Barack Obama hits out at Donald Trump, warning 'American values' are at stake

A prescient piece of footage has emerged of Sally Yates' confirmation hearing, at which she was asked if she should fall in step with the president's wishes. 

"Do you think the attorney general has a responsibility to say no to the president if he asks for something improper...?" 

"I believe the attorney general or the deputy attorney general has an obligation to follow the law and the constitution and to give their independent legal advice to the president." 

Making the clip even more relevant is the fact the person asking the question was Senator Jeff Sessions , who starts off by saying: "You're going to have to watch out, because people will be asking you to do things that you just need to say no..."

Mr Sessions, Mr Trump’s nominee to be the next attorney general, is expected to be confirmed on Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee and could be approved within days by the full Senate. 

Shortly after being sworn in, Boente  promptly ordered Justice Department lawyers to "do our sworn duty and to defend the lawful orders of our President."

Boente said Trump's executive order was "both lawful on its face and properly drafted."

Donald Trump has been praised by Senator Ted Cruz for dismissing Sally Yates. 

John Dean, former counsel to the Nixon White House, believes the Trump presidency will end in "calamity". 

 

The House Judiciary Committee is confirming that committee staff worked with Trump administration officials as they drafted an executive order temporarily halting the nation's refugee programme.

A committee aide says some committee staff offered policy expertise to the Trump transition team about immigration law, but emphasises that the Trump administration is responsible for final policy decisions, rollout and implementation.

The committee statement late Monday confirms some elements of a report in Politico which also said the staffers were required to sign non-disclosure agreements, which the committee did not comment on.

The work by the committee staffers took place without the knowledge of House GOP leaders, who themselves had no involvement in writing the order and little awareness of its contents.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, has joined the chorus of criticism following the dismissal of Yates.

 

The Democratic National Committee has blasted the firing of the attorney general.

The Trump administration has now dismissed the Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Daniel Ragsdale. No reason has been given. 

John Kelly, director of Homeland Security, has named Thomas D. Homan as the replacement.

Dana Boente has been sworn in as acting attorney general after Donald Trump fired Sally Yates for refusing to enforce his travel ban.

White House spokesman Michael Short says Boente was sworn in at a hastily arranged ceremony around 9 pm on Monday.

Reporters and news photographers were not invited to witness the ceremony.

Boente has been serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

He's expected to serve until Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's pick for the position, is confirmed by the Senate.

Here is the full White House Statement over the firing of the attorney general.

A group of technology companies is planning to meet on Tuesday to discuss filing an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging U.S. President Donald Trump's order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, said a spokesperson for GitHub, a company that makes software development tools, which is organizing the meeting.

Alphabet Inc's Google, Airbnb Inc and Netflix Inc are among the companies invited to the meeting, a separate person familiar with the situation said.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has also  condemned the executive order.

"The Executive Order's humanitarian and economic impact is real and upsetting. We benefit from what refugees and immigrants bring to the U.S." Dorsey tweeted.

Video is emerging of clashes between police and protesters in Colombus, Ohio, at a demonstration over Mr Trump's travel ban.

A former Department of Justice spokesman has lashed out at Mr Trump's firing of the attorney general.

Donald Trump has moved quickly to get rid of Sally Yates, the US attorney general. Yates earlier told the justice department not to defend Mr Trump's controversial immigration orders, saying "she was "not convinced that the executive order is lawful".

Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's press secretary, said Dana Boente, US Attorney for the Eastern District of VA, would take over. 

Donald Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state cleared a Senate hurdle on Monday, setting the stage for an extended debate over the president's order banning travel from specific Muslim-majority countries and US policy toward Russia.

Senators voted 56-43 to put Tillerson's bid to be the nation's chief diplomat on track for confirmation later this week. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pressed unsuccessfully for a delay in the vote until Tillerson answered for Trump's travel ban order.

Although many Democrats - including Schumer - will oppose Tillerson, they'll need at least several Republicans to join them to derail the nomination. That appeared unlikely, even after two of the Senate's leading Republican voices on national security voiced concern over Trump's desire for a better relationship with Moscow.

