"Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders made a surprise visit to the Apollo Theater on April 4th 2019 in New York for an event honoring Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett.

It was the Jazz Foundation's 'Great Night in Harlem' annual gala, but the day also marked another significant anniversary.

""This is also a night that we remember the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and one of the great leaders in American history who died, as we'll never forget helping sanitation workers get some dignity in their lives,"" Sanders said.

King was fatally shot outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968 by James Earl Ray, He was sentenced to 99 years, and died in prison in 1998.

Sanders recounted the great strides Dr. King made toward racial harmony, but agrees that tolerance has lost steps over the past couple of years.

As for the reason, Sanders pulled no punches.

""We have a president, and I say this without any joy in my heart, who is a racist. It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist,"" Sanders said.

That's why Sanders claims eradicating racism is a high priority for him, if elected to the nation's highest office.

""As president of the United States, what I would be doing is bringing our people together to create a nation that works for all of us, and not just the one-percent. To deal with the racism and the disparities that exists, not only between the rich and the poor, but between whites and blacks. And that would certainly be a major priority of a Sanders administration,"" he said

***

Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed to a waiting nation April 18th that President Donald Trump had tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president.

In a previously unreported episode, the report revealed that in June 2017, Trump directed then-White House counsel Don McGahn to call the acting attorney general and say that Mueller must be ousted because he had conflicts of interest.

McGahn refused, deciding that he would rather resign than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre of Watergate fame.

For all of that, Mueller said he could not conclusively determine that Trump had committed criminal obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department posted the report online April 18th, 90 minutes after Attorney General William Barr offered his own final assessment of the findings.

***

On May 6th President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer and fixer has left his Manhattan home before starting a three-year prison sentence for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf.

Michael Cohen was expected to report later on May 6th at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a prison 70 miles northwest of New York City.

He paused briefly outside the building and spoke to a media throng, saying he looks forward to the day when he can ""share the truth.""

Then he was escorted to a waiting vehicle and driven away.

***

Trade talks between China and the U.S. continued on May 10th in Washington despite new tariffs the U.S. imposed on $200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing's vow to retaliate.

Negotiators are trying to resolve the standoff after the United States raised tariffs on Chinese imports, escalating tensions between the world's two biggest economies and rattling stock markets around the world.

Earlier in the week, top U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier, throwing the trade talks into disarray.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is hoping the Trump administration will meet China ""halfway"" in the dispute over trade.

***

U.S. and Chinese negotiators held trade talks May 10th under increasing pressure after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods and Beijing promised to retaliate, escalating a battle over China's technology ambitions.

The Trump administration raised duties on nearly half of Chinese imports to 25% from 10%. China's Commerce Ministry said it would impose ""necessary countermeasures"" but gave no details.

The increase went ahead even after American and Chinese negotiators began more talks in Washington aimed at ending a dispute that has disrupted billions of dollars in trade and shaken global financial markets. The lead Chinese negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, left the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative about midday, but it was not immediately clear whether talks had ended.

***

On May 29th Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in a US court challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.

The motion is the latest action in the company's ongoing clash with the US government.

During a press briefing on May 28th in Beijing, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said his company had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the US to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.

Song accused US politicians of ""using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company.""

Two weeks ago, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei on its ""Entity List,"" effectively barring US firms from selling its technology without government approval.

Song said this action sets a ""dangerous precedent"" for other companies and could harm Huawei's three billion customers around the world.

Huawei relies heavily on US components, including computer chips, and about one-third of its suppliers are American.

The move has already affected the company's US partnerships.

Song also denied Washington's claim that Huawei threatens international cybersecurity.

***

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump doesn't know right from wrong and is ""indifferent to law and any sense of ethics about who we are as a country.""

The top House Democrat said June 13th that when Trump says he's open to accepting information from a foreign power against a political opponent he is ignoring his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

She said that ""it's a very sad thing, a very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

Pelosi is one of Trump's leading antagonists. But she is taking a slow, cautious approach when many in her party are demanding an impeachment inquiry.

She says ""everybody in the country should be totally appalled"" by Trump's remarks to ABC News.

Trump told ABC on June 12th that if a foreign power were offering dirt on his 2020 opponent, he'd be open to accepting it and would have no obligation to call in the FBI.

***

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the June, President Donald Trump announced June 18th.

Sanders is one of Trump's closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining on staff who worked on his campaign.

""After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the June and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,"" Trump tweeted just before she accompanied him to a White House event on prison reform.

Trump suggesting her as a future candidate for Arkansas governor. ""She would be fantastic.""

Under Sanders' tenure, regular White House press briefings became a relic of the past. She has not held a formal briefing since March 11th.

Reporters often catch her on the White House driveway after she is interviewed by Fox News Channel and other TV news outlets.

Her credibility has also come under question.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about ""countless"" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer, Trump's first press secretary, in mid-2017.

***

US President Donald Trump kicked off his re-election campaign June 18th with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.

Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.

Trump complained he had been ""under assault from the very first day"" of his presidency by a ""fake news media"" and ""illegal witch hunt"" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.

And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of ""un-American conduct"" and telling the crowd that Democrats ""want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.""

The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign is likely to look a whole lot like his improbably successful runs four years ago.

And he appeared eager for a re-run of 2016, spending considerable time focused on his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who elicited """"Lock her up!"" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.

00:02:55:15"

"00:00:00

Sanders: 'We have a president who is a racist'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, 4 April 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I) Presidential candidate, on racism and the president:

(Reporter: With all the strides we've made toward racial justice and harmony, a lot of that in the last couple of years has taken steps back. What would you do to make it better?)

"" It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist.

00:04:22

A redacted version of Mueller's report is released

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 18 April 2019

2. STILL IMAGE - Special counsel Robert Mueller's report

00:11:05

Michael Cohen heads to prison

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

++CLIENTS NOTE: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE CAN BE HEARD IN BROLL++

New York - 6 May 2019

3. Michael Cohen exiting apartment building to speak to media

4. Cohen making his way to a waiting car++EXPLICIT LANGUAGE++

00:30:08

China US trade talks resume in Washington

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 10 May 2019

5. U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin greeting Liu He, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China outside the office of the USTR, they all walk inside

00:37:03

B-roll of goods made in China

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 10 May 2019

6. Black + Decker drill

7. Made in China on drill

8. Medium of Apple laptop computers

9. Assembled in China on laptop

00:54:10

Huawei asks court to deem US law unconstitutional

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 29 May 2019

10. Wide of Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping walking to podium

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Song Liuping, Huawei chief legal officer:

""Just now, we filed a motion for summary judgement. By doing this we hope that the court can issue a judgment in the fastest and the most efficient way, declare restrictions on Huawei as unconstitutional

01:20:20

Pelosi: Trump doesn't know right from wrong

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

""Yesterday the president gave us, once again, evidence that he does not know right from wrong. It's a very sad and very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

"" The intelligence community, with great confidence has put forth that the Russians interfered in our election. That's an assault on our democracy, an assault on our democracy. This president says, it's a hoax. He takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. But, I guess it doesn't include him in terms of being to be held accountable to obey the law.""

02:02:23

Sarah Sanders to leave White House

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 9 October 2018

14. President Donald Trump walking with Sarah Sanders on the White House South Lawn

02:11:03

Trump: Radical Democrats 'want to destroy you'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Orlando, Florida - 18 June 2019

15. Wide shot of Trump on stage at rally

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

No collusion and the facts that led our great attorney general to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction and they spent 40 million dollars on this witch hunt, 40 million dollars.""

17. Crowd

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"" Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen.""

"

The Trump administration is working on a new set of directives on the use of school bathrooms by transgender students, the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement alarmed LGBT groups across the country that have urged President Donald Trump to safeguard Obama-era guidelines allowing students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, not their assigned gender at birth.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide any details on the new guidelines that are being prepared by the Justice Department, but said Trump has long held that such matters should be left to the states, not the federal government, to decide.

