Focus Washington February 2022

Arizona State House Panel OKs Bill Making Police Recordings Illegal

February 22, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The proposed law that would make video recordings within eight feet of police activity illegal was passed on Monday by an Arizona state House committee after the Republican sponsor of the bill made changes designed […]

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Russia Launches Hypersonic Missiles in Nuclear Drills

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Russia has launched hypersonic missiles in nuclear drills in an effort to show strength amid the ongoing Ukraine tensions. Sea and land-based targets were hit with ballistic and cruise missiles as part of the country’s […]

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Covid Self-Isolation Rules to End in the UK

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be ending forced self-isolation for people who test positive for Covid beginning next week, despite concerns from health experts and scientists that the move is extremely premature. Downing Street […]

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MI5 Chief Warns British Extremists Traveling to Afghanistan

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The head of the United Kingdom’s domestic intelligence service MI5, Ken McCallum, warned that Afghanistan is becoming a hotbed for terrorism once again. McCallum, Director-General of MI5, said that the intelligence service has evidence of […]

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Putin and Biden Agree ‘in Principle’ to Summit After Macron Calls

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed “in principle” to hold a bilateral summit followed by a diplomatic meeting of all relevant parties on the ongoing security situation in Europe, as […]

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Germany Hopes New Protein-Based Covid Vaccine Will Sway Skeptics

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A million and a half doses of a new protein-based Covid vaccine will arrive in Germany this week in hopes to sway a minority of the population that remains skeptical of the common vaccines. The […]

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Unpaid Afghan Teachers to Receive Stipend from UNICEF

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

With Afghan teachers’ salaries unpaid for months due to an enormous economic crisis in the country, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF says it would pay them a monthly stipend for at least two months […]

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The US Urges Americans in Russia to Prepare Evacuation Plans

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The US diplomatic mission to Russia warned on Sunday US citizens in the country to prepare evacuation plans, citing potential attacks on hotels, metro stations, and other targets in Russia’s major cities mentioned by unspecified […]

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Russia to Kill, Send to Camps Ukrainians After Invasion, US Tells UN

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Bathsheba Crocker, the US Ambassador to the UN, has accused Russia of drawing up lists of Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following an alleged invasion according to a letter obtained by The […]

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Trump May Be Proved Right on Spying Talk, Senator Cruz Says

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

After all the ridicule directed at former President Donald Trump when he alleged that the Obama administration spied on him, Republicans could end up getting the last laugh, Senator Ted Cruz said Sunday. Reminding Americans […]

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The US Threatens to Cut Ties with Russian Banks if Ukraine is Invaded

February 21, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Washington has an initial package of sanctions prepared against Moscow that includes banning transaction processing between US financial institutions and major Russian banks, according to three people familiar with the matter. The ban – which […]

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Slams High Avocado Prices

February 20, 2022 Maja Popovska

Some recent price spikes, according to the US Agriculture Secretary, are the consequence of firms “taking advantage” of the coronavirus epidemic and supply-chain disruptions to drive up avocado prices. Food prices have risen dramatically over […]

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Ahmaud Arbery Trial to Go before Jury Following Closing Statements

February 20, 2022 Maja Popovska

On Friday, the prosecution and defense rested their cases in the hate crimes trial of three white Georgia men who were convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery as he ran through their neighborhood, Reuters reported. Closing […]

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US Supreme Court to Hear Mexican Immigrant Dispute

February 20, 2022 Maja Popovska

The United States Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear President Joe Biden’s request to overturn a strict immigration policy implemented by his predecessor, Donald Trump, that pushed tens of thousands of migrants to remain […]

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Kamala Harris calls for unity of democracy

Kamala Harris Claims There is ‘Real Potential of War in Europe’

February 20, 2022 Maja Popovska

On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris warned that the world is facing “the real potential of war in Europe,” and that the United States may “pay some price” if Russia attacks Ukraine. “It’s been over […]

