Political news

• The Latest: Trump, Trudeau to confer on women in workforce

  12-02-2017 23:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• SoundCloud loses key executives amid fundraising drive

  12-02-2017 23:52
  Music-streaming service SoundCloud has lost two senior executives and is seeking to raise new funding, the company said on Sunday, but denied a Financial Times report that it was running low on cash. Marc Strigel, SoundCloud's chief operating officer, and finance director Markus Harder left after five years with the company to pursue new opportunities, a spokeswoman for Berlin-based SoundCloud said, without giving details. "SoundCloud is currently fundraising, which is typical of most startups o
  
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• Angry Ranieri hints at dropping Leicester underperformers

  12-02-2017 23:49
  Leicester City's beleaguered manager Claudio Ranieri suggested he is ready to drop some of the players who won them the Premier League title as the Italian seeks to stave off relegation just one season later. The champions have yet to win -- or even score -- in six league matches in 2017 and were beaten 2-0 by fellow relegation strugglers Swansea City on Sunday. The latest setback leaves them just one point above the relegation zone with the club seemingly free-falling into the Championship.
  
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• North Korea says test of new nuclear-capable missile a success

  12-02-2017 23:45
  North Korea said on Monday it had successfully test-fired a new type of medium-to-long-range ballistic missile on Sunday, claiming further advancement in a weapons programme it is pursuing in violation of United Nations resolutions. North Korea fired the ballistic missile into the sea early on Sunday, the first test of U.S. President Donald Trump's vow to get tough on an isolated North Korean regime that last year tested nuclear devices and ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate. The North'
  
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• Sudanese police finds explosive material in apartment after blast

  12-02-2017 23:30
  Sudanese security forces have found explosive materials and foreign passports in an apartment they raided on Sunday after a small blast detonated in South Khartoum, the Interior Ministry said. "The suspect went to a nearby hospital but the hospital refused to treat him without informing the police, which is what lead him to leave the hospital without receiving treatment," it added. Neighbours said many young Egyptians, Somalis and Syrians live in the apartment building that was raided earlier on
  
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• Ken Loach Damns Government Over Child Refugees After 'I, Daniel Blake' BAFTA Win

  12-02-2017 23:24
  
  Film-maker Ken Loach has condemned the Government for closing down its child refugee programme as he won a BAFTA for his film I, Daniel Blake.
  The director attacked last week’s announcement of the Government taking in just 350 displaced lone children who are fleeing war zones including Syria. 
  His film depicts a man from Newcastle struggling to cope with Britain’s welfare system, and has already won the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes.
  Accepting the award for Outstanding
  
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• White House declines to publicly defend embattled Flynn

  12-02-2017 23:19
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A top White House aide sidestepped repeated chances Sunday to publicly defend embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn following reports that he engaged in conversations with a Russian diplomat about U.S. sanctions before Trump's inauguration.
  
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• Drugmaker Stada confirms takeover bid from two companies

  12-02-2017 23:08
  (Reuters) - German generic drugmaker Stada said it has received two offers for the acquisition of the company, one of which is private equity group Cinven Partners LLP. Cinven is offering a price of 56 euros per Stada share. Stada did not mention the name of the other bidder.
  
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• Beyonce, David Bowie win early Grammys

  12-02-2017 23:08
  By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - David Bowie won two posthumous Grammys on Sunday ahead of a televised ceremony where pop superstar Beyonce is expected to make her first public outing since announcing she is pregnant with twins. Bowie, who died in January 2016, won the Grammys for recording package and non-classical engineering for his final album "Blackstar," which was released days before his death at age 69 of cancer. Sunday's wins marked the first music Grammys for Bowie, who receive
  
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• Factbox: Major winners at Britain's 2017 BAFTA awards

  12-02-2017 22:43
  LONDON (Reuters) - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards were presented at a ceremony in London on Sunday. Following is a list of key winners: BEST FILM: "La La Land" DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land" OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: "I, Daniel Blake" SUPPORTING ACTOR: Dev Patel, "Lion" SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, "Fences" ACTOR: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea" ACTRESS: Emma Stone, "La La Land" ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "Manchester By The Sea" ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "
  
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• Marchers across Mexico vent anger over Trump, and their own president

  12-02-2017 22:35
  By David Alire Garcia MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters in more than a dozen Mexican cities took to the streets on Sunday to express their fierce opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, portraying the new leader as a menace to both America and Mexico. Waving Mexicans flags and hoisting anti-Trump signs in both Spanish and English, some vulgar, many protesters also heaped scorn on their own president, deriding Enrique Pena Nieto as a weak leader who has presided over rampant corr
  
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• Thousands continue protests against government in Romania

  12-02-2017 22:33
  By Luiza Ilie BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians protested in Bucharest and other cities on Sunday against the Social Democrat government that tried to weaken a crackdown on corruption earlier this month. The one-month-old cabinet of Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu enraged voters when it quietly approved late on Jan. 31 an emergency decree that would have decriminalised several graft offences. The government was forced to rescind the decree, and its architect, Justice Minister Florin Io
  
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• The call for citizens to ‘go local’

  12-02-2017 22:33
  This week, the chief executive of the European Union, Jean-Claude Juncker, plans an unusual response to the rising populist calls against the EU across the Continent. A similar move toward localism has emerged in the United States since the election of Donald Trump as president. Democrats are seeking to shore up state and local governments against Mr. Trump’s policies, such as on health care, energy, and immigration.
  
