Focus Washington by Focus Washington

U.S. COVID Deaths Top 250,000 as New York City Schools Halt in-Person Classes

November 19, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpassed a grim new milestone of 250,000 lives lost on Wednesday, as New York City’s public school system, the nation’s largest, called a halt to in-classroom instruction, citing a […]

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protection against coronavirus infection

Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Deliveries Could Start ‘Before Christmas’

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Pfizer and BioNTech could secure emergency U.S. and European authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed it had a 95% success rate and no serious side effects, the drugmakers said on […]

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Biden Receives National Security Briefing From Experts Outside Government

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden received a briefing Tuesday on national security and diplomacy from a dozen experts outside of government, highlighting the fact that President Donald Trump is still barring Biden from receiving the classified intelligence […]

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Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Maker Identifies ‘Big Challenges’ to Mass Production

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Moderna’s announcement earlier this week that its vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing the coronavirus, according to preliminary trial data, raised global hopes further that a resolution to the pandemic that has killed […]

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U.S. Judge Skeptical of Trump Bid to Halt Biden Win in Pennsylvania

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

A judge on Tuesday appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump’s request to block officials from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, underscoring the difficulties the Trump campaign has faced in challenging the outcome of […]

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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’s Irritated Trade Partners Push Back on Coronavirus Food Tests

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Major food-producing countries are growing increasingly frustrated with China’s scrutiny of imported products and are calling on it to stop aggressive testing for the coronavirus, which some say is tantamount to a trade restriction, Reuters […]

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FDA Approves First COVID-19 Test Kit for Home Use

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it had approved the first COVID-19 self-testing kit for home use that provides results within 30 minutes, Reuters informed. The single-use test, made by Lucira Health, […]

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World Stocks Catch Breath After Vaccine Euphoria

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

Global shares were little changed and oil rose on Wednesday as weak U.S. retail sales and a surge of new coronavirus cases dampened but did not extinguish the euphoria from recent COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs, Reuters […]

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U.S. Medical Leaders Rebuke Trump, Urge COVID-19 Cooperation With Biden Team

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

The U.S. medical establishment on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to share critical COVID-19 data with President-elect Joe Biden’s team to avoid needless, deadly lags in tackling a raging pandemic that is threatening to overwhelm […]

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Trump Fires Top U.S. Election Cybersecurity Official Who Defended Vote

November 18, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired top cybersecurity official Chris Krebs in a message on Twitter, accusing him without evidence of making a “highly inaccurate” statement affirming the Nov. 3 election was secure and rejecting […]

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Sen. Loeffler Calls Democrat Warnock ‘Most Radically Liberal Candidate in the Country’, Welcomes Debate

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., called out her Democratic runoff opponent Raphael Warnock as a “radical” who has slammed police officers and has been associated with controversial figures like the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Fox […]

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Dems Urge Trump Administration to Avoid Last-minute Rollback of Rules, Regulations

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

House Democrats are urging the Trump administration to refrain from a spate of last-minute rules rolling back health, safety and environmental protections, warning it could complicate the transition process for President-elect Joe Biden and the […]

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Moderna Says Preliminary Trial Data Shows Its Coronavirus Vaccine Is More Than 94% Effective

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Moderna said preliminary phase three trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19 — a result CEO Stephane Bancel called a “game changer.” CNBC informed. The analysis evaluated 95 […]

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Biden Says ‘More People May Die’ From COVID if Trump Continues to Delay Transition

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday that “more people may die” from the coronavirus if the Trump administration doesn’t begin coordinating with his team on plans to vaccinate more than 300 million Americans against the […]

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OPEC+ Panel Sees Weaker Oil Demand in 2021

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

OPEC and its allies have revised oil demand scenarios for 2021 with demand seen weaker than previously anticipated, a confidential document seen by Reuters shows, supporting the case for a tighter supply policy next year. […]

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Despite Vaccine Progress, Investors Eye Fed Support as Coronavirus Surges