The Obama administration's guidance, issued last May, held that transgender students can access restrooms and participate in school athletics according with the gender they identify with.

Schools were also instructed to treat students in line with their expressed gender identity without requiring any medical proof.

While the move was hailed by rights organizations, it was attacked by conservative groups, which called it federal overreach and an infringement on the personal space and safety of all other students.

A patchwork of state laws and policies on the issue is emerging.

Fifteen states have explicit protections for transgender students, and many individual school districts in other states have adopted policies that recognize students on the basis of their gender identity, said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. Just one state, North Carolina, has enacted a law restricting students' bathroom access to their sex at birth.

But so far this year, lawmakers in more than 10 states are considering similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Raleigh, North Carolina – 22 February 2017

1. Wide shot of North Carolina legislative building

2. Tight of legislative building sign

3. Wide of transgender man talking on phone

4. Tight of name tag

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"Just, my stomach feels cold with worry. Even walking out, I saw a large group of school kids leaving the North Carolina General Assembly and wondered, How many students who are trans or gender non-conforming in that class might be hearing that same message today, and feeling like it's less for them in school. And that makes me, that makes me feel really sad as a trans person. To think about a young person feeling a lack of hope because of what the folks in this building and in Washington, DC are doing."

6. Wide of school kids leaving legislature

7. Tight of foot walking past state seal with word "CONSTITUTION"

8. Wide of Tami Fitzgerald of NC Values Coalition walking out of legislature

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and Title IX, they never contemplated that sex would mean gender identity. It's not in the bill. It's not what the bill says. It's not what the law says. And so we think that the directive that the Obama administration issued about interpreting sex as meaning gender identity is wrong, and it should be repealed."

10. Tight of Fitzgerald's name tag

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"I agree with President Trump. This IS a state issue. And the federal government was engaged in gross overreach when it issued this directive that impacted every public school in the country."

12. Mid of sign for school groups touring legislature

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"We believe that this is a terrible message that the Trump administration is sending to some of the most vulnerable young people in our country today. That the president and the administration are not going to protect them from discrimination, no matter what Title IX says."

14. Tight of sign for school groups

15. Wide of woman and son outside legislature

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Tina Matthews, Visiting Capital with Son

"I think that everybody deserves an equal shot at being who they are, love who they want to love and be able to go into a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity."

17. Wide of legislative building

18. Mid of fluttering American flag

19. Mid of North Carolina flag

The Trump administration is working on a new set of directives on the use of school bathrooms by transgender students, the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement alarmed LGBT groups across the country that have urged President Donald Trump to safeguard Obama-era guidelines allowing students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, not their assigned gender at birth.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide any details on the new guidelines that are being prepared by the Justice Department, but said Trump has long held that such matters should be left to the states, not the federal government, to decide.

The Obama administration's guidance, issued last May, held that transgender students can access restrooms and participate in school athletics according with the gender they identify with.

Schools were also instructed to treat students in line with their expressed gender identity without requiring any medical proof.

While the move was hailed by rights organizations, it was attacked by conservative groups, which called it federal overreach and an infringement on the personal space and safety of all other students.

A patchwork of state laws and policies on the issue is emerging.

Fifteen states have explicit protections for transgender students, and many individual school districts in other states have adopted policies that recognize students on the basis of their gender identity, said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. Just one state, North Carolina, has enacted a law restricting students' bathroom access to their sex at birth.

But so far this year, lawmakers in more than 10 states are considering similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Raleigh, North Carolina – 22 February 2017

1. Wide shot of North Carolina legislative building

2. Tight of legislative building sign

3. Wide of transgender man talking on phone

4. Tight of name tag

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"Just, my stomach feels cold with worry. Even walking out, I saw a large group of school kids leaving the North Carolina General Assembly and wondered, How many students who are trans or gender non-conforming in that class might be hearing that same message today, and feeling like it's less for them in school. And that makes me, that makes me feel really sad as a trans person. To think about a young person feeling a lack of hope because of what the folks in this building and in Washington, DC are doing."

6. Wide of school kids leaving legislature

7. Tight of foot walking past state seal with word "CONSTITUTION"

8. Wide of Tami Fitzgerald of NC Values Coalition walking out of legislature

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and Title IX, they never contemplated that sex would mean gender identity. It's not in the bill. It's not what the bill says. It's not what the law says. And so we think that the directive that the Obama administration issued about interpreting sex as meaning gender identity is wrong, and it should be repealed."

10. Tight of Fitzgerald's name tag

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"I agree with President Trump. This IS a state issue. And the federal government was engaged in gross overreach when it issued this directive that impacted every public school in the country."

12. Mid of sign for school groups touring legislature

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"We believe that this is a terrible message that the Trump administration is sending to some of the most vulnerable young people in our country today. That the president and the administration are not going to protect them from discrimination, no matter what Title IX says."

14. Tight of sign for school groups

15. Wide of woman and son outside legislature

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Tina Matthews, Visiting Capital with Son

"I think that everybody deserves an equal shot at being who they are, love who they want to love and be able to go into a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity."

