Mar 9, 2017 - Politics & Policy

The anti-Trump travel ban lawsuits have arrived

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Washington, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon are filing in court to block part of Trump's travel ban 2.0, according to Politico. Washington and Minnesota got an injunction last month against the original travel ban.

The basics: Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is asking a federal judge in Seattle to rule that the injunction set against the first travel ban also applies to similar provisions of the new ban. At a presser, Ferguson said "[Trump] cannot unilaterally declare himself free of the court's restraining order and injunction."

Hawaii has also filed suit separately, and the judge in Honolulu allowed it to move forward for a hearing next Wednesday, hours before the new order is set to begin.

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Mike Allen, Margaret Talev, Alayna Treene
10 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Finally, a real debate

Photo: Morry Gash/AP

A more disciplined President Trump held back from the rowdy interruptions at tonight's debate in Nashville, while making some assertions so outlandish that Joe Biden chuckled and even closed his eyes.

  • A Trump campaign adviser told Axios: "He finally listened." 

The result: A real debate.

  • With a firm moderator, NBC News' Kristen Welker — along with threats of mic cutoffs and advisers' pleas for Trump to cool it — voters finally heard clear contrasts.
  • Trump swung several times, but never quite landed a punch as he tried to connect Biden to a nebulous cloud of allegations about business dealings by his son Hunter.

Between the lines: Trump didn't focus on assuring women voters or seniors. But his economic argument could reassure some men in swing states.

  • Trump went back to 2016 mode — the outsider, chiding career politicians. But he's one of them now.

During an exchange about race in America, Trump said: "Nobody has done more for the black community than Donald Trump, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln — possible exception. ... I'm the least racist person in this room."

  • Biden retorted sarcastically, referring to Trump: "Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history."

Videos:

Reporting was contributed by Stef Kight, Alexi McCammond, David Nather and Hans Nichols.

Axios
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Biden to Trump: "I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life"

Former VP Joe Biden pushed back Thursday against allegations from President Trump, saying he had never profited from foreign sources. "Nothing was unethical," Biden told debate moderator Kristen Welker about his son Hunter's work in Ukraine while he was vice president.

Why it matters: Earlier on Thursday, Hunter Biden's former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, released a statement saying Joe Biden's claims that he never discussed overseas business dealings with his son were "false."

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Fadel Allassan
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump claims COVID "will go away," Biden calls his response disqualifying

President Trump repeated baseless claims at the final presidential debate that the coronavirus "will go away" and that the U.S. is "rounding the turn," while Joe Biden argued that any president that has allowed 220,000 Americans to die on his watch should not be re-elected.

Why it matters: The U.S. is now averaging about 59,000 new coronavirus infections a day, and added another 73,000 cases on Thursday, according to the Covid Tracking Project. The country recorded 1,038 deaths due to the virus Thursday, the highest since late September.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow