# data[].attributes.body
Imigration ban being pushed to supreme court

# data[].attributes.body
Transgender Americans rush to change IDs for Trump era. On a recent Friday morning, Cazembe Jackson donned a sharp blue suit and green paisley tie and made his way to Atlanta's Midtown US passport office.

# data[].attributes.body
The arcade trailblazer known as the Father of Pac-Man has died at 91.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The arcade trailblazer known as the Father of Pac-Man has died at 91.

Masaya Nakamura founded Namco, the Japanese company behind the wildly popular dot-munching video game, in 1955. It began with two electric horses on the roof of a department store. The company became Bandai Namco after its merger with a gaming company in 2005.

Nakamura died Jan. 22. The company announced his death on Monday.

Pac-Man was designed by video game engineer Toru Iwatani and released in 1980 to adoring audiences. The game sold more than 100,000 units in its first year in the United States and was named the world's most successful coin-operated video game by Guinness World Records in 1981.

The company estimates Pac-Man has been played more than 10 billion times.

Pac-Man has been adapted for cell phones and Nintendo, XBox and PlayStation. It has even inspired an animated film, TV series and merchandise and memorabilia lines.

According to Bandai Namco, the idea for Pac-Man's iconic design was inspired by pizza. The name comes from the Japanese phrase "paku paku," to describe the sound of the Pac-Man eating dots.

A private wake and funeral were held for Nakamura, and a separate memorial is being organized.

CNNMoney (New York) First published January 30, 2017: 3:33 PM ET

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Masaya Nakamura founded Namco, the Japanese company behind the wildly popular dot-munching video game, in 1955. It began with two electric horses on the roof of a department store. The company became Bandai Namco after its merger with a gaming company in 2005. Nakamura died Jan. 22.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have offered the most prescient reaction to President Donald Trump's executive order suspending refugee resettlement and blocking individuals from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States.

"It's going to be decided in the courts as to whether or not this has gone too far," he said.

To make matters worse for Mr Trump, he has had difficulties with his own Justice Department.

He fired acting US Attorney General Sally Yates after she questioned the legality of the immigration ban. Ms Yates was replaced by Dana Boente, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who has directed the department to enforce Mr Trump's order.

Even with government lawyers on his side, Mr Trump's presidential authority on immigration issues is broad, but it's not without limitations - and those limitations are interpreted and enforced by the US judicial system. In the case of Mr Trump's immigration action, that's already happening.

In the days after Mr Trump signed the executive order, federal judges in four states granted the request of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for temporary injunctions prohibiting individuals who were detained at US airports from being sent back to their countries of origin.

"The petitioners have a strong likelihood of success in establishing that the removal of the petitioner and others similarly situated violates their rights to Due Process and Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution," New York federal judge Ann Donnelly writes in her court decision.

Then, on 3 February, a judge in Seattle went one step farther, responding to a lawsuit filed by the states of Washington and Minnesota with a national injunction suspending implementation of Mr Trump's immigration order in its entirety, pending a trial on its merits.

"At the end of the day, either you're abiding by the Constitution or you are not," Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. "And in our view, the president is not adhering to the Constitution when it comes to this executive action."

Read more

Thousands join anti-Trump protests

Diplomats' dissent falls on deaf ears

Amateur hour at the White House?

Although the rulings have been heralded as victories for Mr Trump's opponents, they are temporary in nature. The major frontal assaults on the order are still in their infancy.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has also filed a legal case against what it terms the "Muslim Exclusion Order" on behalf of a group of Muslim-Americans and unnamed citizens of nations covered by the ban currently residing in the US.

The ACLU, fresh off its injunction success, is also gunning to take down the entire order.

Here are some of the ways they're building their cases.

The Constitution

Washington state, Cair, and others argue that by implicitly singling out those of the Muslim faith, Mr Trump's order amounts to an establishment of a state religion, in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.").

They cite comments by Mr Trump on the campaign trail, and his political surrogates, along with the exemption that the immigration order provides for religious minorities as evidence of discriminatory intent - even though the order did not mention Muslims or Christians by name.

Although Mr Trump backed away from his pledge to ban US entry to all Muslims, writes the ACLU's David Cole, he "never gave up his focus on the religion of Islam. Friday's executive orders are of a piece with his many anti-Muslim campaign promises."

Mr Trump's challengers also argue the action violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of "due process of the law" by denying entry to individuals who have valid visas.