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• Few good options in Trump arsenal to counter defiant North Korea

  12-02-2017 22:22
  By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite his campaign vows to take a tougher line with North Korea, President Donald Trump's restrained public reaction to Pyongyang's first ballistic missile launch on his watch underscores that he has few good options to curb its missile and nuclear programs. The responses under consideration - which range from additional sanctions to U.S. shows of force to beefed-up missile defence, according to one administration official - do not seem to differ signi
  
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• David Davis apologises for insulting Diane Abbott in text message

  12-02-2017 22:16
  
  The Brexit secretary has been criticised for a ‘silly, sexist and patronising’ remark made about the shadow home secretaryBrexit secretary David Davis has apologised after private text messages emerged in which he insulted Diane Abbott.Abbott was said by friends to have been upset by reports of the remarks, which were leaked to the Mail on Sunday, and followed a late-night encounter between the pair in a House of Commons bar after Wednesday night’s historic Brexit vote. Continu
  
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• The Latest: Senator says Trump's mental health is questioned

  12-02-2017 22:02
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• VW says has no plans to retain large number of temporary staff

  12-02-2017 21:39
  Volkswagen said it has no plans to keep a large number of temporary workers on its books following a media report saying management at the carmaker's VW brand would retain about 2,000 of them as labour leaders and executives wrestle over the company's turnaround plan. Labour leaders at VW last week halted cooperation with top managers on issues such as overtime work and apprenticeships after accusing executives of pushing for greater savings on the back of a cost-cutting plan agreed in November.
  
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• Germany rules out attack in Hamburg airport closure

  12-02-2017 21:16
  German authorities said on Sunday the leak of a corrosive substance through the air conditioning system at Hamburg airport was not an attack, adding that police were investigating the incident that forced the brief closure of the facility. Firefighters and ambulances were rushed to the scene after some 50 people at one terminal complained of eye irritation and breathing difficulties. "I want to explicitly deny ... that this was a terrorist attack.
  
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• Injured Davis Cup umpire undergoes surgery on fractured eye socket

  12-02-2017 21:07
  French umpire Arnaud Gabas has had surgery to repair a fractured eye socket after being hit by a ball from Canada's Denis Shapovalov during a Davis Cup tie with Britain, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Sunday. "Chair umpire Arnaud Gabas has undergone successful surgery in France to repair a fracture of the orbital bone under his left eye," the ITF said in a statement. "The fracture was detected when doctors performed X-rays upon Mr Gabas’s return from Ottawa, where he was
  
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• Polish PM says hopes to leave hospital in next few days after car crash

  12-02-2017 20:43
  Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said on Sunday that the injuries she suffered in a car crash on Friday were not serious and that she hopes to leave hospital within the next few days. "I am feeling very well, these are not serious injuries," she told public broadcaster TVP1 by telephone. "When it comes to me, I could leave the hospital today, but this is a decision to be made by the doctors ... but I think, I hope that it is a decision that will be made within the next few days." Szydlo's car
  
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• Stada receives 3.6 billion euro offer from private equity group Cinven - FT

  12-02-2017 20:27
  (Reuters) - German generic drugmaker Stada has received a 3.6 billion euro takeover offer from private equity group Cinven, the Financial Times reported. Cinven's offer follows a year-long activist campaign to improve Stada's profitability by Active Ownership Capital, one of its largest shareholders, and is believed to be pitched at close to 58 euros a share, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.
  
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• Chelsea extend lead but champions Leicester lose again

  12-02-2017 20:25
  By Steve Tongue LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea were left disappointed but still extended their lead to 10 points at the top of the Premier League after Burnley held them 1-1 on Sunday. Champions Leicester City, however, sank deeper into trouble at the bottom, as a 2-0 defeat away to Swansea City left them a point above the relegation zone. Manager Claudio Ranieri agreed that the Welsh club, who moved three points above his team, had been more determined and said that "it is not possible to continue
  
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• Trump aide says endorsement of Ivanka's brand was 'light-hearted'

  12-02-2017 20:05
  By Julia Harte WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his colleague, Kellyanne Conway, after she was widely criticized for her public endorsement of the fashion line of Trump's daughter, Ivanka. Speaking on ABC's "This Week" programme, White House aide Stephen Miller said Trump adviser Conway was making a "light-hearted, flippant" comment when she urged Americans to buy Ivanka Trump's products.
  
