Articles by Focus Washington

Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, on a charge of inciting last month’s deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol, opens on Tuesday with a debate over the constitutionality of the Senate trying a president after […]

Two U.S. Carrier Groups Conduct Exercises in South China Sea

Two U.S. carrier groups conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea on Tuesday, days after a U.S. warship sailed near Chinese-controlled islands in the disputed waters, as China denounced the United States for damaging […]

Georgia Secretary of State’s Office Launches Probe into Trump’s Election Phone Call

Georgia’s Secretary of State’s office opened a probe on Monday into former U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, a step that could lead to a criminal investigation by state […]

Bitcoin Powers to New High as Tesla Takes It Mainstream

Bitcoin extended gains on Tuesday to a record high as the afterglow of Tesla Inc’s investment in the cryptocurrency had investors reckoning it would become a mainstream asset class for both corporates and money managers, […]

South Korea’s New Top Diplomat Says Confident about U.S. Coordination over North Korea

South Korea’s new foreign minister said on Tuesday he was confident about coordinating North Korea policy with the United States despite earlier signs of differences, Reuters reported. Chung Eui-yong, 74, took office as South Korea’s […]

Saudi PIF Invests in NBK Capital Partners’ Shariah Credit Fund

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has become an anchor investor in a new $300 million shariah credit fund launched by NBK Capital Partners (NBKCP) that will provide capital to mid-market companies in the Middle East, […]

Justice Department Seeks Resignations of Trump-Era US Attorneys

The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department […]

Global Stocks Mixed on Optimism Over Recovery, Stimulus

Global stock markets were mixed Tuesday after another record-setting rally on Wall Street. London and Frankfurt opened lower, while Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced, The Associated Press reported. U.S. futures were lower a day […]

Hacker Boosts Toxic Chemical Level 100-Fold at Water Plant

A hacker breached computer networks at a Oldsmar, Florida, water treatment plant, remotely delivering a 100-fold boost in a chemical that is highly dangerous in concentrated amounts, Bloomberg reported. In an attack with the potential […]

Trump’s Lawyers Challenge Constitutionality of Post-white House Impeachment Trial

The day before former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial begins on a charge of inciting the deadly attack on the Capitol last month, his lawyers on Monday denied he had encouraged violence and challenged the […]

Netanyahu Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption as Trial Resumes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty on Monday to corruption charges at the resumption of his trial, six weeks before voters again head to the polls to pass judgment on his leadership, Reuters […]

Dollar Steadies after Losses on Payrolls

The dollar steadied against major currencies on Monday as traders waited for more data on the U.S. economy, after a disappointing jobs report last week ended a rally in the greenback, Reuters reported. The euro […]

Shares Reach Record High, Oil Tops $60 a Barrel

World shares hit a record high on Monday and oil surpassed $60 a barrel for the first time in a year, on hopes that a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package will be passed by U.S. […]

China Reports No New Local COVID-19 Infection for First Time in Nearly Two Months

China reported no new locally transmitted mainland COVID-19 case for the first time in nearly two months, official data showed on Monday, adding to signs that it has managed to stamp out the latest wave […]

South Africa Halts AstraZeneca Rollout on Fears It Doesn’t Stop Mild Illness

South Africa halted Monday’s planned rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccinations after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild infection from one variant, stoking fears of a much longer cat-and-mouse battle with the pathogen, Reuters […]

Biden Administration Moves to Rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration will reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council, three years after former President Donald Trump withdrew over what his administration called bias against Israel and a lack of reform, […]

US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

Biden: China Should Expect ‘Extreme Competition’ From US

President Joe Biden says China is in for “extreme competition” from the U.S. under his administration, but that the new relationship he wants to forge need not be one of conflict, The Associated Press reported. […]

Trump Impeachment Trial to Open With Sense of Urgency, Speed

Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial is opening this week with a sense of urgency — by Democrats who want to hold the former president accountable for the violent U.S. Capitol siege and Republicans who […]

Biden Admin Halts Trump Asylum Deals with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

The Biden administration said on Saturday it was immediately suspending Trump-era asylum agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, part of a bid to undo his Republican predecessor’s hardline immigration policies, Reuters reports. In a […]

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Says No Intel Briefings for Trump: ‘He Might Slip and Say Something’

President Joe Biden has said former President Donald Trump should no longer receive intelligence briefings and suggested Trump could reveal the sensitive information contained in them, Newsweek reports. Biden gave his first network TV interview […]

Chicago Teachers, District Talks in Stalemate over COVID Re-opening Plan

Talks between Chicago teachers and the mayor on a plan to reopen the third-largest U.S. school district during the pandemic were deadlocked on Friday after the union signaled that it would not accept her “last, […]

Sanders Slams Dems Willing to Pare down Eligibility for Stimulus Checks

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday hit fellow Democrats who he says are looking to lower the eligibility thresholds for coronavirus stimulus checks, The Hill reports. The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee tweeted Saturday evening that it […]

U.S. CDC: 59.3mn COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Distributed, 39mn Administered

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had distributed 59,304,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States and that 39,037,964 doses had been administered as of Saturday morning. The tallies are […]

The ports and waterways funding comes from President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan, which was signed into law by Congress last year

Biden Says Trump Shouldn’t Receive Classified Intelligence Briefings

In an interview with CBS Evening News’ Norah O’Donnell, President Joe Biden said he doesn’t believe Trump should receive classified intelligence briefings, Business Insider reports. During the interview, when O’Donnell asked the president’s opinion, he […]

U.S. Backs Okonjo-Iweala, First Woman and African, to Head WTO

The Biden administration declared its “strong support” Friday for former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to serve as the World Trade Organization’s next director-general, Bloomberg reports. The decision breaks with the Trump administration’s opposition to […]

Supreme Court Lifts California Worship Bans Prompted by Coronavirus

A splintered U.S. Supreme Court blocked California from enforcing coronavirus-related bans on indoor worship services, but declined to upset other state rules banning singing and chanting and limiting the number of worshipers, Politico writes. The […]

Prosecutors Want All 4 Cops to Be Charged with Third-Degree Murder in George Floyd Death

Prosecutors want to charge all four police officers at the scene of George Floyd’s death with third-degree murder, according to a report Friday. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a motion Thursday, citing a legal […]

GOP Pols Want Pelosi to Pay $5K for Ignoring Her Own Metal Detector Rules in Capitol

Hours after The Post revealed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi docked $5,000 each from the pay of two GOP congressmen for flouting her new metal detectors, a group of Republican polls demanded she pay the […]

February 5, 2021 Focus Washington

Bipartisan Pair of Senators Reintroduces Immigration Reform Bill Protecting ‘Dreamers’

Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Thursday introduced the latest iteration of the Dream Act, part of a new immigration reform push, CNBC informed. The proposed legislation, first introduced in 2001, would […]

February 5, 2021 Focus Washington

Biden Set to Accept More Refugees after Years of Trump Restrictions

President Joe Biden said on Thursday he plans to raise annual refugee admissions to 125,000 in the coming fiscal year, a more than eight-fold increase after former President Donald Trump slashed levels to historic lows, […]