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FDA Considering Approval of New COVID-19 Vaccine Booster

February 20, 2022 Maja Popovska

The Wall Street Journal reported that US health officials are considering licensing a fourth dosage of a COVID-19 vaccine in the autumn, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the article, the Food and […]

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LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Biden and Ukraine – Pence vs. Trump – DeSantis, Rubio – Georgia Senate

February 19, 2022 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Saturday, February 19, 2022 BIDEN JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 41%Down 1 from Tuesday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on six polls, ranging from 37% (Quinnipiac) to 44% (Reuters). Biden’s disapproval […]

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Russian Embassy Denies Moscow’s Involvement in Ukraine Cyberattacks

February 19, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Russian Embassy in Washington has called blatantly anti-Russian the claims of US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger regarding Moscow’s alleged involvement in the recent cyberattacks in Ukraine. According to […]

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AliExpress Added to ‘Notorious Markets’ List by the USTR

February 19, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

The e-commerce sites operated by Chinese tech giants Tencent and Alibaba have been added to the ‘notorious markets’ list by regulators of the US Trade Representative’s office (USTR). Noting that they actively monitor and act […]

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National Archives Say They Recovered Classified Documents Trump Kept

February 19, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Former US President Donald Trump had taken classified documents to his private house in Mar-a-Lago Florida along with the boxes filled with other documents, the United States National Archives said on Friday. The agency confirmed […]

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No COVID Booster Mandate for New York’s Health Care Workers

February 19, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Concerns over possible staffing issues made New York state officials to announce on Friday that they would not enforce the state’s COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for health care workers. The mandate, which was set to […]

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Breakaway Authorities in Donbas Order Mobilization

February 19, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

All able-bodied men in easter Ukraine’s breakaway region Donbas have been called on to stand up to Kyiv’s aggression in response to claims of massive shelling along the frontline, Russian media report. The leaders of […]

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Donald Trump, Donald Jr. and Ivanka to Testify in NY Fraud Investigation

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Former President Donald Trump and two of his children must face depositions. A New York judge ruled that Trump and his children Donald Jr., and Ivanka must sit for depositions in the ongoing civil investigation of […]

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Arizona Jews Sue to Stop the State from Executing People with Zyklon B

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Leaders of Arizona’s Jewish community are suing the state of Arizona to prevent it from using Zyklon B, a lethal gas that was used in the Holocaust to carry out the death penalty. Nazis used […]

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Sexual Assault Reports Increase at US Military Academies

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Sexual assault reports at the U.S. military academies increased sharply during the 2020-2021 school year in a continuous increase that officials say is an upward trend of sexual assault at the academies. The increase in […]

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East Ukraine Sees Its Worst Shelling in Years

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

There has been increased shelling in eastern Ukraine for a second day straight in an escalation of the ongoing Ukraine-Russian crisis. The United States and Western allies fear that the increase in shelling could form part […]

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Amazon Purchase Spree of Warehouses Skyrockets Rents

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Amazon has been on a warehouse buying spree during the Covid pandemic and has directly affected the industrial real estate market. Over the past two years, since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, Amazon has […]

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Black Lives Matter Suspended from Amazon’s Charity Platform

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Amazon’s charity platform has kicked out the beleaguered Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation for failing to disclose where tens of millions in donations it received nearly two years ago have ended up. BLMGNF has […]

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Arkansas Redistricting Case to Get Tossed in Court Unless DOJ Joins

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

A lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts as diluting the influence of Black voters faces court dismissal unless the Justice Department joins the case as a plaintiff, a federal judge said Thursday. US District […]

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Illinois Democrats Vote to Oust Unmasked State House Republicans

February 18, 2022 Elizabeta Bozinovska

Illinois Democratic state lawmakers voted Thursday afternoon to remove nine Republican members from the House floor for their refusal to comply with face-covering requirements, delaying the start of the legislative session for the third straight […]

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