17. Wide of legislative building

18. Mid of fluttering American flag

19. Mid of North Carolina flag

STORY

On January 12th 2017 President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to run the CIA says Russian meddling in the president election was an aggressive action taken by senior Russian leaders. At his confirmation hearing on Thursday, congressman Mike Pompeo of Kansas says it's pretty clear Russia worked to hack information and to have an impact on American democracy. Trump has voiced scepticism that Russia was behind hacking of political sites. But he said Wednesday for the first time that he believes Russia was responsible for the hacking. Pompeo also said he expected to be able to present the incoming administration with intelligence that is sound and that the leadership would make decisions based on that intelligence. US President Donald Trump said in his speech on January 20th that he will govern the country by putting America first. Trump said as president that "from this day forward it's going to be only America first". He said that every decision he makes, on issues from trade to taxes to immigration and foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and families. "We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries" taking American jobs, Trump said. US President Donald Trump signed his first executive order on January 20th, ordering federal agencies to ease the burden of former President Barrack Obama's sweeping health care law. No details were given on what the order contained. Trump was joined in the Oval Office by Vice President Mike Pence, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and other top advisers as he signed the executive order on the so-called "Obamacare" law that he opposed throughout his campaign. Trump also formally signed the commissions of incoming Defence Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. Pence later swore them in at a separate ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the vice president's suite of offices is located. On January 26th White House press secretary Sean Spicer said US President Donald Trump will seek a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for a proposed border wall. The wall is part of Trump's plan to halt illegal immigration to the U.S., and he has long insisted that Mexico will pay. Mexican President Pena Nieto insists his country will not. On the flight back to Washington, Spicer told reporters travelling with the president that Trump will seek to impose a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports to pay for the wall. Congressional approval would be needed for such a step. Trump's brief trip to Philadelphia to speak with Congressional Republicans at their policy retreat, marked his first flight on Air Force One, the familiar blue and white government plane that has long ferried presidents around the country and the world. Trump spoke to reporters on board the plane, describing Air Force One as a "beautiful, great plane." On January 27th President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May were seen holding hands for a brief period of time as they walked along the colonnade at the White House, before Trump tapped on May's hand and they let go. The two appeared to be in conversation following joint remarks made earlier at a news conference. May's meeting with the US president in Washington, D.C. is being hailed by the British government as a sign that the tarns-Atlantic "special relationship" is valued by the new US administration. On January 29th protests have erupted for the second day after US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to temporarily bar refugees and citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the White House, while a smaller group protested outside an airport in Morrisville, North Carolina, holding banners in support of refugees and immigrants and chanting anti-Trump slogans. Several thousand people gathered near Prime Minister Theresa May's London residence on January 30th to protest against a planned state visit by US President Donald Trump. Protesters held signs and placards, some branding May "shameless", and chanted "No state visit!" Many said they were protesting to express their anger over Trump's immigration ban. January 30th's protest near 10 Downing Street was the largest of a series of protests across the country, including in Oxford, Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff and Glasgow. An online petition opposing Trump's state visit has more than 1.5 million signatures. Any petition with more than 100,000 signatures must be considered for a debate in Parliament, though not a binding vote. US President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates on January 31st after she announced she would not defend his controversial immigration order. He is naming Dana Boente, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to serve in her place. The White House press office said in a statement that Yates "has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States." The statement calls Yates an Obama administration appointee "who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration." Trump's order from Friday temporarily suspends the US refugee programme and bars immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Trump has picked Senator Jeff Sessions to lead the Justice Department, but he has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly on January 31st defended President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration. Kelly said that the order is "not a travel ban. This is a temporary pause that allows us to better review the existing refugee and visa vetting system." Nordstrom says it will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories, creating some questions about the future of the brand elsewhere. The Seattle-based department store chain said the decision was based on the sales performance of the first daughter's brand. Neiman Marcus may be the next one to pull back on the label, as the branded jewellery is nowhere to be seen on the up scale retailer's website as of 3rd February. "We've said all along we make buying decisions based on performance," said Nordstrom in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "We've got thousands of brands” more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of our business." Nordstrom said that each year the chain cuts about 10 percent and refreshes its assortment with about the same amount. "In this case, based on the brand's performance we've decided not to buy it for this season," Nordstrom added. Lord & Taylor only said it continues to carry the brand. Neiman Marcus, Macy's and Dillard's, which also carry the label, didn't immediately reply to AP's query. The move by Nordstrom Inc. comes amid a social media campaign called "Grab Your Wallet," urging a boycott of stores that stock Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump products. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press late Friday, Rosemary K. Young, senior director of marketing at Ivanka Trump, said that the brand continues to expand across all categories and distribution, resulting in "significant" revenue growth last year compared to the previous year. "We believe that the strength of a brand is measured not only by the profits it generates, but the integrity it maintains," said Young in the statement. "The women behind the brand represent a diverse group of professionals and we are proud to say that the Ivanka Trump brand continues to embody the principles upon which it was founded." An unnamed spokesperson for the brand contradicted Nordstrom's statement, saying that Nordstrom did order both shoes and clothing for spring and moved forward with the purchase of clothing. Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail, says that retailers walk a tight rope when it comes to celebrity brands but given the politics surrounding the Ivanka Trump brand, that only adds extra controversy, particularly given such a politically divisive climate. Liebmann noted a decision of whether to pull a brand is politically loaded even if it's based on poor sales performance. "The brand is vulnerable," Liebmann said. "Retailers view their role as having the right products for the right consumer, not being pulled in a political situation." She noted that some shoppers may not want to wear the Ivanka Trump brand because they may want to avoid making a political statement. Ivanka Trump announced earlier this month that she would take a leave of absence from her clothing and accessories business as well as the Trump organization. US President Donald Trump's embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late on February 13th, following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. His departure upends Trump's senior team after less than one month in office. In a resignation letter, Flynn said he gave Pence and others "incomplete information" about his calls with Russia's ambassador to the US. The vice president, apparently relying on information from Flynn, initially said the national security adviser hadn't discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy, though Flynn later conceded the issue may have come up. Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as the acting national security adviser. Kellogg had previously been appointed the National Security Council chief of staff and advised Trump during the campaign. Trump is also considering former CIA Director David Petraeus and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a US Navy SEAL, for the post, according to a senior administration official. The Trump team's account of Flynn's discussions with the Russian envoy changed repeatedly over several weeks, including the number of contacts, the dates of those contacts and ultimately, the content of the conversations. Late in January, the Justice Department warned the White House that Flynn could be in a compromised position as a result of the contradictions between the public depictions of the calls and what intelligence officials knew to be true based on recordings of the conversations, which were picked up as part of routine monitoring of foreign officials communications in the US. A US official told The Associated Press that Flynn was in frequent contact with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on the day the Obama administration slapped sanctions on Russia for election-related hacking, as well as at other times during the transition. US President Donald Trump on February 16th said his ousted national security adviser was a "fine person" after offering his resignation amid reports of contact with Russian officials. Trump was recounting why he asked Michael Flynn for his resignation. The president said at a news conference that he was "not happy" with how information about Flynn's phone call to a Russian diplomat was relayed to Vice President Mike Pence. But Trump says what Flynn did "wasn't wrong" - and called attention to what he described as "classified information that was given illegally." Dakota Access pipeline protesters are ceremonially burning some of their living structures ahead of the closure of a long-standing camp in North Dakota. About 200 to 300 protesters remain at the camp near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the camp closed at 2 p.m. February 22nd, citing the potential for spring flooding. Those left in camp milled about peacefully Wednesday, many in prayer. At least four wooden structures were being burned in what protesters say is part of the ceremony of leaving. Authorities in North Dakota are offering assistance and services to Dakota Access pipeline protesters as they close a long-standing encampment near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. A White House spokeswoman said March 3rd that Vice President Mike Pence "did everything to the letter of the law" after public records revealed that he used a private email account to conduct public business as Indiana's governor. The Indianapolis Star reported that emails provided through a public records request show that Pence communicated with advisers through his personal AOL account on homeland security matters and security at the governor's residence during his four years as governor. The governor also faced email security issues. Pence's AOL account was subjected to a phishing scheme last spring, before he was chosen by Donald Trump to join the GOP presidential ticket. Pence's contacts were sent an email falsely claiming that the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed money. As Trump's running mate, Pence frequently criticized rival Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as President Barrack Obama's secretary of state, accusing her of purposely keeping her emails out of public reach and shielding her from scrutiny. Hours before it was to take effect, President Donald Trump's revised travel ban was put on hold March 15th by a federal judge in Hawaii who questioned whether the administration was motivated by national security concerns. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson also said Hawaii would suffer financially if the executive order blocked the flow of students and tourists to the state, and he concluded that Hawaii was likely to succeed on a claim that the ban violates First Amendment protections against religious discrimination. A federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, has blocked US President Donald Trump's revised travel ban targeting six predominantly Muslim countries. Judge Theodore Chuang ruled on Thursday in a case brought near the nation's capital by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and other groups representing immigrants, refugees and their families. It was the latest ruling against Trump's revised travel ban. On March 15th, a federal judge in Hawaii blocked Trump's revised travel ban hours before it was to take effect, marking the second time courts have thwarted Trump's efforts to freeze immigration by refugees and citizens of some predominantly Muslim nations. Government lawyers argued that the ban was substantially revised from an earlier version signed in January that was later blocked by a federal judge in Washington state. They said the ban was ordered in the interest of national security to protect the US from "radical Islamic terrorism." During his campaign as a Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump called for a "total and complete shut-down of Muslims entering the United States." Trump's campaign said in a statement that such a ban should stand "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." It said the proposal comes in response to a level of hatred among "large segments of the Muslim population" toward US citizens. At an evening rally in South Carolina in December 2015, Trump supporters cheered and shouted in support as he read his statement. An earlier version of the executive order, issued in late January, was blocked by a judge in Seattle, sparking harsh criticism from the president of both the judge and his decision. Trump said at the time that the court fight over his refugee and immigration executive order could end up in the Supreme Court. Speaking to reporters on 7 February 2017, Trump said he was going to take his fight to uphold the directive "through the system." A federal appeals court refused to reinstate President Donald Trump's ban on travellers from seven predominantly Muslim nations, dealing another legal setback to the new administration's immigration policy. In a unanimous decision, the panel of three judges from the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block a lower-court ruling that suspended the ban and allowed previously barred travellers to enter the US. Moments after the ruling was released, Trump tweeted, "SEE YOU IN COURT," adding that "THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!" Declaring "the start of a new era" in energy production, President Donald Trump signed an executive order March 28th that he said would revive the coal industry and create jobs. The move makes good on his campaign pledge to unravel former President Barrack Obama's plan to curb global warming. The order seeks to suspend, rescind or flag for review more than a half-dozen measures in an effort to boost domestic energy production in the form of fossil fuels. Environmental activists, including former Vice President Al Gore, denounced the plan. But Trump said the effort would allow workers to "succeed on a level playing field for the first time in a long time." "That is what this is all about: bringing back our jobs, bringing back our dreams and making America wealthy again," Trump said, during a ceremony at the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, attended by a number of coal miners. In addition to pulling back from the Clean Power Plan, the administration will also lift a 14-month-old moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands.

