Articles by Focus Washington

Just over 1 million people in the U.S. have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday morning, a far cry from the federal government’s goal of inoculating 20 million Americans by […]

UK and EU Expected to Announce Brexit Trade Deal

The Irish foreign minister said a post-Brexit trade deal is expected Thursday, after a “last-minute hitch” delayed an announcement, CNBC reports. Simon Coveney told RTE radio it will be an “enormous relief” when the deal […]

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.

China Launches Antitrust Probe Into Tech Giant Alibaba

China has launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba Group and will summon the tech giant’s Ant Group affiliate to meet in coming days, regulators said on Thursday, in the latest blow for Jack Ma’s e-commerce […]

U.S. States Enlist Medical, Nursing Students to Give Out COVID-19 Vaccine

U.S. states, facing a backlog in administering coronavirus vaccines, are asking medical and nursing students, and even firefighters, to help give the shots and free up healthcare workers battling a raging pandemic at overcrowded hospitals, […]

Democrats Want Rushed Vote on Trump’s $2,000 Coronavirus Aid Checks

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday aim to win quick passage of legislation providing $2,000 in direct payments to Americans as part of a coronavirus economic relief initiative after President Donald Trump […]

U.S. Cyber Agency Says SolarWinds Hackers Are ‘Impacting’ State, Local Governments

The U.S. cybersecurity agency said on Wednesday that a sprawling cyber espionage campaign made public earlier this month is affecting state and local governments, although it released few additional details, Reuters informed. The hacking campaign, […]

Trump Vetoes Defense Bill, Threatens Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan defense policy bill on Wednesday and raised the prospect that the United States could face a government shutdown during a pandemic, stirring new turmoil in Washington as he headed […]

Trump Pardons Former Campaign Chairman Manafort, Associate Roger Stone

President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted pardons to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former adviser Roger Stone, sweeping away the most important convictions under the long-running Russia election probe, Reuters reported. Trump also issued […]

US Government Says FSB Poisoned Navalny with Novichok

Russia’s internal security service, the FSB, was accused by the US government as being behind the unsuccessful assasination of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The attempt was allegedly made with the Novichok nerve agent. “The United […]

GOP Senators Give their Vaccine Right to Americans in Need

Republican Senator Rick Scott on Wednesday announced that he and his office have requested that the vaccines reserved for them to be given to “vulnerable population.” The trend of lawmakers rejecting the vaccine before it […]

Hopes of an Imminent Brexit Trade Deal Drive Markets Higher

Bond yields and sterling jumped Wednesday on reports that a long-awaited Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union was close, CNBC reported. Officials on both sides have said they are optimistic about the […]

U.S. Economy Losing Speed as Year Winds Down

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, though remaining elevated as more businesses face restrictions and consumers hunker down amid an explosion of new COVID-19 cases, Reuters informed. […]

U.S. Immigration Arrests Down 27% in 2020, a Trend Activists Hope Biden Will Continue

U.S. immigration arrests fell by 27% in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic led to fewer border crossings and reduced operations, a falloff that pro-immigrant activists say should continue when President-elect Joe Biden takes office in […]

Oil Drops on Surprise U.S. Stock Build

Oil prices dropped on Wednesday after an industry report showed an unexpected rise in U.S. crude oil inventories, and as President Donald Trump rattled markets by threatening not to sign a long-awaited U.S. COVID-19 relief […]

Trump Grants Full Pardon to Russia Probe Figure George Papadopoulos

President Donald Trump granted a full pardon on Tuesday to George Papadopoulos, a former campaign aide who pleaded guilty as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Reuters reported. Trump […]

U.S. Under Siege From COVID-19 as Hospitals Overwhelmed Before Holidays

Americans were warned again on Tuesday not to travel for Christmas as the latest COVID-19 surge left hospitals struggling to find beds for the sick and political leaders imposed restrictions to try to curb new […]

Trump Stimulus Threat Puts Holiday-Thinned Markets on Edge

Stock futures wobbled and commodities fell on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threw a last-minute spanner into pandemic relief plans, although Asian equities rose as traders looked through fears about an infectious new coronavirus […]

Trump Threatens to Not Sign COVID-19 Bill, Wants Bigger Stimulus Checks

President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to not sign an $892 billion coronavirus relief bill that includes desperately needed money for individual Americans, saying it should be amended to increase the amount in the stimulus […]

protection against coronavirus infection

Drugmakers Rush to Test Whether Vaccines Stop Coronavirus Variant

Drug makers including BioNTech and Moderna are scrambling to test their COVID-19 vaccines against the new fast-spreading variant of the virus that is raging in Britain, the latest challenge in the breakneck race to curb […]

Saudi Arabia Moves to Reassure Public Over New Mutant Coronavirus Strain

Saudi Arabia moved on Monday to reassure the public over the new mutant strain of coronavirus as the world closed its doors to travel from the UK, where the strain was first identified, Arab News […]

U.S. Publishes List of Chinese and Russian Firms With Military Ties

The Trump administration on Monday published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties that restrict them from buying a wide range of U.S. goods and technology, Reuters reported. Reuters first reported […]

‘Dozens of Email Accounts’ Were Hacked at U.S. Treasury

Dozens of email accounts at the U.S. Treasury Department were compromised by the powerful hackers responsible for a wide-ranging espionage campaign against U.S. government agencies, the office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said on Monday, […]

Google, Facebook Agreed to Team up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Draft Lawsuit Says

Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google agreed to “cooperate and assist one another” in case of an investigation into their pact to work together in online advertising, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Monday. The […]

Oil’s Rally, Fueled by Vaccine Progress, Is Running Out of Steam

The oil market has rallied almost 40% in the last two months, pushing benchmarks to nine-month highs, in a euphoric response to progress on COVID-19 vaccines that has investors thinking the end of the coronavirus […]

U.S. Congress Approves $892 Billion COVID-19 Relief Package

The U.S. Congress on Monday approved an $892 billion coronavirus aid package, throwing a lifeline to the nation’s pandemic-battered economy after months of inaction, while also keeping the federal government funded, Reuters reported. President Donald […]

Barr Says No Need to Investigate Hunter Biden, Election Fraud

According to The Hill, an official from The Foreign Ministry of China denied President Trump’s statement for involvement of Chinese hackers in the latest cyberattack that struck several U.S government agencies. The Attorney General William […]

Stocks Steady as Worries Over New COVID-19 Strain Ease

European stocks steadied on Tuesday, after heavy losses a day earlier sparked by fears over a highly infectious new strain of COVID-19, as Washington approved an $892 billion pandemic relief package, Reuters reported. The broad […]

China Denies Involvement in Cyberattacks

According to The Hill, an official from The Foreign Ministry of China denied President Trump’s statement for the involvement of Chinese hackers in the latest cyberattack that struck several U.S government agencies. The Attorney General […]

December 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Gets Coronavirus Vaccine as U.S. Inoculation Effort Mounts

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden received his first injected dose of the COVID-19 vaccine live on television on Monday in an effort to boost confidence in its safety ahead of its wide distribution next year, Reuters […]

December 21, 2020 Focus Washington

COVID Stimulus Is the Most Important for the U.S. Economy Right Now, Economist Says

The U.S. economy could experience a “slight downturn” in the first quarter of 2021 if the Covid stimulus bill is not passed, an economist from Moody’s Analytics said on Monday, CNBC reports. Senate Majority Leader […]