Focus Washington January 2022

Germany to Axe Nord Stream 2 if Moscow Invades Ukraine

January 28, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

In a significant strengthening of the West’s previous position, Germany appears to have agreed with the United States to axe the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena […]

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Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans Jumped 567% in San Francisco

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Hate crimes against Anti-Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) jumped an astounding 567 percent in San Francisco from 2020 to 2021. Data released by the San Francisco police department paints a bad reality of hate […]

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Supreme Court Justice Breyer to Retire

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

President Joe Biden is about to have his first opportunity to choose a Supreme Court justice. Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will be retiring after nearly three decades on the Supreme Court. The high court’s […]

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The US Rejects Russian Demand to Bar Ukraine from NATO

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The United States has formally rejected Russia’s demand to bar Ukraine from joining the NATO alliance. The formal response comes amid warnings that Russia may soon stage a military invasion of its neighbor. U.S. Secretary […]

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Texan Charged for Selling Gun to Man Who Held Hostages at Synagogue

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A man in Texas has been charged with federal firearm crimes in relation to the recent synagogue hostage. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas said that the man allegedly sold a pistol […]

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Prince Andrew Denies Close Friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Prince Andrew has denied that convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was a close friend. The denial was made in an 11-page court document filed by the royal’s legal team. It was one of many claims that […]

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Biden’s Executive Order Made Sexual Harassment Military Crime

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Sexual harassment has been made a criminal offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice after US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday. Adding he had made the move in honor of […]

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Russia Accuses the US of Giving Neo-Nazis ‘Carte Blanche’ in Ukraine

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The Russian Embassy in the US has accused Washington of giving political and material support to the Neo-Nazis in Ukraine, which have essentially been given free rein to do what they please in the east […]

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The First-Ever UN Tech Envoy Fired After Harassment Probe

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The United Nations spokesperson informed on Wednesday that the international body has fired its first-ever technology envoy, Fabrizio Hochschild, after completing an internal accountability process concerning allegations of harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination against […]

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Oath Keepers Leader Charged with Sedition Denied Bond

January 27, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, charged with seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was denied bond on Wednesday by Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Trump vs. Biden, But Voters Want Neither to Run – 2024 Nomination Races – Democracy Working? – Nation United?

January 26, 2022 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, January 26, 2022 BIDEN JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 41%Same as Thursday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 40% (Insider Advantage, Rasmussen) to 43% (Reuters). Biden’s […]

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Governments Around the World Used Covid to Erode Human Rights

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Corruption levels are at a worldwide standstill, and in some countries, it’s even getting worse. In a whopping 86 percent of countries, the fight against corruption has either worsened or made no progress. Furthermore, many […]

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Pfizer and BioNTech Launch Trial of Omicron-Targeted COVID Vaccine

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Clinical trials have begun for the new Pfizer and BioNTech vaccination version that is specifically designed to target the latest Covid variant Omicron. Omicron has eluded some of the protection that is provided by the original […]

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Australian Open Reverses Ban on ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ Shirts

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

“Where is Peng Shua?” t-shirts demanded in the crowd of the Australian Open late last week as spectators showed their support for the Chinese tennis star. The Australian tennis tournament was quick to ban the […]

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Out-of-Control SpaceX Rocket to Collide with Moon

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket is about to collide with the moon. It will mark the first time ever that humans have caused an unintentional collision with the moon. Musk’s rocket has been hurdling around space […]

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California City Institutes First Gun Ownership Requirements

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A city in California became the first in the country to require most gun owners to pay a fee and carry liability insurance. The city council for San Jose, California, voted on Tuesday night to […]

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Intel to Invest Billions of Euros in Next-Generation Microchips in EU

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

US tech giant Intel plans to invest over €80 billion to massively expand its European production facilities, focusing on next-generation microchips measuring two nanometres and smaller, using the latest technology, Christin Eisenschmid, head of Germany […]

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Biden Threatens Putin with Personal Sanctions over Ukraine

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

As Western leaders are stepping up military preparations and making plans to protect Europe from a potential energy supply shock, US President Joe Biden threatened on Tuesday he would consider targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin […]

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US Ambassador in Ukraine Says Diplomats Evacuated Out of Caution

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The United States ordered an evacuation of families of diplomats from Ukraine out of ‘abundance of caution,’ the embassy’s charge d’affairs, Kristina Kvien, said, reiterating Washington’s belief that Russia could attack any day now if […]

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Stoltenberg Claims NATO Won’t Send Combat Troops to Ukraine

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

NATO will not deploy “combat” troops to Ukraine since a number of its members already have troops in Ukraine engaged in “training” Ukrainian government forces to use weapons systems supplied by the alliance, NATO Secretary-General, […]

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DOJ Investigates Fake Trump Electors, Deputy AG Says

January 26, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The US Department of Justice is investigating fake electors supporting former President Trump during the 2020 presidential election, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said on Tuesday. Monaco said federal prosecutors are now reviewing fake Electoral […]

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8,500 U.S. Troops on High Alert for Deployment to Eastern Europe

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The United States is getting closer to deploying military forces to Eastern Europe alongside its NATO allies as the Russian threats against Ukraine continue to escalate. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has put 8,500 American […]

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Supreme Court to Hear Affirmative Action Cases

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Add affirmative action to the growing laundry list of major cases that are on the Supreme Court’s agenda. In addition to abortion rights, Covid mandates, gun rights, and religious freedoms, the high court will also hear […]

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Burkina Faso’s Military Overthrows Government

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Burkina Faso’s military has removed the country’s president from office, dissolved the government and parliament, and suspended the constitution. The leader of the Burkina Faso coup, Lt. Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, signed a statement that […]

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Special Grand Jury in Georgia Approved in Trump Election Probe

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Georgia judges have granted the request of its top prosecutor to impanel a special grand jury in order to investigate what efforts were made by then-President Donald Trump and his party to overturn Georgia’s 2020 […]

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Federal Court Blocks Alabama’s New Congressional Map

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A federal court on Monday ruled that Alabama’s newly drawn congressional map violates the Voting Rights Act, and blocked the map from coming into effect. The court cited Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, […]

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EU Tells US to ‘Stay Calm’ as Diplomats Evacuate from Ukraine

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

EU diplomats stressed on Monday they regretted the US decision to evacuate diplomats’ families from Kyiv, stressing it could be interpreted as a sign that the West accepts a scenario of a possible Russian invasion, […]

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FDA Ends Use of COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Treatments

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Stressing that it’s highly unlikely for them to be active against the omicron variant, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked its emergency use authorizations for Regeneron and Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibodies treatments, […]

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Meta to Shape Metaverse with Giant AI Supercomputer

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced on Monday that it has created a machine – among the fastest artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputers running today – which it hopes to lay the groundwork for its building of the […]

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Boston Hospital Removes Unvaccinated Patient from Heart-Transplant List

January 25, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital has removed a 31-year-old in need of a heart transplant from the transplant list because he refuses to get vaccinated for COVID-19, his parents say. Although DJ Ferguson’s family praised […]

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