SHOWS

(HD version available in \\Source_Clips\Newsroom Failures)

Pompeo: Russia aimed to influence US election

4075583

POOL

Washington DC - 12 January 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sen. Marco Rubio, (R) Florida:

"In your personal opinion, is Vladimir Putin and the Russians looking at all this and saying 'we did a really good job of creating chaos, division, instability in the American political process?"

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Mike Pompeo, CIA Director Nominee:

"I have no doubt that the discourse that's been taking place is something that Vladimir Puttin would look at and say, 'Wow, that was among the objectives that I have."

00:20:23

Trump to govern by putting America first

4076960

POOL

Washington, DC - 20 January 2017

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President: ++INCLUDES SHOTS OF CROWDS++

" From this day forward a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America First, America First." (++Crowds clapping)

00:39:22

Trump signs executive orders in Oval Office

4077026

POOL

Washington DC - 20 January 2017

4. US President Donald Trump signing commission allowing General James Mattis to be sworn in as Defence Secretary

00:46:24

Spicer: Trump Seeks 20% Tax on Mexican Imports

4078053

POOL

On Board Air Force One - 26 January 2017

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports - which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do - right now our country's policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous."

01:02:06

Trump, May hold hands outside White House

4078211

AP TELEVISION

Washington,D.C. - 27 January 2017

6. Tracking shot of British Prime Minister Theresa May and President Donald Trump walking outside White House, holding hands for a few seconds

01:10:09

US protests against Trump's immigration ban

4078426

AP TELEVISION

Washington DC/Morrisville - 29 January 2017

7. Protesters on ground gathering outside White House, holding banners and chanting slogans in support of refugees

01:21:12

UK protest against Trump's state visit

4078640

AP TELEVISION

London - 30 January 2017

++NIGHT SHOTS++

8. Protesters standing in front of Downing Street with signs and posters

9. Close of sign that reads (English) "Shameless May, Fascist Tyrant"

10. Close of sign that reads (English) "No to racism, no to Trump"

01:46:12

Trump fires Attorney General Sally Yates

4078666

POOL

FILE: Washington, DC - 28 June 2016

11. Various of Sally Yates, now former acting US Attorney General speaking at briefing while serving as Deputy Attorney General

01:54:19

US Homeland Security chief defends travel ban

4078785

AP TELEVISION

Washington DC - 31 January 2017

12. SOUNDBITE (English): John Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security:

" It is important to understand that there are terrorists and other bad actors who are seeking to infiltrate our homeland every single day."

02:02:13

Nordstrom will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories

4079404

AP Entertainment

New York, 29 June 2012

13. Medium of Ivanka Trump talking and showing her clothing line

AP Entertainment

New York, 14 April 2015

14. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arriving at the Vanity Fair Tribeca Film Festival party

02:17:16

US National Security Adviser Flynn resigns and Kellogg takes over as acting US National Security Adviser

4080946

US POOL

Washington DC - Recent/File

Washington DC - 20 January 2017

15. Michael Flynn arrives at inauguration

New York - 7 October 2016

16. General Kellogg, sitting next to Trump, speaking

02:30:06

Trump: Russia links reports are "fake news"

4081499

AP TELEVISION

Washington DC - 16 February 2017

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"I can tell you from speaking for myself, I own nothing in Russia, I have no loans in Russia, I don't have any deals in Russia. (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin called me up very nicely to congratulate me on the win of the election, he then called me up extremely nicely to congratulate me on the inauguration which was terrific, but so did many other leaders, almost all other leaders from almost all other countries, so that's the extent. Russia is fake news, this is fake news put out by the media."

03:03:24

Pipeline Protesters Set Fires to Close Camp

4082450

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Near Cannon Ball - 22 February 2017

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

18. Wide pan of area with protesters and fire

03:16:18

Pence responds to use of private email account

4084169

POOL

Janesville, Wisconsin - 3 March 2017

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, Vice President:

(Reporter question off camera: "Why did you decide to use your private email accounts to deal with some public business?")

"I did. We issued a statement on that. I am very confident that our email practices were in full compliance with all of Indiana's laws. And in my service as a vice president will continue, will continue that practice."

03:31:02

Federal judge in Hawaii puts travel ban on hold

4086131

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Honolulu - 15 March 2017

20. Wide of press conference beginning

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Doug Chin, Hawaii Attorney General

" It showed that they were trying even harder to mask what was a religious animus."

03:42:17

Trump suffers second travel ban defeat

4086216

POOL

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina - 7 December 2015

22. Donald Trump walking to podium

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate:

"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. We have no choice."

04:07:09

Trump signs roll-back on Obama era climate plans

4088397

POOL

Washington DC - 28 March 2017

24. US President Donald Trump signing executive order

HD version available in \\Source_Clips\Newsroom Failures

VOICEOVER:

President Donald Trump is giving himself too much credit sending criminal foreigners out of the country.

He's getting too much credit from one of the few women with a top White House job for elevating women in the administration. An AP Fact Check finds some exaggerated claims by Trump and counselor Kellyanne Conway.

TRUMP: "We're getting gang members out, we're getting drug lords out, we're getting really bad dudes out of this country, at a rate nobody has ever seen before. ... It's a military operation because what has been allowed to come into our country, when you see gang violence that you've read about like never before and all of the things, much of that is people who are here illegally. And they're rough and they're tough, but they're not tough like our people. So we're getting them out."

THE FACTS: Trump is broadly embellishing his brief track record on immigration and wrongly branding the deportation effort a military operation.

The number of people expelled from the country since Trump took office Jan. 20 has not been released. No available data supports his claim that immigrants in the country illegally are being expelled at a rate "nobody has ever seen before." Deportations were brisk when Barack Obama was president.

Conway at a conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee: "He has been promoting and elevating women in the Trump Corporation — in the Trump campaign, in the Trump Cabinet, certainly in the Trump White House. It's just a very natural affinity for him."

THE FACTS: No such elevation of women has taken place, when Trump's choices for the Cabinet and top White House aides are compared with those of other presidents in recent decades. Indeed, there's been backsliding.

Cabinet: Trump has nominated four women for Cabinet or Cabinet-level jobs. That's fewer than Democrats Barack Obama (seven) and Bill Clinton (six) had for their first Cabinets, and the same number as Republican George W. Bush chose out of the gate.

++GRAPHICS AND MUSIC THROUGHOUT++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"All of a sudden for the first time we're getting gang members out, we're getting drug lords out, we're getting really bad dudes out of this country and at a rate that nobody has ever seen before."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

2. Image of White House logo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

3. Trump at the White House

Handout: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Los Angeles - 7 February 2017

4. Various photos showing foreign nationals being arrested during a targeted enforcement operation

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 21 September 2016

5. Demonstrators rally in front of the White House in favor of immigration reform

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"It's a military operation because what has been allowed to come into our country when you see gang violence that you've read about like never before and all of the things, much of the things that is people here illegally, and they're rough and they're tough but they're not tough like our people."

7. Sean Spicer at Press Briefing

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The President was using that as an adjective. It's happening with precision."

POOL

Oxon Hill, Maryland 23 February 2017

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President:

"Donald Trump is someone who is not fully understood for how compassionate and what a great boss he is to women. He has been promoting and elevating women in the Trump Corporation, in the Trump campaign, in the Trump Cabinet, certainly in the Trump White House. It's just a very natural affinity for him."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

10. Graphic of the White House

11. Graphic of women appointed by Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yangon, Myanmar - 19 November 2012

12. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disembark Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 17 November 2008

13. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walk to the Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

14. Image of White House logo

VOICEOVER:

President Donald Trump is giving himself too much credit sending criminal foreigners out of the country.