"The very concept of due process emerged from a desire to limit the king's ability to order unlawful arrests," writes Mark Joseph Stern in Slate. "It appears we are returning to the days when the head of state can detain purported threats without a whiff of evidence that they have broken a law."

The conservative counter-argument to these claims is straightforward. Foreign nationals on foreign soil have no grounds for claiming constitutional protections.

"Foreigners have no right under our Constitution to demand entry to the United States or to challenge any reason we might have to refuse them entry, even blatant religious discrimination," writes Dan McLaughlin in the National Review.

Federal law

In his order, Mr Trump quotes a 1952 immigration law that gives the president the ability to suspend entry "of all aliens or any class of aliens" into the US when he deems it "detrimental to the interests of the United States."

A 1965 revision of the law, however, says individuals cannot be "discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa" because of their "race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence".

David J Beir, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, contends that this language means discriminating against immigrants based on where they are from - whether it's Iraq, Sudan or Canada - is illegal.

"Mr Trump may want to revive discrimination based on national origin by asserting a distinction between 'the issuance of a visa' and the 'entry' of the immigrant," he writes. "But this is nonsense. Immigrants cannot legally be issued a visa if they are barred from entry."

He did note, however, that the language applies only to immigrants. Tourists, students and other temporary residents could still be kept out.

Mr Beir's view is far from universal, however. Andrew McCarthy, writing in the National Review, says presidential power supersedes congressional legislation in this case.

"At issue is a matter related to the conduct of foreign affairs - a matter of the highest order of importance since it involves foreign threats to national security," he writes. "If there were a conflict here, the president's clear constitutional authority to protect the United States would take precedence over Congress's dubious authority to limit the president's denial of entry to foreign nationals."

He also contends that when Congress passed - and President Barack Obama signed - legislation exempting individuals who had visited the seven countries in question from the Visa Waiver Programme, it was effectively authorising discrimination based on country of origin, at least for those particular nations.

Cair is also arguing that Mr Trump's order violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which says a government action can't be "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law" or "unsupported by substantial evidence". It's a particular provision that has been used to strike down past executive actions by President George W Bush and Mr Obama.

During a phone call with Mr Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the president his immigration order may also run afoul of international commitments.

"The Geneva refugee convention requires the international community to take in war refugees on humanitarian grounds," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote in a statement. "All signatory states are obligated to do. The German government explained this policy in their call yesterday."

At least so far, no lawsuits have been brought challenging the order on this grounds - although the US Supreme Court has the power to strike down a law or presidential action as contrary to US obligations under international treaties.

"The US has signed and ratified a number of international treaties that prohibit religious and race discrimination in the operation of legal systems, and this extends to operating a migration system in line with international non-discrimination protections," writes Liam Thornton of the University College Dublin.

Some Supreme Court justices have also cited international consensus as informing their interpretation of US law and constitutional principles - although it's a view that has been roundly criticised in conservative legal circles.

A friendly judge

Opponents of Mr Trump's immigration action feel confident that they have a solid legal case against the measure - and there certainly is precedent for federal courts throwing a wrench in the best-laid plans of presidents.

In February 2015, a judge in the south Texas town of Brownsville issued an injunction preventing implementation of President Obama's efforts to offer normalised immigration status to the undocumented families of US citizens and permanent residents.

It took more than a year for the case to reach the US Supreme Court, which then deadlocked on whether to uphold the injunction. The case is still in legal limbo.

All it requires is one judge friendly to the challengers to work a similar number on Mr Trump's actions - and Mr Trump's opponents appear to have found one in Seattle's James Robart. If the appeals courts uphold his stay, it could be a while before the immigration order is re-instated, even if the administration ends up prevailing in the end.
Have you or your family been affected by the entry restrictions? Have you been detained at an airport following the travel ban? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk .
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk

Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay

Send an SMS or MMS to 61124

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have offered the most prescient reaction to President Donald Trump's executive order suspending refugee resettlement and blocking individuals from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the United States. "It's going to be decided in the courts as to whether or not this has gone too far," he said.

# data[].attributes.body
The Boston Celtics go on to beat the Detroit Pistons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
BOSTON (AP) After mixing and matching to get Isaiah Thomas better looks, the Boston Celtics just set their All-Star point guard loose.

Thomas came through again, scoring 24 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics held off the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Monday night.

"He was unbelievable - again," coach Brad Stevens said. "They kind of kept us off balance with their coverages so we just tried to get him off the ball some. And then when he got going late, he just got going so it didn't matter he was off the ball or on the ball."

