>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hi, everyone. thank you so much for joining us. from cnn's world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm cyril vanier. >> and i'm robyn curnow. we're live with breaking news on u.s. president donald trump's travel ban. >> the white house is gearing up for a legal fight that could go all the way to the supreme court. friday a u.s. federal judge in washington state temporarily froze the president's immigration order. >> in response, the white house plans to request an emergency stay of the judge's ruling. the travel ban sparked huge protests in the u.s. and around the world. it temporarily bars travel to the u.s. from seven muslim majority nations. but in the wake of the judge's order, u.s. customs officials are telling airlines canceled visas will be reinstated. >> the attorney general for washington state sought the order and says it's the white house that's causing the chaos. >> the question went to, hey,

because this happened at 4:00, would there be some confusion. i'll tell you where there's been some confusion, the president's executive order. that's what caused confusion. it's keystone cops. that's not just me speaking. that's republican members of congress. that's what's caused the confusion, and so, no, i don't worry about the confusion. there's nothing confusing about the judge order, and the federal government will be expected to abide by it, and they will. >> well, the judge's ruling comes as the u.s. president is at mar-a-lago estate in palm beach, florida. here's jessica schneider with more on that. >> reporter: well, after one week of being caught up in the courts, president trump's executive order banning immigration from those seven muslim majority countries is halted tonight. a federal judge in washington state put the brakes on the order, issuing a temporary restraining order that does halt this executive order. but the white house tonight saying that they are fighting back. they say that the department of justice plans to issue an

appeal. the white house has continued to maintain throughout the past week, continues to maintain now even in the wake of this ruling from a federal judge that what president trump did in issuing that executive order was completely lawful. now, we understand that the department of justice will file an appeal, but it will not be immediate. we are waiting for that. it likely will not be in the overnight hours or early hours tomorrow. of course this entire issue has been in the courts front and center for the past week. we've seen numerous judges ruling on this whether it was the day after president trump issued that executive order or numerous civil rights groups filing lawsuits in the federal courts all over the country. this is just the latest legal wrangling that has come up, and now this puts that executive order out of commission. so what the customs and border protection agency has said, they said that it is now back to business as usual. in fact, they had a conference call with the airlines, and they said that airlines should begin

resuming as usual. that the government will begin reinstating those visas that they had actually taken out of commission over the past week and that airlines should remove some of those travel ban alerts from their websites. so going forward, customs and border protection says that they will be moving forward as if it's business as usual, as if this executive order from president trump was never signed. but the white house vowing to fight back. the department of justice, they say, will be filing an appeal. so to be continued. jessica schneider, cnn, palm beach, florida. the strongest opposition to the order yet is coming from an unlikely source. >> washington state is pushing back on the president's sweeping order, and the governor says he's proud of that. >> this president is totally bound by this order. we expect him to abide by this order. we will not accept any deviation from this order whatsoever. the constitution is supreme in this country, and frankly i'm proud that washington state has

let the country in standing up for the basic values and will not allow anyone, includi the president in washington, d.c., to contravene those values. we had tonight a federal judge who was appointed by republican president george w. bush, decide in a very forceful decision frankly that this is a country that we are not going to allow a test of religion to determine who comes in our country. we are not going to allow decisions that actually jeopardize our national security. look, the fact is in this case that the people from these seven countries, there have been 700,000 refugees admitted since the disaster of september 11, and not one -- not one incident has occasioned where people from these seven countries caused a fatal terrorist act. >> we spoke earlier with legal analyst paul callan. he explained how the washington

state ruling is different from other state rulings on the travel ban. >> this seattle judge said, you know something, the rules about getting into the united states affect the entire united states. and i find it's unconstitutional what the trump administration has done for the sake of uniformity of approach, i'm going to apply this to the entire united states. technically he has the right to do so because he's a federal judge. he's not a local judge. but it's unusual. usually federal judges don't do that. >> scott lucas joins us now from birmingham, england. he's a professor of international politics at the university of birmingham. scott, it's not unprecedented for the three branches of government in the u.s. to quarrel over something. with things as they stand right now, with what we know, how big a dent do you think this is going to make in the trump administration and its overall

