Happening Today: North Korea, Sanctuary Cities, AT&T, Charlie Rose

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U.S. Announcing New North Korea Sanctions After Terror Designation

The Trump administration is due to announce new sanctions on North Korea after declaring it a state sponsor of terrorism in the latest push to isolate the pariah nation. North Korea joined Iran, Sudan and Syria on the terror blacklist, a largely symbolic step as the administration already has the authority to impose virtually any sanctions it wants on Kim Jong Un's government over its nuclear weapons development. As part of its "maximum pressure" campaign, President Trump said the Treasury Department would impose more sanctions on North Korea and "related persons" starting, without hinting who or what would be targeted. It is part of rolling effort to deprive Pyongyang of funds for its nuclear and missile programs and leave it internationally isolated.

Judge Permanently Blocks Trump Sanctuary Cities Order

A federal judge permanently blocked President Trump's executive order to cut funding from cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities. U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick rejected the administration's argument that the executive order applies only to a relatively small pot of money and said Trump cannot set new conditions on spending approved by Congress. The judge had previously made the same arguments in a ruling that put a temporary hold on the executive order targeting so-called sanctuary cities. The Trump administration has appealed that decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. An email to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice was not immediately returned.

AT&T Deal for Time Warner “Illegal” and “Harmful” to Consumers, Justice Dept. Says

The Justice Department sued to block AT&T's merger with Time Warner, calling it an "illegal" combination that harms consumers and stifles innovation, DOJ officials said. AT&T and Time Warner announced their $85 billion merger last year but the closing has been dragged out by the government's anti-trust review. It is the latest salvo in a drama more than one year in the making, CNBC reported. Earlier this month, reports circulated that the government had demanded AT&T sell Turner Broadcasting, operator of the CNN news network, or DirectTV as a condition of approval, though the government pushed back at those reports.

Trump Asks Supreme Court for Full Enforcement of Travel Ban

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the latest travel ban to take full effect. A federal appeals court ruling last week allowed President Trump's newest version of the ban to partially take effect. That ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the administration to ban people from six mostly Muslim countries unless they have a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the U.S. Last month, a federal judge in Hawaii had blocked most of Trump's third travel ban just before it was due to take effect. A judge in Maryland separately blocked it to a lesser degree, saying Trump could bar people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as long as they did not have "bona fide" relationships with people or organizations already in the U.S. The travel ban also applies to travelers from North Korea and to some Venezuelan government officials and their families, but the lawsuits did not challenge those restrictions.

CBS Suspends Charlie Rose, PBS Halts His Show Following Allegations

Charlie Rose is the latest public figure to be felled by sexual misconduct allegations, with PBS halting distribution of his nightly interview show and CBS News suspending him following a Washington Post report with the accusations of eight women. The women, who all worked for Rose or tried to work for him, accused the veteran newsman of groping them, walking naked in front of them and telling one that he dreamed about her swimming nude. Rose, 75, said in a statement that he was "deeply embarrassed" and apologized for his behavior. Rose said that he has behaved insensitively at times "and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.