He's getting too much credit from one of the few women with a top White House job for elevating women in the administration. An AP Fact Check finds some exaggerated claims by Trump and counselor Kellyanne Conway.

TRUMP: "We're getting gang members out, we're getting drug lords out, we're getting really bad dudes out of this country, at a rate nobody has ever seen before. ... It's a military operation because what has been allowed to come into our country, when you see gang violence that you've read about like never before and all of the things, much of that is people who are here illegally. And they're rough and they're tough, but they're not tough like our people. So we're getting them out."

THE FACTS: Trump is broadly embellishing his brief track record on immigration and wrongly branding the deportation effort a military operation.

The number of people expelled from the country since Trump took office Jan. 20 has not been released. No available data supports his claim that immigrants in the country illegally are being expelled at a rate "nobody has ever seen before." Deportations were brisk when Barack Obama was president.

Conway at a conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee: "He has been promoting and elevating women in the Trump Corporation — in the Trump campaign, in the Trump Cabinet, certainly in the Trump White House. It's just a very natural affinity for him."

THE FACTS: No such elevation of women has taken place, when Trump's choices for the Cabinet and top White House aides are compared with those of other presidents in recent decades. Indeed, there's been backsliding.

Cabinet: Trump has nominated four women for Cabinet or Cabinet-level jobs. That's fewer than Democrats Barack Obama (seven) and Bill Clinton (six) had for their first Cabinets, and the same number as Republican George W. Bush chose out of the gate.

++GRAPHICS AND MUSIC THROUGHOUT++

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"All of a sudden for the first time we're getting gang members out, we're getting drug lords out, we're getting really bad dudes out of this country and at a rate that nobody has ever seen before."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

2. Image of White House logo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

3. Trump at the White House

Handout: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Los Angeles - 7 February 2017

4. Various photos showing foreign nationals being arrested during a targeted enforcement operation

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 21 September 2016

5. Demonstrators rally in front of the White House in favor of immigration reform

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 23 February 2017

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) President Donald Trump:

"It's a military operation because what has been allowed to come into our country when you see gang violence that you've read about like never before and all of the things, much of the things that is people here illegally, and they're rough and they're tough but they're not tough like our people."

7. Sean Spicer at Press Briefing

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The President was using that as an adjective. It's happening with precision."

POOL

Oxon Hill, Maryland 23 February 2017

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President:

"Donald Trump is someone who is not fully understood for how compassionate and what a great boss he is to women. He has been promoting and elevating women in the Trump Corporation, in the Trump campaign, in the Trump Cabinet, certainly in the Trump White House. It's just a very natural affinity for him."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

10. Graphic of the White House

11. Graphic of women appointed by Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yangon, Myanmar - 19 November 2012

12. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disembark Air Force One

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 17 November 2008

13. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walk to the Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

14. Image of White House logo

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

1. Scrolling image of memo over Department of Homeland Security logo

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Nogales, Arizona - 9 October 2017

2. National Guard soldier looking with binoculors across US-Mexico border

3. Low angle of National Guard soldier standing with rifle

4. Border Patrol officer searching illegal imigration suspect

5. Row of suspected illegal immigrants sitting on ground

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Columbus, New Mexico - 12 June 2006

6. Closeup of border surveillance camera

7. National Guard soldier walking away from "skybox" surveillance unit

8. National Guard soldier with binoculars

9. Close of National guard member guarding border with binoculars

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

10. Twitter screenshots of Sean Spicer tweet

11. Image of DHS Secretary John Kelly's name on document

12. Scrolling images of document over DHS logo

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Columbus, New Mexico - 12 June 2006

13. Various of National Guard soldier with gun

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

14. Map of border states in red with DHS logo

15. Map of additional states mentioned in document

AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Nogales, Arizona - 9 October 2017

16. Border Patrol officer with line of cars

STORYLINE:

A draft memo obtained by the Associated Press indicates that the Trump administration has considered a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, in states along the U.S.-Mexico border... and as far north as Oregon and Colorado.

National Guard personnel have been used to assist with immigration-related missions on the U.S.-Mexico border before.

But they have never been used as broadly or as far north.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the AP report is not true.

Spicer indicated that the document did not come from the White House:

The memo bears the name of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

S Department of Homeland Security official described the document as a very early draft that was never seriously considered, though DHS staffers tell the AP it was discussed as recently as last week.

According to the memo, governors in the 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate.

The proposal includes four states that border on Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

But it also includes seven other states that don't: Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

1. Scrolling image of memo over Department of Homeland Security logo

Nogales, Arizona - 9 October 2017

2. National Guard soldier looking with binoculors across US-Mexico border

3. Low angle of National Guard soldier standing with rifle

4. Border Patrol officer searching illegal imigration suspect

5. Row of suspected illegal immigrants sitting on ground

Columbus, New Mexico - 12 June 2006

6. Closeup of border surveillance camera

7. National Guard soldier walking away from "skybox" surveillance unit

8. National Guard soldier with binoculars

9. Close of National guard member guarding border with binoculars

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

10. Twitter screenshots of Sean Spicer tweet

11. Image of DHS Secretary John Kelly's name on document

12. Scrolling images of document over DHS logo

Columbus, New Mexico - 12 June 2006

13. Various of National Guard soldier with gun

Washington, DC - 17 February 2017

14. Map of border states in red with DHS logo

15. Map of additional states mentioned in document

Nogales, Arizona - 9 October 2017

16. Border Patrol officer with line of cars

Seeking to tamp down growing unease in Latin America, US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly pledged Thursday that America won't enlist its military to enforce immigration laws and that there will be "no mass deportations."

Only hours earlier, President Donald Trump suggested the opposite. He told CEOs at the White House the deportation push was a "military operation."

Kelly, speaking in Mexico's capital, said all deportations will honour human rights and follow the U.S. legal system. He said that includes multiple appeals offered to those facing deportation.

Kelly said the U.S. approach will involve "close coordination" with Mexico's government.

Yet while Kelly and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to alleviate Mexico's concerns, Trump was fanning them further with tough talk about "getting really bad dudes out of this country at a rate nobody has ever seen before."

It was an altogether different message and tone from Kelly and Tillerson, who travelled here to meet with top Mexican officials at a time of intense turbulence for U.S.- Mexico relations.

Indeed, Trump acknowledged he had sent his top diplomat south of the border on a "tough trip."

In contrast to Trump, Tillerson and Kelly focused on what they described as a solid U.S. commitment to work closely with Mexico on border security, illegal immigration and trafficking of drugs and weapons — issues Trump has made a central focus of his young presidency, much to Mexico's dismay.

Both Tillerson and Kelly appeared to downplay any major rift between the U.S. and Mexico.

For Mexico, that patience appeared to be running short.

Mexico has been incensed that the U.S. announced — without Mexico's sign-off — that people caught crossing the border illegally will be sent back to Mexico — even those from third countries who have no connection to Mexico.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, Kelly's Mexican counterpart, said that concern had come up, too.

Both countries said it was positive that the neighbours remained committed to working through the disputes diplomatically, though there were no indications they were any closer to a resolution.

As the Americans wrapped up their Mexico visit, they remained at odds with their hosts over the deportations and over the massive border wall Trump has vowed to construct at Mexico's expense.

Trump spoke during the presidential campaign about using a "deportation force," and his Homeland Security Department at one point considered using the National Guard to help with deportations, although the White House has said that idea has been ruled out.

The Homeland Security Department didn't immediately respond to requests to clarify why Trump's remark about "a military operation" had conflicted with that of Kelly, who blamed the media for "misreporting."

At the White House, spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump hadn't been speaking literally. He said Trump used the "military operation" phrase "as an adjective" to describe the precision with which immigration enforcement was being carried out.

Tillerson and Kelly were meeting behind closed doors with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto before returning to Washington.

Pena Nieto recently cancelled a trip to Washington over Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for the wall. It has not been rescheduled.