Thomas extended his run of games with at least 20 points to 32 in a row and carried Boston down the stretch, making nine free throws in the fourth quarter while going 15 for 15 from the line.

The Pistons held Thomas in check through the first three quarters. Thomas had 13 points at halftime and scored just four points in the third quarter, then took over in the fourth.

"I always just try to get a little more aggressive to score, to make plays," Thomas said. "They started switching a lot in the fourth quarter and then Brad calls in some really good plays to get the spacing right. We had nice spacing, things opened up for me and I just took advantage of it."

Thomas also had eight assists while leading the Celtics to their fourth straight win. Jae Crowder added 21 points and Al Horford scored 13 for Boston, which had to rally after Detroit surged midway through the fourth quarter and the teams traded the lead.

Andre Drummond had 28 points and 22 rebounds for the Pistons, who outscored Boston 60-38 in the paint. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 points for Detroit, which lost its third straight.

Coach Stan Van Gundy said his team played well enough to win and blamed himself for not coming up with a way to stop Thomas in the fourth.

"The only person I'm upset with right now is myself," he said. "You've got to do a better job than what I did tonight in the fourth quarter. I'm upset at myself, but I was happy with our guys. I thought they fought really, really hard."

Boston led 109-107 with 31 seconds left and gave the Pistons a chance with a backcourt violation. Reggie Jackson drove for a layup, but missed and Jonas Jerebko pulled down the rebound for Boston. The Pistons ended up fouling Thomas, who hit both free throws and added two more with 7.5 seconds remaining.

TIP-INS

Pistons: Detroit was 1 of 15 on 3-pointers in the first half. ... Van Gundy called President Donald Trump's travel ban "scary" when asked about it before the game, saying the policy reminded him of Japanese internment camps and Hitler's treatment of the Jews. "It's starting to get really, really scary stuff now. We're getting into the days of, now we're judging people by their religion - trying to keep Muslims out."

Celtics: Marcus Smart hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave Boston a 26-25 lead after the first quarter. ... Horford returned after missing the previous two games with a strained groin. ... G Avery Bradley (sore right Achilles' tendon) missed his seventh straight game. Stevens said Bradley is getting closer to being able to practice, but was not sure how soon he could play again.

GOOD COMPANY

Thomas averaged 32.5 points in January, the third-highest monthly average in team history. Paul Pierce averaged 33.5 in February 2006, and Larry Bird averaged 33.1 points in February 1988.

"That doesn't even seem real. It doesn't sound real," Thomas said. "To have my name up there with those legends is unbelievable. Just keep going, keep trying to catch those guys and keep winning."

BIG D

Boston seems to bring out the best in Drummond. In the first three meetings, Drummond totaled 68 points and 58 rebounds. His 28 points Monday tied his season high.

"I really liked his effort tonight," Van Gundy said. "If he continues to play like that, we're going to have a chance to turn this around."

UP NEXT

Pistons: Are back at home for their next two, starting with New Orleans on Wednesday night.

Celtics: Host Toronto on Wednesday night. The Celtics lead the Raptors by a game in the Atlantic Division.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thomas scores 41 for Celtics in 113-109 win over Pistons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BOSTON (AP) After mixing and matching to get Isaiah Thomas better looks, the Boston Celtics just set their All-Star point guard loose. Thomas came through again, scoring 24 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics held off the Detroit Pistons 113-109 on Monday night.

# data[].attributes.body
The world's tallest mountain may have shrunk following the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
That's what a group of Indian scientists want to check, after satellite data suggested Everest may have reduced in height following the impact.

"Everest was last measured in 1955 by the Indian government," said the country's Surveyor-General Swarna Subba Rao.

That survey recorded the height of the world's tallest mountain as 8,848 meters, or 29,029 feet.

Rao wants to send a team of about 30 scientists and surveyors to measure the mountain, which may have dropped by at least a meter following the 7.8 magnitude Nepal quake.

Getting permission

"The actual measurement only takes a few days, but the preparation can take anywhere up to six months, since we have to monitor the weather and get clearance," Rao said.

Everest's summit sits at the border of Tibet and Nepal, and Beijing and Kathmandu must be consulted in order to carry out such an expedition.

"To remeasure the height of Everest is a matter of pride for any country or a scientific community," said Suresh Man Shrestha, deputy director general of Nepal's Survey Department.

"That is their chance to showcase their talents and resources. So it is obvious many countries want to get involved in anything Everest-related."

A Chinese team measured the mountain in 2005, Shrestha said, but since the research was not authorized by Nepal, the country did not recognize the data as the official height. The Chinese team measured the height at 8,844 meters (29,015 feet).

"Nepal's survey department is working on a plan to survey Everest's height on our own -- since there have been many claims about movement of its tectonic plate during the recent earthquake," Shrestha said.

He added that Indian scientists may be able to join that survey but will have to apply through formal channels.

Rao said his team has had informal discussions with Nepalese officials and are in the process of making a diplomatic request.

How do you measure a mountain?

The Indian team plans to use a combination of precise GPS measurements and triangulation to measure the height of the mountain, at an estimated cost of around $800,000.

GPS technology similar to that found in most smartphones can give latitude, longitude and height measurements, provided weather conditions do not prevent a clear satellite signal.

"A signal receiver would be installed at the base camp -- at a nearest point possible to the summit of Everest," Shrestha explained.

"The area has to be even and stable. Ideally it should be installed at the top of Everest but due to excess snowfall, crazy wind, and uneven surface, it is not possible."

The team will monitor signals sent between the receiver and satellites for 5-6 weeks, and convert the time it takes the signals to arrive into a height measurement.

Though Shrestha said the Nepalese team will not use traditional methods to measure the mountain, as GPS is more accurate, Rao said the Indian scientists also hope to use triangulation to get a height measurement.

This ancient trigonometric method measures the angles in a triangle formed by three survey control points. Provided the length of one side of the triangle is known, the other distances can be easily calculated.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
mount everest: scientists to measure height after nepal earthquake - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Medhavi Arora, Sugam Pokharel and James Griffiths, CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everest: Scientists to measure height after Nepal earthquake

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
That's what a group of Indian scientists want to check, after satellite data suggested Everest may have reduced in height following the impact. "Everest was last measured in 1955 by the Indian government," said the country's Surveyor-General Swarna Subba Rao. That survey recorded the height of the world's tallest mountain as 8,848 meters, or 29,029 feet.

# data[].attributes.body
Newlyweds will be split due to Trump's ban.

# data[].attributes.body
Ban sparks panic among refugees awaiting urgent medical care in U.S.

# data[].attributes.body
Dana White said the Ronda Rousey is probably done

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Feb 1, 2017

Brett OkamotoESPN Staff Writer

Close

MMA columnist for ESPN.com

Analyst for "MMA Live"

Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun

Ronda Rousey has not announced a decision about her future as a professional fighter, but UFC president Dana White does not expect her to return.

During an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, White said he had spoken to Rousey recently and did not get the sense she wishes to fight again.

"Her spirits are good, and she's doing her own thing," White said Tuesday. "In the conversation I had with her, if I had to say right here, right now -- and I don't like saying right here, right now, because it's up to her, it's her thing -- but I wouldn't say she fights again. I think she's probably done.

"I think she's going to ride off in the sunset and start living her life outside of fighting."

Rousey (12-2) became the first female champion of the UFC in 2012 and went on a dominant run of six consecutive title defenses. She lost the 135-pound championship in November 2015, when she suffered a knockout loss to Holly Holm via head kick.

After missing nearly all of 2016, Rousey returned to challenge current champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas. Leading up to the bout, Rousey refused to speak to any media and declined almost all promotional obligations. Nunes ultimately dominated Rousey in the first round, knocking her out in just 48 seconds.

"It's not even that I think it was an invincible thing," White said of Rousey's lackluster return in December. "She's so competitive that her career record meant everything to her, and once she lost, she started to say to herself, 'What the f--- am I doing? This is my whole life? This is it? I want to experience doing other things.' That's what she started to do.

"She's got a lot of money. She's never going to need money again. Unless you spend money like crazy, you're not going to need money again when you have that kind of money Ronda has, and she's not a big spender. She has a cute place down in Venice, California. She's got some plans; I think she wants to move to a desolate place and do her thing."

Rousey, 29, is an Olympic bronze medalist in judo. Her championship fight against Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, drew a reported crowd of 56,214, the largest attendance in UFC history.

"She changed the world," White said. "She put female fighting on the map. She's been part of the biggest fights in the history of women fighting, and I hope those records can be broken. I don't know if they can, but I hope they can."

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Nunes issued a public apology to Rousey for some of the comments she made about the former bantamweight champion in the aftermath of their fight.

