Month: December 2020

Japan announced a fresh $708 billion economic stimulus package on Tuesday to speed up the recovery from the country’s deep coronavirus-driven slump, while targeting investment in new growth areas such as green and digital innovation, […]

U.S. Congress to Vote on Stopgap Funding Bill as COVID-19 Aid Talks Continue

The U.S. Congress will vote this week on a one-week stopgap funding bill to provide more time for lawmakers to reach a deal on COVID-19 relief and an overarching spending bill to avoid a government […]

Second U.S. Judge Blocks Commerce Restrictions on TikTok

A second U.S. judge late on Monday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Commerce Department from imposing restrictions on Chinese-owned short video sharing app TikTok that would have effectively barred its use in the […]

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.

China’s Wang Vows to Uphold Trade Deal During Biden Administration

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured U.S. executives during a videoconference on Sunday that Beijing remained committed to the Phase 1 trade deal with the United States, the head of the US-China Business Council said, […]

Biden Chooses Retired General Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen retired General Lloyd Austin, who oversaw U.S. forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, to be his defense secretary, two people familiar with the decision said on Monday, […]

British Grandma Is First in World to Get Pfizer Vaccine Outside Trial

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Northern Ireland, became the first person in the world on Tuesday to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population, Reuters […]

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Transgender Student Accommodations

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday preserved an Oregon public school district’s policy of accommodating transgender students, rejecting an appeal challenging a policy that let students use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their […]

Former Cybersecurity Chief Says Russia, China, Iran and North Korea Are Trying to Steal Coronavirus Vaccine IP

The former head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Sunday that adversaries have attempted to steal intellectual property related to the coronavirus vaccine, CNBC reported. “The big four, Russia, […]

China’s Foreign Minister Calls for Less U.S. ‘Interference’ in Domestic Affairs

The U.S. should reduce its “interference” in China’s domestic affairs and development in order to improve relations between the two countries, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday, CNBC reported. Wang also emphasized his […]

UAE Target of Cyber Attacks After Israel Deal, Official Says

The United Arab Emirates was the target of cyber attacks after establishing formal ties with Israel, the Gulf Arab state’s cyber security head said on Sunday, Reuters informed. The UAE in August broke with decades […]

US admin discusses raising the debt ceiling

Dollar Near 2018 Lows as Traders Eye More US Stimulus

The U.S. dollar index remained near Friday’s two-and-a-half-year low on Monday as weak U.S. jobs data last week heightened expectations of economic aid, while sterling sank as Britain and the European Union made a last-ditch […]

Giuliani Tests Positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for COVID-19, Trump said on Sunday, prompting one state legislature to close for a week after Giuliani visited to try to persuade lawmakers to help reverse […]

U.S. Preparing New Sanctions on Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong Crackdown

The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on at least a dozen Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong, according to three sources, including a […]

Biden Makes Picks for Key Public Health Roles as Pandemic Rages

President-elect Joe Biden has made his selections for two key public health positions, sources said on Sunday, as he prepares to take office next month as the coronavirus pandemic rages to new levels across the […]

Sinovac Secures $515 Million Funding to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Production

China’s Sinovac Biotech has secured $515 million in funding from a local firm to double production capacity of its coronavirus vaccine, the companies said on Monday, as it expects efficacy data of its experimental shot […]

U.S. States Scramble to Curb COVID-19 Without National Leadership

Individual U.S. states scrambled on Sunday to impose lockdowns to stem coronavirus spikes amid a lack of national leadership on how to curb infections until vaccines are widely available in the spring, Reuters reported. Dr. […]

Iran Prepares to Raise Oil Exports if Sanctions Eased

Iran has instructed its oil ministry to prepare installations for production and sale of crude oil at full capacity within three months, state media said on Sunday, ahead of a possible easing of U.S. sanctions […]

Britain and EU to Resume Trade Talks

British and European Union negotiators will meet in Brussels on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to strike a post-Brexit trade deal before a transition agreement ends on Dec. 31, Reuters informed. British Prime Minister Boris […]

Trump Keeps up False Claims of Widespread Fraud at Georgia Rally for U.S. Senators

President Donald Trump campaigned in Georgia on Saturday for two Republican senators at a rally that some in his party feared could end up hurting, not helping, their chances by focusing on his efforts to […]

Most of California to Be Under Stay-at-Home Orders as COVID-19 Surges

California’s two most densely inhabited regions and its agricultural breadbasket will be under stay-at-home orders by Sunday night as the COVID-19 pandemic strains hospitals in the most populous U.S. state, officials said, Reuters writes. Designed […]

December 5, 2020 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Georgia Senate Poll Update

Your Daily Polling Update for Saturday, December 5, 2020 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44%Down 1 from Thursday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 37% (Reuters) to 50% (The Hill). Without […]

Biden Says $1,200 Stimulus Checks ‘May Be Still in Play’ in COVID Relief Talks

President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said that another round of coronavirus stimulus checks for U.S. families “may be still in play,” CNBC informs. “I think it would be better if they had the $1,200 [payments […]

U.S. Dollar Hovers Around Two-and-a-Half Year Low

The U.S. dollar is currently hovering around lows last seen in April 2018 as investors continue to pour back into riskier assets, and analysts expect this weakness to persist into 2021, CNBC reported. As of […]

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Plans Scaled-Back Inauguration to Avoid Spreading Coronavirus in Crowds

Setting a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump, whose administration began with a fight over the size of his inaugural crowds, President-elect Joe Biden said on Friday he plans a scaled-back event for safety’s sake […]

U.S. Ends Exchange Programs With China, Calling Them ‘Propaganda’

The U.S. State Department said on Friday it has ended five cultural exchange programs with China, calling them “soft power propaganda tools,” Reuters writes. The Department said on its website it had “terminated” the Policymakers […]

Trump Campaign Files Election Lawsuit in Georgia, Suffers More Legal Defeats

President Donald Trump’s campaign said it filed a lawsuit in Georgia state court on Friday seeking to invalidate the presidential election results there, the latest in a series of legal challenges aimed at reversing his loss […]

U.S. Government Ordered to Reinstate Protections for ‘Dreamers’

In a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s administration, a judge on Friday ordered the U.S. government to reopen to first-time applicants a program that protects from deportation and grants work permits to hundreds of thousands […]

December 4, 2020 Focus Washington

Fauci Jumps on Biden’s Offer to Continue Serving as Chief of COVID Task Force

The top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci who is the top public expert on the covid pandemic stated on Friday that he without hesitation accepts President-elect Joe Biden’s offer to serve as his chief medical […]

December 4, 2020 Focus Washington

Pelosi, McConnell Resume Talks as Congress Rushes to Strike a COVID Stimulus Deal

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke Thursday for the first time since at least the 2020 election as Congress scrambles to strike a coronavirus stimulus deal and prevent a government […]

December 4, 2020 Focus Washington

Moderna to Supply up to 125 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Globally in First Quarter

Moderna Inc said on Thursday it expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine available globally in the first quarter of 2021, Reuters informed. The company said 85 […]