U.S. states discussing lawsuit over Trump immigration order

A group of state attorneys general are discussing whether to file their own court challenge against President Donald Trump's order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries entering the United States, officials in three states told Reuters.

Democrat attorneys general are expected to be a source of fierce resistance to Trump, much as Republican AGs opposed former President Barack Obama. A lawsuit brought by states would heighten the legal stakes surrounding the president's executive order, signed late on Friday, as courtroom challenges to the ban have so far mostly been filed by individuals.

Officials in the offices of attorneys general in Pennsylvania, Washington and Hawaii said on Saturday they were evaluating what specific claims could be filed, and in which court.

"We do believe the executive order is unconstitutional," Hawaii attorney general Douglas Chin told Reuters on Saturday. He declined to give further detail.

The states could decide not to file, and it is unclear how many states would ultimately sign on for such an effort.

"There certainly are conversations underway," said Joe Grace, a spokesman for Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro.

A Trump representative could not be reached immediately for comment.

Trump, a businessman who successfully tapped into American fears about terror attacks during his campaign, had promised what he called "extreme vetting" of immigrants and refugees from areas the White House said the U.S. Congress deemed to be high risk. He told reporters in the Oval Office on Saturday that his order was "not a Muslim ban" and said the measures were long overdue.

However, his order hit a roadblock late on Saturday when a federal judge in New York said stranded travelers could stay in the country. The American Civil Liberties Union, which sought the emergency court order, said it would help 100 to 200 people with valid visas or refugee status who found themselves detained in transit or at U.S. airports after Trump signed the order.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it would comply with judicial orders but that Trump's immigration restrictions remained in effect.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trump prepares for historic inaugural address

PALM BEACH - Donald Trump ramped up preparations for his presidential inauguration Thursday, working with aides on an historic address that will be seen as a cornerstone of his administration.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the mogul-turned-politico will spend the day at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago discussing and running through drafts of the January 20 speech with top aides.

An inaugural address is a starting gun for any US presidency and has come to define some of the men who have held the Oval Office.

It was on the inaugural stage that John F. Kennedy stridently declared that "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans," making him the figurehead of a generational shift that defined the 1960s.

Kennedy also told Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," stirring a sense of national service that remains to this day.

In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt whipped up confidence in a nation reeling from the deprivations of the Great Depression by insisting "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

And Abraham Lincoln tried to the heal the wounds of the Civil War by urging Americans to approach the future "with malice toward none, with charity for all."

To help frame his own message, Trump has called in historian Douglas Brinkley and long-time aides like controversial right-wing figure Steve Bannon.

On Wednesday, Brinkley and Trump met in Florida to discuss "a sort of history of the presidency and past inaugurals," the historian said.

There was also a discussion of some bold presidential promises.

"He was very interested in a man going to the moon and the moon shot, so we were talking a little bit about that" Brinkley said, referencing Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon during another speech at Rice University.

'REAL TALK'

But Trump's speech in three weeks will not just be a measure of his policies -- it will be seen as a monumental test of his oratorical skills and of his ability to lift Americans' gaze above the horizon.

The idiosyncratic 70-year-old property developer is often more comfortable talking about himself and rallying die-hard supporters on the fly than delivering a pre-written address.

One notable exception was his acceptance speech at the Republican convention in Cleveland, which vividly painted the world as Trump sees it.

The main author that day, and for the inaugural address, will be Stephen Miller, a young Californian and former aide to attorney general-designate Jeff Sessions.

For Trump's July nomination acceptance speech, Miller looked to Richard Nixon's address at the Republican National Convention in 1968.

What he saw was a speech that had an unvarnished -- even bleak -- view of the United States.

"As we look at America, we see cities enveloped in smoke and flame," Nixon said. "We hear sirens in the night."

Trump tapped that same sense of malaise in Cleveland more than four decades later, telling the party faithful that their "convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation."

"The attacks on our police, and the terrorism of our cities, threaten our very way of life," he said.

Nixon's prescription was "new leadership for America." Trump's prescription was rejecting "the same politicians" who he said had caused the damage in the first place.

"I am your voice" Trump said, "I alone can fix it."

For the inaugural address, Trump and Miller may look less to the optimism of Kennedy, Lincoln or Roosevelt and more to the "real talk" of Ronald Reagan.

In 1981, Reagan began his address by thanking his predecessor before getting down to business.

"These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions," he said, pledging to reform the tax system and unleash free enterprise -- issues that became the hallmarks of his eight years in office.

"The government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem," he said.

Trump confidants say he has not yet settled on an overarching theme for his inaugural address, but unleashing business to fix an economy Trump sees as broken is unlikely to be far from the top of the list.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US election poses real fear for Halloween revelers

NEW YORK CITY- New Yorkers paraded with their creepy costumes to celebrate Halloween. But for some revelers, what truly scares them is what can happen come November 8.

The annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade in New York City only gets bigger and better each year.

"This Halloween parade is amazing. My second year in a row, it’s one of a kind," said Wendell Gaa.