credibility? >> well, this is a poker game. the judicial system has just put more chips in the pot, and it's calling the trump admistration to decide whether to fold or go all in. let's be very clear here. the trump administration when it imposed this ban so quickly and did so without consulting agencies, carried out what is effectively an unprecedented move, even for executive orders. that was a challenge to the system. it very much was a challenge to its own agencies and to the judiciary, which said if you don't like it, come back at us. well, that has happened gradually over the past week, and this ruling from washington state has made the stand. this is unconstitutional. now, will trump's advisers, notably steve bannon, steven miller, who drafted the order, will they continue even though the administration fired its own attorney general, sally yates, when she said this cannot be legally defended? that's where we are now. >> look, you put it mildly, i think, when you said it was a challenge to the system. but didn't trump's voters send

him to washington to do exactly that, to challenge the system? >> well, with respect, you know. america is not founded just simply on voters determine what is legal. you know, our founding fathers said in the 18th century, it is not tyranny in the majority or tyranny in the minority. this has to be legally right, what we do in defense of freedom. and i think we're making an assumption here that all of trump's voters would like to see him go this far. but in the end, you don't use polls to determine what is right and what is just. >> no, but, scott, my question wasn't so much about the legality of this. i should point out this has happened to other administrations in the past, including barack obama for something, especially executive orders, in the realm of executive orders, for those to be challenged in courts and even to be struck down. this has happened to many other presidents before. my question was on the politics of it and how much this helps or hurts donald trump. it seems to me -- and, again, i get back to the same point, that donald trump has a mandate to go

ahead and pick a fight. >> yeah, we don't know where the politics will wind up. you know, i'd be a fool to make a prediction given how much american politics has changed in the last 18 months. but what i can say is that this is a fight which is continuing to escalate. this isn't the same as, say, a challenge to barack obama's executive orders where at the end of the day, you knew we'd get to some kind of resolution. the trump administration has pretty much said we're in office. we're going to do whatever we say we want. come back at us. that really has ruled out the possibility of compromise, not only with the judicial system, but politically they signal that with congress as well. i'd have to say this is an important moment. if the trump administration backs down in the face of this judicial ruling, signals a significant change in its approach politically. if the trump administration carries on and can defy the courts or win a favorable kosht ru court ruling that that is a significant marker that maybe it does think with a minority of

american voters, it can succeed with its agenda. >> following up on that, that's what i wanted to ask you. do you think this is going to cause a rethk in the white house of how to handle things going forward, how to govern? might this be a learning experience or, on the contrary, getting back to that earlier point, are they just going to want to take that fight to washington and the courts and the establishment going forward? >> the hopeful side of me would say yes. perhaps it's time that everyone, especially the trump administration, take a step back. but not based on what we observed. remember, this is a president who when he has been challenged in the courts in his personal affairs has insulted judges and has not backed down. he has a chief strategist, steve bannon, who has criticized the judiciary for being out of touch with america. he's got a press spokesman effectively in kellyanne conway who has been willing to play with alternative facts if she doesn't like them. so, no, they don't back down. so far they don't. >> all right. scott lucas, thank you very much. professor of international politics at birmingham

university, thanks for your time. >> thank you. the council on american islamic welcomes friday's ruling. it's urging about rebooking flights but to keep in mind the situation is fluid. >> meanwhile u.s. airlines are being told to return to business as usual for now. here's rene marsh. >> the customs and border protection spoke to all the u.s. airlines and essentially told them that things are going back to the way they were prior to this executive order going into place. on that call, i'm told by a source who was on that call, customs and border protection also said that the government was starting the process of reinstating those visas. how long will that process take? how long will it be before people can show those visas and board planes? that part is unclear, but that is the word given to all of these major u.s. carriers, that the government was starting this process of reinstating those

visas that were revoked. if you're a passenger who falls into this category, of course you're watching this, and you have no idea what this means for yo all of that being said, based on all of the information about what was discussed on that conference call tonight between customs and border protection and airlines, i would say that would mean at some point once their visas are reinstated, yes, they can come to the united states. again, that is based on the information that i have from that source, the guidance that cbp has given airlines. >> rene marsh speaking to us a little bit earlier. now, people in the region directly affected by the travel ban are waking up to this latest news. ben wedeman joins us now from baghdad in iraq, one of the countries listed in that travel ban. hi, ben. i think it's just after 11:00 a.m. in the morning there. has there been any reaction? is there a rush to the airports,

