Focus Washington September 2019

U.S. Job Growth Slows Down in August, Raising Stakes for Trump’s 2020 Re-Election

September 7, 2019 Focus Washington

Job growth rates saw a slight slowdown in August, with employers adding 130,000 jobs, a bit less than the average 158,000 jobs per month this year. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7% and the […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Weather-Related Disasters – Global Populism – Government Overhaul – Texas – Trump vs. Generic Democrat

September 6, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Friday, September 6, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45%Same as yesterday 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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Turkey Warns Europe of New Migrant Wave Arising from Syrian War

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

Turkey has warned it may reopen the route for Syrian refugees to enter Europe if it does not get more international support for creating a safe zone in northern Syria, BBC reported. Turkish President Recep […]

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Tehran Will No Longer Honor Nuclear Deal’s Limits on Research

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

Moving further away from the 2015 nuclear agreement, Tehran said it had stopped honoring the deal’s limits on research and development, a potentially important breach of the accord, The New York Times reported. The step was […]

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Venezuela’s Oil Problems Deepen as Chinese Contractor Halts Work

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

A Chinese oil contractor halted work on an expansion project in Venezuela because it hasn’t been paid, underscoring the difficulties for the Nicolas Maduro regime even at energy ventures backed by allies, Bloomberg reported. China […]

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Robert Mugabe Dies Aged 95

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

Robert Mugabe, a former teacher turned revolutionary who ruled over Zimbabwe for almost four decades, died on Friday at the age of 95. Mugabe was convicted of political crimes in the 1960s, when he spent […]

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Governor of Texas Issues Executive Orders to Prevent Mass Shootings

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued 8 executive orders Thursday in an effort to prevent further mass shootings in the state, said his office. The orders were issued only days after the latest deadly shooting in […]

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North Korea Demands Reducement of UN Aid Staff

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

The United Nations said Thursday that it is negotiating with North Korea after receiving a letter from Pyongyang claiming that aid is ineffective and has been “politicized by hostile forces,” Deutsche Welle reported. North Korea is […]

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U.S.-China Trade War ‘in the Early Stages’ of a Second Cold War

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, are “already in the early stages,” says Niall Ferguson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Ferguson also said for CNBC that […]

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House to Vote on Stopgap Bill to Avert Shutdown

September 6, 2019 Focus Washington

The House will vote next week on plans to pass legislation aimed at preventing a government shutdown after September 30, yet another step to avoid a repeated shutdown. The chamber will take up the stopgap […]

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Boris Johnson’s Brother Announces Resignation from UK Government

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The brother of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Jo Johnson, said on Thursday that he was resigning and he will no longer be a member of Parliament and government minister, saying he was “torn between […]

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US Offered Millions to Captain of Iranian Tanker to Hand Over Ship

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The US state department has admitted that it offered millions of dollars to the captain of an Iranian oil tanker which is at the center of a diplomatic row. The head of the department’s Iran […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Statue of Liberty Message – Climate Change – Wisconsin

September 5, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, September 5, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45%Up 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on three polls, ranging from 43% (Reuters) to 46% (The Economist, Rasmussen). President […]

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Tesla’s Use of Individual Driver Data for Insurance to Be Determined by Drivers, States

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

Tesla Inc’s usage of every customer’s data, including vehicle camera footage and GPS, with the purpose to price its new insurance products, will depend on the authorization of the drivers and on the different state […]

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NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Gets Cleared for Launches as Dorian Moves On

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The Kennedy Space Center was cleared after a glancing blow from Hurricane Dorian on Wednesday. The hurricane is a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, and it hit the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) […]

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European Satellite Near Collision with SpaceX Craft

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The European Space Agency has said it altered the trajectory of one of its observation satellites to avoid a collision with a craft operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Guardian writes. “@ESA’s Aeolus Earth observation satellite […]

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U.S., China Agree to Resume Trade Talks in Washington

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The United States and China have agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting to resume trade negotiations after the latest escalation in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. The meeting will be […]

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ISIS Women Impose a Brutal Rule in Al-Hol Camp in Syria

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The woman told aid workers it was an accident. Her 14-year-old daughter had slipped and fallen, she said. There was nothing they could have done. But the body told a different story. The girl’s neck […]

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Buttigieg Says Inaction on Climate Change to Blame on Trump

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

Mayor of South Bend Indiana and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that President Donald Trump and his “congressional enablers” were to blame for not taking any action on climate change. “It’s not just him. […]

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Poll Shows Biden Leading Trump in Wisconsin in Hypothetical Matchup

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

A Marquette University Law School poll shows that President Donald Trump is trailing behind former Vice President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup in Wisconsin by a significant margin. Biden is leading Trump 51 […]

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Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam Withdraws Controversial Extradition Bill

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has finally fully withdrawn a controversial bill that allowed extradition to mainland China and sparked three months of dramatic protests in the financial hub, CNN reported. The decision to cave […]

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Rouhani Says Iran and Europe Unlikely to Agree on Nuclear Pact Anytime Soon

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

Iran on Wednesday said it would take another step away from a 2015 nuclear deal by starting to develop centrifuges to speed up its uranium enrichment but it also gave European powers two more months […]

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Afghan Peace Talks Still Far Away from Reaching a Deal

September 5, 2019 Focus Washington

The American negotiator trying to cut a deal with the Taliban that might let President Donald Trump get all uniformed troops out of Afghanistan before next year’s election says that the two sides have an […]

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Fifty Nationalities Expected to Benefit from New Saudi Visa Scheme

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Saudi Arabia is putting the final touches to a “game-changer” initiative to attract international tourists, with a visa scheme to open the Kingdom to visitors from up to 50 countries, Okaz newspaper reported. Although not […]

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The Future of SpaceX’s Starship

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Last week, the final test was performed of the Starhopper, a prototype of the starship that will take 100 people into deep space destinations such as Mars and the Moon. The Starship and Super Heavy […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Republican, Democratic Labels – Polls Have Warren, Sanders Trading Places

September 4, 2019 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, September 4, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Up 1 from Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 42% (Reuters) to 46% (Rasmussen). Without these extremes, […]

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Hundreds of Flights Canceled Due to Hurricane Dorian

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Hurricane Dorian has moved northward, prompting Florida airports to cancel hundreds of inbound and outbound flights. Nearly 1,200 flights scheduled to start or end in Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach were canceled Tuesday […]

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Kamala Harris Introduced $10 trillion to Battle Climate Change Effects

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Senator Kamala Harris revealed her $10 trillion plan on Wednesday which is aimed at fighting the effects of climate change and transition the U.S. to a carbon-neutral economy, The Hill reported. A proposal released by the Harris presidential […]

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Elizabeth Warren Wins Support from Scarlet Johansson

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has shown her support for presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren because the Democratic senator “feels like someone who is thoughtful and progressive but realistic,” The Hill reported. “It’s not like her campaign is making these crazy, outlandish […]

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First Cherokee Delegate Named to Congress

September 4, 2019 Focus Washington

An official representative of the Cherokee Nation was named to Congress for the first time ever. The Council of the Cherokee Nation approved Kimberly Teehee, executive director of government relations for the Cherokee Nation, to […]

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