Axios

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly just released a statement permitting lawful, permanent residents of the U.S. to enter the country, including those from the 7 countries listed in Trump's immigration ban. Doing so is "in the national interest," he said.

Obvious exception: Anyone found to be a threat.

Trump's executive order gives Kelly permission to make these kinds of provisions.

So far, at least 19 Republicans have announced opposition to or questioned Trump's executive order banning travelers and refugees from 7 countries from entering the U.S.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz released a letter "with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise" to the company's partners. He addressed several of Trump's recent Executive Orders, stating:

• Starbucks will support Dreamers and the DACA program.
• They are making plans to hire 10,000 refugees around the world over the next 5 years, starting the effort in the U.S.
• They will continue to invest in Mexico, where they have already invested millions of dollars in the coffee industry over the years. They will support and help Mexican partners and customers who may be affected by Trump's proposed tariffs.
• Starbucks will always provide health insurance to anyone eligible.

"We are in business to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time," Schultz said, "whether that neighborhood is in a Red State or a Blue State; a Christian country or a Muslim country; a divided nation or a united nation. That will not change. You have my word on that."

Sights and sounds from cities across the country, where massive crowds have gathered at airports to demand the release of refugees stranded by President Trump's executive action barring people from seven nations entry to the U.S.

Trump released a statement from the White House in support of his executive order, saying he aims to keep the country "free and safe, as the media knows, but refuses to say." Key claims below:

• Precedent: "My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror."
• Claims it's not a Muslim ban: "This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order."
• Timing: "We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days."

Keep in mind: Rudy Giuliani said on Fox News today that Trump asked him how to prepare a Muslim ban, "legally."

The details: In a Facebook post on Sunday, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick provided more details about the company's plans to help impacted drivers.

• 24/7 legal support from Uber's lawyers and immigration experts for drivers who need to get back to the U.S.
• Compensation for drivers' lost earnings (though the company doesn't specify how it will calculate this).
• A $3 million legal defense fund to help drivers with immigration and translation services.
• Urging the U.S. government to reinstate the ability of U.S residents to travel (Kalanick has already said he plans to bring up the subject to Trump during a meeting on Friday).

Counterpunch: Uber's move comes later in the day after Lyft announced it would donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years.

Between the lines: Bear in mind that while Lyft is able to directly and publicly pledge support to the ACLU, Uber likely can't do the same. Since Kalanick sits on Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum council, a blanket anti-Trump statement would be a bad idea. Instead, the company seems to have opted for a response clearly targeted at this specific policy. It's also still unclear how many drivers will be affected and will receive help from Uber.

If you want to understand President Trump's wild, chaotic and controversial first days, study up on White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon's fingerprints are all over the executive order banning entry from seven Muslim-majority nations. Just like they were all over other executive orders. Just like his ideas and words were sprinkled throughout Trump's inaugural address.

Trump faced an instant, searing global backlash for his executive order on refugees. White House officials say they expected resistance, but some administration officials were rattled last night by the scale, swiftness and decibel level of the blowback. Protests continued today.

On Meet the Press today, Sen. Tim Kaine said the White House erred grievously by not explicitly naming Jews on Holocaust Remembrance Day:

Trump yesterday added Steve Bannon, his chief strategist, to the National Security Council's Principals' Committee, on par with the SecState and SecDef. Neither Karl Rove nor David Plouffe nor David Axelrod were on the Principals' Committee.

Bannon is defined as a regular attendee, an elevation over the Director of National Intelligence and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who "shall attend where issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed." Signing the NSC organizational order in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters the structure "represents … a lot of efficiency and I think a lot of additional safety. People have been talking about doing this for a long time — like many years."

Compare that to how George W. Bush handled his close advisor, Karl Rove:

Former GWB chief of staff Josh Bolten explains why the president did not allow Karl Rove to attend NSC mtgs, ever https://t.co/H6abw7buGP pic.twitter.com/Uad0vh3AIt— Rebecca Berg (@rebeccagberg) January 29, 2017

Arianna Huffington's new wellness website, Thrive Global, posts her "Modest Proposal: Mr. President, Get Some Sleep":

What "Trump is recreating is the [Bill] Clinton working process … with all of its feverish, frantic, late-night, sleep-deprived chaos. … His first week was dominated by his clumsy handling of the gays-in-the-military issue … And according to [David] Gergen, this way of working 'planted seeds that almost destroyed Clinton's presidency.' Bill Clinton himself later acknowledged [to CNN in 2008] 'every important mistake I've made in my life, I've made because I was too tired.'" ...

