Focus Washington (2024)

11/07/2023

The new report prepared by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) underscores that the DoD has still not set out any assessment programs or performance goals to check if the US taxpayers’ money has been spent properly (or effectively) at all.

Washington has lavishly funded the initiative- spending over $35 billion since 2015 - on a variety of military activities, says GAO report.

14/03/2023

A new report by Human Rights Watch has found that children have been forcibly transferred to Russia and separated from their families, and have suffered traumatic experiences of war and displacement.

A new report by Human Rights Watch has found that children have been forcibly transferred to Russia and separated from their families,

14/03/2023

The data analysts at Fair Betting Sites have crunched the space budgets from countries around the world to see which nations are spending the most money on their aerospace programs.

In total, the United States spent $61.97 billion on space programs in 2022, more than any other country in the world.

14/03/2023

The White House said that while it was not in a position to take on the mediator role between the two nations, China’s efforts to “promote de-escalation” in the region were not “adverse” to U.S. interests.

The White House said that the deal by China is steering the region in the same direction that the U.S. has been working towards.

14/03/2023

The GOP is in denial on whether the former president could be on the ticket again, for a third time. Trump’s rivals and critics underestimated him in 2016, often treating him as a sideshow rather than a front-runner.

Last month's Emerson poll found Trump winning 72 percent support among Republicans with a high school degree or less education.

14/03/2023

Civil rights and legal experts say it is preposterous that states are looking to put children at risk in order to meet some claimed labor shortages.

The federal government promised to crack down on illegal child labor last month after observing a 69% increase in employing underage workers since 2018.

14/03/2023

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with January 6, so in many ways you can blame him for January 6,” Trump said.

Pence has said he did not have the constitutional authority to reject the electoral votes on Jan. 6 and that Trump was “wrong” to suggest so.

14/03/2023

The Wisconsin supreme court is currently made up of three judges who lean liberal and four conservatives. Whoever replaces the conservative retiring justice Patience Roggensack will determine the ideological composition of the court, which has been dominated by the right-wing for 15 years.

At stake in the Wisconsin supreme court race are redistricting, abortion rights, voting rights, and elections policy. And these decisions go beyond the state.

14/03/2023

The order will also strengthen federal support for red flag laws intended to stop gun sales to people deemed dangerous that have been passed by 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Opinion polls show that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans support universal background checks before allowing them to buy a gun.

14/03/2023

In 2016 Trump lost the Iowa Republican caucus. This time he aims to win over the critical voters who, he hopes, will send him back to the Oval Office.

Trump has made clear to his team that he does not want a repeat of what happened in Iowa in 2016, when he finished second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

14/03/2023

The rate of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, increased by 15 percent in a single year. It jumped from 33.3 deaths per 100,000 babies born in 2019 to 38.2 such deaths in 2020.

New research from the CDC found that the rate for Black babies spiked in particular, widening an already stark disparity.

13/03/2023

In a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think-tank, there has been an increase in imports in certain places despite the overall market falling by 5.1 percent.

Saudi Arabia ranked as the second largest arms importer globally in 2018-2022. It received 9.6% of all arms imports during that period.

13/03/2023

Biden added that he will ask Congress and banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks to “make it less likely this kind of bank failure would happen again.”

Biden said that "Americans can rest assured that our banking system is safe, your deposits are safe" after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

13/03/2023

Yeoh won the award for her performance as Evelyn — a laundromat owner who is being audited by federal authorities while she attempts to navigate the multiverse — in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Michelle Yeoh became only the second woman of color to win the best actress Oscar, following in the footsteps of Halle Berry in 2002.

13/03/2023

Kennedy said there should be conversations about making changes to these programs, though he was quick to say people should receive the Medicare and Social Security benefits they’ve paid for.

Progressive Democrats have welcomed large chunks of Biden’s latest budget request, but there is also anger and disappointment.

13/03/2023

The economic devastation of Covid hit women particularly hard. Women, especially black women, lost the majority of jobs in the Covid downturn.

About 13.6 million women lost their jobs during COVID pandemics as travel halted, stores shuttered, and restaurants bottomed out.

13/03/2023

The extremist wing of the party is splitting away from those who want to distance themselves from portraying the rioters as “sightseers.”

The extremist wing of the party is splitting away from those who want to distance themselves from portraying Capitol rioters as “sightseers.”

13/03/2023

The decision will allow ConocoPhillips to develop three drilling sites at its proposed Willow project on federal land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

The decision will allow ConocoPhillips to develop its proposed Willow project on federal land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

13/03/2023

The primary was always going to be about the former president, experts say, as the man remains the frontrunner in the 2024 field as he makes his third attempt for the Oval Office.

The problem for GOP is that former President Donald Trump is making it impossible to run anything other than yesterday’s campaign.

13/03/2023

Matthew Kacsmaryk, a U.S. district court judge in Amarillo appointed by then-president Donald Trump in 2019, ordered the hearing kept out of the court docket as a way to try to limit disruptions and protests and also asked that lawyers arguing the case not to disclose information.

The decision to delay placing the lawsuit hearing in the public schedule was highly problematic, given the case affects 40 million women.

13/03/2023

Frustrated with problems securing appointments to seek asylum using a new U.S. government app, the migrants gathered at the frontier in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, but could not breach the crossing connecting the two countries.

Some top administration officials have voiced concern about issuing rules that could make additional migrants eligible for asylum.