Gregg Phillips was cited a few days ago by Donald Trump when the president claimed  at least 3,000,000 votes in the last election were illegal. The AP is now reporting that man was himself registered to vote in three states - Alabama, Texas and Mississippi. However, he voted only in Alabama in November, records show.

Phillips is a board member of True the Vote, a conservative nonprofit that tracks voter fraud, and the owner of a technology company called AutoGov.

On 11 November, 2016, just days after the election, Phillips wrote on Twitter, "Completed analysis of database of 180 million voter registrations. Number of non-citizen votes exceeds 3 million. Consulting legal team." On 13 November, he clarified further: "We have verified more than three million votes cast by non-citizens."

Responding to AP's story, he said: "Makes my point, elections are broken. Seems the better question is made of the MS Sec of State, how could someone be registered after 20 years. US elections are broken."

Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates has told Justice Department lawyers not to defend President Donald Trump's order temporarily banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, CNN reports, citing unnamed sources.

Yates was named deputy attorney general by then-President Barack Obama in 2015 and asked to stay on as acting head of the Justice Department by Trump.

The Queen has been put in a "very difficult position" by Theresa May's controversial decision to invite Donald Trump for a state visit, a former head of the Foreign Office has warned.

Lord Ricketts, who was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office from 2006-10 before becoming David Cameron's national security adviser, said the offer so early in Mr Trump's presidency was "premature".

In a letter to The Times, he said it was unprecedented for a US president to be given a state visit in their first year in the White House and questioned whether Mr Trump was "specially deserving of this exceptional honour".

"It would have been far wiser to wait to see what sort of president he would turn out to be before advising the Queen to invite him. Now the Queen is put in a very difficult position."

 

Microsoft Corp said it has been cooperating with the Washington State Attorney General's Office, which is suing in federal court to stop President Donald Trump's order restricting immigration from several Muslim countries.

Microsoft said it was providing information about the order's impact "in order to be supportive. And we'd be happy to testify further if needed," spokesman Pete Wootton said in a statement. 

 

 

After Jeremy Corbyn earlier said he would attend an anti-Trump protest in London "if I can",  shadow home secretary Diane Abbott told the crowd she had come on behalf of the Labour leader.

She said: "Donald Trump has been president for only a few days, and look at what he is doing.

"We need to resist the Islamophobia and scapegoating of Muslims, we have got to resist it whether it is in the United States or here in the UK."

A defiant Theresa May has stood by the decision to issue an invitation to Donald Trump to make a state visit to Britain in the face of the outcry over his controversial travel ban.

The Prime Minister, who became the first world leader to meet the new US president in the White House, faces demands from a petition signed by more than 1.4 million people to call off the visit.

But appearing at a joint press conference in Dublin with Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, Mrs May was adamant it would go ahead.

"The United States is a close ally of the United Kingdom. We work together across many areas of mutual interest and we have that special relationship between us," she said.

"I have issued that invitation for a state visit for President Trump to the United Kingdom and that invitation stands."

 

Yards away from the door of Number 10, chants of "shame on May" began to echo throughout the crowd.

Downing Street earlier stood firm on the decision to extend an invitation to Mr Trump, saying: "We look forward to hosting the president later this year."

Edinburgh

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In London, thousands of activists gathered opposite the gates of Downing Street, turning Whitehall into a sea of placards.

Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti told the crowd: "It is in sadness and solidarity that we gather here this evening.

"I also hope, friends, that we stand here in solidarity with all the world's women who the president has insulted and all the desperate refugees that he would spurn."

Chants including "Donald Trump has got to go" rippled up the swelling crowds on Whitehall.

Traffic ground to a halt as the protesters spilled into the road.

Addressing the crowd, one Muslim refugee said: "America is a beacon of democracy and peace, but Trump's action will tear the fabric of American society.

"We call on all peace-loving individuals to stand firm and oppose all racist and xenophobic action."

 

A Conservative MP has apologised after barking at a female SNP MP as she criticised Boris Johnson, reports Deputy Political Editor Steven Swinford.

Sir Nicholas Soames shouted "woof, woof" as Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh criticised the Government's approach.

She raised a point of order about Sir Nicholas's "unacceptable" conduct.

