Articles by Focus Washington

Aramco will buy Shell’s stake in their jointly owned refining company SASREF for $631 million as part of an ambitious expansion strategy for Aramco’s downstream business to secure markets for its future crude oil production, […]

State Department to End Iran Oil Waivers

The State Department is expected to announce the end of waivers for countries to import Iranian oil on Monday, part of the Trump administration’s effort to drive Iran’s exports to zero, people familiar with the […]

South Korea to Have Summit Anniversary Event Without North Korea

South Korea plans to hold an event to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, without the North’s participation, Bloomberg informed. Seoul’s […]

Major Banks Raise China Growth Forecasts after GDP Numbers

China’s better-than-expected first quarter economic growth has spurred some investment banks to raise their growth forecasts for this year. Economists at Barclays, ING and Citi have raised their China growth outlook for 2019 on Wednesday, though […]

Nadler Says If Obstruction Evidence Corroborated Trump Should Be Impeached

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler stressed Sunday that if proven, obstruction evidence against President Donald Trump provided in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report could be impeachable. “If proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes. […]

Elon Musk, SEC Get More Time to Resolve Issue Over Tesla Tweets

Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will have another week to resolve a legal fight over his tweeting habits after saying they’re making progress and need more time, Bloomberg/Fortune informed. In a […]

Pompeo Privately Said Military Intervention in Iran not an Option

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo allegedly said privately that the U.S. administration will not pursue a regime change in Iran through military intervention. Pompeo made the comments to a group of Iranian American community leaders […]

Giuliani Says ‘Nothing Wrong with Taking Information from Russians’

Following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said Sunday that there was “nothing wrong” with taking information from Russians, ample evidence of which was provided in […]

Ex-Marine Arrested in North Korean Embassy Raid in Spain

U.S. authorities arrested a former Marine after a February raid on the North Korean embassy in Spain, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Christopher Ahn, a former Marine and member of […]

Trump: Some Statements in Mueller Report Are ‘Total Bullshit’

President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Friday that some of the statements made about him in the Mueller report are “total bullshit,” dpa reports. Trump tweeted “it was not necessary for me to respond to […]

Justice Department Says Subpoena for Full Report ‘Premature and Unnecessary’

The Department of Justice called Friday “premature and unnecessary” the subpoena issued by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler for the full Mueller report. The department’s spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, noted that the version of the […]

Elizabeth Warren Calls on House to Initiate Impeachment Proceedings for Trump

Senator Elizabeth Warren said Friday that the House needed to start impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, arguing that the special counsel’s report provides ample evidence Trump welcomed the help of Russia in attacking the […]

Trump Praises Haftar as His Offensive on Government in Tripoli Continues

President Donald Trump spoke with Libyan general Khalifa Haftar at the beginning of this week when he applauded the general on his efforts “in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s vast oil resources.” At the same […]

Mueller Says Sarah Sanders Lied to Press about Comey Firing

According to The Hill, Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged to investigators with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that she misled reporters two years ago that many FBI agents had lost confidence in former Director James Comey […]

Fox News’s Chris Wallace Says Barr Sounded More Like a Counselor to Trump Rather than AG

Chris Wallace from Fox News attacked Attorney General William Barr, saying that he sounded like a counselor to President Donald Trump during his press conference on Thursday, before the release of the report made by […]

Schiff Demands Mueller to Testify Before Congress in May

The Russia case is reaching its end. Special counsel Robert Mueller was invited by the Head of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff to testify next month, as he said that the public must learn […]

Hyundai Heavy Sells Oil Stake to Saudi Aramco for $1.2bn

South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co., the parent company of the world’s largest shipbuilder, said it signed a $1.2 billion deal to sell a minority stake in its oil-refining unit to Saudi Aramco, Wall […]

Venezuela Escapes U.S. Sanctions by Selling Oil Through Russia

Cash flow from Venezuelan oil sales are being funneled through Russian state-run oil giant Rosneft helping the country’s president Nicolas Maduro to evade U.S. sanctions designed to oust him from power, Reuters reported on Thursday citing […]

CIA Director Praises Trump’s ‘Wisdom’ on North Korea

CIA director Gina Haspel said Thursday that President Donald Trump had “shown a lot of wisdom” in his outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, CBS News reports. “I am very proud that we’ve been […]

Report Says NAFTA Changes to Only Lead to Modest Boost in Growth

President Donald Trump’s changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement would only contribute to modest economic growth and auto jobs, says a new report released on Thursday. The U.S. International Trade Commission forecasts that […]

Sarah Sanders Admits to ‘Slip of Tongue’ Comments to Reporters About Comey’s Firing

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders acknowledged on Fox News that she had indeed made misleading statements to the media regarding the firing of former FBI Director James Comey after the claim was made […]

Barr to Release Less Redacted Version of Report by Next Week

The Justice Department said on Thursday that following the release of the redacted special counsel’s report, Attorney General William Barr will also select lawmakers to review a less-redacted version of Robert Mueller’s report in a […]

President Trump to Travel to Japan Next Month for Meeting with Abe, New Emperor

President Donald Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of April before visiting Japan next month, the White House announced on Thursday. Trump will host the Japanese prime minister and […]

U.S. Retail Sales, Labor Market Data Provide Upbeat Economic Picture

U.S. retail sales increased by the most in 1-1/2 years in March as households boosted purchases of motor vehicles and a range of other goods, the latest indication that economic growth picked up in the […]

Apple Reportedly Developing Tile-like Tracking Tag

Apple might be preparing to move into Tile’s territory, as it’s reportedly developing a physical tag you’d be able to attach to any object to track its location. It’s also working on an app that […]

New Sanctions on Venezuela Aim to Cut Off Government’s Finances

The Trump administration extended sanctions to the Central Bank of Venezuela on Wednesday, cutting off the bank’s access to United States currency and limiting its ability to conduct international financial transactions in order to further […]

North Korea Says it Tested New ‘Tactical Guided’ Weapon

North Korea said on Thursday that it test-fired a new type of “tactical guided weapon,” in what appeared to be a warning from Kim Jong-un to President Trump that unless negotiations with Washington resume, the […]

Post-Mueller Report Could Target Russia Dossier Author

The anticipation around Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full report has overshadowed another Justice Department report on the Russia probe that could land as soon as next month, and which will likely take direct aim at […]

Rouhani Blames U.S. for Iran’s Flood Victims

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the United States’ reaction to floods that killed dozens of people had revealed Washington’s “vicious” nature. At least 76 people have died after torrential rainfall which has also caused billions of […]

Rick Perry to Leave Trump Administration

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the latest administration official to announce his departure from the White House, and is currently finalizing the terms and timing of his departure, said people familiar with Perry’s plans. His […]