In addition to sending border-crossers from third countries into Mexico, new memos signed by Kelly this week prioritise deportation for anyone charged or convicted of any crime, rather than just serious crimes.

That potentially subjects millions in the U.S. illegally to deportation, including many Mexicans.

Those policies have raised fears in Mexico about the possibility of deportee and refugee camps emerging along Mexico's northern border.

Mexican officials were also apprehensive that a forthcoming report ordered by Trump's administration listing all current U.S. aid to Mexico is intended to threaten Mexico into compliance over immigration or the wall.

Mexico has also raised concerns about Trump's pledge to overhaul the trade relationship and possibly apply steep taxes to Mexican products, a move with profound impacts for Mexico's export-heavy economy.

Tillerson said the leaders had agreed the trade relationship needed to be modernised and strengthened.

Mexico City - 23 February 2017

1. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Mexican foreign Minister Luis Videgaray walking to lecterns

2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Luis Videgaray, Mexican Foreign Minister:

"We have expressed to Secretaries (Rex) Tillerson and (John) Kelly, first of all, our concern for the respect of the rights of Mexicans in the United States - particularly (referring to) human rights. And we have heard a profound coincidence from the part of the secretaries, which is an encouraging sign that this very important matter will be channeled in keeping with the mechanics of work and dialogue that we must continue building."

3. Tillerson and Videgaray at the podium

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State:

"We recognize the existing US-Mexico cooperation to curtail irregular migration both by securing Mexico's southern border and by supporting efforts of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, through the Alliance for Prosperity, to reduce violence and stimulate opportunity in the region. On this issue we discussed the importance of fair treatment of all of those in this transit."

5. Tillerson and Videgaray at the podium

6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Osorio Chong, Mexican Minister of the Interior:

"We stated our disagreement on some of the recently announced measures by the Department of the Interior of the United States which have direct implications for our country and our countrymen. In particular, we have shared our worries at an eventual rise in deportations and the possibility that citizens of other countries may be returned to our national territory until their legal situations (asylum in US) are resolved."

7. Chong and Kelly at podiums

8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelly, US Homeland Security Secretary:

"There will be no, repeat, no mass deportations. Everything we do in DHS will be done legally, in accordance to human rights in the legal justice system of the United States. All deportations will be according to our legal justice system."

9. Tillerson shaking hands with Foreign Minister Videgaray

Washington - February 2, 2017

1. Sean Spicer enters

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"The president had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Turnbull when they went through an extensive discussion of this deal. The president is unbelievably disappointed in the previous administration's deal that was made and how poorly it was crafted and the threat to national security put the United States in. He has tremendous respect for the prime minister and for the Australian people, and has agreed to continue to review that deal, and has ensured that as part of the deal we would go through a very, very extreme vetting process to ensure that every single person that is being offered up is coming with peaceful intentions and poses no threat to the United States. So, he is ensured that while has respect for the Australian people and respect for Prime Minister Turnbull, that we do not pose a threat to the United States of America. The deal that was cut by the last administration is something he is extremely, extremely upset with."

3. Cutaway of Spicer

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"This is something that comes up quite a bit. I think there is a line... people should have freedom of religion in this country, and people should be able to practice their religion, express their religion, express areas of their faith without reprisal. And I think the pendulum sometimes swings the other way in the name of political correctness. And I the president and the vice president both understand that one of the things that makes our country and this democracy so great is our ability to express our religion, to believe in faith, to express it and to live by it. And I think that's where the important part is -- whether it's a small business owner or employee he wants to have some degree of expression of faith at the company. Too often those voices get pushed out in the name of political correctness. So, he's going to continue to make sure that we not only speak up for it, but find ways we can keep that line a little less blurred and make sure the pendulum doesn't swing against people... we shouldn't oppose a religion on anybody. We're free to express our religion or not have one. That's obviously under in our country an equally valid way of living your life. But at the same time I think people who want to express their faith shouldn't be ostracized because they want to live that."

5 . Cutaway of Spicer

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"I would yeah, absolutely... I think there's several businesses, several institutions, Catholic institutions and others that have been mandated or apparently attempted to mandate certain things that they may or may not do or treat their employees. Those are instances where, clearly, the pendulum is swinging a different way where you are not carving institutions or the ability for privately-held businesses to be able to conduct themselves according to their faith or moral compass. And so, there's clearly a lot of evidence in the last couple years of the government coming in with regulations and policies that have, frankly, denied people the ability to live according to their faith."

7 . Cutaway of Spicer

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump "had a very cordial" conversation with the Australian Prime minister.

Trump is particularly concerned about an Obama administration deal that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the United States.

The tensions between Trump and Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull were first reported by the Washington Post.

The official disputed a report that Trump ended the call by hanging up on Turnbull. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the call publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Warning that religious freedom is "under threat," Trump vowed Thursday to repeal the Johnson Amendment, an IRS rule barring pastors from endorsing candidates from the pulpit."

"I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution," Trump said during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event bringing together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries.

Trump made a similar pledge as a candidate but has not detailed how he plans to scrap the rule or how quickly he will proceed in doing do.

Religious conservatives whose overwhelming support propelled Trump to the White House have been watching closely for him to deliver on promised protections for religious objectors to gay marriage and abortion.

Kelly Shackelford, head of First Liberty Institute, a non-profit legal group that specializes in religious freedom cases, said no other presidential candidate was "more outspoken on their commitment to religious freedom" than Trump.

Washington - February 2, 2017

1. Sean Spicer enters

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"The president had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Turnbull when they went through an extensive discussion of this deal. The president is unbelievably disappointed in the previous administration's deal that was made and how poorly it was crafted and the threat to national security put the United States in. He has tremendous respect for the prime minister and for the Australian people, and has agreed to continue to review that deal, and has ensured that as part of the deal we would go through a very, very extreme vetting process to ensure that every single person that is being offered up is coming with peaceful intentions and poses no threat to the United States. So, he is ensured that while has respect for the Australian people and respect for Prime Minister Turnbull, that we do not pose a threat to the United States of America. The deal that was cut by the last administration is something he is extremely, extremely upset with."

3. Cutaway of Spicer

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"This is something that comes up quite a bit. I think there is a line... people should have freedom of religion in this country, and people should be able to practice their religion, express their religion, express areas of their faith without reprisal. And I think the pendulum sometimes swings the other way in the name of political correctness. And I the president and the vice president both understand that one of the things that makes our country and this democracy so great is our ability to express our religion, to believe in faith, to express it and to live by it. And I think that's where the important part is -- whether it's a small business owner or employee he wants to have some degree of expression of faith at the company. Too often those voices get pushed out in the name of political correctness. So, he's going to continue to make sure that we not only speak up for it, but find ways we can keep that line a little less blurred and make sure the pendulum doesn't swing against people... we shouldn't oppose a religion on anybody. We're free to express our religion or not have one. That's obviously under in our country an equally valid way of living your life. But at the same time I think people who want to express their faith shouldn't be ostracized because they want to live that."

5 . Cutaway of Spicer

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary

"I would yeah, absolutely... I think there's several businesses, several institutions, Catholic institutions and others that have been mandated or apparently attempted to mandate certain things that they may or may not do or treat their employees. Those are instances where, clearly, the pendulum is swinging a different way where you are not carving institutions or the ability for privately-held businesses to be able to conduct themselves according to their faith or moral compass. And so, there's clearly a lot of evidence in the last couple years of the government coming in with regulations and policies that have, frankly, denied people the ability to live according to their faith."

7 . Cutaway of Spicer

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump "had a very cordial" conversation with the Australian Prime minister.

Trump is particularly concerned about an Obama administration deal that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the United States.

The tensions between Trump and Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull were first reported by the Washington Post.

The official disputed a report that Trump ended the call by hanging up on Turnbull. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the call publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Warning that religious freedom is "under threat," Trump vowed Thursday to repeal the Johnson Amendment, an IRS rule barring pastors from endorsing candidates from the pulpit."

