Oh, the winning… it’s often too funny. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is now independently, on its own impetus, requesting an internal vote on a full panel en banc hearing to review its own decision.
Additionally, the full ninth are asking the Trump administration to file an additional brief telling the court why the three member original appeals ruling authority was wrong.   In essence, the smart judges know what wasn’t considered, and are now looking for an out.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
Prior to expanding the conversation, allow us to set the current stage with a few tweet optics:

Wait, wha… huh? Yes, that’s the 9th circuit requesting its own judicial membership ruling to be reviewed by the entire larger 9th circuit appeals court panel. Ya think maybe they recognize they just jumped head-first into showcasing their own insufferable moonbattery…
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Those who follow the messaging from within the unofficial news agency of the U.S. State Department, CNN or CNNi, might have noticed a report delivered by Wolf Blitzer yesterday claiming the Russians were set to influence another nationalist election victory, this time in France.

With a vote coming in April, could French elections be targeted by the same Russian hackers accused of meddling in the US campaign?  (CNN LINK)

The entire proclamation by Blitzer, and the executive level CNN folks who put it together, was almost identical to the previous claims of a vast Russian conspiracy influencing the U.S. election and the victory of President Donald Trump.   The difference between November 2016 and today, is this time CNN is attempting to get out ahead of an election rather than responding to the outcome therein.
In essence, CNN -and by extension the progressive State Department officials remaining within the shadow deep state construct- is trying to influence the French Presidential Race.  Blaming the Russians in advance is an attempt to weaken Marine Le Pen.
But why would they do this, you might ask.  Well, those of you who have followed the historic research on the State Department might well remember the “Rivkin Project“.  The globalist agents who carry a vested interest are simply not willing to concede another loss in their decades long approach toward eliminating nationalist sentiment.
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The White House says it expects the courts to restore President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on Syrian refugees and 90-day suspended visa status for travelers from seven countries, via an executive order founded on a claim of national security.
Despite the initial 9th circuit denial of the Trump administration’s request to immediately set aside a Seattle judge’s ruling that put a hold on the executive order nationwide, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (the most liberal and overturned appellate court in the nation) requested legal briefs from both sides by 6:00 pm EST today / 3:00 pm PST.

(Via AP) [4:30am EST]  Lawyers for Washington state and Minnesota have told a federal appellate court it would “unleash chaos again” if it lifted an order temporarily halting President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.

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No single issue better reflects the politicized UniParty than immigration.  In all things related to legal or illegal entry into the United States the Democrats and big government Republicans are united in their efforts to create a borderless America; expect little support for President Trump from the GOPe side of the aisle.
Two federal judges, Boston (Mass) and Seattle (WA), released two completely different opinions on the legality of President Trump’s temporary halt on Visa approvals from seven identified countries of concern.  The Boston ruling by Federal Judge Gorton upholds the executive authority and supports President Trump.  The Seattle ruling by Federal Judge Robart halts the executive action.

Due to Judge Robart’s refusal to accept prior case law and supreme court rulings, and as an outcome of his inability to cite existing law to support his decision (READ HERE), it is generally believed the Seattle ruling will be “stayed”. The sum total of Robart’s ruling is merely seven pages of activist catch phrases, judicial activism, with no legal guiding citation.
Conversely, Judge Gorton firmly establishes his decision (READ HERE)  -to the benefit of the Executive Order- on prior precedent and current established judicial interpretations, and it is believed Gorton’s decision will be more in line with the final outcome of the challenges.  Gorton’s 21 page ruling contains 51 legal citations to precedent and existing case law which guides his decision.
A good summary of why President Trump will likely win is HERE.
However, in the interim, DHS is complying with the Seattle injunction. (more…)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrives at the U.S. State Department today and delivers his first remarks to the entrenched bureaucrats within foggy bottom.   In a broad outline speech mostly of introduction, T-Rex begins to lay out a new agenda entirely foreign to the foreign service: honor, truthfulness and respect for mission.
Most of the attending audience has never experienced a person in their professional or personal lives whose compass heading is steadfast, true and unwavering.  Greater than 90% of the attending audience considers their political outlook as liberal and globalist; more than half of them come from fractured family backgrounds.
For these people there is an autonomic quivering mechanism triggered when encountering a person of unwavering moral founding and character.
As a towering man of earnest and deliberate influence,  T-Rex well understands how organizational changes are best undertaken. This will be the biggest challenge of his entire career.