for example? >> reporter: no, there is no ru ris rush to the airport. i'm told the situation at baghdad international airport is as usual. certainly -- and keep in mind there are no direct flights from baghdad to the united states, so they would have to transit somewhere else should she decide to go. but i think iraqis after the bitter experience of the last week are rather skeptical. in fact, one iraqi friend we spoke to this morning said in reaction to this news from the united states, iraqis -- or rather americans demonstrate. iraqis wait. today is the first warm and sunny day in about a week here in baghdad. the people are enjoying the baghdad marathon this morning. certainly the latest contortions on this executive order from the united states haven't really sunk in. you know, iraqis were initially very insulted to be included on

this list of seven predominantly muslim countries. they will insist to you, when given the opportunity, that iraq is not a terrorist nation. it's not a nation that exports terror. it's a nation that has been, for many years, the victim of terrorism. so i think people are just going to wait and see what happens. keep in mind there's significant expense to getting an american visa, to buying a ticket to the united states. most people probably aren't willing to risk it on the basis of this news that people have woken up to here. they're probably going to wait and see what happens next. robyn. >> you do mention, though, even though baghdad doesn't have a direct flight to the u.s., a number of iraqis, a number of people were stuck in airports around the world on their way, en route. they're sort of in between the u.s. and their home.

do we know what's happening to them, and also i mean is the iraqi government providing any information? how confusing is it for those who were in the middle of the process? >> reporter: i think it's just as confusing to iraqis as perhaps it is to americans. keep in mind that this executive order came last friday. white house officials said that green card holders would be included. then they said they wouldn't be included. i think the iraqi government is having as much difficulty as the rest of us trying to figure out what is going on. now, some countries like turkey, for instance, have offered those people stranded in turkey, those iraqis, any nationals from the seven countries on the list in the temporary travel ban -- the turkish airlines has offered return tickets to where they came from for free because

oftentimes those who are turned back from the united states are compelled to pay for their return ticket. so that sort of assistance is being provided, but i think for the most part, people are just sort of stunned at all these back and forth contortions, lack of clartd whity when it comes ts executive order. >> while you were talking, we were getting a wire. ben wedeman in iraq. qatar airways has announced they plan to board all passengers with valid visas to the u.s. on flights after this blocking of this travel ban. so that also is certainly an indication that things are moving at least in the opposite direction that they were moving yesterday. so keeping an eye on all things there in baghdad and across the region, ben wedeman, thank you so much. well, the trump white house is also setting a new tone for both domestic and world affairs. we'll discuss all of that ahead. plus what renewed fighting in ukraine means for mr. trump's

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president donald trump's pick for army secretary is withdrawing his nomination. >> vincent viola says it would be too difficult for him to untangle his business ties. the billionaire from new york owns a u.s. hockey team and founded several companies. viola says he's still offering his support to mr. trump and the administration. and mr. trump has been quick to establish a new tone for american diplomacy to fit his personal style. we've seen much of the same at home in the u.s. our jim acosta reports on all the action out of the trump white house. >> reporter: president trump delivered a brief but stern message to iran from the oval office. >> they're not behaving. >> reporter: the trump administration is backing that warning with new sanctions on iran, hitting 25 individuals and companies connected to that country's ballistic missile program. punishment for tehran's missile launch from last weekend. while officials caution the sanctions won't impact the iran nuclear deal brokered by the obama administration, the white

house is weighing its options. >> the president has been very clear. he doesn't take options off the table. >> he has a right to form a team. >> reporter: that tough rhetoric is competing with an embarrassing gaffe from a top spokesperson for the white house, counselor to the president, kellyanne conway, who tried to justify the administration's travel ban on seven predominantly muslim countries in a mistake filled >> it's brand-new information to people that president obama had a six-month ban on the iraqi refugee program after two iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized, and they were the masterminds behind the bowling green massacre. most people don't know that because it didn't get covered. >> reporter: but here are the facts. president obama did not ban the iraqi refugee program, and there was never a bowling green massacre. in fact, in 2011, two iraqi citizens living in bowling green, kentucky, were arrested on a series of terrorism charges. conway later clarified on twitter. honest mistakes abound. but critics are pouncing. hillary clinton's daughter chelsea slammed conway for a

completely fake bowling green massacre. please don't make up attacks. conway fired back. i misspoke. you lost the election. the pro-gun control brady campaign ripped conway for promoting fake news about a shooting that never happened to justify the reprehensible actions of this administration. >> apparently according to the trump administration, fake news is synonymous with any bad press they get. so if they get bad press, it's fake. at the same time, they demonstrated a ready willingness to invent facts at will. >> reporter: but the white house did embrace some real news, declining to quarrel with the labor department's new jobs number, a low 4.8% unemployment rate cheered by the president as the sign of a strong economy. >> i think it's going to continue bigly. we're bringing back jobs. >> reporter: that's a major department from the campaign when then candidate trump repeatedly blasted the unemployment rate as phony. >> don't believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5%