"Let me take a moment to explain myself. I was overwhelmed with adrenaline, emotion and hurt at the time. I held so much in during the weeks prior to my fight with Ronda. I might have said or posted some things at the time that I now realize was not the right thing to do," Nunes wrote. "I want to apologize to Ronda. Her fans and mine and the UFC as well. Ronda is an amazing athlete and has done so much for this sport, especially for the women."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UFC's White says Rousey is 'probably done'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Feb 1, 2017 Brett OkamotoESPN Staff Writer Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for "MMA Live" Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Ronda Rousey has not announced a decision about her future as a professional fighter, but UFC president Dana White does not expect her to return.

# data[].attributes.body
Trump called pharma prices astronomical and said they should lower them

# data[].attributes.body
Boy Scouts Will Accept Transgender Boys

# data[].attributes.headline
danaya vann - boy 5 year old detained at airport 

# data[].attributes.subject
danaya vann - boy 5 year old detained at airport 

# data[].attributes.body
A mother was separated from her 5-year-old son at Washington Dulles International Airport after President Trump's executive order that banned travel to seven Muslim-majority countries.

# data[].attributes.body
over $200,000 of cocaine was found in the nose of an american airlines plane

# data[].attributes.body
Authorities seize bricks of cocaine stashed in American Airlines plane

# data[].attributes.body
5-year-old detained at airport

# data[].attributes.body
Austria bans use of full-face veils in 'public places'

The ban would also prohibit police officers, judges and magistrates and public prosecutors from wearing head scarves in the interest of appearing “ideologically and religiously neutral” while serving the state. It also included provisions to curb job access for foreign laborers, especially those from eastern nations, and requiring that 30 percent of a company’s supervisory board members be female.

# data[].attributes.body
The Superbowl is unday

# data[].attributes.body
Take a peek at this years super bowl ads

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A peek at the ads and teasers ahead of the 2017 Super Bowl.

# data[].attributes.body
President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night for "refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Trump fires acting AG after she declines to defend travel ban - CNN Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates Monday night for "refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States," the White House said.

# data[].attributes.body
Syria has been suffering greatly from economical difficulty so Ikea is willing to sell rugs made by Syrian refugees to help raise money.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ikea plans to roll out a new range of rugs and textiles made by Syrian refugees in 2019.

The initiative is expected to create jobs for about 200 Syrian refugees living in Jordan, most of them women.

"The situation in Syria is a major tragedy of our time, and Jordan has taken a great responsibility in hosting Syrian refugees... We decided to look into how Ikea can contribute," said Jesper Brodin, a managing director at Ikea.

Ikea said it's in the process of working with local organizations that focus on womens' issues to get the project up and running.

Jordan has accepted just over 655,000 Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations.

Recent data from the UN shows about 37,000 work permits have been issued in Jordan for Syrian refugees, though many Syrians work without permits. There's a very low rate of employment among women, who are traditionally tasked with taking care of children.

Ikea said it would work with local organizations to ensure the hours were flexible for women who were caring for family members.

The rugs and textiles will be sold locally and in other Middle Eastern markets that have free trade agreements with Jordan. The Swedish furniture giant said the products will be part of a limited edition run.

Related: Companies speak out against Trump's travel ban

Ikea's work on the project predates President Trump's decision to ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, for a period of at least 90 days. Trump has also capped the total number of refugees that can be admitted to the U.S. at 50,000 in the 2017 fiscal year, and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Ikea responded Tuesday to Trump's decision.

"We support the fundamental rights of all people, and do not accept any form of discrimination," it said in a statement.

Ikea's top country manager in the U.S. -- Lars Petersson -- also spoke out following Trump's executive order, saying any Ikea employees who were impacted could get free legal advice and mental health counseling.

"Any proposal that would discriminate against a certain group of our customers or co-workers, or limit our ability to attract and retain diverse talent is ... troubling," he said.

Ikea has undertaken a range of initiatives to help refugees and was recently given a top design award for its flat-pack refugee shelter.

The shelter -- developed by Ikea and the UN - won the 2016 Beazley Design of the Year award from the Design Museum in London.

The company has also donated €30.8 million ($33.3 million) for lighting and renewable energy projects in refugee camps in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Ikea, which was founded in Sweden, has 340 stores in 28 countries and employs nearly 164,000 people. It boasted sales above €34 billion ($36.9 billion) last year.

CNNMoney (London) First published January 31, 2017: 10:55 AM ET

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ikea to sell rugs made by Syrian refugees in 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The initiative is expected to create jobs for about 200 Syrian refugees living in Jordan, most of them women. "The situation in Syria is a major tragedy of our time, and Jordan has taken a great responsibility in hosting Syrian refugees... We decided to look into how Ikea can contribute," said Jesper Brodin, a managing director at Ikea.

