Focus Washington September 2020

A House of Representatives committee examining former President Donald Trump's withdrawal of sensitive materials from the White House.

Trump Contradicts CDC Director on Vaccine, Masks

September 17, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump took exception on Wednesday to comments from the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be broadly rolled out in […]

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Fed Projections Show Smaller Economic Hit From Virus in 2020

September 17, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. Federal Reserve boosted its view of the American economy’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis on Wednesday, projecting the pandemic will take a slightly smaller bite from the economy this year with three years […]

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Navalny Team Says Novichok Was Found on Water Bottle in Hotel Room

September 17, 2020 Focus Washington

The nerve agent used to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detected on an empty water bottle from his hotel room in the Siberian city of Tomsk, suggesting he was poisoned there and not at […]

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Trump Suggests He Could Back a Bigger Coronavirus Stimulus

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republicans to embrace a larger coronavirus stimulus package as a top White House aide showed more optimism about striking a deal with Democrats, CNBC reported. In a tweet, the […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Woodward’s Book – Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona Senate – Trump’s Policies

September 16, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, September 16, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Up 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Trump’s average job rating is now at his 2016 national popular vote waterline, 46%…. Today’s average […]

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protection against coronavirus infection

CDC: U.S. Should Have Enough Coronavirus Vaccine to Return to ‘Regular Life’ by Third Quarter of 2021

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. should have enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for Americans to return to “regular life” by the third quarter of next year, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, CNBC […]

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Congressional Report Faults Boeing, FAA for 737 Max Failures as Regulators Close in on Recertification

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Numerous design, management and regulatory failures during the development of the 737 Max preceded the “preventable death” of 346 people in two crashes of the popular Boeing jetliner, according to a damning congressional report released […]

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Biden Leads Trump Nationally by 9 Points, With Suburbs Focused on Coronavirus, Not Crime, Reuters Poll Shows

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Republican President Donald Trump nationally among likely U.S. voters by 9 percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed Trump’s “law and order” message falling short with its […]

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U.S. Charges Seven in Wide-Ranging Chinese Hacking Effort

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday that it had charged five Chinese residents and two Malaysian businessmen in a wide-ranging hacking effort, Reuters reported. Federal prosecutors said five Chinese nationals had been charged with hacking […]

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Biden Rips Trump’s Record on Ethanol

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden late on Tuesday attacked President Donald Trump’s record on ethanol, saying his administration’s recent moves to help the industry were too little, too late and transparently political, Reuters writes. Biden […]

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Biden Makes Pitch to Florida Hispanic Voters

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Democrat Joe Biden courted Hispanic voters on Tuesday on his first campaign visit of the year to Florida, saying President Donald Trump had let them down with his divisive immigration policies and a disastrous response […]

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US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

WTO Finds Washington Broke Trade Rules by Putting Tariffs on China

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

The World Trade Organization found on Tuesday that the United States breached global trading rules by imposing multibillion-dollar tariffs in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, a ruling that drew anger from Washington, Reuters […]

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Fed Expected to Raise Economic Forecasts

September 16, 2020 Focus Washington

The Federal Reserve is expected to wrap up its latest policy meeting on Wednesday with somewhat rosier economic forecasts but a renewed pledge to keep interest rates low for as long as the world’s biggest […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Candidate Mental Soundness, Compassion, Handling Issues

September 15, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, September 15, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45%Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on seven polls, ranging from 40% (Reuters) to 51% (Rasmussen). Without these extremes […]

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Hanson: Biden is Being ‘Held Hostage’ by his Own Party

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

Presidential nominee Joe Biden is being held hostage by the Democrats as a political strategy, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson told “The Ingraham Angle,” Fox News informed. Hanson said it seems Biden is unable to speak […]

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Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran after Reports Country is Considering Plot to Assassinate US Ambassador

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump took to Twitter late Monday to issue a stern warning to Iran that an assassination attempt or attack against the U.S. in retaliation of the airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this year […]

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U.S. Could Use Trade Talks to Pull UK Into Its ‘Regulatory Orbit’

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

As the U.K. enters its fourth round of trade talks with the U.S. this week, Washington will be looking to push its own regulatory standards on the country, and drive it away from EU’s, an […]

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U.S.-China Tensions Don’t Eliminate Opportunities for Investors

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

Investors should not be “too bearish” about the markets even if tensions between the U.S. and China continue to rise, the chief executive of South Korea’s sovereign wealth fund said this week, CNBC reports. That’s […]

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Trump Courts Latino Voters in Key State of Arizona

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump on Monday intensified his efforts to win over Latino voters as polls show their support increasingly up for grabs ahead of the November presidential election – a flashing warning light for Democrat […]

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IAE Says Oil Demand Recovery Set to Slow for Rest of 2020

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

The International Energy Agency (IEA) trimmed its 2020 oil demand forecast on Tuesday, citing caution about the pace of economic recovery from the pandemic, Reuters writes. The Paris-based IEA cut its 2020 outlook by 200,000 […]

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China Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Ready for Public in November

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

Coronavirus vaccines being developed in China may be ready for use by the general public as early as November, an official with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, Reuters informs. China […]

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AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Trial in U.S. on Hold Until at Least Midweek

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine trial remains on hold in the United States pending a U.S. investigation into a serious side effect in Britain even as other trials of the vaccine resume, sources familiar with the details […]

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UAE and Bahrain to Move Toward Normal Ties With Israel

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday will become the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo when they sign agreements toward normalizing relations with Israel in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern […]

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Trump and Biden Clash Over U.S. Wildfires

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

Democratic candidate Joe Biden branded President Donald Trump a “climate arsonist” on Monday for refusing to acknowledge global warming’s role in deadly wildfires sweeping the western United States, while Trump blamed lax forestry and declared, […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: 9 New State Polls – Arizona and Minnesota Senate

September 14, 2020 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, September 14, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 45%Up 1 from Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on six polls, ranging from 40% (Reuters) to 48% (Fox News, Rasmussen). […]

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Trump Defies Nevada Governor with Indoor Rally Near Las Vegas

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump on Sunday night held an indoor rally at a warehouse outside Las Vegas where he called the state’s governor a “political hack” and urged him to “open up your state,” Fox News informed. Speaking to […]

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Iran Considering Plot to Assassinate US Ambassador to South Africa, Report Says

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

Iran is allegedly plotting to assassinate the United States’ ambassador to South Africa as retaliation for the American drone attack earlier this year that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, […]

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Gilead to Buy Cancer Drugmaker Immunomedics in $21bn Deal

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

Gilead Sciences will acquire biotech company Immunomedics in a $21 billion deal that will expand Gilead’s availability of cancer treatments, the companies announced on Sunday, CNBC informs. The deal will provide Gilead access to the […]

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Coronavirus Cases Growing in 11 U.S. States as Fauci Warns of ‘Disturbing’ Data

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

Coronavirus cases continued to grow over the weekend in nearly a dozen U.S. states as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, warns about the nation’s worrying level of new infections, CNBC reports. […]

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Bloomberg to Spend $100 Million in Florida to Help Biden

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida, Reuters […]

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