President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States.
Trump is again banning people from countries his administration deems dangerous from coming to America.
The travel ban issued Wednesday is a repeat of an order of his first administration that led to widespread confusion at airports. This version includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Trump’s first travel ban was issued in 2017 and banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. Trump has said the ban was aimed at protecting the country.
In addition to the ban, which takes effect on Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from seven other countries.
Trump orders investigation into Biden’s actions as president, alleging cover-up of cognitive decline
Trump is ordering his administration to investigate former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen to sign pardons and other documents.
An autopen is a mechanical device that is used to replicate a person’s authentic signature, and presidents have used them for decades. Trump has frequently suggested that some of Biden’s actions are invalid because his aides were usurping presidential authority to cover up what Trump claims is Biden’s cognitive decline.
The memo Wednesday came after House Republicans requested transcribed interviews with five former Biden aides, alleging that they had participated in a cover-up concerning “Biden’s cognitive state and who was calling the shots.”
Biden and members of his family have vigorously denied the claims, and Democrats have dismissed the effort as a distraction.
Trump muses about third term during White House event
After Trump finished speaking at the event for political appointees, the crowd chanted, “Eight more years!”
A third term would breach a constitutional limit on how long presidents can remain in office.
He referred to the political appointees as “patriots” and said, “We have the hottest, most talked-about country anywhere in the world.”
Trump also suggested that a future president could be among them.
“There’s greatness in this crowd,” he said.
Letter outlines drastic cuts at Voice of America
Sharp job cuts at the state-run Voice of America have been outlined in a letter to Congress that was obtained by The Associated Press.
The cuts would reduce personnel at the state-run service that provides news to other countries from more than 1,000 to 81, according to the letter.
Voice of America has been largely silent since mid-March, when the administration put most of its staff on administrative leave and terminated the arrangements of contract workers. Trump says he believes the service speaks with a liberal bias.
An employee who is suing the government to keep the service operational says it’s absurd to think it can run with these staffing levels.
Army leaders defend parade and border spending
Army leaders are defending spending as much as $45 million to add a parade to the service’s 250th birthday celebration on June 14, saying it will help boost recruitment.
They are responding to members of Congress who argue that the money could be better spent on troops’ barracks or other priorities.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee also said during Wednesday’s hearing they are concerned that the Defense Department is shifting about $1 billion from a variety of accounts — including base housing — to cover the costs of shoring up the defense of the southern border.