"Trump has long regarded sleep as just another adversary to be dominated into submission. "You know, I'm not a big sleeper," he said during a campaign rally in Illinois. "I like three hours, four hours. I toss, I turn, I beep-de-beep, I want to find out what's going on.' And many of his campaign's most divisive moments [tweets] came in the middle of the night or early morning."

One U.S. service member has been killed in a counterterrorism operation Yemen, and three more were wounded, U.S. Central Command announced this morning. The raid was authorized by President Trump, per a U.S. defense official.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our elite servicemembers... The sacrifices are very profound in our fight against terrorists who threaten innocent peoples across the globe. — Commander of US Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel

The helicopter used in the operation had to be destroyed due to damage, per Centcom, and 14 members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed.

Since President Trump skipped last night's black-tie, off-camera Alfalfa Dinner, Vice President Pence did the honors before the biggest annual gathering of tycoons, national leaders and elder statesmen.

We can't stress this enough: Watch closely the specific, substantive moves of the Trump White House. Try to block out the white noise of outlandish statements and unforced errors, and the hyperventilating they provoke.

Otherwise, you miss the big — and in some cases, radical — changes coming our way. In fact, White House officials tell us they welcome what seem like needless distractions, because it allows them to jam through transformative, disruptive ideas and orders without focused public scrutiny of any particular item. (Remember the justified conflict-of-interest hysteria?)

In addition to signing 15 executive orders, Trump also indulged his usual Twitter mania and election obsessions:

The sideshows included:

• Trump claiming the photos of the inauguration crowd were false, boasting that he had the most-watched presidential inauguration and even reaching out to the National Parks Service for photos to prove it.
• Having the WH press secretary Sean Spicer go OFF on reporters.
• Spicer switching to a darker suit per Trump's alleged request.
• Trump announcing he was going to launch an investigation on voter fraud.
• And then citing some random guy who claimed there were 3 million non-citizens who voted in the election.
• Calling Chelsea Manning an "Ungrateful TRAITOR," stealing the line from a Fox News banner.
• Claiming he cancelled a meeting with Mexico, when Mexico cancelled the meeting on him.
• And after all the complaints about the DNC not protecting themselves from hacking, having the POTUS Twitter account linked to an unsecured gmail.
• Spicer accidentally tweeting out two (assumed to be) passwords.
• And Trump having a weird interview about all of these things on ABC.

It was just so damn pithy. So perfect. Such a clever (or cribbed) way for Peter Thiel to encapsulate Donald Trump's surprise electoral victory to his stunned peers in Silicon Valley:

"The media is always taking Trump literally. It never takes him seriously... I think a lot of voters who vote for Trump take Trump seriously but not literally. When they hear things like the Muslim comment or the wall comment, their question is not, 'Are you going to build a wall like the Great Wall of China?' or, you know, 'How exactly are you going to enforce these tests?' What they hear is we're going to have a saner, more sensible immigration policy."

But we now know one of two things is true about literally vs. seriously: Either Thiel was wrong, or Trump voters were.

After just over a week in office, it is obvious that President Trump takes Candidate Trump's promises literally. He literally plans to build a wall. He literally put a temporary ban on refugees from entering the country, with a religious prioritization test once such admissions resume (even if Thiel doesn't seem to realize it). He literally banned people from entering America, even if they have valid green cards or visas.

These were not statements of principle. They were statements of policy. Seriously.

The Eastern District of New York has granted a stay on at least some portions of the Trump administration's executive order on immigration restrictions from seven majority-Muslim nations.

The case was filed this morning in federal court by the ACLU on behalf of two Iraqi citizens entering the country on special immigrant visas who were subsequently detained upon arrival and expanded to include a class made up of all those similarly situated.

What we know right now…

• The executive order is now frozen until the case can briefed, probably in February.
• No one who is currently being held can be sent back to their country of origin, but whether they will be released is unclear.
• The judge ordered the federal government to provide a list of all people currently held in detention.
• According to the ACLU's lawyer, there still can be no new arrivals from countries under the ban, but the ACLU — and other organizations — are working to file additional suits to roll back other portions of the order.

You can read the full text of the stay here.