Marchers went all out, spending money and time to create home-made costumes all in the spirit of Halloween fun.

Costumes range from movie and TV monsters to pop culture characters. Even presidential candidates were among the favorites.

But for them, what's scarier than Halloween is the upcoming presidential elections.

"What’s scarier? Elections. Because, you’re dealing with politics, and I think they are the real monsters," said one reveler dressed as Samhain.

Aaron Brinkley added: "Definitely the election. At least in Halloween, you meet good people, you have a future, with the election ugh."

When it comes down to their president of choice, some are still weighing their options a few days before the elections.

"It's like a 50/50 at this point. I might give the edge to Hillary (Clinton) a little bit, but either one is bad, it's pretty bad," said Yoko Higuchi.

Meanwhile, Filipino migrant workers gathered on Halloween feel the same way about the coming elections.

"Kami pong mga Pilipino dito sa Amerika ay lubha pong nag-aalala kung ang iboboto dito sa Amerika ay si Mr. (Donald) Trump. Kasi po, si Mr. Trump is not shying away with what he wants to do with undocumented immigrants so that’s really very scary, actually scarier than Halloween," said Linda Oalican of the Damayan Migrant Workers Association.

For Polly Calpito, he wants Clinton to win the elections.

"Dahil palagay ko mas malapit siya sa Pilipino. Pangalawa, nakapag-visit na siya sa bansa natin so alam niya, nakita niya ang kabuhayan ng nakararami doon."

While some voters feel that this could be the scariest choice they will have to make on November 8th, many are still hopeful because they say they will have to determine their own future, for the most part, regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office.

Read more on Balitang America:

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Clinton hits Trump at core: his business record

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton on Tuesday targeted her White House rival Donald Trump's very rationale for being a competent president, painting the provocative billionaire as a "dangerous" and manipulative businessman who would sink the US economy.

The Democratic flagbearer's comprehensive condemnation of Trump's business dealings came as the presumptive Republican nominee revealed unprecedented financial deficits heading into his general election push, the latest of several setbacks and self-inflicted wounds that have plunged his campaign into disarray.

Clinton piled on in her speech in Ohio, an important swing state, where she argued that Trump's lack of a plan to bring back manufacturing and other jobs could yank the nation back into recession.

"We can't let him bankrupt America like we are one of his failed casinos," she thundered in Columbus. "We can't let him roll the dice with our children's futures."

By laying into Trump's corporate empire, Clinton aimed to disarm her rival's potent claim that he can translate his business acumen into Oval Office success.

"He's written a lot of books about business. They all seem to end at chapter 11," she quipped, referring to the US legal code that addresses bankruptcy and reorganization.

She claimed Trump had refused to pay some workers their due and had his own products manufactured overseas -- moves she argued punished hard-working Americans.

He also "made a fortune filing bankruptcies and stiffing his creditors" in the process, leaving hundreds out of people out of work, Clinton said.

"In America, we don't begrudge people being successful, but we know they shouldn't do it by destroying other people's dreams."

Despite his long track record as a businessman, "it turns out he's dangerous there, too," Clinton said.

"Just like he shouldn't have his finger on the button," she added, referring to the US nuclear arsenal, "he shouldn't have his hands on our economy."

"Donald Trump's ideas about the economy and the world will cause millions of Americans to lose their jobs," Clinton said.

SEEKING A REBOOT

Trump returned fire as Clinton spoke, arguing that she "surged" the trade deficit with China by 40 percent while serving as America's top diplomat, a move he said cost Americans "millions of jobs."

In a bid to go on offense, Trump announced he would deliver a speech Wednesday addressing "the failed policies and bad judgment of crooked Hillary Clinton."

But the latest news cycle unquestionably has been unkind to the real estate tycoon.

He fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Monday, seeking a reboot as he prepares to battle with Clinton whose campaign is well ahead of Trump's in terms of finances and organization.

Trump has been hammered for making controversial statements after the Orlando massacre, including about Muslims, and for saying it would have been a "beautiful sight" if more people at the Florida club -- where drinks flowed -- were armed in order to shoot back at the attacker.

His numbers have slid in several polls, and Republican leaders have continued to express ambivalence about their presumptive nominee.

A 'DIFFERENT' CAMPAIGN
The latest clash comes amid revelations that Trump's campaign war chest lags woefully behind Clinton's.

Trump has just $1.3 million in cash on hand, according to reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission.

Clinton's campaign by contrast had $42 million as of May 31, its report showed.

Trump insisted he could ply his own campaign with "unlimited" funds.

"If need be, there could be unlimited 'cash on hand' as I would put up my own money, as I have already done through the primaries, spending over $50 million," he said in a statement.

He also said his campaign was prepared to embrace a new tone as it geared for battle with Clinton.

"I think it's time now for a different kind of a campaign" than the lean operation that helped win the primary race, Trump told Fox News late Monday as he justified Lewandowski's departure.

Trump also brushed off his difficulty in earning Republican leadership support, telling NBC he might not even need their blessing.

