moment, especially in the […]

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Tulsi Gabbard Says Impeachment Could Divide U.S.

September 8, 2019 Focus Washington

Representative Tulsi Gabbard appeared in a new interview where she stated that she is against an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, as suggested by dozens of House Democrats. Gabbard said this move would cause further divisions within […]

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Trump Cancels Peace Talks with Taliban After Deadly Attacks in Kabul

September 8, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he canceled peace talks with the Taliban leadership after the group claimed responsibility for a recent attack in Kabul in which a U.S. soldier and 11 other people were […]

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Recovery Efforts Continue in Bahamas as Death Toll from Hurricane Dorian Rises

September 8, 2019 Focus Washington

Five days after Hurricane Dorian pounded the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, relief efforts continue with volunteers searching for survivors among the hundreds of missing people on the island. Over 70,000 people were left […]

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Prior to Trade Talks China Offers to Buy Farm Products

September 8, 2019 Focus Washington

During a phone call earlier in the week, China offered to make farm purchases from the United States ahead of trade talks with U.S. officials, two sources said. They added that the Chinese peace offer […]

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Attorneys for Trump Ask Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit for His Tax Returns

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s attorneys have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by House Democrats seeking to obtain the President’s tax returns. In a Friday filing, the lawyers claimed that the court doesn’t […]

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As Number of Vaping-Related Deaths Increases, Feds Warn Against Vaping

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

Federal officials told the public on Friday to avoid using electronic cigarettes, especially those containing the marijuana component THC until further research is being conducted into the epidemic that has taken five lives so far […]

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Hong Kong Protesters March to U.S. Consulate, Sing American Anthem

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

Thousands of protesters again took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday, some of the protesters gathered outside the U.S. Consulate General, asking for help from the U.S. government, CNN reported. One of the […]

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House Judiciary Committee to Vote on Parameters of Impeachment Probe

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

The House Judiciary Committee is preparing to hold a vote on a resolution that should set the parameters of its wide-ranging probe into the President’s administration. Several sources said that the vote could take place […]

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Pentagon Chief Urges Russia to Change Behavior and Work with U.S.

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

Pentagon chief Mark Esper said that Russia needs to change its behavior in order to work together with the United States and focus not on disagreements, but on what positions of the two countries are […]

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