unemployment. the numbers probably 28, 29, as high as 35. in fact, i even heard recently 42%. >> the unemployment number as you know is totally fiction. >> reporter: despite his campaign rhetoric promising to be tougher on wall street, president trump signed an executive order scaling back the regulatory reform known as dodd/frank. >> we expect to be cutting a lot out of dodd/frank because frankly i have so many people, friends of mine that have nice friends of mine that can't borrow money because the banks just won't let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in dodd/frank. so we'll be talking about that. >> now, mr. trump's calls for better ties between the u.s. and russia are being put to the test. violence has flare the again in eastern ukraine and the new u.s. ambassador to the u.n. slammed the kremlin at her first security council appearance. claire sebastian joining us from

moscow. hi there, claire. what does the ukrainian leader want from this new white house? >> reporter: well, robyn, i think he's looking for support from the u.s., the kind he was used to under the obama administration. i certainly thing that ukraine's hopes for that will have been raised over the last week, particularly given those comments at the u.n. by the u.s. ambassador nikki haley who said that not only did she blame russia for the escalation of violence in eastern ukraine but said that sanctions on russia would not be lifted until crimea had been returned to ukraine. a dramatic pivot from the comments that we heard from mr. trump particularly during the campaign. he said at one point he might even consider recognizing the independence of crimea, which was extremely concerning to ukrai ukraine. a lot of these phone calls that mr. trump has been having with foreign leaders have been largely congratulatory, a little lacking in detail. but i think this is happening at a very pivotal moment for the

situation on the ground in eastern ukraine. >> let's talk about that. what is the situation? how about is it? >> reporter: it's pretty serious on the ground there. the osce, the international monitors who have been watching the situation for a while now, they are there on the ground. they say there's an unprecedented level of cease fire violations. the ukrnian side have said they've see t wor violence there in a year. is is now a two-year-old cease fire agreement signed in february 2015, very much hanging in the balance. overnight the ukrainian side saying 115 incidences of shelling, three soldiers killed. on the russian backed rebel side, they say 18 of their forces have been killed in the donetsk area over the last week since this late ef escalation in violence. this is leading to a humanitarian crisis, raising the stakes in that area. aid agencies are warning that civilians are being left without

heat and electricity. this is obviously in the middle of winter, freezing conditions. a couple of hundred have been evacuated just north of donetsk. it is a really a kind of a mounting kind of civilian crisis there but still a stalemate between the two sides, betwe. >> thanks for that update. claire sebastian in moscow. thanks so much. stay with us as we cover breaking news over trump's travel ban. still ahead, washington state's attorney general explains why he moved to stop the ban for now. plus the heartbreaking story of a young boy waiting for surgery in the u.s. while his family remains trapped in iraq. stay with us. ut i'm only 16% it so i went onto ancestry, soon learned that one of our ancestors was eastern european. this is my ancestor who i didn't know about.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm robyn curnow. >> and i'm cyril vanier. we're live with breaking news. a new court ruling knocking down u.s. president trump's controversial travel ban. cnn has been following this story since it broke late friday when a u.s. judge in washington state temporarily halted the travel ban nationwide. >> the judge's ruling basically resets to before mr. trump's executive der. u.s. customs and border protection told airlines the government will begin reinstating u.s. visas to affected international travelers, and it will allow refugees will valid u.s. visas to enter the united states. >> also this information we just found out, qatar airways has just announced that those eligible will be allowed to travel to the u.s. if they present valid documents. >> now, the white house initially called friday's court

order outrageous, but it released a later statement with that word removed. it said at the earliest possible time, the department of justice intends to file an emergency stay of this order and defend the executive order of the president, which we believe is lawful and appropriate. >> it continued like this. the president's order is intended to protect the homeland, and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the american people. democrats are praising the suspension of the ban. senate minority leader chuck schumer said in a statement, this ruling is a victory for the constitution and for all of us who believe this unamerican executive order will not make us safer. >> he continues, president trump should heed this ruling, and he ought to back off and repeal the executive order once and for all. well, the travel ban affected seven countries, among them iraq, and the human impact of that move has been well documented. >> but the story of a young iraqi boy separated from his parents is particularly affecting. here's sanjay gupta with that story.

