| If at first you don't succeed, ban, ban again | | President Trump hopes his temporary travel ban gets a second chance to make a first impression. The White House's first attempt to stop citizens from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the United States was met with angry protests before being blocked by the federal courts. So the Trump team went back to the drawing board. After weeks of revising the president's executive order, the administration unveiled a new travel ban that drops Iraq from the list, eliminates an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, honors visas issued prior to the ban and removes a preference for religious minorities. Democrats and immigration advocacy groups say none of the changes fixes the fundamental problems with what they see as a "Muslim ban" and plan to take the fight back to the courts. | | Most Americans — and one TV show — are concerned about Trump's Russia problem | | Most Americans believe an outside, independent investigation is needed into alleged contacts between Russia and associates of Donald Trump during last year's presidential campaign, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds. By 58%-35%, those surveyed support an independent inquiry, an idea backed by Democratic leaders and a few Republicans in Congress. Over the weekend, FBI Director James Comey asked the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump's accusation that then-President Obama ordered the surveillance of Trump's phones before the election in connection with an investigation into Russian activities. On Monday, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders was asked whether Trump accepts Comey's assertion and answered, "You know, I don't think he does." Meanwhile, the executive producer of FX's Soviet-era drama "The Americans" says this real-life Russia saga is messing with the made-up TV version. | | Nude photo scandal rocks Marines | | How far does it go? In a scandal that reportedly may ensnare hundreds of U.S. military personnel, the Marines Corps is investigating allegations that nude photos of female Marines and other women were shared on a private social media site. The photos were allegedly shared via a Facebook group that has nearly 30,000 members. Eventually, they were reported by the non-profit news site of a combat veteran, Thomas Brennan, prompting death threats against him and his family. One Marine, Lance Cpl. Marisa Woytek, told "The Washington Post" that photos were taken from her Instagram account and posted without her consent. Comments on the photos, which included allusions to sexual assault and rape, have "ruined the Marine Corps for me, and the experience," she said. | | High court punts transgender issue, weighs in on juries and racism | | On the hot-button issue of transgender bathroom rights, the Supreme Court decided it could hold it a little longer. The justices vacated a lower court's ruling Monday in favor of Gavin Grimm, 17, a transgender Virginia student. The court did so after the Trump administration withdrew guidance to schools that had instructed them to grant transgender students' bathroom preferences. While the court could have decided the case on other grounds, it opted to give the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit another chance to consider the case. Also Monday, the justices ruled that racism in jury deliberations is so serious that verdicts can be thrown out even following convictions. |  | | Gaming Waze: Cities scramble to cut down on cut-through traffic | | GPS-enabled traffic apps like Waze that suggest detours from clogged highways through neighborhood streets can shave hours off commutes. But that traffic can now be barreling through your once-placid community . Some cities are fighting back, saying Waze and their ilk are undoing years of careful — and expensive — traffic planning. Fremont, Calif., (where a road sign reads "Don't trust your apps!") instituted rush-hour turn restrictions and partnered with Waze to get the app to use its information. Other cities are rethinking road design to eliminate short cuts and use more one-way streets. Traffic is like water, one official said: "The water often finds a new route around the dam." | |
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