"I may be better winning it the opposite way than the more traditional way," he said.

But a revolt of sorts appeared to be brewing at next month's Republican National Convention.

As many as 400 of the party's 2,472 delegates who formally elect the Republican nominee have expressed support for a movement to stop Trump, according to The Washington Post.

Trump meanwhile met Tuesday with about 1,000 evangelical Christians in an effort to win over the crucial voting bloc.

"He came across as reasonable, not reckless," Catholic Vote president Brian Burch was quoted by Time magazine as saying.

Trump's campaign also announced an evangelical executive advisory board, featuring prominent conservative religious figures including psychologist and author James Dobson, who has courted controversy over his strong position against gays.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Obama says Trump doesn't know much about foreign policy

WASHINGTON, United States - President Barack Obama scathingly dismissed White House hopeful Donald Trump's foreign policy proposals on Friday and warned that the world was watching the upcoming US election.

At the end of a summit on nuclear security that Obama hosted in Washington, he was asked about Trump's suggestion that Japan and South Korea develop their own nuclear weapons.

"The statements you mentioned, what do they tell us?" Obama demanded, rhetorically.

"They tell us the person who made the statements doesn't know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean peninsula or the world generally."

Trump, the Republican frontrunner, says he wants US allies to pay for more of their own defense and allow costly American forces to disengage from their regions.

Obama damned this as naive and an abdication of American leadership that would upset close allies and make the world a more dangerous place.

"I've said before that, you know, people pay attention to American elections. What we do is really important to the rest of the world," he said.

"Our alliance with Japan and the Republic of Korea is one of the foundations, one of the cornerstones of our presence in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

"It has underwritten the peace and prosperity of that region. It has been an enormous boon to American commerce and American influence," he said.

The US alliance has brought peace to countries that had fought fierce wars in the past.

"So you don't mess with that. It's an investment that rests on the sacrifices that our men and women made back in World War II when they were fighting throughout the Pacific.

"And we don't want somebody in the Oval Office who doesn't recognize how important that is."

Obama added that concern about Trump's comments had come up on the sidelines of his summit meetings with world leaders.

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Obama, Trudeau kindle 'bromance' at White House

WASHINGTON, United States - Barack Obama welcomed youthful Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "quite good looking Canadian delegation" to the White House Thursday, for a pomp-filled visit designed to rejuvenate US-Canada ties.

Obama laid out a full military band and ceremonial guard on the South Lawn, making the recently elected prime minister the first Canadian leader in 20 years to receive an official-level visit.

After talks in the Oval Office and a Rose Garden press conference, Obama will host a state dinner, with guests that including Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox and Blake Lively.

The 54-year-old Obama has saluted Trudeau, 44, as political and generational kin, an ideological colleague who shares a belief in the importance of issues like healthcare, gay rights and tackling climate change.

"He campaigned on a message of hope and of change," said Obama, echoing his own 2008 campaign message. "From my perspective, what's not to like."

"Justin's talent and concern for the Canadian people, and his appreciation of the vital role that Canada can play in the larger world is self-apparent."

Obama's effusive praise was met with an invitation to visit Ottawa later this summer and address the Canadian parliament.

"That's a great honor," said Obama. "I look forward to the opportunity to speak directly to the Canadian people about the extraordinary future that we can build together."

In comments that were perhaps directed at Canadians who feel slightly ignored by their larger neighbor, Obama said the visit reflected "something we Americans don't always say enough, and that is how much we value our great alliance and partnership with our friends up north."

Trudeau also reciprocated Obama's compliments, describing him as a "man of both tremendous heart and tremendous intellect."

- Slap shot -

There was also some jovial ribbing, with Obama joking about national rivalries over whose beer is best and Canada's national obsession, ice hockey.

"Where's the Stanley Cup right now?" Obama teased. "I'm sorry, is it in my hometown with the Chicago Blackhawks?"

Trudeau hit back that the team's trio of superstars -- Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith -- were among Canada's greatest exports.

"There is no relationship in the entire world like the Canada-US relationship," he said.

Early on Thursday, the White House announced that Canada had agreed to match an existing US target of reducing methane emissions by 40-45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025 from the oil and gas sector.

The two countries also agreed on measures to better manage the Arctic wilderness, creating low-impact shipping corridors and managing fish stocks.

During former prime minister Stephen Harper's long tenure, the environment had been a serious point of contention with Washington.

Harper had argued forcefully for building a new trans-border pipeline to carry Canadian crude through the United States, a plan that Obama ultimately vetoed.

Obama and Trudeau met as their country's leaders for the first time at an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila in November, a month after the Canadian won a general election.

Trudeau has refused to reconsider a campaign promise to pull Canadian jets out of Iraq and Syria.

But the two men put aside differences over Syria and the fight against the Islamic State group to joke about graying hair and trade compliments about their spouses and kids.

The warmth of the encounter triggered a flood of online jokes and tongue-in-cheek reports on a budding "bromance" between the leaders, as photos went viral showing them smiling like old buddies, or cooing over a photogenic baby on the South Lawn.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com