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Investors are weighing the chances the Federal Reserve will increase its purchases of U.S. government debt in coming weeks to counteract the economic fallout of a COVID-19 resurgence, an intervention that could reverse a recent […]

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Iowa Joins U.S. States From Coasts to Heartland Acting to Curb COVID-19

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Several U.S. governors, from the coastal states of New Jersey and California to the heartland of Iowa and Ohio, acted on Monday to restrict gatherings and boost face-coverings in confronting a coronavirus surge they warned […]

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Trump Asked for Options for Attacking Iran Last Week, but Held off

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump, with two months left in office, last week asked for options on attacking Iran’s main nuclear site, but ultimately decided against taking the dramatic step, a U.S. official said on Monday, Reuters […]

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Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Turns Focus to Building White House Team

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden will focus on shaping his core White House team on Tuesday while outgoing President Donald Trump presses on with his increasingly tenuous legal fight to reverse his loss in the U.S. election, […]

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Tesla to Join S&P 500, Spark Epic Index Fund Trade

November 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Tesla is set to join the S&P 500 in December, a major win for Chief Executive Elon Musk that boosted the electric car maker’s shares 14% on Monday in anticipation of a $51 billion trade […]

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Companies Gear up for Biden Administration With Lobbyist Hiring Spree

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

As Joe Biden appeared to be on the path to winning the 2020 presidential election, several companies and business groups went on a hiring spree for lobbyists that could influence the incoming administration, CNBC informed. […]

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SpaceX Launches Astronauts Into Space

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX launched four astronauts on a flight to the International Space Station on Sunday, NASA’s first full-fledged mission sending a crew into orbit aboard a privately owned spacecraft, Reuters writes. SpaceX’s […]

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Bernie Sanders Claims ‘Far-left Agenda’ Supported by ‘the Majority of American People’

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Sen. Bernie Sanders maintained on Sunday his confidence in President-elect Biden to uphold the progressive policies their two teams agreed to prior to the election, insisting that his “far-left agenda” is in fact something “the majority of American people […]

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House Leaders Urge Democrats Not to Join Team Biden to Maintain Majority

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Confronted with a shrunken majority, House leaders are discouraging fellow Democrats from taking jobs with the incoming Biden administration — out of concern that Republicans could nab any vacated seats, sources told The Post on Sunday, Fox […]

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Byron Donalds, New Florida Congressman, Says Trump’s ‘Swag’ Netted him Black Votes

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Byron Donalds, the incoming congressman from Florida’s 19th Congressional District, credits President Donald Trump’s gains with Black voters to his “swag” and said Republican House members will need to channel that attitude to effectively take on […]

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Huawei CFO Witness Testimony to Resume in Canada in U.S. Extradition Case

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Witness cross-examination in the U.S. extradition case of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou will resume in a Canadian court on Monday where Meng’s lawyers are trying to establish that her rights were violated during […]

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Michigan, Washington State Impose Severe COVID-19 Restrictions as U.S. Infections Soar

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Michigan and Washington state on Sunday imposed sweeping new restrictions on gatherings, including halting indoor restaurant service, to slow the spread of the coronavirus as total U.S. infections crossed the 11 million mark, just over […]

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Saudi Aramco Plans Debt Market Comeback With Multi-Tranche Bond Deal

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

Saudi Aramco said on Monday it had hired banks for a multi-tranche U.S. dollar-denominated bond issuance, as the world’s largest oil company seeks cash amid lower oil prices, Reuters informed. Gulf issuers have shown no […]

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U.S. COVID-19 Cases Cross 11 Million as Pandemic Intensifies

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the […]

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Biden to Focus on Plans for U.S. Economy as Trump Presses Long-Shot Legal Claims

November 16, 2020 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday will focus on plans for reviving a pandemic-battered U.S. economy as he prepares for his new administration, while President Donald Trump vowed to press ahead with long-shot court challenges to […]

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