Sir Nicholas said: "I thought that in her question to the Foreign Secretary she snapped at him a bit at the end. I offered her a canine salute in return.

"No offence was intended and I apologise to the honourable lady if she was."

In Nottingham, hundreds of people congregated at Speakers Corner to protest.

People held banners with a range of messages including "I'm Syrian Not A Terrorist" and "Trump: Make America Hate Again".

Organiser Niamh Shewell-Cooper, 18, said: "We're here to protest Donald Trump's recent ban and to protest the UK Government's weak response to that.

"We're not here to protest the election, he got elected. I'm here to protest what he has done since election."

Protesters have started to flood streets across the UK as widespread outrage continues over Donald Trump's travel ban.

In London, activists began to gather opposite the gates of Downing Street in their hundreds as evening drew in.

In Glasgow, hundreds of protesters holding banners that read "Borders are violence" walked through the streets of the Scottish city.

 

Anti-Donald Trump protesters are starting to gather outside Downing Street in central London ahead of a protest from around 6pm in outrage at the US president's controversial ban. Other marches are scheduled in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Manchester.

A host of politicians in Scotland have spoken out against Mr Trump on the issue, with Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson describing the executive order as "simply wrong".

While Ms Davidson has made clear she believes the travel ban should be rescinded, she also defended the Prime Minister after she initially failed to speak out against the executive order.

The Scottish Tory leader said Mrs May had been "travelling in a stripped-out C130" between America and Turkey at the time and "wasn't on Air Force One with a comms suite, so nobody knew what had happened until they touched down".

She said: "The Prime Minister knows her own mind, is a considered woman and likes to see what she is being asked about, and she wanted to see the executive order before she commented on it."

But Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: "For Theresa May to initially refuse to condemn her new friend was simply shameful. It should not have taken condemnation from people across the political spectrum - including from her own MPs - for her to be forced to speak out."  

Lukman Faily, a former Iraqi ambassador to the US, was in the US just last week and planned to travel to Washington soon for a conference on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

He says he contacted the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday to determine if he would be affected by Donald Trump's executive order.

“I was told I am included in the ban,” he told CNN. “The irony as well is that I also hold British passport and I was told that because I am an Iraqi I cannot come to the United States of America.

“It reflects to me the chaotic situation in Washington. As an Iraqi there is a betrayal because it tells us that we are according to this law we are potential terrorists unless proved otherwise while we are having this common fight together, while we have the soldier's blood spilled together in the fight against Isil,” he said.

Report from David Lawler 

Simon Burns,  the Tory MP, quotes JFK  at Boris Johnson, he says: "Those who ride a tiger end up inside it". 

But The Foreign Secretary says he will not disengage from conversations with "our American friends" and do material damage to interests of UK citizens. 

Dennis Skinner, the Labour MP, accuses Donald trump of being a "fascist". 

But Julian Lewis, the Defence Committee chairman says there should be "no question of us refusing to welcome [Donald Trump] to these shores". 

Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP, calls on Boris to condemn the ban, she says: "For the sake of history for heaven's sake have the guts to speak out". 

Boris Johnson says it is up to members of parliament if they want to "exhaust the wells of outrage in the denunciation of this policy". 

He says:  "It is totally right that the incoming President of our closest ally should be accorded the honour of a state visit". 

Boris Johnson has accuses Labour of "pointlessly demonising'" the Trump administration.

He says that the UK would not have secured exemption with that approach. 

It comes after Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, accuses Britain of lagging behind Canada. 

She says Mr Trump is "descending down a very dangerous slope" while Theresa May "profers her hand and silently helps him along". 

The Labour MP also accuses ministers of taking 38 hours to "have the courage to say what everyone else said on Friday night". 

Boris Johnson is speaking to MPs in the House of Commons.

The Foreign Secretary says the ban is a matter for the US government, but "on the face of it Donald Trump's executive order has consequences for British citizens."

He says he has received assurances that "all British passport holders remain welcome to travel to the US. We have received assurances order will make no difference."

Adding: "This is of course a highly controversial policy which has caused unease. This is not an approach this government will take."

He says: This is not our policy, nor is it a measure that this Government would consider. I have already made clear our anxiety about measures that discriminate on grounds of nationality in ways that are divisive and wrong."

