Month: January 2021

A group of 10 moderate Republican U.S. senators urged Democratic President Joe Biden on Sunday to reconsider his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, saying they wanted a meeting to discuss a compromise that they said […]

Foreign Troops to Stay in Afghanistan Beyond May Deadline

International troops plan to stay in Afghanistan beyond the May deadline envisaged by the insurgent Taliban’s deal with the United States, four senior NATO officials said, a move that could escalate tensions with the Taliban […]

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Reached Out to Australian Lawmakers Over New Media Rules

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg called Australian lawmakers last week to discuss rules that would make internet giants pay news outlets for content but failed to persuade them to change policy, the country’s Treasurer said on […]

WHO Team Visits Wuhan Market Where First COVID Infections Detected

A World Health Organization-led team of experts investigating the origins of COVID-19 visited Huanan market on Sunday, the now-shuttered wholesale seafood centre in the Chinese city of Wuhan where the new coronavirus was initially detected, […]

Trump Parts Ways With Impeachment Lawyers

Former U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly parted ways on Saturday with the two lead lawyers working on his defense for his Senate impeachment trial, a source familiar with the situation said, leaving Trump’s legal strategy […]

CDC Orders Sweeping U.S. Transportation Mask Mandate as COVID-19 Rages

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a sweeping order late Friday requiring the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation Monday as the country continues to report […]

Treasury’s Yellen Affirms Importance of Close Ties With Canada

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her Canadian counterpart on Friday underscored the importance of working closely together on economic policy, national security and climate change, the governments said in separate statements, Reuters informed. Yellen […]

U.S. House Democrat to Move Office After Confrontation With Republican Lawmaker

In the latest sign of rising tensions within the U.S. Congress, a Democratic congresswoman said on Friday she plans to relocate her Capitol Hill office for safety reasons after being “berated” by an outspoken conservative […]

Musk’s SpaceX Violated Its Launch License in Explosive Starship Test

SpaceX’s first high-altitude test flight of its Starship rocket, which exploded last month while attempting to land after an otherwise successful test launch, violated the terms of its Federal Aviation Administration test license, the Verge […]

U.S. Military Slams Chinese Flights Over South China Sea

The U.S. military said on Friday that Chinese military flights in the past week in the South China Sea fit a pattern of destabilizing and aggressive behavior by Beijing but posed no threat to a […]

U.S. Workplace Safety Agency Steps up COVID-19 Inspections

The U.S. Labor Department will expand inspections of businesses to reduce job-site hazards related to the new coronavirus as employees begin returning to work across the country, although the policy falls short of demands by […]

Biden’s Pause on Gulf Weapons Sales Foreshadows a Tougher U.S.-Saudi Relationship

The administration of President Joe Biden is pausing weapons sales to Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader review of multibillion-dollar arms agreements made under the Trump administration, […]

Apple CEO Links Facebook’s Business Model to Real-World Violence

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday linked Facebook’s business model, which used data to serve targeted ads, with real-world consequences like violence or reducing public trust in vaccines, CNBC informed. Cook’s speech at a data […]

Britain Withdraws COVID Ad Criticised for ‘1950s Sexism’

The British government withdrew a coronavirus public awareness advert that depicted women doing domestic chores while a man relaxed on a sofa and which prompted a wave of criticism that it exemplified “1950s sexism” Reuters […]

Former Obama Aide Malley Named Biden’s Top Envoy on Iran

President Joe Biden has named Robert Malley as special U.S. envoy for Iran, a senior official said on Thursday, giving the veteran diplomat a leading role in one of the most daunting and politically divisive […]

Democrats Push Toward Second Trump Impeachment, Republican Support Uncertain

Democratic-led efforts to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump for a historic second time gained momentum over the weekend, although it looked far from certain whether enough Republicans would back the move with just days left […]

Bitcoin Soars 14% After Elon Musk Namecheck on Twitter

Bitcoin jumped as much as 14% on Friday to a two-week high after Tesla Inc chief Elon Musk tagged the cryptocurrency in his Twitter biography, Reuters informed. Musk wrote simply “#bitcoin” in his biography on […]

Small Investors Behind Surge in GameStop and Other Shares Hit by Restrictions

An army of retail investors that has routed Wall Street’s professionals in recent days was dealt a blow on Thursday, after online brokerages restricted purchases of red-hot GameStop and other stocks that had soared this […]

Stocks Fall on Long-Short Battle, European Vaccine Row

European stocks and U.S. stock futures fell on Friday and the safe-haven dollar looked set for a weekly gain as a Wall Street battle between hedge funds and retail investors and a row in Europe […]

January 28, 2021 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Executive Orders – QAnon – Biden’s Cabinet, Promises

Your Daily Polling Update for Thursday, January 28, 2021 BIDEN JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 55%Down 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 48% (Rasmussen) to 63% (The Hill). Without […]

Guantanamo Bay Prisoners to be Given Coronavirus Vaccines

Detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility to receive a coronavirus vaccine from the Defense Department, a prosecutor involved in the government’s case against five of the prisoners said in a letter to defense lawyers. “[A]n […]

Ocasio-Cortez: ‘No Consequences’ in GOP for Violence, Racism

A calling out is made for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), in a new interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), where she claims that there are “no consequences” in The Republican Party for violence […]

Men Arrested in Daniel Pearl’s Killing to be Freed in Pakistan

The four men convicted for kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, are set to be released in Pakistan, as the Pakistani highest court ordered their release on Thursday, reported The Hill. […]

Fauci Says COVID Vaccines Can Be Easily Adapted to New Variants

Pfizer and Moderna’s current Covid-19 vaccines can be easily adapted to target new strains of the virus, something the drugmakers are already working on, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, CNBC writes. […]

Biden to Reopen Online Health Insurance Marketplaces

U.S. President Joe Biden will reopen the nation’s online health insurance marketplace for people who cannot obtain coverage through their employers, the White House said on Thursday, Reuters writes. Biden, who took office last week, […]

WHO Says Vaccine Makers Working Non-Stop to Plug Supply Gap, Urges Patience

The World Health Organization’s Europe director Hans Kluge said on Thursday vaccine manufacturers were working non-stop to plug shortfalls in supplies to countries struggling to curb the COVID-19 pandemic and urged them not to jostle […]

Stocks Soured by Wall Street Sell-off and ‘Vaccine Nationalism’

Shares wiped out their gains in Europe for the year early on Thursday, soured by a sell-off on Wall Street, no end in sight to pandemic lockdowns and a squeeze in short positions, Reuters reported. […]

U.S. Economy Likely Logged Its Weakest Performance in 74 Years in 2020

The U.S. economy likely contracted at its sharpest pace since World War Two in 2020 as COVID-19 ravaged services businesses like restaurants and airlines, throwing millions of Americans out of work and into poverty, Reuters […]

U.S. Stands With SE Asian Countries Against China Pressure, Blinken Says

The United States rejects China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea beyond what it is permitted under international law and stands with Southeast Asian nations resisting its pressure, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken […]

January 27, 2021 Focus Washington

Biden Pauses Oil and Gas Leases, Cuts Subsidies in ‘Bold’ Climate Steps

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a raft of executive actions to combat climate change, including pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land and cutting fossil fuel subsidies, as he pursues green policies […]