12/03/2023

Saudi oil giant’s regulatory filing on Sunday to the Tadawul stock exchange, where its shares are traded, shows that annual net profit for the 12 months to the end of December 2022 surged 46 percent to $161.1 billion.

Aramco said in regulatory filing on Sunday that annual net profit for the 12 months to the end of December 2022 surged 46% to $161.1 billion.

12/03/2023

The “Empower Hotline” championed by Tom Horne, Arizona’s Superintendent for Public Instruction, allows state residents to voice their concerns about classroom materials that “detract from teaching standards.”

The “Empower Hotline” allows state residents to voice their concerns about classroom materials that “detract from teaching standards.”

12/03/2023

Following the news of SVB’s collapse, a number of lenders sparked fears about their financial health by focusing on the venture capital, prompting the US regulators to start discussing how to avoid a repeat of SVB insolvency at other lenders by creating some sort of a mechanism which would help in the process.

After what analysts called “a classic case of a bank run,” SVB imploded on Friday, prompting depositors to rush to withdraw funds.

12/03/2023

History will hold Donald Trump accountable for his role in January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, former Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday in his most forceful rebuke to date of his former boss.

Pence also pointed out that Trump was wrong, stressing that his reckless words endangered his family and everyone at the Capitol that day.

12/03/2023

According to Save the Children’s data, about 7,000 children of foreign terrorists are put at risk on a daily basis in overcrowded detention camps in northeast Syria, where they’re trapped in desperate conditions.

Among the camps Gen Kurilla also visited are the Kurdish-run camps of Roj, where relatives of suspected terrorists are held, and the notorious Al Hol,

11/03/2023

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Washington at a Friday press briefing to immediately end the troops ‘illegal occupation and plundering – as Beijing calls for US military presence in Syria – and repeal crippling sanctions targeting the Syrian economy.

Beijing implored US to stop aggravating humanitarian disasters in Syria and respect other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.

11/03/2023

Claiming that they broke Texas law prohibiting someone from helping a pregnant woman obtain an abortion themselves, Marcus Silva filed a complaint Thursday alleging that the three women helped his ex-wife obtain abortion pills to have an abortion.

Claiming that they broke Texas law prohibiting them from helping a pregnant woman obtain an abortion, Marcus Silva filed a complaint Thursday

11/03/2023

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer’s nasal spray called Zavzpret – the first calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist- intended to treat acute migraine symptoms in adults.

Zavzpret works by blocking CGRPs, a protein that is released around the brain and triggers migraine, however, does not prevent migraine headaches.

11/03/2023

Noting that Washington welcomes any efforts to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region and end the war in Yemen, the National Security Council official stressed that President Biden outlined last year the de-escalation and diplomacy together with deterrence as key pillars of his policy for the region.

In line with that deal, Saudi Arabia and Iran will restore diplomatic ties, reopen embassies, and exchange ambassadors within two months

11/03/2023

After its efforts to raise capital through a stock sale failed and affected markets, SVB Financial Group – which had 17 branches in California and Massachusetts – was exploring options, including a sale, but SVB shares were halted yesterday after tumbling as much as 66% in pre-market trading.

All insured depositors will have full access to their insured deposits no later than Monday when Silicon Valley Bank's branches will reopen.

10/03/2023

Researchers evaluate a country’s freedom based on 10 political rights and 15 civil liberty indicators. They measure everything from the health of the electoral process, political pluralism, and freedom of expression to freedom of association and the rule of law.

The rise of authoritarianism and the erosion of democracy have been among the most notable global trends of the past decade.

10/03/2023

“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans and have significantly stepped up their use of propaganda as a tactic to make their presence known in communities nationwide,” said ADL president Jonathan Greenblatt.

White supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans and have significantly stepped up their use of propaganda as a tactic.

10/03/2023

The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently signaled to Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to Daniels.

Trump has called it a “witch hunt” to take down the leading candidate in GOP, taking to his platform Truth Social to rage against the case.

10/03/2023

Speaking at a Philadelphia union hall, Biden challenged Republican opponents on fiscal responsibility, highlighting plans to cut U.S. deficits by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years by raising taxes on those earning more than $400,000 a year.

Biden has sought to frame his budget as a serious effort to rein in deficits, claiming that he will reduce overall deficit spending.

10/03/2023

The measure also is part of GOP conservatives’ broader national campaign against transgender rights, which includes bans on gender-affirming care for minors, preventing transgender people from using facilities associated with their gender identities, and blocking them from changing their driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

The measure also is part of Kansas GOP conservatives' broader national campaign against transgender rights.

10/03/2023

A unanimous three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the law was in line with the historical tradition of gun regulation in the United States, meeting a new standard for gun control laws set by the U.S. Supreme Court last year.

Florida Republicans introduced a bill that would lower the minimum age required to buy a firearm in the state from 21 back to 18.

10/03/2023

Even as the filings were reported on Tuesday, Carlson continued to broadcast January 6 security footage in his attempt to cast the deadly attack on Congress as “peaceful chaos” arising from a protest of Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden.

In another text, sent the day after the Capitol riots, Carlson described Trump as a “demonic force, a destroyer.”

10/03/2023

Tehran and Riyadh agreed “to resume diplomatic relations between them and re-open their embassies and missions within a period not exceeding two months”, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran,

10/03/2023

The appointment by China’s rubber-stamp parliament comes after he was handed in October another five years as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the military, the two more significant leadership positions in Chinese politics.

The outcome was expected after Xi was named as China's unchallenged leader during a meeting of the ruling CCP elites last October.

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