Welcome to This Week in Politics, a new recurring column on what happened this week in politics worldwide. Let’s get started with President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban executive order.

 

Saturday Jan. 28 – Sunday Jan. 29

• Travel Ban Executive Order

  • Late Friday, Trump signed an order banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim nations for a minimum of 120 days, and banning immigration from Syria indefinitely

    • The seven nations are Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan

      • No citizen of one of these countries has ever committed a terrorist attack against the United States

  • It has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans; John McCain (R-AZ) stated in his response that the order may “give ISIS more propaganda” in the long run instead of slowing terrorism.

  • The order stopped approximately 100-200 immigrants that were already on planes or at American Customs for immigration; many of these refugees have been released after the order was clarified on Sunday.

  • Large protests erupted at airports across the country, thousands strong. One protest took place at the CVG airport in Covington on Sunday and Monday.

 

Monday Jan. 30

• Attorney General Sally Yates Fired

  • Yates was fired by Trump after refusing to uphold his travel ban executive order.

  • Replaced by Dana Boente, Attorney General of Virginia’s District 9

    • Boente will likely have a short tenure, as Trump’s nominee for the position, Rep. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), is expected to be confirmed by the Senate soon.

 

Tuesday Jan. 31

• Trump announces Supreme Court nominee

  • Appellate Judge Neil Gorsuch of Colorado nominated

    • Trump has said that Senate should “go nuclear” and destroy the power of the filibuster to get Gorsuch confirmed at all costs.

      • A filibuster is when a congressperson makes a marathon speech in an attempt to delay a vote. The speaker may go on for hours, with the longest filibuster lasting over 24 hours in 1957.

 

Wednesday Feb. 1

• Trump Makes Black History Month Speech

  • Trump used his “listening session” to speak about a variety of topics, including his popularity and his coverage in the media

  • He also referred to Frederick Douglass in the present tense, leading some to believe that Trump may think that the abolitionist from the late 1800s is still alive today

    • Press Secretary Sean Spicer later said, “I think through a lot of the actions and statements that he’s going to make, I think the contributions of Frederick Douglass will become more and more,” seeming to confirm this idea that Douglass is still alive

• Protest Turns Violent at UC Berkeley

  • An originally peaceful protest at the University of California’s Berkeley campus against Breitbart Senior Editor Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech at the campus turned violent as anarchists took it over.

    • The anarchists wore bandanas, carried flags, lit fires and assaulted a campus building, causing thousands of dollars in damages.

    • The speech was canceled later that day due to the protest.

• Trump Threatens Iran Over Ballistic Missile Launch

  • Trump accused Iran of violating a UN missile regulation, which the UN has said they are “still evaluating” if it was violated.

  • He threatened economic sanctions, and did not rule out military action

    • This walks back former President Barack Obama’s policy of friendly relations with the nation, and signals increased tensions in the region.

 

Thursday Feb. 2

• Trump Vows to “Destroy” Law Banning Political Action by Churches

  • If overturned, tax-exempt churches would be allowed to participate in political speech, including donating to political campaigns.

    • The Johnson Amendment to the US Tax Code was enacted in 1954, named for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, later President.

• Trump Eases Sanctions on Russia

  • The move eliminates some sanctions put in place by Obama, now allowing some transactions with Russia, after evidence that a state-sponsored group infiltrated multiple government databases and was accused of attempting to manipulate the result of the election.

• White House Denounces Israeli Plans to Expand Settlements

  • In a press release, the White House condemned the Israeli plan to build 2,000 new settlements in the West Bank region of Palestine, saying that the settlements may hinder the peace process.

    • This goes against previous statements made by Trump, who nominated an ambassador to Israel that supports the “one-state solution,” unification of Israel and Palestine.

 

Friday Feb. 3

• Sanctions Imposed Against Iran

  • In response to ballistic missile tests, 25 individuals involved with Iran will be sanctioned.

    • These individuals now cannot make deals within the the United States

    • These sanctions do not violate the Iran Deal made by Obama.

• Nominee for Army Secretary Withdraws Self

  • Vincent Viola, Wall Street billionaire and former Army Reserves Major, withdraws himself from the nomination to Secretary of the Army

  • He withdrew on the basis that it would be too difficult to distance himself from his business ties.

    • Viola is a part-owner of the Florida Panthers NHL team, as well as a major stockholder in Eastern Airlines and other companies that could be advantaged by his position.

  • It is currently unknown who Trump’s new nominee for the position will be

• Federal Court Blocks Travel Ban Executive Order

  • The federal court in Seattle, Washington stopped the order until further notice, citing its disputed legality

    • Almost all aspects of the order are halted in this new ruling

  • White House says it will fight the “outrageous” ruling

  • The blockage will be temporary, at least until the government and opponents of the order can have full arguments over its legality