"I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution," Trump said during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event bringing together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries.

Trump made a similar pledge as a candidate but has not detailed how he plans to scrap the rule or how quickly he will proceed in doing do.

Religious conservatives whose overwhelming support propelled Trump to the White House have been watching closely for him to deliver on promised protections for religious objectors to gay marriage and abortion.

Kelly Shackelford, head of First Liberty Institute, a non-profit legal group that specializes in religious freedom cases, said no other presidential candidate was "more outspoken on their commitment to religious freedom" than Trump.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer reiterated on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump's executive order to halt entry from nationals of seven, predominantly Muslim, countries is "not a Muslim ban" - contrary to comments made by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Trump ally Giuliani made comments to Fox News on Saturday that seemed to indicate the order was designed as a legal way to fulfil Trump's campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US.

Trump had frequently called for a "complete shutdown" of Muslim immigration while on the campaign trail.

When asked about Giuliani's comments, Spicer said: "It's not a travel ban, it's a vetting system to keep America safe."

In relation to a tweet sent by Trump on Monday, in which the President himself labelled the order a "ban," Spicer said Trump was merely "using the words that the media is using."

One reporter asked Spicer if he or the President was confused about the situation.

"No, I'm not confused. I think the words that are being used to describe are derived from what the media is calling this. He has been very clear that this is extreme vetting," he said.

Washington, DC - 31 January 2017

1. Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary, walking into briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Responding to question over whether former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's claim that the executive order banning entry from seven countries evolved from the Muslim ban the US President Donald Trump proposed during the campaign)

"I think the President has talked about extreme vetting and the need to keep America safe for a very, very long time. At the same time, he's also made very clear that this is not a 'Muslim ban,' it's not a travel ban, it's a vetting system to keep America safe. That's it, plain and simple, and all of the facts into reading of it clearly show that that's what it is."

(Reporter: But Mayor Giuliani stressed that too, but he said that it came out of the desire to have a Muslim ban)

"I think you should ask Mayor Giuliani. That's his opinion. I'm just telling you what the President has said, and what the President has done, has been to focus on making sure that we make the country safe and that the executive order that was drafted does just that. It is to make sure and to ensure that people coming in from seven countries, identified by the Obama administration, that we didn't have the proper systems to know who was coming into our country, was put in place and a 90-day period was also granted to ensure that we knew how to further address vetting situations in the future."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter: You're saying it's not a ban, but this was President Trump's tweet yesterday - 'If the ban were announced with a one-week notice, the bad would rush into our country during that week.' So he says it's a ban.)

"Well, he's using the words that the media is using, but at the end of the day it can't...hold on, hold on, hold on...it can't be...Jonathan, thanks, I'll let Kristen talk... It can't be a ban if you're letting a million people in. If 325,000 people from another country can come in, that is by nature not a ban. It is extreme vetting."

(Reporter: The President himself called it a ban - is he confused or are you confused?)

"I understand...No, I'm not confused. I think the words that are being used to describe it are derived from what the media is calling this. He has been very clear that this is extreme vetting."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

The White House is vigorously defending President Donald Trump's immigration restrictions, as protests spread throughout the country.

Some Republicans in Congress urged caution amid legal challenges to the order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, though top congressional Republicans remain largely behind the new president.

That, despite widespread confusion and an apparent walk-back about how the order, which temporarily bars the citizens of seven majority Muslim nations from entering the U.S., would be applied to certain groups, like U.S. legal permanent residents.

White House Press Secretary said that the uproar over the travel ban has been 'blown way out of proportion and exaggerated.'

Trump's order, which also suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and indefinitely bars the processing of refugees from Syria, has sparked widespread protests and denunciations from Democrats and a handful of Republicans.

Washington - 30 January 2017

1. Wide of White House briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"This focus on securing our borders and our homeland was obviously a major part of what the president campaigned on. And now, he's doing exactly what the -- he's doing exactly what he told the American people he would do. The president will always put the safety and prosperity of our country first and foremost."

3. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"We're going to put the safety of Americans first, we're not going to wait and react as I said in the statement, the President's going to be very proactive in protecting this country, we're not going to wait until we get attacked and figure out how it won't happen again, he's going to do everything in his power to stop every threat that we face in this country and every potential threat and that's the key point in this, how do we get ahead of threats, how do we keep America ahead of the curve when it comes to people who want to do us harm, and that's what the president has done, he's made sure that every way possible that we get down the path of ensuring this country putting America's safety and security first and foremost, bar none."

5. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Getting ahead of threats is the key, not waiting until they happen, not saying 'hey once it happens how do we react and make sure it doesn't happen again,' what I want to be clear about is since becoming president he has continued to take steps through executive order and otherwise, to make sure that this country is as safe as it can be and we're ahead of every threat."

7. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Any government official, anyone who doesn't understand the president goal in this and what this actually was, again, I think this has been blown way out of proportion and exaggerated. Again you talk about in a 24 hour period, 325,000 people from other countries flew into our airports and you talk about 109 people from seven countries that the Obama administration identify, and these career bureaucrats have a problem with it? I think that they should either get with the program or they can go. This is about the safety of America and there's a reason the majority of Americans agree with the president, it's cause they understand that's his number one priority and it's his number one duty as it should be with any president to keep our people and our institutions safe from attack and that these steps are frankly common sense steps that the president's taking to make sure that we're never looking in the rear view mirror saying we should have done something like this."

9. Cutaway

The White House is vigorously defending President Donald Trump's immigration restrictions, as protests spread throughout the country.

Some Republicans in Congress urged caution amid legal challenges to the order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, though top congressional Republicans remain largely behind the new president.

That, despite widespread confusion and an apparent walk-back about how the order, which temporarily bars the citizens of seven majority Muslim nations from entering the U.S., would be applied to certain groups, like U.S. legal permanent residents.

White House Press Secretary said that the uproar over the travel ban has been 'blown way out of proportion and exaggerated.'

Trump's order, which also suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and indefinitely bars the processing of refugees from Syria, has sparked widespread protests and denunciations from Democrats and a handful of Republicans.

Washington - 30 January 2017

1. Wide of White House briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"This focus on securing our borders and our homeland was obviously a major part of what the president campaigned on. And now, he's doing exactly what the -- he's doing exactly what he told the American people he would do. The president will always put the safety and prosperity of our country first and foremost."

3. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"We're going to put the safety of Americans first, we're not going to wait and react as I said in the statement, the President's going to be very proactive in protecting this country, we're not going to wait until we get attacked and figure out how it won't happen again, he's going to do everything in his power to stop every threat that we face in this country and every potential threat and that's the key point in this, how do we get ahead of threats, how do we keep America ahead of the curve when it comes to people who want to do us harm, and that's what the president has done, he's made sure that every way possible that we get down the path of ensuring this country putting America's safety and security first and foremost, bar none."

5. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Getting ahead of threats is the key, not waiting until they happen, not saying 'hey once it happens how do we react and make sure it doesn't happen again,' what I want to be clear about is since becoming president he has continued to take steps through executive order and otherwise, to make sure that this country is as safe as it can be and we're ahead of every threat."

7. Cutaway, Spicer speaking

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Any government official, anyone who doesn't understand the president goal in this and what this actually was, again, I think this has been blown way out of proportion and exaggerated. Again you talk about in a 24 hour period, 325,000 people from other countries flew into our airports and you talk about 109 people from seven countries that the Obama administration identify, and these career bureaucrats have a problem with it? I think that they should either get with the program or they can go. This is about the safety of America and there's a reason the majority of Americans agree with the president, it's cause they understand that's his number one priority and it's his number one duty as it should be with any president to keep our people and our institutions safe from attack and that these steps are frankly common sense steps that the president's taking to make sure that we're never looking in the rear view mirror saying we should have done something like this."

9. Cutaway

Trump administration defends mission in Yemen that left one US Navy SEAL dead.

"The mission was successful in helping prevent a future attack," said White House secretary Sean Spicer during daily press briefing.

