With
the first two weeks of his presidency behind him, Donald Trump arrived
at his luxury Mar-a-Lago Florida estate, dubbed the "Winter White
House," where he will spend the weekend.
The
president's long day included slapping new sanctions on Iran and
announcing plans to take an ax to a landmark financial reform bill. A
few hours before midnight, the White House issued a pledge to fight a
judge's order temporarily halting Trump's controversial traveler ban.
Here are five takeaways from Friday's events in Washington:
- Travel ban halted -
The
White House vowed to fight back late Friday after a federal judge in
Seattle ordered a temporary nationwide halt to Trump's controversial ban
on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.
Press
secretary Sean Spicer called Trump's executive action "lawful and
appropriate" and said the Department of Justice would request an
emergency stay of the federal court order filed earlier in the day.
"The
president's order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the
constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American
people," Spicer said.
- Iran sanctions -
The
US president slapped fresh sanctions on Iran's weapons procurement
network, provoking an angry response from Tehran in what is an
increasingly tense stand-off.
"Iran is playing with fire -- they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!" Trump tweeted.
The
fresh US measures were in response to Iran's latest ballistic missile
test and its support for Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen who in the past
week targeted a Saudi warship, US officials said.
- Dodd-Frank goes under knife -
The
landmark Dodd-Frank financial reforms adopted in the aftermath of the
2008 financial crisis were aimed at curbing risky excesses by Wall
Street investors that led to the "Great Recession."
On
Friday, Trump -- who frequently vowed on the campaign trail that he
would get rid of Dodd-Frank -- ordered a review of the law, telling
business leaders: "We expect to cut a lot out of Dodd-Frank."
"I
have friends who can't start businesses because the banks wouldn't let
them borrow because of rules and regulations and Dodd-Frank."
Critics claim the legislation created red tape that stifles the finance industry.
- Visa numbers out -
The
United States has revoked up to 60,000 travel visas since Trump ordered
a ban on visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries, the State
Department said.
"We
recognize that those individuals are temporarily inconvenienced while
we conduct our review under the Executive Order," Will Cocks, spokesman
for the department's bureau of consular affairs said.
A Justice Department attorney, however, told a court hearing in Virginia that about 100,000 visas had been revoked.
A
week ago, Trump issued an executive order halting arrivals for at least
90 days for the citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria
and Yemen.
All refugee arrivals from around the world were also halted, in this case for 120 days.
- Bannon brigade -
Fifty
Democratic members of Congress wrote a letter to Trump demanding he
explain his placement of controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon on
the National Security Council despite lacking formal foreign policy
experience.
Trump
caused an uproar last weekend when he issued a memorandum that
reorganized the NSC to elevate Bannon onto the Principals Committee and
to relegate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of
National Intelligence to roles where they only attend when "issues
pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise" are discussed.
