Focus Washington by Focus Washington

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.

In Latest Confrontation With China, U.S. Drafts List of 89 Firms With Military Ties

November 23, 2020 Focus Washington

The Trump administration is close to declaring that 89 Chinese aerospace and other companies have military ties, restricting them from buying a range of U.S. goods and technology, according to a draft copy of the […]

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AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Can Be 90% Effective, Results Show

November 23, 2020 Focus Washington

Britain’s AstraZeneca said on Monday its vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be around 90% effective without any serious side effects, Reuters writes. The vaccine developed by Oxford University was 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 […]

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A House of Representatives committee examining former President Donald Trump's withdrawal of sensitive materials from the White House.

U.S. FDA Grants Emergency Use Authorization to Regeneron COVID-19 Antibody Given to Trump

November 22, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday issued emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals COVID-19 antibody therapy, an experimental treatment given to President Donald Trump that he said helped cure him of the disease, […]

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U.S. Hits 12 Million COVID-19 Cases as Many Americans Defy Thanksgiving Travel Guidance

November 22, 2020 Focus Washington

The United States recorded its 12th million COVID-19 case on Saturday, even as millions of Americans were expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, ignoring warnings from health officials about furthering the spread of […]

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Palestinian Rocket Fire Draws Israeli Air Strikes in Gaza

November 22, 2020 Focus Washington

Palestinian militants fired a rocket into Israel, drawing Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on Sunday, Reuters writes. There were no casualties reported on either side of the border. Israeli […]

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China to Launch Moon Probe, Seeking First Lunar Rock Retrieval Since 1970s

November 22, 2020 Focus Washington

China plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to the moon this week to bring back lunar rocks in the first attempt by any nation to retrieve samples from Earth’s natural satellite since the 1970s, Reuters […]

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Trump Faces New Pressure to Concede Election

November 22, 2020 Focus Washington

After a scathing court setback in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump faces increased pressure from his fellow Republicans to drop his effort to overturn the U.S. presidential election and concede to Democrat Joe Biden, Reuters informed. […]

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White House Aide Andrew Giuliani Tests Positive for COVID-19

November 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Andrew Giuliani, a White House aide and son of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, said on Friday he had tested positive for COVID-19, Reuters writes. “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19,” the […]

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G20 to Discuss Post-Pandemic World, Back Debt Relief

November 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Leaders of the 20 biggest world economies (G20) will debate this weekend how to deal with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a global recession and how to manage the recovery once the coronavirus […]

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Michigan Republicans, After Meeting Trump, Say No Information to Change Election Outcome

November 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Michigan’s Republican state legislative leaders said after meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday that they had no information that would change the outcome of the presidential election in the state, and would follow the […]

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Panic Buying of Toilet Paper Hits U.S. Stores Again With New Pandemic Restrictions

November 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Toilet paper aisles are emptying again as COVID-19 curfews and shutdowns in states from California to New York send pandemic-weary shoppers on a new scramble for essentials, Reuters informed. Walmart on Friday said it was “seeing […]

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More Congress Republicans Openly Doubt Trump’s Election Claims

November 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Pressure for President Donald Trump to start the transition process to President-elect Joe Biden built among Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Friday, as several voiced doubts over Trump’s claims of fraudulent voting, Reuters informed. […]

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U.S. Officials Worry About Holiday Spike as Coronavirus Surges

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

U.S. health authorities braced for further increases in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths on Friday, capping a week in which the spread of the novel coronavirus accelerated ahead of next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, Reuters informed. […]

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Mnuchin Clawback of Fed Funds ‘Deeply Irresponsible,’ Biden Team Says

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s decision to de-fund several Federal Reserve coronavirus lending programs on Dec. 31 is “deeply irresponsible,” President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team said on Friday, and threatens to undermine the country’s fragile […]

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12 Million Americans Set to Lose Unemployment Benefits by Year’s End

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

About 12 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits in December when CARES Act provisions lapse, absent an extension, according to a new analysis, CNBC reported. Unemployment benefits will terminate for more than half of current […]

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Most U.S. Companies Optimistic About Doing Business in China After Biden’s Win, Survey Finds

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

The outlook for U.S. businesses in China is improving, whether politically or revenue-wise, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said in a survey released Friday, CNBC writes. Out of 124 company leaders surveyed from […]

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G20 Leaders Urged to Provide Funds for COVID-19 Vaccines, Drugs, Tests

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

G20 leaders must help close a funding gap to buy vaccines, drugs and tests to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, a letter from South Africa’s president, Norway’s prime minister, and the heads of the World Health […]

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EU Could Pay Over $10bn for Pfizer and CureVac Vaccines

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters. […]

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WHO Advises Against Gilead’s Remdesivir for All Hospitalised COVID-19 Patients

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

Gilead’s remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization […]

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Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Georgia Confirms Biden’s Victory in State

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

Georgia confirmed Democratic President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the Nov. 3 election in the state as it completed a hand audit of ballots on Thursday, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said, Reuters reported. […]

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California, Ohio Order Nightly Curfews on Gatherings as Coronavirus Surges

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

California’s governor on Thursday imposed a curfew on social gatherings and other non-essential activities in one of the most intrusive of the restrictions being ordered across the country to curb an alarming surge in novel […]

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Trump to Host Michigan Lawmakers as He Presses Dubious Effort to Overturn Election

November 20, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump will meet with the Republican leaders of the Michigan state legislature on Friday at the White House, as his campaign pursues an increasingly desperate bid to overturn the Nov. 3 election amid […]

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Trump’s Vaccine Team Will Not Brief Biden Administration, Senator Claims

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

Officials from President Donald Trump’s vaccine distribution effort have not briefed anyone on President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, and have no plans to do so, a Democratic U.S. senator said after a White House call […]

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Facebook Moderators Say Company Has Risked Their Lives by Forcing Them Back to the Office

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

More than 200 Facebook content moderators from across the U.S. and Europe have written an open letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and urged him to let them work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, CNBC […]

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Man beats lumber store employee over mask rule

State and City Leaders Impose Targeted Coronavirus Restrictions to Curb COVID Without Tanking Economy

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

Coronavirus cases are running rampant across the U.S., and a handful of states and cities are closing nonessential businesses, limiting public and private gatherings and imposing mask mandates to try to slow the rapid spread […]

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Pressure Grows on U.S. Agency to Approve Trump-to-Biden Transition

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

A little-known agency that keeps the U.S. federal bureaucracy running is the biggest impediment to new efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak, Democratic President-elect Joe Biden said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. “There’s a whole lot […]

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Russian Parliament Given Draft Law Enabling Moscow to Block U.S. Social Media Giants

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

Lawmakers in Russia’s parliament presented draft legislation on Thursday that, if passed, would enable the government to restrict internet access to U.S. social media giants deemed to have discriminated against Russian media outlets, Reuters informs. […]

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AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise in Elderly, Trial Results by Christmas

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s potential COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response in older adults, data published on Thursday showed, with researchers expecting to release late-stage trial results by Christmas, Reuters informed. The data, reported […]

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World Stocks Ease Further From Highs, Oil Dips on COVID-19 Count

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

World stocks eased for the third day in a row and oil fell on Thursday tracking overnight weakness in Asia and Wall Street as widening COVID-19 restrictions weighed on market sentiment, Reuters reported. Positive news […]

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Trump Faces Likely Setback in Georgia Recount

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. presidential election battleground state of Georgia is expected on Thursday to affirm Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump after a painstaking recount, which would deal another setback to Trump’s efforts to cling […]

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