(CNN) Every Friday is TGIF, but today really is for me since I’m on vacation next week. AJ will hold…
(CNN) Every Friday is TGIF, but today really is for me since I’m on vacation next week. AJ will hold down the fort while I’m out. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Travel ban
President Trump’s travel ban remains blocked for now. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 3-0 ruling , refused to reinstate it, saying the government didn’t show any evidence that anyone from the seven majority-Muslim nations included in the ban had committed terrorism in the US. The judges also whacked the administration’s position that the President’s executive order was unreviewable because it dealt with national security. So Team Trump, feeling the limits of executive power, now has a choice: redraft the order or take it to the Supreme Court. Trump’s initial response came in a tweet (of course): « SEE YOU IN COURT. » The response from the Washington state attorney general leading the challenge? « We have seen him in court twice, and we’re two for two. »
2. ‘One China’ policy
President Trump, in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, said he’s OK with the « one China » policy. That’s huge, and a big turnaround from Trump’s position since he was elected. « One China » has anchored US-China relations since 1979, when the US acknowledged Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China and not an independent country. But early on, Trump seemed to indicate he wasn’t bound by the policy. He even took a phone call from the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a big no-no for the Chinese. Trump seemed to want to use « one China » as a bargaining chip on issues like trade. But China made clear that when it comes to Taiwan, they’re not budging. Some suspect new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson got the President to change his tune.
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3. Brazil
More than 1,000 army troops patrolled the streets of the southeastern Brazilian city of Vitoria amid a crime wave that left at least 70 people dead over two days, authorities said.
The police walked out, so the criminals walked in. More than 100 people have been killed this week in the Brazilian coastal city of Vitoria. Military police officers walked off the job to demand better pay and benefits. The result: total chaos. Carjackings in broad daylight. Robberies at bus stations. Lootings at stores. So schools and many businesses have closed. A homicide investigator said 40 people were killed in a single day — more than twice as many as in a typical month. Members of the Brazilian Armed Forces have been on patrol since the walkout started, but obviously, it’s not enough.
4. Trump administration
Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway had a rough day. She pitched Ivanka Trump’s clothing line during an interview from the White House and sparked a bipartisan backlash. Many think she broke ethics laws and an investigation may be around the corner. The White House says she’s been « counseled » about her comments. Meanwhile, it was a good day for Tom Price. Early this morning, the Senate confirmed him as Health and Human Services secretary , on a 52-47 party-line vote. Democrats don’t like him because he hates Obamacare and wants to reshape Medicare. Even before Price gets to work, the Trump team is deleting references to the Affordable Care Act from government websites.
5. Russia
Is the Kremlin behind a Putin critic’s mystery illness? The man’s wife thinks so. Vladimir Kara-Murza, who lives part-time in Virginia with his wife and three kids, has been hospitalized in grave condition in Moscow. He’s too weak and ill to speak and has been communicating by blinking his eyes. Doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him, but Kara-Murza said in 2015 that he was poisoned. His wife suspects he’s sick again because he’s spoken out against Russian President Vladimir Putin. CNN cannot independently confirm her claims, and a Russian spokesman called them « pure nonsense. »
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Shorts to earmuffs
What’s that old saying? If you don’t like the weather, just wait, it’ll change. That was true across the Northeast , where it went from 60 to snow in 24 hours.
Double joy
Congratulate the Clooneys, as in George and Amal. The dreamy actor and the human rights attorney are expecting twins.
Not so diverse
They’re all beautiful, and they all look pretty much the same. And that’s the problem, say critics who slammed Vogue’s « diversity » cover.
H
appy dances
Sometimes, life is soooo good. Just ask this boy who celebrated ending chemo with a dance, or the firefighter who adopted the little girl he helped deliver.
Breaking in
Inmates at a federal prison in Atlanta allegedly have been breaking out for years. But hold the manhunt; they just grab loot and go back inside.
What’s for lunch
Here’s what’s coming up later
Movie madness
Headed out to see » Fifty Shades Darker » or » The Lego Batman Movie » this weekend? Spoiler alert — the reviews are awful.
