Ban on the run

One way or another, the courts are going to get out of the way of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, predicted Stephen Miller, a primary author of the executive order that went off the rails in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week.

The senior White House policy adviser, who decried the “judicial usurpation of power” during interviews on four Sunday morning shows, said, “We are considering and pursuing all options.”

Those included seeking an emergency stay in the Supreme Court, further proceedings within the Court of Appeals, going to trial on the case or new presidential “executive actions.”

“The president’s powers here are beyond question,” Miller said of Trump’s plan to halt U.S. entry from seven Muslim-majority nations.

“As we begin to take further actions,” Miller said, it will be shown in the end “that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned.”

Brands on the run

Sears Holdings and its subsidiary Kmart are dropping online sales of Trump Home items.

The move is part of a “streamlining” to “focus on our most profitable items,” a Sears spokesman told Reuters.

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Last week, Trump complained on Twitter that Nordstrom treated his daughter Ivanka “unfairly” by deciding to stop selling her fashion line. Nordstrom cited declining sales.

Trudeau-Trump tête-à-tête

Justin Trudeau, the liberal prime minister of Canada, was slated to visit Trump on Monday at the White House.

Judicial branch meets chain saw

Legal experts across the political spectrum worry that Trump’s attacks on judges are “corrosive” to the constitutional system of checks and balances and could have a long-term impact on respect for the rule of law, reports Newsday’s Yancey Roy.

Trump’s comments rarely focus on the law or judicial reasoning, but instead question a judge’s legitimacy or motives. Rule against Trump University? Trump says it’s because the judge is Mexican. Question his travel ban? Trump says the judge is threatening Americans’ safety.

The take-away: Follow the orders

Aside from the travel ban, Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders setting big goals with little detail, writes Newsday’s Dan Janison.

On law enforcement, he demanded agencies create task forces to probe and fight crime, anti-police violence and international drug cartels. It’s up to them to figure out how.

During the campaign, Trump said he had a plan to defeat ISIS. Once in office, he directed the Defense Department to come up with one.

Flynn twisting in wind?

The White House punted Sunday when asked if Trump still has confidence in national security adviser Michael Flynn amid reports he discussed U.S. sanctions with a Russian ambassador before Trump’s inauguration — and then misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversation.

Miller, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said the administration did not give him “anything to say” about the situation. He called it a “sensitive matter,” report Newsday’s Emily Ngo and David M. Schwartz.

“The knives are out for Flynn,” said one administration official in a Washington Post story Sunday night, while a New York Times report described National Security Council operations as erratic and politicized since Trump took office, alarming career staff.

It’s Miller time

Miller also repeated, vehemently and fact-free-ly, Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that voter fraud — busloads of people from Massachusetts — tipped the Election Day results in New Hampshire against him.

Challenged repeatedly by ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos for evidence, Miller gave none.

Veteran New Hampshire Republican operative Tom Rath tweeted: “Allegations of voter fraud in NH are baseless, without any merit. It’s shameful to spread these fantasies.”

Miller’s tour of the shows — a role filled on prior Sundays by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus — won praise from the boss, who tweeted: “Congratulations Stephen Miller on representing me this morning. ... Great job!”

For more on the 31-year-old hard-right ideologue playing a powerful role in the Trump White House, see these in-depth profiles of Miller from The Washington Post and The New York Times.

The hospitality business

Trump’s golf-and-diplomacy weekend with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meant more exposure for Trump’s Palm Beach resort properties.

Unethical? No, son Eric Trump told The New York Times, comparing Mar-a-Lago to the Crawford, Texas, ranch where former President George W. Bush hosted foreign leaders. The analogy fails in that Bush’s hideaway wasn’t also looking for paying customers.

Eric and Donald Trump Jr. also said their plans to boldly expand the Trump Organization will pose no conflicts of interest.

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