【173-174】US Supreme Court Approves Trump's Travel Ban

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*【173】AS IT IS

US Supreme Court Approves Trump's Travel Ban

June 26, 2018

Protesters hold up signs and call out against the Supreme Court ruling upholding President Donald Trump's travel ban outside the the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, June 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday approved President Donald Trump’s travel ban that targets several Muslim-majority countries. Five of the nine judges – called justices – agreed that the president has authority to limit travel from foreign countries for national security reasons.

Last September, Trump’s government banned most citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen from traveling to the United States. Most North Koreans and some people linked to the Venezuelan government are also banned. A sixth Muslim-majority nation, Chad, also was included in the ban before the Trump administration removed it from the list.

Tuesday’s court decision means the ban will remain in effect. Trump could add more countries to the list.

Opponents of the ban challenged the decision in court. They said the orders were illegal because they targeted Muslims. But a small majority of Supreme Court justices said the challengers did not show the ban violates either U.S. immigration law or the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over another.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion statement that Trump’s government had successfully demonstrated national security reasons for the ban. He added that the court would not comment on whether the policy was good.

In a dissent statement, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that “a reasonable observer” would consider the ban to be “anti-Muslim,” based on evidence in the case. She added that the five justices who approved the ban also turned “a blind eye to the pain and suffering the proclamation inflicts upon countless families and individuals, many of whom are U.S. citizens.”

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The Supreme Court’s decision is a political victory for Trump. He has defended it as a key part of his immigration policy and part of his “America First” way of governing. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the president wrote on Twitter, in capital letters: “SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!”

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I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

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Words in This Story

challenge - v. to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

dissent - n. a statement by a judge giving reasons why the judge does not agree with the decision made by the other judges in a court case

proclamation - n. an official statement or announcement made by a person in power or by a government

inflict - v. to cause someone to experience or be affected by (something unpleasant or harmful)

uphold - v. to judge to be correct: to decide not to change

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*【174】AS IT IS

EU, China Discuss Reforming the World Trade Organization

June 26, 2018

European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen, left, attends a meeting with China's Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, June 25, 2018. (Fred Dufour/Pool Photo via AP)

The European Union (EU) and China have agreed to launch a working group that aims to propose reforms to the World Trade Organization.

The move is considered an effort to update the international body responsible for settling trade disputes.

High-level officials met in Beijing Monday to discuss trade and related issues.

Most of the likely proposals from the EU are connected to trade measures and policies that are used in China. Many of the EU’s concerns are similar to those expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump. His administration has ordered hightariffs on about $34 billion in Chinese goods.

The Trump administration announced Monday that it was considering restrictions on foreign investment in the technology industry.

WTO reform not easy

European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen has said reforming the WTO would take time and would not be easy. But he warned that, if nothing is done, “the environment for multilateral trade will vanish.”

China’s state media have said Monday’s meeting with EU officials was part of an effort to oppose “unilateralism and protectionism.”

But the EU wants reform efforts to deal with issues such as governments providing assistance to companies to make them more competitive. The EU also wants to stop what it calls the forced transfer of technology in exchange for being able to do business in a country.

Katainen said the two issues are “some of the reasons why the president of the United States is taking unilateral action.”

He added that the issues have to be solved in an orderly way. He said the WTO needs to be updated to better deal with the current realities of the modern world.

“The EU is not siding with any party or any country, the only thing we are siding with is rules-based trade,” said Katainen.

China's Vice Premier Liu He

Chinese state media have described the talks as the EU and China joining in an effort to oppose U.S. trade policy that includes import taxes. China has strongly denounced U.S. tariffs on its aluminum and steel products announced earlier this year. The country also said it would place its own tariffs on U.S. products after the Trump administration recently announced tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods.

China has accused the U.S. of using “extreme pressure” and has promised to answer U.S. trade moves.

A report in the state-operated China Daily noted how disputes with the U.S. had created closer ties between the EU and China.

China’s Vice Premier Liu He spoke to reporters with Katainen after the meeting Monday. He did not discuss the WTO reform working group directly. But, he said the sides agreed to reform the international “trade system and keep it advancing with the times.”

The meeting on Monday was held to prepare for a meeting of EU and Chinese leaders on July 16 and 17.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Bill Ide reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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