"Where we have differences from the US we will not quail from expressing them." 

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Donald Trump, has faced criticism over how the executive order was issued.

Responding, he said: "I think any time you do anything hugely successful that challenges a failed orthodoxy, you're going to see protests.

"In fact, if nobody's disagreeing with what you're doing then you’re probably not doing anything that really matters in the scheme of things."

Mr Miller, 31, repeated figures given by the president comparing the number of people detained over the weekend to the total number of arrivals.

He said: "By any measure I would describe that as efficient, orderly, enormously successful.

"When you have to screen hundreds of thousands of people, day after day, for entry into the United States, it only makes sense that when you’re establishing new vetting procedures, you try to minimise the burden by reducing migration from the most dangerous areas."

He said protocols would be put in place over the next 30 days to screen people coming in.

He said those entering the US must "truly love and support the United States of America".

John Kasich, the former Republican presidential hopeful, described Mr Trump's executive order as "ham-handed" but said he had been "ill-served" by his staff.

He said: "Frankly, when I look at this, I think he was ill-served by his staff. If I were the president I’d be very upset with the staff that they didn’t say 'Hey, wait hold on a second. Hey, your message is fine, but here is what’s going to come from it.'

"It sent a message that somehow the United States was looking sideways at Muslims.

"In probably many Arab capitals today, people are like, 'What is America doing?'

Mr Kasich, who refused to vote for Mr Trump after losing the primary election to him, added: "Do it right. Don’t do something that you learn to regret or is reversed by courts. You have to be exact on these things.

"Sometimes an administration has to get its sea legs and figure out how to function."

Report from Nick Allen 

Donald Trump should be barred from addressing Parliament when he comes to the UK, MPs have said.

Commons Speaker John Bercow and Lord Speaker Lord Fowler have been urged to refuse permission for the US president to speak at the Palace of Westminster.

The call comes in a motion from Labour MP Stephen Doughty, who said it would not be appropriate for Mr Trump to speak where Nelson Mandela addressed MPs and peers and where Winston Churchill's body lay in state.

South African leader Mr Mandela spoke in Westminster Hall in 1996 while Mr Trump's predecessor Barack Obama became the first US president to address MPs and peers there in 2011.

The historic hall has been used for the lying-in-state of Churchill and senior members of the Royal Family. Previous US presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan addressed both Houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery.

Mr Doughty told the Press Association he had backing from Tory MPs as well as his own side: "There is clearly a strong feeling across the House - including from MPs like Sarah Wollaston and Nadhim Zahawi - as well as members of the Opposition that there is a difference between inviting Donald Trump for official government meetings and honouring him through a state visit or an address to both Houses of Parliament.

"I do not think, given his actions and comments in recent days, we should be honouring him in the way that we have leaders like Nelson Mandela or in the place where Winston Churchill lay in state."

President Trump will announce his nominee to fill the vacant seat on the US Supreme Court on Tuesday, reports Nick Allen. 

Mr Trump said: "I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court."

Among the leading contenders are Judge Thomas Hardiman and Judge Neil Gorsuch.

His commitment to picking a staunchly conservative judge for the Supreme Court was a major attraction for Republican voters in the election.

Speaking at the White House today, where he was meeting with small business leaders, he said: "We actually had a very good day yesterday in terms of national security.

"We had to make the move some day, and we decided to make the move."

He also attacked Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate.

Mr Trump said: "I saw Chuck Schumer with fake tears. I'm going to ask him who was his acting coach.

"There's about a five per cent chance they were real. I know him very well and if they were he's a different man. I don't see him as a crier."

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said he met with both President Trump and his foreign policy advisers at the weekend, reports Nick Allen.

Scarborough claimed Stephen Miller, Mr Trump's 31-year-old speechwriter and senior adviser, was the diving force behind getting the refugee executive order without advance notice.

He said: "Why did Stephen Miller fight so hard to put out this order on Friday without talking to any of the other agencies? You've got a very young person in the White House on a power trip thinking that you can just write executive orders and tell all of your Cabinet agencies to go to hell."

He claimed Miller decided "he was going to do this without going through the regular agency process".