“Renda and I were ready to head off to the ranch and enjoy our grandchildren. But when I came back from my first meeting with President Trump and he asked me to do this, Renda said, ‘you didn’t know it but you’ve been in a 41-year training program for this job.’
“So despite our own dreams, she said you’re supposed to do this.
Well, my first day is here, I’m on the job.
“Hi, I’m the new guy.”

Folks you just gotta watch this.  President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence participate in an Oval Office swearing in ceremony for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Prior to the swearing in, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, delivers deliberate and personal remarks of congratulations and appreciation for Secretary Tillerson and his wonderful wife Renda St. Clair.
This remarkable, decent, strong and yet humble man will now be the representative face of the United States, and the Trump administration, to the rest of the world.  Secretary Rex Tillerson a guiding light and a servants heart. How intensely blessed and fortunate we are.  WATCH:

President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has been confirmed by the full Senate Vote.  Democrats Mark Warner (VA), Heidi Heitkamp (ND) and Joe Manchin (WVA) joined with all senate republicans for the 56-43 vote.

WASHINGTON — Rex W. Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday in a 56 to 43 vote to become the nation’s 69th secretary of state. (read more – NYT)

Suffice to say, anyone who has followed DC politics for any substantive amount of time is aware of the inherent ideological issues within The U.S. State Department.  Filled with bureaucrats whose career has been at the epicenter of left-wing globalist advocacy.
If you go back to rethinking the larger State Dept. challenge, Rex Tillerson will essentially be in charge of a U.S. Department that is comprised almost exclusively of Kerry/Clinton/Obama/Bush/UniParty/GOPe big “G” Globalists.
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…”There are trillions of dollars at stake”…

In addition to the content, pay close attention to the timing of policy delivery and the sequencing within the policy delivery.   With the outline of the visa suspension as lead-in toward a security policy, President Trump is also now entering economic policy phase 2.
It is all connected.
Within the larger economic construct of “America First”, the underlying supportive policy is easily seen as “Buy American, and Hire American”.  For the Phase One  “Buy American”, President Trump rolled out an aggressive push to leverage corporations and manufacturers to reinvest in U.S. manufacturing and U.S. production facilities.
While President Trump continues to push the economic benefits of domestic production, distribution and manufacturing. Phase Two is directed at the “Hire American” half of this equation. However, President Trump’s expressed security policy on immigration and refugee status suspensions overlaps on the employment aspect within “Hire American”.
Now President Trump fights the “BIG CLUB”:

Watch closely and you’ll note how many significant corporations come out in opposition to the Visa restrictions.  Their opposition is not about security; their opposition is, in no small part, because their strategic business models necessarily include the import of foreign workers.
The corporations who will be most vocal against the security visa executive action, will be those business interests who rely upon non-U.S. workers.  The America electorate is about to discover just how many foreign workers are inside the U.S. economic system. (more…)

This is a jaw-dropping exhibition of the scope of President Trump’s strategic leverage. Remember how Secretary of State Rex Tillerson refused to take the bait from Senator Marco Rubio regarding Saudi Arabia?  Put this outcome in the dividend column.
Those who have not followed the back-story of non-extremist politics in the middle-east will miss the obvious play identified more readily by those who have followed closely.
One of the major influences and advisers for King Salman of Saudi Arabia is Egyptian President Fattah Abdel el-Sisi.  El-Sisi has already established a productive relationship with President Trump both before and after the election.  No doubt King Salman and President Sisi debriefed the prior conversations between Trump and el-Sisi.

Today King Salman agrees to a primary expressed policy position of President Trump.  Saudi Arabia will support and finance “safe zones” within Syria and Yemen.  This is a big, big deal.

(Via Reuters) Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, in a phone call on Sunday with U.S. President Donald Trump, agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, a White House statement said.

Trump, during his presidential campaign last year, had called for Gulf states to pay for establishing safe zones to protect Syrian refugees.

A statement after the phone call said the two leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening joint efforts to fight the spread of Islamic State militants.

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