Articles by Focus Washington

Iran began the burial of slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in a cemetery in northern Tehran on Monday, state TV reported, as the defense minister promised the Islamic Republic would retaliate for his killing, Reuters […]

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Identifies More Administration Officials, Trump Vows Continued Election Fight

President-elect Joe Biden chose more senior aides to lead his administration’s efforts to defeat the coronavirus and rebuild the U.S. economy, and his office confirmed on Sunday he would begin receiving classified briefings that are […]

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.

Trump to Add China’s SMIC and CNOOC to Defense Blacklist

The Trump administration is poised to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC and national offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, according to a document and sources, curbing their […]

EU Starts Debate on How Best to Improve Post-Trump U.S. Relations

The European Union will begin discussions on Monday on how best to improve transatlantic relations after the departure of U.S. President Donald Trump, EU officials said, Reuters reported. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries are […]

Allowing Border Agents to Question Huawei CFO before Her Arrest was Best, Officer Testifies

A Canadian police officer stationed at the Vancouver airport who rejected a plan to arrest Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on the plane she arrived on two years ago, on Friday testified that at […]

This Archbishop is About to Become the First African American Cardinal in Catholic History

For the past week, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, DC, has been holed up in a Vatican guesthouse, receiving meals at his door. On Saturday afternoon, if all goes as planned, Gregory will step out […]

US Sanctions Chinese, Russian Firms over Iran Dealings

The United States announced economic sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies that Washington said had supported the development of Iran’s missile programme, Al Jazeera writes. The four firms, accused of “transferring sensitive technology and items […]

Carter Page Files $75M Suit Against FBI, DOJ, Others Over ‘Unlawful Surveillance’

Carter Page on Friday sued the Justice Department, the FBI and former FBI Director James Comey for $75 million, insisting he was unlawfully surveilled as part of the 2017 special counsel investigation into so-called Russian […]

Biden’s Cabinet a Battleground for Future GOP White House Hopefuls

Republican senators with an eye on running for the White House in 2024 are gearing up to battle against President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet picks, setting up a debate within the Senate GOP conference over how […]

GOP Senators Ready to Become Deficit Hawks Under President Biden

Republicans are preparing to re-embrace their inner deficit hawk after greenlighting big spending bills under President Donald Trump, The Hill reported. GOP senators say they expect to refocus on curbing the nation’s debt and reforming […]

Trump Team Fraud Claims Are ‘Farcical,’ Says Ex Election Security Head

The top U.S. cybersecurity official fired by Republican President Donald Trump for saying the Nov. 3 election was the most secure in American history said on Friday voter fraud allegations made by Trump and his […]

Former Army National Guardsman Charged with Supporting Foreign Terrorist Organization

Federal authorities arrested a former U.S. Army service member and Army National Guardsman in New Jersey on Wednesday on charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The Hill reported. Maria […]

U.S. Court Dismisses Election Case in Pennsylvania

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected an attempt by U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign to block President-elect Joe Biden from being declared the winner of Pennsylvania, dealing another significant setback to Trump’s bid to […]

U.S. Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Surpass 90,000 Ahead of Expected Case Surge

The number of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals across the United States reached 90,000 on Friday after nearly doubling in the last month, just as holiday gatherings are expected to propel the next wave […]

Google and Facebook to Be Scrutinized by New U.K. Antitrust Unit From Next Year

The U.K. on Friday said a new government unit will work to tackle ongoing concerns about a concentration of power among a small number of tech giants, CNBC informs. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media […]

Beijing Doesn’t Want the U.S. to Form an ‘Anti-China Coalition’ in the Post-Trump Era

Beijing is concerned that there’s a higher chance of countries in Asia partnering with the U.S. to counter China under President-elect Joe Biden – and wants to prevent that from happening, according to a political […]

Saudi-Led Coalition Carries Out Air Raids on Houthi Barracks in Sanaa Area

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi forces in Yemen carried out a series of air raids on barracks used by the Iran-aligned group in and around the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Friday, according to local residents, […]

Facebook Cryptocurrency Libra to Launch as Early as January but Scaled Back

Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency is readying to launch as early as January, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing three unidentified people involved in the project. The Geneva-based Libra Association that will issue and govern Libra […]

As Brexit Goes Down to the Line, EU’s Barnier to Travel to London

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier will travel to London late on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to clinch a Brexit trade deal as the two sides try to resolve differences over fish and competition […]

Stocks Hover Near Record High, Oil Skids on Demand Outlook

Asian shares stalled near record highs on Friday as investors weighed renewed doubts about a highly-anticipated coronavirus vaccine against hopes that some of the region’s economies will recovery quicker than their Western peers, Reuters reported. […]

Trump Says He’ll Leave if Biden Wins Electoral College Vote

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, the closest he has come to conceding the Nov. 3 election, even as he […]

AstraZeneca CEO Expects to Run New Global Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine

AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine using a lower dosage, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Thursday amid questions over the results […]

protection against coronavirus infection

US Celebrates Scaled-Back Thanksgiving as COVID-19 Surges

Americans on Thursday celebrated a Thanksgiving Day transformed by the coronavirus pandemic, with the traditional Macy’s parade limited to a television-only event and many families resigned to meeting on video for turkey dinner, Reuters writes. […]

Cuomo Calls U.S. Supreme Court’s Religious Gatherings Ruling ‘Irrelevant’

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday dismissed as “irrelevant” a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking coronavirus restrictions imposed on religious gatherings, saying it related to specific are as that were no longer considered at […]

Bitcoin Plunges by Nearly $3,000 After Closing in on Its All-Time Record

Bitcoin has plunged by close to $3,000 in less than 24 hours after hitting highs not seen since the end of 2017, CNBC writes. The price of bitcoin was trading at $19,374 at 1:45 p.m. […]

Trump Rants About Overturning the Election Even as Administration Begins Transition to Biden

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory to be overturned, and spread unproven claims of voter fraud while falsely insisting he won a series of key swing states that went […]

Trump Order Could Spark Mass Firings of Civil Servants, Lawmakers Warn

U.S. government civil servants could face mass firings under an October executive order before President Donald Trump leaves office and Democratic lawmakers, watchdog groups and unions are mobilizing to block the move, Reuters informed. Leaders […]

World Shares Hold Close to All-Time Highs

European shares were mixed on Thursday and world shares held near all-time highs after a strong Asian session in which market euphoria around COVID-19 vaccines, Joe Biden’s U.S. presidential election win and hopes for further […]

Rising U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims, COVID-19 Cases Point to Slowing Economic Recovery

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits increased further last week, suggesting that an explosion in new COVID-19 infections and business restrictions were boosting layoffs and undermining the labor market recovery, Reuters […]

Biden Urges Safe Thanksgiving Amid Pandemic

President-elect Joe Biden pleaded with Americans on Wednesday to take steps to remain safe over the Thanksgiving holiday as COVID-19 cases soared, Reuters reported. Biden gave a presidential-style speech acknowledging people’s fatigue with restrictions amid […]