Asked if the president and his team felt there had been a mistake, Scarborough said: "Those around him believe this got off very badly. It was communicated badly. They didn't explain it to the media, they didn't explain what it was and what it wasn't."

But he added: "The president's feeling was, this is what I promised people I'd do."

A petition opposing Donald Trump's state visit to the UK is racking up signatures. Here we take a look at the top ranked UK parliamentary petitions.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has also condemned Donald Trump's immigration ban. 

Speaking to journalists in Berlin, she said: 

“The necessary and decisive battle against terrorism does not in any way justify putting groups of certain people under general suspicion - in this case people of Muslim belief or of a certain origin.

“In my opinion, this act runs contrary to the basic principles of international refugee help and international cooperation.

“The chancellery and the foreign ministry will do everything they can, especially for those dual citizens affected, to clear up the legal ramifications and to emphatically represent their interests under the law.

“We’re clearly having close consultations with our European partners about this entire issue.”

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall argues President Trump's travel ban is neither a surprise nor a new thing and says nobody launched petitions against state visits by the Saudi king or China's president.

Theresa May was "very happy" to invite Donald Trump for a controversial state visit to the UK, Downing Street said amid widespread outrage at his travel ban.

Number 10 said the Prime Minister extended the invitation on behalf of the Queen and "we look forward to hosting the President later this year".

Sadiq Khan has called for President Trump's State visit to be postponed until after he lifts the ban on immigration.

The London Mayor wrote in the Evening Standard: "We must now rescind the offer of a full state visit for President Trump - until this ban is lifted.

"I don't believe the people of London will support rolling out the red carpet until this happens."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "It is outrageous. It is illegal as well as immoral. I think we should stand up for the values that we believe in; that is, we don't discriminate."

Asked whether the Government needed to look at the bigger picture, he told the BBC: "The bigger picture is peace, justice and human rights, the bigger picture is - of course- good trade arrangements. I don't think the two things are mutually exclusive."

Mr Corbyn said he would send a member of his team along to an anti-Trump protest in London later "and if I can I will be there".

Iraqi-born Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi, Iranian-American Behesteh Farsh and comedian Omid Djalili, whose parents are Iranian, give their views on Donald Trump's travel ban on Muslims.

British citizens with dual nationality will be exempt from Donald Trump's immigration ban if they are flying from the UK to the US, Government sources have said.  

Mr Trump's administration has given the UK assurances that the US embassy's warning to visa applicants does not reflect the current position. 

A Government source said that after seeing the US Embassy guidance, Mr Johnson "sought clarity from the White House and was informed that the FCO statement was correct".

The Prime Minister's spokesman said that Theresa May "disagreed" with the ban, but the planned state visit would not be impacted by it, and the petition was a matter for Parliament.

"We don't agree with these restrictions, it is not the way we would do it.

"Where people's rights, UK citizens' rights, have been affected, we have set about getting a clarification to allow them to travel.

"As we pointed out last week, where we disagree with something we are happy to say we disagree with it," he told a regular Westminster briefing.

The PM's spokesman added: "We have extended an invitation to the president, he has accepted it, and it is right that we continue to forge our close relationships."

Pressed on why the honour of a state visit had been extended to the president so soon after taking office, the PM's spokesman said normal procedure was followed after recommendations were made by a committee for state visits which works within the Foreign Office.

"There is no set timing that a president needs to be in office before they receive, or don't receive, an invitation for a state visit.

"There is a process for state visits. Each year the Government looks at the recommendations that are made by the committee for state visits, those recommendations are then put to Buckingham Palace, the palace then needs to agree to the visit, then, historically the invitation is extended on behalf of Her Majesty by the Government, and that is the process that took place this time," he said.

The spokesman said he was not aware of the membership of the committee.

“In light of the sudden and unexpected decision by the Trump administration to block entry to the US for nationals from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen, AXA Insurance UK confirms that individuals who have been denied entry as a result of the executive order, will be able to claim on their policy.

"Although not technically covered, we view the current situation as unprecedented and unforeseen and as such we are extending the cover under our policies. 

"For those intending to travel to, or return from, the United States of America we recommend allowing extra time due to protests currently taking place at a number of airports.”