# data[].attributes.body
the father of Pac-man has died at the age of 91 he died on jan. 22 his company started in 1955 and the company name became Bandai Namco

# data[].attributes.body
Tensions flare in Senate over Trump Cabinet picks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Congressional tensions flared Tuesday over President Trump's Cabinet picks - and his executive order on immigration - as Democrats forced delays for committee votes on three major nominees, including attorney general pick Jeff Sessions.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday afternoon that his panel would push off a vote on Sessions until Wednesday, after lengthy Democratic speeches sidelined plans to take up the nomination by the end of the day.

That was after Democrats boycotted a planned meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, forcing Republicans to indefinitely delay votes on the nominations of GOP Georgia Rep. Tom Price to be Health secretary and financier Steve Mnuchin to head the Treasury Department.

At the White House, Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the delay tactics "ridiculous."

"The mere idea they're not even showing up to hearings is truly outrageous," he said.

The Senate was moving on other fronts.

The full chamber voted Tuesday afternoon, 93-6, to confirm former Labor secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to lead the Transportation Department.

Earlier in the day, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee also advanced the nominations of Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke for Interior secretary and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for Energy secretary. And a separate panel approved Betsy DeVos to lead the Education Department. The full Senate will still have to vote on those nominees.

But elsewhere on Capitol Hill, Democrats were locking up consideration of more contentious nominees.

In boycotting the Finance panel meeting, Democrats said they wanted more information on the nominees. They cited a report in The Wall Street Journal that Price received a discounted offer to buy stock in a biomedical company, which contradicted his testimony to Congress. They said another report showed documents revealing Mnuchin had not been truthful with the Senate about how his bank OneWest had handled home foreclosures.

Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he planned to reschedule the votes but did not say when. He said Democrats "ought to stop posturing and acting like idiots."

Meanwhile, senators clashed during a lengthy meeting considering Sessions.

The conservative senator from Alabama was an early backer of Trump, and during his confirmation hearing he was dogged by allegations of racism - something he strongly denies.

But his nomination was further complicated by the fallout from Trump's controversial executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program and restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. On Monday night, Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, a holdover from former President Barack Obama's administration, when she defiantly refused to defend Trump's controversial immigration order. Trump said Yates had betrayed the administration by not carrying out the order and replaced her with Dana Boente, a U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Monday's firing and escalating tension over Trump's executive order made Tuesday's meeting on Sessions particularly contentious. Democrats ultimately were able to use an obscure rule to effectively force a delay in the vote for at least another day.

The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, earlier took Sessions to task and tried to tie him to the controversial order and the Trump administration, as she announced her opposition.

"Not one order, idea or pronouncement is meant to bring this country together, they only serve to drive us further apart," Feinstein said. "It is in this context we are being asked to consider this nomination."

Feinstein also praised Yates and said standing up to Trump "took a steel spine."

"That is what an attorney general must be willing to do," she said before adding she has "no confidence" Sessions would be able to stand up to the president.

Sessions has denied he was involved in helping draft Trump's immigration order.

"Neither I, nor any of my current staff, had such a role," he said.

Two "Code Pink" protesters wearing pink shirts and in their 70s were dragged out of the hearing room after voicing their opposition to Sessions.

A separate Senate committee took up the nomination Tuesday of DeVos to head up Education. Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Pensions and Labor Committee battled over the charter school activist and wealthy Republican donor's credentials, before the panel advanced her nomination to the Senate floor.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the committee, said it was clear that DeVos is "the wrong choice."

Murray charged that DeVos has spent her family's wealth to push "extreme anti-student ideology" siphoning money away from public schools "toward taxpayer funded private school vouchers, with little accountability, for just a few."

Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., pushed back. He said he didn't question the motives of his colleagues but thinks their concerns are "misplaced."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dems force vote delay on key Trump Cabinet picks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Congressional tensions flared Tuesday over President Trump's Cabinet picks - and his executive order on immigration - as Democrats forced delays for committee votes on three major nominees, including attorney general pick Jeff Sessions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mr. Kohl-  President Trump said ‘you’re fired’ to the acting attorney general(Sally Yates) after she said the Justice Department wouldn’t go along with his immigration ban.

# data[].attributes.subject
Mr. Kohl-  President Trump said ‘you’re fired’ to the acting attorney general(Sally Yates) after she said the Justice Department wouldn’t go along with his immigration ban.