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• Syrian opposition picks delegation to Geneva talks

  12-02-2017 20:01
  Syria's main opposition body on Sunday approved a new delegation to take part in Geneva peace talks later this month, which include Russian-backed blocs that have been critical of the armed insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. The High Negotiation Committee, (HNC) the main umbrella group, said in a statement after two-days of meetings in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, that the new 21-member negotiating team included members of two dissident alliances with which it has previously been at odd
  
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• U.N. air strikes in Central African Republic kill several - militia

  12-02-2017 19:58
  A top militant and three others were killed in Central African Republic when a U.N. helicopter fired on fighters advancing towards the town of Bambari, a rebel group said on Sunday. The UN's mission known as MINUSCA shot at fighters from the Popular Front for the Renaissance of Central African Republic (FPRC), on Saturday after they crossed a "red line" it had set north of the town, said spokesman Vladimir Monteiro. "We were looking to prevent war in Bambari," he said, referring to the town abou
  
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• Germans outraged as U.S. plays wrong version of anthem

  12-02-2017 19:51
  (Reuters) - German tennis has responded with outrage after the United States Tennis Association (USTA) made the embarrassing error of playing the Nazi-era version of Germany's national anthem during a Fed Cup tie in Hawaii. The version played included the first stanza, beginning "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles," which was used as Nazi propaganda. "I thought it was the epitome of ignorance, and I've never felt more disrespected in my whole life, let alone in Fed Cup," Germany's Andrea Petkov
  
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• Social media mocks Education Dept for misspelled tweets

  12-02-2017 19:50
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department is getting social media criticism after misspelling the name of a prominent African-American sociologist — and then mistyping again when apologizing for the error.
  
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• Leicester in serious trouble after Swansea defeat

  12-02-2017 19:46
  (Reuters) - Last season's Premier League champions Leicester City were left in serious trouble on Sunday after defeat by improving relegation rivals Swansea City, who moved three points above them. Leicester remained only one point above the bottom three places, having not won in 15 away games in the league since last April or scored in six league games this calendar year. They fell behind to a fine volley by defender Alfie Mawson in the 37th minute. Swedish full back Martin Olsson then scored h
  
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• #PresidentBawbag Was Trending On Twitter Thanks To West Wing Actor Richard Schiff

  12-02-2017 19:20
  
  West Wing actor Richard Schiff has been anointed as an honoury Scotsman after using his celebrity status to get the hashtag #PresidentBawbag trending on Twitter across the world.
  Schiff, who played gruff but kind-hearted speech writer Toby Ziegler in the much-loved US show, was delighted to happen across the word ‘bawbag’ on social media.
  Scottish slang for ‘scrotum’ or ‘ballbag’, used specifically as an insult, ‘bawbag’ has been ap
  
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• Backlash spurs blue-chips to rethink pay plans

  12-02-2017 19:01 via ft.com
  UK shareholder pushback targets long-term incentive schemes driving excessive rewards
  
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• Coalition air strikes killed 18 Afghan civilians, U.N. says

  12-02-2017 18:56
  By Josh Smith KABUL (Reuters) - At least 18 civilians were killed last week in air strikes by international forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry has concluded. American military officials say their aircraft have conducted around 30 air strikes in Helmand in the past week. "We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of U.S. air strikes," said Brigadier General Charles Clevelan
  
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• Social media mocks Education Department for misspelled tweet

  12-02-2017 18:48
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department is getting social media criticism after misspelling the name of a prominent African-American sociologist.
  
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• The Latest: Trump hopes Senate will fill more Cabinet posts

  12-02-2017 18:21
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• White House defends travel ban as provocations mount

  12-02-2017 18:01
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A top White House aide renewed support for President Donald Trump's embattled immigration order and praised a surge in deportations Sunday, as the new president faces a new provocation in the form of an apparent missile test by North Korea.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn ‘must improve’ as UK Labour party leader

  12-02-2017 18:00 via ft.com
  Opposition said to be ‘road-testing’ possible successors
  
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• Peru says bid to detain fugitive ex-president stalled in U.S.

  12-02-2017 17:49
  Peru's Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio said it was unclear where the country's fugitive former president Alejandro Toledo was on Sunday after the government's bid to capture him hit a legal obstacle in the United States. The United States told Peru that there did not appear to be sufficient probable cause to merit detaining Toledo and asked the Andean country to refile its request, Basombrio said by phone. Toledo, once an anti-graft crusader who governed Peru from 2001-2006, is wanted in conn
  
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• Ministers wrangle over state aid for nuclear power

  12-02-2017 17:46 via ft.com
  Toshiba, the main backer of the new Cumbria plant, is in financial crisis
  
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• Hezbollah leader says 'idiot' Trump makes him optimistic

  12-02-2017 17:45
  BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group says the world will benefit from having an "idiot" in the White House.
  