People queuing up for visas outside the US embassy in London give their views on President Trump's travel ban on Muslims and whether his state visit to Britain should still go ahead.

The United States has contradicted Boris Johnson's claim that British citizens are exempt from the immigration ban. 

Last night the Foreign Office said that the ban will only apply to British dual nationality citizens flying directly from the countries identified as a risk to US security. 

However, this has just been posted by the US embassy in the UK: 

Urgent Notice: Per U.S. Presidential Executive Order signed on January 27, 2017, visa issuance to aliens from the countries of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has been suspended effective immediately until further notification.

If you are a national, or dual national, of one of these countries, please do not schedule a visa appointment or pay any visa fees at this time.

If you already have an appointment scheduled, please DO NOT ATTEND your appointment as we will not be able to proceed with your visa interview. Please note that certain travel for official governmental purposes, related to official business at or on behalf of designated international organizations, on behalf of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or by certain officials is not subject to this suspension.

President Trump's immigration ban prompts protests across America including New York, Los Angeles and Washington State.

The petition to stop Donald Trump's State Visit to the UK is now the second most popular ever on Parliament's website, writes Patrick Scott.

With nearly 1.1m signatures (and counting), the only petition to have attracted more attention was one seeking a re-run of the EU referendum if the final result was tight.

Interestingly, a geographical analysis of who's signing the anti-Trump petition shows that Remain constituencies have double the rate of signatories than Leave constituencies.

Caroline Lucas' constituency of Brighton Pavilion has the highest rate of signatures, while Thangam Debbonaire's constituency (Bristol West) has the second highest and Islington North - Jeremy Corbyn's seat - comes third.

At the other end of the scale Walsall North has the fewest signatures on the Trump petition in the country. Walsall North also had one of the 10 highest Leave votes in the country last June.

Downing Street has said said its position in relation to Donald Trump's planned State visit has not changed.

A  spokesman stated: "An invitation has been extended and accepted."

Number 10 also distanced itself from BBC reports that Downing Street sources rejected calls for the state visit to be cancelled as a "populist gesture" that would "undo everything" Theresa May achieved on last week's trip to the United States.

Boris Johnson will address MPs on Monday afternoon about Donald Trump's controversial travel ban on Muslims and refugees which sparked widespread calls for his state visit to Britain to be cancelled.

The Foreign Secretary is seeking to make a statement about the travel ban in the House of Commons, which is highly likely to be approved by Speaker John Bercow.

It comes as an online petition calling for Mr Trump's visit to be downgraded was backed by one million people and Mr Johnson is sure to face a grilling on the state visit from outraged MPs.

The anti-visit petition states: "Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US Government, but he should not be invited to make an official state visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen."

Once a petition gains the backing of 100,000 names, Parliament must consider debating the issue.

The Trump petition is the second most supported since the online system was set up, with one calling for a second referendum on EU membership getting the backing of 4,150,260 people.

The petition calling for US President Donald Trump's state visit to the UK to be called off has been backed by one million people.

Dev Patel Denzel Washington, Emma Stone talk politics backstage at the SAG Awards.

The former Labour leader Ed Miliband has joined forces with a Tory MP to demand a debate in Parliament. 

Finding Dory, the sequel to Pixar's Finding Nemo, was the film that Donald Trump chose for his first White House screening as US president, Alice Vincent reports. 

While the aquatic adventure entertained Trump's guests, thousands of green card holders, visa holders and pre-approved refugees from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa were kept at airports and taken off flights internationally, after his executive order on Friday afternoon. 

As Albert Brooks, who voiced Nemo's worrisome father Marlin in the film, posted on Twitter, the choice of film was an unfortunate one given the circumstances: 

Denzel Washington, Emma Stone use their platform at the SAG Awards to talk politics backstage

Baroness Warsi, who was the first female Muslim cabinet minister, said Mr Trump should not be given the honour of a state visit.

"We have to question whether, in Britain, this is something that Britain should be doing for a man who has no respect for women, disdain for minorities, little value for LGBT communities, no compassion for the vulnerable and whose policies are rooted in divisive rhetoric," the Tory peer said.

She added: "Those who run and govern this country bowing down to a man who holds the views that he holds, values which are not the same as British values, I think is sending out a very wrong signal."

