Articles by Focus Washington

The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday scheduled a hearing over Facebook’s plans to create a new cryptocurrency, The Hill reports. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) issued a statement in which he said: “We cannot allow Facebook […]

Gun Makers Adjust Rifles to Evade Bans

California first banned the sale of guns it calls assault weapons, including AR-15 style rifles, in 1989, then updated the restrictions in 1999 and again in 2016, The Wall Street Journal informs. An accused shooter […]

White House, Tehran Ease Tensions

Rising tension between the U.S. and Iran eased at least temporarily on Friday after President Donald Trump said he called off a planned military strike in order to spare Iranian lives, a development that opened […]

China State Media Urges U.S. to Drop Tough Trade Stance

Instead of waging a trade war with China, the United States should drop its win-at-all-costs mentality and consider the interests of its own people as well as the global community, the official People’s Daily said […]

U.S. Cities Brace for Immigration Raids, Vow Not to Cooperate

U.S. cities expecting to be hit by a wave of immigration raids intended to deport recently arrived families who are in the United States illegally said on Friday they would not cooperate with federal authorities, […]

Governor of Rhode Island Signs Abortion Protection Bill

Rhode Island Democratic Governor Gina Raimondo on Wednesday joined other Democratic governors in signing bills guaranteeing abortion protections, at a time when more and more Republicans seem intent on rolling back such freedoms. The governor […]

New Report Shows Trump Administration Slower in Deporting Immigrants than Obama’s

Last year saw the highest numbers of deported immigrants, but regardless of such figures, an Axios report shows that the Obama administration’s deportation levels were still higher than those of the current administration. Under Obama’s […]

Americans Aren’t Sure U.S. System Can Fix Long-Term Problems, Poll Shows

Americans have little faith in the U.S. political system, can address long-term challenges, and are skeptical the nation remains committed to foundational tenets such as the free market, majority rule and tolerance, a Wall Street […]

Trump Warns Tehran a U.S. Attack Is Imminent, Calls for Talks

Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent but saying he was against war and wanted talks […]

Exxon’s $53bn Iraq Deal Hit by Contract Snags, Iran Tensions

Just weeks ago, U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil looked poised to move ahead with a $53 billion project to boost Iraq’s oil output at its southern fields, a milestone in the company’s ambitions to expand in […]

Businessman to Testify in Washington on Trump’s Moscow Tower

Russian-born business executive Felix Sater will be interviewed by the U.S. House intelligence committee about his role in President Donald Trump’s effort to build a skyscraper in Moscow during the presidential election, the Washington Post […]

Graham Says Military Response is Possible if Iran Doesn’t Change Nuclear Policy

After the state of Iran took down a U.S. drone near the Persian Gulf, reactions from U.S. officials came one after another. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was talking with reporters on a Thursday briefing saying […]

Hicks Says Trump is Serious in Accepting Foreign Help for Elections

Panel Chairman Jerrold Nadler issued a statement on Thursday in which he said that Hope Hicks told the House Judiciary Committee that President Donald Trump was serious in saying that there is nothing wrong in […]

Trump Says Iran Made a Big Mistake for Shooting Down Drone

Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise as one U.S. drone got taken down near the Persian Gulf on Thursday. President Donald Trump immediately Tweeted, “Iran made a very big mistake!’’ this […]

Boeing in Тalks for Мore 737 MAX Оrders after IAG

Boeing is in talks with other airlines for sales of its grounded 737 MAX after receiving a letter of intent for 200 planes from British Airways owner IAG at the Paris Airshow, its sales chief […]

China, U.S. to Resume Trade Talks, Beijing Warns Demands Must Be Met

Top Chinese and U.S. officials will resume trade talks in accordance with the wishes of their leaders, but China hopes the United States will create the necessary conditions for dialogue, the Chinese commerce ministry said […]

Biden is Democrats’ Top Choice in South Carolina

Former Vice President Joe Biden is the top choice for his party’s nomination among South Carolina Democrats, according to the latest CBS News Battleground Tracker. But Democratic voters in the Palmetto are considering other candidates […]

Middle East Clashes Increase Oil Prices

Oil prices climbed sharply Thursday as tensions in the Middle East continued to spiral and the dollar fell, extending a period of high volatility for crude, The Wall Street Journal reported. Brent crude, the global […]

New York Lawmakers Pass Law to Fight Climate Change

New York state lawmakers passed early Thursday one of the nation’s most ambitious plans to slow climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, Reuters informs. If signed into law, it would […]

Chinese President Xi Arrives in North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Thursday as Beijing looks to bolster its neighbor, hit by U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, a week before Xi and President Donald Trump […]

U.S. Targets Russian Company for Breach of North Korea Sanctions

A Russian financial institution has been placed on a U.S. sanctions list for allegedly helping North Korea evade financial sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Russian Financial Society has been […]

Washington Confirms Iranian Missile Shot Down U.S. Military Drone

A U.S. military drone has been shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile while in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials said, BBC reports. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it shot down […]

Rubio Bashes Journalist who Criticized him for Being at Trump Rally

Senator Marco Rubio had a feud with a journalist on Tuesday, as the journalist called it ‘’very strange’’ for Rubio to smile and laugh at President Donald Trump re-election campaign launch. Michael Barbaro, the host […]

Rocket Strikes Near Foreign Oil Firms in Iraq

A rocket hit a site in southern Iraq used by foreign oil companies on Wednesday, including U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil, wounding three people and threatening to further escalate U.S.-Iran tensions in the region, Reuters informs. […]

President Trump Launches Reelection Campaign

President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign on Tuesday by presenting himself as the same political insurgent who shook up the Washington establishment four years ago and who is now a victim of […]

Matt Gaetz Claims Trump’s Campaign is an ‘Inclusive Movement’

Representative Matt Gaetz said that the campaign of President Donald Trump represents an inclusive venture that will unite citizens across the U.S. and will ensure economic prosperity. Fox News cited Gaetz as saying that the […]

Esper Named Acting Pentagon Chief as Trump Withdraws Shanahan Nomination

President Donald Trump on Tuesday withdrew the nomination of Patrick Shanahan to be the permanent defense secretary, leaving the Pentagon in transition at a time of escalating tensions with Iran and questions about the role […]

Trump and Xi to Discuss Trade at G-20 Summit in Japan

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to meet in Japan next week, lifting financial markets and spurring hopes for a trade truce that could stave off a fresh round of tariffs, The […]

NYT Reporter Calls out Marco Rubio for Smiling at Rally, Rubio Strikes back

Senator Marco Rubio clapped back at a Tweet posted by a New York Times reporter who made remarks about the way Rubio was “smiling and chuckling” at the re-election rally held by Trump in Orlando. […]

Foreign Spies Use Social Media to Target Government Contractors, FBI Warns

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has sent a warning to private sector partners about foreign intelligence services using social media accounts to target and recruit employees with U.S. government clearance, ZDNet reports. “FIS [foreign intelligence services] […]