Donald Trump to leave Iraq off new travel ban order

The new executive order would keep a 90-day ban on travel to the US by citizens of six Muslim-majority nations — Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Iraq was taken off the list of countries in the original order, issued on January 27, because the Iraqi government had imposed new vetting procedures, such as heightened visa screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the United States in countering Islamic State militants, a White House official told Reuters

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White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway told Fox & Friends the order “has an effective date of March 16th” — despite Mr Trump’s insistence the travel ban is an urgent national security measure.

Ms Conway defended the exemption of Iraq, saying the country “is a very important ally in our fight against ISIS, but also Iraq has improved its screening and reporting procedures in consultation with this administration.”

A White House official told Reuters the new executive order, which the Republican president was expected to sign on Monday, also ensures that tens of thousands of legal permanent residents in the United States — or green card holders — from the listed countries would not now be affected by the travel ban.

More than two dozen lawsuits were filed in US courts against the original travel ban, and the state of Washington succeeded in having it suspended by the 9th Circuit court of Appeals by arguing that it violated constitutional protections against religious discrimination.

Mr Trump publicly criticised judges who ruled against him and vowed to fight the case in the Supreme Court, but then decided to draw up a new order with changes aimed at making it easier to defend in the courts.

POLL: MOST BACK RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

A new CNN/ORC poll shows about two-thirds of American respondents say a special prosecutor should investigate contacts between Russians and Trump campaign associates.

The poll, conducted between March 1-4 among a random national sample of 1025 adults, also found 55 per cent are somewhat concerned by reports that some connected to the Trump campaign had contact with suspected Russian operatives.

However, the latest Russia scandal has had little impact on Mr Trump’s approval ratings. According to the poll, 45 per cent approve Mr Trump’s performance so far — in line with the 44 per cent approval rating in February and January.