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Lady Warsi said that politics is facing a "crossroads" following Mr Trump's election.

"If we want to continue to be a country that supports liberal, progressive values in which all have equal worth and equal value in our society, then we have to be clear that we voice that view and that opinion, so that people in this country know that whatever crazy things the President of the United States may be doing, it is not what we believe and not what we support."

“We need to call it what it is and it is a Muslim ban ... it is a ban on people from majority Muslim countries, and we have exempted people who aren’t Muslim, so make of that what you want."

Richard Barrett, a former head of counter-terrorism at MI6, has warned that Donald Trump's ban is a boost for Islamic State terrorists.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he said: “The narrative of the Islamic State is precisely what Mr Trump appears to be confirming – that Americans are against people of Muslim faith, they particularly discriminate against them in favour of other people.

"So it is this them or us type picture that the Islamic State promotes.”.

He added: “The great majority of attacks in the United States since 9/11 and even before that have been conducted by US citizens - in fact well over 80 per cent.”

Opponents of the "extreme vetting" order say they will launch a legal challenge on two fronts. They are expected to argue that the blanket ban violates the fifth amendment right to due process.

They will also argue that the order's preferential treatment of Christians over Muslims violates the first amendment on freedom of religion. 

Executive orders are legally binding and are recorded in the Federal Register,  a daily record of all federal regulations, proposals, and public notices.

But they can be subjected to a legal review - and, according to the New York Times, the "Muslim ban" order is illegal. 

According to the newspaper, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin.

Mr Trump's travel ban, it says, appears to be violation of that act.

The foaming attacks on Donald Trump are more ridiculous than anything he has done, writes Charles Moore in today's Telegraph. 

Surely it is best to put one’s faith in the American system. Unlike the Kaiser, President Trump cannot be a tyrant.

His position is immensely important, but it is hedged around by a constitution, a legislature, a federal system and the rule of law. The most important of those orders last week, for example, have to get past Congress.

If the system works as it should – and usually has – Mr Trump should be able to effect huge changes in America’s role in the world, but not to tear the republic up and start again.

Shami Chakrabarti, Labour's Shadow Attorney-General, has said the government's position on Donald Trump "sounds like appeasement".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “The world is in a very precarious situation at the moment and we will not make this world safer or fairer by appeasing bullies like Mr Trump.”

Adding: “It will make the world a less safe place and we got to do everything we can to stand up to this bully in the White House.

"That special relationship has to be based on shared values and so far what I have seen from Mr Trump is misogyny, racism, ill-treatment of refugees, reinstatement of torture and just a general pedalling of hate.

 “I would urge the prime minister to think again. A state visit is premature we should not be rewarding human rights abuses by rolling out the red carpet in this country."

A Downing Street source has told the BBC that the petition calling for Donald Trump's state visit to be postponed is a “populist gesture”.

The source told the broadcaster: “The invitation has been issued and accepted. To scrap the visit would undo everything following Mrs May’s visit. America is a huge and important ally we have to think long term.”

Parliament could debate calls to cancel Donald Trump's state visit to the UK amid a growing backlash against his travel ban on refugees and people from several mainly-Muslim countries.

More than 900,000 people had by Sunday night signed a petition calling for the visit, which is due to take place in the Summer, to be abandoned because of the risk it will "embarrass" the Queen.

Senior Conservatives joined Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, in calling for the visit to be suspended while Mr Trump's controversial immigration ban is in place.

Donald Trump's administration on Sunday tempered a key element of his move to ban entry of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries in the face of mounting criticism even from some prominent Republicans and protests that drew tens of thousands in major American cities.

The US president signed the directive on Friday, but the policy appeared to be evolving on the fly. Democrats and a growing number of Republicans assailed the move and foreign leaders condemned it amid court challenges and tumult at US airports.

The president's critics have said his action violated US law and the US Constitution. In a fresh defense of the action on Sunday, Mr Trump said his directive was "not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting."

"This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe," Mr Trump said.

There were widespread protests throughout America on Saturday night as well as global condemnation for the ban, which has seen people refused entry at US border controls and turned away from boarding flights.