Washington — The US government on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s travel ban as a "lawful exercise" of his authority, and urged an appeals court to reinstate the suspended measure in the interests of national security. Earlier in the day, during a visit to US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, Trump accused the media of downplaying the terrorism threat his administration cites to justify its ban, saying they purposefully ignored jihadist atrocities. Three days after a federal judge put the controversial measure on hold, Justice Department lawyers filed a court brief challenging the nationwide injunction as "vastly overbroad". An hour-long telephone hearing has been set for Tuesday at 11pm GMT in a high-stakes case that looks increasingly likely to be settled by the Supreme Court. Two new polls show a majority of Americans now oppose the travel ban on refugees and travellers from seven mostly Muslim nations, which sparked airport chaos and condemnation around the world — but...
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