This comes after the father of Ryan Owens demanded an investigation into its planning and criticized the Trump administration for its timing.

Spicer also spoke about President's Trump speech to Congress Tuesday, where immigration will be discussed.

"I would not anticipate the speech being a defense of legislation and executive orders," said Spicer.

"The next order I think we should have it out probably middle of this week."

As for the ongoing attacks of Jewish cemeteries Spicer said the administration would " have to work with law enforcement at the local and state level."

"I think, one of the things that we can do is speak from this podium in particular and other places to make sure that every American understands what our values are and that that kind of behavior and activity is wrong and won't be tolerated."

Washington DC - 27 February 2017

1. Cutaway of White House Press Secretary talking with reporters

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"First of all I can't possibly imagine what he's (Owen's father) going through in terms of a loss of a son. I can tell him on behalf of the president his son died a hero and the information that he was able to help obtain through that raid, as I said before was going to save American lives. It's going to protect our country more, so he made a sacrifice to this country, he was on his 12th deployment and I know his wife, when she spoke to the president knows that he did this because he loved it, he cared for this nation and the mission was successful in helping prevent a future attack or attacks on this nation."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I would express our thoughts and our prayers and our condolences to all of the people in Chief Owen's family and his friends and his shipmates, but it's something that as a SEAL and someone who had been deployed 12 times, he knew that this was part of the job, he knew what he was doing and so we are very comfortable with how the mission was executed and we will let the Department of Defense go through that review process and see where that leaves us, but to get ahead of the three separate reviews the Department of Defense is doing, would probably be a little irresponsible at this time."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I would not anticipate the speech being a defense of legislation and executive orders. I don't think many previous presidents have gotten through and used that as a legislative walk-through. But you will hear about his commitment to immigration and his desire for border security and what it means not just about keeping the nation safe, but what impact it's having on the economy.

So you will hear a lot about immigration tomorrow night. And he will talk about why it matters and the goal we have and why we should come together on areas like this."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Oh, the next order I think we should have it out probably middle of this week, looking towards the middle of the week. And we'll have further updates as we get through the schedule. I think obviously our priority right now today was to really get the budget process kicked off, and then continue to prepare for the joint session."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"With respect to some of the activity that we've seen at Jewish cemeteries in particular, look, I think we have to work with law enforcement at the local and state level. I'll leave to it the Department of Justice to comment further on what additional steps can be made. But I think, as been pointed out multiple times, I think, one of the things that we can do is speak from this podium in particular and other places to make sure that every American understands what our values are and that that kind of behavior and activity is wrong and won't be tolerated. And the highest levels of government denounce it."

11. Spicer leaves press room

White House Secretary Sean Spicer defended on Monday the US administration's anti-terrorism raid in Yemen that left one US Navy SEAL dead, arguing that "the mission was successful in helping prevent a future attack."

This comes after the father of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens demanded an investigation into its planning and criticized the Trump administration for its timing.

Owens, a 36-year-old married father of three, was the lone U.S. fatality in the Jan. 27 raid on a suspected al-Qaida compound. Approximately 16 civilians and 14 militants died in the raid, which the Pentagon said was aimed at capturing information on potential al-Qaida attacks against the U.S. and its allies.

Spicer also spoke about US President Trump's speech to Congress Tuesday, where immigration will be discussed.

"I would not anticipate the speech being a defense of legislation and executive orders," he said.

As for the ongoing attacks of Jewish cemeteries in the US, Spicer said the administration would "have to work with law enforcement at the local and state level."

Washington DC - 27 February 2017

1. Cutaway of White House Press Secretary talking with reporters

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"First of all I can't possibly imagine what he's (Owen's father) going through in terms of a loss of a son. I can tell him on behalf of the president his son died a hero and the information that he was able to help obtain through that raid, as I said before, was going to save American lives. It's going to protect our country more, so he made a sacrifice to this country, he was on his 12th deployment and I know that his wife, when she spoke to the president, knows that he did this because he loved it, he cared for this nation and the mission was successful in helping prevent a future attack or attacks on this nation."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I would express our thoughts and our prayers and our condolences to all of the people in Chief Owen's family and his friends and his shipmates, but it's something that as a SEAL and someone who had been deployed 12 times, he knew that this was part of the job, he knew what he was doing and so we are very comfortable with how the mission was executed and we will let the Department of Defense go through that review process and then see where that leaves us, but to get ahead of the three separate reviews the Department of Defense is doing, would probably be a little irresponsible at this time."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I would not anticipate the speech being a defense of legislation and executive orders. I don't think many previous presidents have gotten through and used that as a legislative walk-through. But you will hear about his commitment to immigration and his desire for border security and what it means not just about keeping the nation safe, but what impact it's having on the economy. So you will hear a lot about immigration tomorrow night. And he will talk about why it matters and the goal we have and why we should come together on areas like this."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Oh, the next order I think we should have it out probably middle of this week, looking towards the middle of the week. And we'll have further updates as we get through the schedule. I think obviously our priority right now today was to really get the budget process kicked off, and then continue to prepare for the joint session."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"With respect to some of the activity that we've seen at Jewish cemeteries in particular, look, I think we have to work with law enforcement at the local and state level. I'll leave to it the Department of Justice to comment further on what additional steps can be made. But I think, as been pointed out multiple times, I think, one of the things that we can do is speak from this podium in particular and other places to make sure that every American understands what our values are and that that kind of behavior and activity is wrong and won't be tolerated. And the highest levels of government denounce it."

11. Spicer leaves press room

Former US Army Secretary Louis Caldera says the use of National Guard troops to enforce immigration laws, as proposed by the Trump administration, may be illegal.

The Department of Homeland Security says it was an idea that was never seriously considered.

Still, staff members say that as recently as last Friday, there was discussion of a proposal to mobilise as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorised immigrants.

The idea is outlined in an 11-page draft memo obtained by The Associated Press.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer says it's "not a White House document," and that there was "no effort at all" to use the National Guard in that way.

A Homeland Security official says the document was never brought to the department's secretary for approval.

According to the memo, governors in the 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate.

Washington DC - 17 February 2017

1. Wide of Caldera

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Louis Caldera, George Washington University Professor, Former Secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton:

"So, this is a terrible idea whose time has not come. It's, the National Guard, first, you'd have to federalise them and this kind of role, states are going to be very resistant to having their national guards used in this way. Second of all, they absolutely have no training to deal with law enforcement in this kind of manner. In fact, there's a federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits the National Guard from being used for law enforcement. Now, the administration might argue that they're being used to enforce federal law, not civil law in the state, but I think it's still a grave question mark."

3. Wide of Caldera

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Louis Caldera, George Washington University Professor, Former Secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton:

"Many of them happen to be law enforcement personnel, firefighters, civil servants. To think that you would pull them out of their very important civilian roles to have them do a job for which they were not trained, in which they could expose themselves - or which many of them won't want to do is really just a misuse of their commitment to serve the country as guardsmen."

5. Wide of Caldera

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Louis Caldera, George Washington University Professor, Former Secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton:

"Yes, you know, we have a Posse Comitatus Act actually prohibits military personnel to enforce civilian laws, and there's a reason for that. Because this country was founded to remove oppression of think king using military forces in civilian communities. So, it would be absolutely unprecedented. It's like trying to find a way to double or triple the size of the border patrol without ever having to go to Congress to have to ask for an appropriation to be able to do that."

7. Wide of Caldera

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Louis Caldera, George Washington University Professor, Former Secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton:

"Well, the president has been so eager to demonstrate that he's making progress on his campaign commitments - especially commitments on things like building a wall and removing undocumented immigrants from the country - that they're trying to figure out how to circumvent having to go to the Congress to pass a law to get an appropriation to implement policies and organisations that already work. So, in their haste to try to figure out if there's a faster, quicker ways to do this, they're coming up with all sorts of what would be considered completely out of the box ideas. This is clearly an out of the box idea, and what that needs to be put back in the box."

9. Wide of Caldera