Sam's Top 5 for 2/10/17

1. Trump’s immigration policy has suffered from a setback.

A federal appeals court refused Thursday to reinstate President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations, unanimously rejecting the administration's claim of presidential authority, questioning its motives and concluding that the order was unlikely to survive legal challenges.

The three judges of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the argument that the ban targets Muslims raised "serious allegations" and presented "significant constitutional questions," and they agreed that courts could consider statements by Trump and his advisers about wishing to enact such a ban.

Moments after the ruling, Trump tweeted, "SEE YOU IN COURT," adding that "THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!"

2. KellyAnne Conway has stirred ethics concerns, and I’m really tired of ethics concerns.

The White House has ‘‘counseled’’ a top aide to President Donald Trump after she promoted Ivanka Trump’s fashion line during a national cable television appearance from the White House by telling everyone to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.”

But House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz says that’s not enough, calling what Kellyanne Conway did ‘‘wrong, wrong, wrong, clearly over the line, unacceptable.’’

3. Construction crews have resumed work on the final segment of the Dakota Access pipeline, and the developer of the long-delayed project said Thursday that the full system could be operational within three months.

Meanwhile, an American Indian tribe filed a legal challenge to block the work and protect its water supply. The Army granted Energy Transfer Partners formal permission Wednesday to lay pipe under a North Dakota reservoir, clearing the way for completion of the 1,200-mile pipeline. Company spokeswoman Vicki Granado confirmed early Thursday that construction began "immediately after receiving the easement."

Workers had already drilled entry and exit holes for the segment, and oil had been put in the pipeline leading up to Lake Oahe in anticipation of finishing the project.

4. Blair Walsh has gotten his first chance to reboot his career by signing with the Seahawks.

Walsh could not bounce back here after missing that 27-yard field-goal try in the final minute of the 10-9 loss to the Seahawks in the wild-card round last January. Walsh made 12 of his 16 field-goal attempts this past season and had made only 15 of his 19 extra-point tries before the Vikings cut him in early November. He had only four clean games out of nine.

His replacement, Kai Forbath, did not miss a single field-goal attempt.

5. This is kind of a double boat floater, and they’re both wall-related news, in honor of the wall that Trump is going to build! Paris is going to build an 8-foot-high bulletproof glass wall around the Eiffel Tower, and the Minnesota Vikings want to build a fence to keep the people away from US Bank Stadium.

Tourists in Paris could soon notice a new sight at the world-famous Eiffel Tower: a bulletproof, 8-foot glass wall around the landmark.

The purpose of the wall is to deter attacks, city officials said Thursday. A statement from Paris City Hall claimed the wall would replace metal fences that were set up around the tower for the European football tournament in 2016. It’s expected to cost about $21 million.

And right here in Minnesota, in their continuing quest to make "The People's Stadium" feel less inviting to The People, the Vikings are petitioning the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority to build a permanent fence around U.S. Bank Stadium.

The structure would replace temporary fencing used on gamedays. Anyone who can't afford a ticket would still be able to peer at the stadium from a distance, according to the team.


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