| By Derek Caney
The Justice Department took a beating from appellate judges reviewing President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. All three judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hammered the central point from the Justice Department's attorney, August Flentje, that people from those countries are a danger to national security. Flentje tried to fall back on former President Barack Obama's determination that those nations –, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – pose the greatest risk of terrorism. Asked for specific examples of terrorist threats, Flentje muttered something about "a number of people from Somalia connected to Al Shabaab," but he submitted no such evidence to the courts. The court wasn't buying everything the state of Washington was selling either. The state successfully won a block of the travel ban in a lower court. But Judge Richard Clifton, a George W. Bush appointee, hit Washington state's attorney Noah Purcell particularly hard on his point that the travel ban was the effectively discrimination against Muslims. Purcell noted that past statements from Trump indicated intent to discriminate – namely by calling for a ban of all Muslims. He also made a passing reference to Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani's Fox News interview from Jan. 28, in which the former New York City mayor said: "When he first announced it, he said 'Muslim ban.' He called me up. He said: ' Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.' … And what we did was we focused on – instead of religion – danger." A final decision is expected this week.
Eat your heart out, Milan 
A model waits backstage during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kiev, Ukraine Feb. 7, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Around the country - Billionaire and charter school advocate Betsy DeVos won Senate confirmation as education secretary with a vote from Mike Pence, becoming the first Cabinet member in history to need a the vice president’s help to break a tie.. Democrats are concerned she will promote charter schools in a way that would undercut public schools.
- The U.S. Army will grant the final permit for the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline after an order from President Donald Trump to expedite the project over opposition from Native American tribes and climate activists. The permit, the last bureaucratic hurdle, could enable the $3.8 billion pipeline to begin operation as early as June.
Digit of the day: 6 That's how many tornadoes tore through New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana, injuring at least 20 people as the storm roared across highways and streets, leveling trees, power lines and homes.
Around the world - The Trump administration is considering a proposal that could designate Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The proposal follows U.S. sanctions against Iran after it tested a ballistic missile last week.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the United States to brush up on its history about the South China Sea, noting that two World War Two-era agreements mandated that Japan had to return Chinese territories it had taken. The White House also vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway. But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis walked it back saying diplomacy should be the priority in the region.
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Trump agreed in a phone call overnight to act jointly against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of al-Bab and Raqqa, both controlled by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said. The two leaders discussed issues including a safe zone in Syria, the refugee crisis and the fight against terror, the sources said.
Around Wall Street - With the possibility of an election by June, Italian politicians of all stripes are tapping into growing hostility towards the euro. Many Italians hold the single currency responsible for economic decline since its launch in 1999. Few Italians want to leave the European Union, and the ruling Democratic Party is pro-euro, but the three other largest parties in Italy are hostile to EU membership.
- Trump is planning to issue an executive order targeting a Dodd-Frank rule that requires companies to disclose whether their products contain "conflict minerals" from a war-torn part of Africa.
Today's reason to live Jason Isbell – 24 Frames |
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