Trump Hits Reset on Travel Ban — Will It Stick This Time?
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is hitting the reset button after President Donald Trump's first immigration order was shut down by a panel of judges.
The new order, designed to keep out possible terrorists, also loosens language on providing help for Christian refugees.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions noted that, like the first executive order, the new one is perfectly legal.
"This executive order responsibly provides a needed pause so we can carefully review how we scrutinize people coming here from these countries of concern," he explained.
What's In It
Under the new order, travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are banned from entering the country for 90 days.
Iraq, which was included in the first order, has been removed after the country made improvements to its vetting system.
Also, people traveling for medical care or foreign nationals working for the U.S. government are free to enter the country.
The rollout has been delayed until March 16 to give travelers and agencies a chance to comply, and to appease the courts.
"We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives," Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said.
Religious Freedom
So what about Christians and other religious minorities facing persecution?
Instead of giving them priority, the Departments of State and Homeland Security have been given the power to grant waivers in cases where being denied status as a refugee would cause someone "undue hardship" – such as Christians and others facing genocide at the hands of ISIS.
Despite the administration's efforts, the new order could face challenges from opponents.
Wiretapping and Leaks
Meanwhile, the White House isn't saying much about Trump's charge that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.
They say they're waiting for the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to conduct their investigations.
"He would ask that they additionally look into this issue of leaks of classified information and other information coming from the government. He believes that undermines our national security," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said.
The Threat of North Korea
The president is also dealing a major test in foreign policy: the growing threat of North Korea.
During the communist regime's ballistic missile tests this weekend, three of the missiles landed in Japanese waters.
"Imagine someday one of these North Korean missiles accidentally doesn't stop in the Sea of Japan but accidentally detonates or hits somewhere in Japan. I can tell you Japan would respond," Harry Kazianis, with the Center for the National Interest, told CBN News.
"Imagine if the same thing happened in South Korea," he continued. "South Korea would respond, and we're talking about nuclear weapons being possibly introduced into this."
Of course, both of those countries are U.S. allies.
"So that would draw the United States into any conflict," Kazianis said.
Still, Kazianis expects to see North Korea launch more missiles more frequently as it works to strengthen its offensive capabilities.
"North Korea could put biological weapons, they could put chemical weapons, they could even get some crude radioactive material- stick it on a missile and lob it at the United States," he warned. "That would have a very, very, very, scary effect on the United States, its allies, so it doesn't have to be a nuclear weapon."
He says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un knows the U.S. won't invade his country as long as he has nuclear capabilities.
The Trump administration is considering tougher sanctions, even resuming stalled negotiations to combat North Korea's aggressions.
And The Wall Street Journal reports a White House review of strategy includes the possibility of using military force or regime change against the North to blunt its nuclear threat.
Last week, a senior White House official called North Korea the greatest threat facing the U.S.