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• Auto CEOs want Trump to order review of 2025 fuel rules

  12-02-2017 17:45
  By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chief executives of 18 major automakers and their U.S. units urged President Donald Trump to revisit a decision by the Obama administration to lock in vehicle fuel efficiency rules through 2025. In a letter sent late Friday and viewed by Reuters, the chief executives of General Motors Co , Ford Motor Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, along with the top North American executives at Toyota Motor Corp , Volkswagen AG , Honda Motor Co , Hyundai Motor Co
  
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• Some Brazil police break strike following wave of homicides

  12-02-2017 17:33
  By Paulo Whitaker VITORIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Nearly 900 police broke an eight-day strike Sunday in a coastal Brazilian state that had seen a dramatic increase in homicides during the stoppage, but where the violence is now receding. Over 3,100 Army soldiers and members of an elite federal police force helped patrol Espirito Santo state, which saw chaotic looting, the closing of stores, school and hospitals and a six-fold increase in murders in the past week as police refused to work, demanding
  
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• Helicopter bombs vehicle amid power struggle in Yemen's Aden

  12-02-2017 17:28
  An Apache helicopter from a Saudi-led military coalition wounded three Yemeni soldiers when it fired a missile at a military vehicle outside Aden International Airport on Sunday, Yemeni security officials said. The incident was yet another sign of the inability of Yemen's internationally recognised government to enforce order. The Saudi-led coalition has launched thousands of air strikes against the government's foes, the Iran-allied Houthis, in a campaign to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour
  
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• Berlin airport due to open in June 2018 - Bild am Sonntag

  12-02-2017 17:27
  Berlin's long-delayed international airport is scheduled to open in June next year, German weekly Bild am Sonntag reported, citing internal documents of the airport operator. The documents include a target date of June 30, 2018 for opening the new airport, the newspaper said. Completion of the airport has repeatedly been delayed by red tape and technical problems.
  
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• Israel says will not allow former Peru president Toledo to enter

  12-02-2017 17:19
  Israel said on Sunday it would not allow in former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo, who is wanted in connection with a corruption probe, before his affairs were settled in Peru. Peru had been informed by U.S. authorities on Saturday that they were not planning to keep Toledo from boarding a flight to Israel from California that was scheduled to land in Tel Aviv on Sunday. "Former Peru President Toledo will be allowed into Israel only when his matters are settled in Peru," a Foreign Ministry
  
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• Chelsea go 10 points clear with draw at Burnley

  12-02-2017 17:16
  Premier League leaders Chelsea moved 10 points clear at the top on Sunday despite being held by Burnley in an entertaining game played amid flurries of sleet and snow. Pedro gave Chelsea an early lead from a pass by Victor Moses but the home side fought back well and equalised midway through the first half with a superb curling free kick by Robbie Brady, making his full debut. Matt Lowton and Andre Gray missed good chances as Burnley sought to maintain their impressive home record, while the def
  
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• The Latest: WH adviser skirts question on Flynn and Russia

  12-02-2017 17:11
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• David Davis criticised for 'sexist' Diane Abbott text

  12-02-2017 17:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Brexit secretary apologises after reportedly saying he wouldn't hug the MP because he is "not blind".
  
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• From protests to 'pussy hats,' Trump resistance brews online

  12-02-2017 17:01
  
  The revolution may not be televised — but it apparently will be tweeted. And Facebooked. And Instagrammed. Not long after President Donald Trump temporarily barred most people from seven majority-Muslim ...
  
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• Britain’s moral failure to admit refugee children

  12-02-2017 17:01 via ft.com
  A cynical decision to close the Dubs scheme will achieve nothing
  
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• Zverev denies Gasquet Montpellier hat-trick

  12-02-2017 16:45
  (Reuters) - Rising German Alexander Zverev denied home favourite Richard Gasquet a third consecutive Open Sud de France title in Montpellier with a 7-6(4) 6-3 victory on Sunday. Local favourite Gasquet, bidding for a fourth title overall at the indoor event, dropped the first set on the tiebreak and was broken twice in the second as the 19-year-old Zverev claimed his second career title. Defeat ended world number 22 Gasquet's 10-match winning streak in Montpellier. ...
  
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• White House official attacks court after legal setbacks on immigration

  12-02-2017 16:38
  A White House official launched a blistering attack on the federal appeals court that blocked President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration on Sunday, calling its ruling a "judicial usurpation of power." The Trump administration has faced multiple legal setbacks to its travel ban issued on Jan. 27, and the Republican president has said he may issue a new executive order rather than go through lengthy court challenges. "The president's powers here are beyond question," White House advis
  
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