>> they give you limb gas heaters to heat up. if you don't clog it, a fire brakes out. by the time they got him, the plastic melted and fell on his face and feet. >> reporter: it was dilbreen's first birthday. iraq, january 4th, 2016. in an instant, the soft cartilage of his nose, lips and most of his face ravaged. the images are tough to see. >> he realizes there's something different about him, and it's really sad because these kids, they run away. they're scared of him. >> rorter: the name dilbree means wounded heart, and his story is complicated. it's a story of being trapped. his family fleeing from isis to this refugee camp and now trapped in the united states without his parents. you see, this woman is not dilbreen's mother. she's not even a relative. she is simply a kind stranger.

dilbreen's parents, a world away. but we tracked them down in northern iraq. it's really hard, his father said. he's a little boy. he needs his parents. so what happened here? well, after the fire and burns, the british aid group road to peace arranged for dilbreen and his father, ajeel, to come to shriners hospital for children in boston. that was for the first of a series of operations to slowly release the contractures of his chin and lower lip, allowing him to take a bottle again. but with his wife about to give birth back in iraq, ajeel couldn't stay, and he begged this woman to watch after his son. >> and at that point they say to you, please care of dilbreen. we'll be back. >> yes. so, you know, they said we'll be back in four to six weeks the most because they weren't sure of the exact due date for his wife. six weeks go by and then a month, two months, and now we're

at three months. >> reporter: when dilbreen's little brother was born the day after the election, his parents grateful that the united states had provided medical care, decided to name their newborn son trump. that's right, trump ajeel mosson. >> we want to show our appreciation to america for what they're doing for our boy. that's why we named him trump. >> reporter: then despite being initially approved, in early january, their visas were revoked. they were in iraq. 2-year-old dilbreen was in the united states. his father said they didn't give us visas because they thought we would go there and stay. we want to finish our son's treatment and then return home. cnn did reach out to the state department for comment and were told, quote, we are not able to discuss the details of any visa case. and then things got even worse. >> i'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical islamic

terrorists out of the united states of america. >> reporter: president trump likely made it impossible that his namesake along with mom and dad will travel to the united states anytime soon. >> that's what we're afraid of is they have to wait 90 days, which baby dilbreen doesn't have that. he needs the surgery as soon as possible. >> reporter: what's the sentiment or the emotion? are they angry? >> not really. just said and hopeless. they don't know what to do. >> reporter: you think there will be an exception made? >> we're praying for that. >> it's worth pointing out again exactly why these visas were revoked. according to the immigration officers, they say these parents could not show that they had strong enough ties in iraq, that the concern was they might come to the united states and not leave. and the family says, look, we had visas. we could have come to the united states. mom was pregnant at the time. baby trump that you just met in

the piece could have been born in the united states, would have been a u.s. citizen. but they chose not to do that, and they want to go back to iraq. so that's the case that they're making. they're going to go back on sunday to the immigration office once more and try and make this case and say they should be the exception to the rule. they should be the exception to this 90-day ban. they want to be with their son. we'll see what happens. back to you. >> wow, sanjay. what a story. >> that's just one of the examples of how people have been affected by the travel ban. of course we'll continue to look at examples across the world and here in the u.s. when we come back. also when we come back, relations between the u.s. and cuba took a dramatic turn under president barack obama, but president trump is promising a very different approach. we'll look at theeaction in havana. plus we talk to a group of voters about how president trump is doing so far. their answers may surprise you.

welcome back. thanks so much for joining us. donald trump is just two weeks into his presidency. yes, just two weeks. but accord tock one poll, most americans are not happy with what they see so far. a new cnn poll shows only 44% of people surveyed approve of how mr. trump is handling his job while 53% don't approve. that's the highest disapproval rating for any newly elected president since protocols began tracking results. >> according to the poll 53% of americans are against the travel restrictions the president put in place last week while six in ten oppose efforts to build a wall along the mexico border. >> trump has also promised a tougher stance on cuba than his predecessor baracobama. >> that's being met with anxiety in the island nation.

>> i love obama. >> the street performer and his dog sum up how many in cuba these days feel about the new u.s. president. >> do you like? oh, ho ho. my dog, he no like trump? do you like trump? >> reporter: trump's latin america policies and a promised harder line on cuba have so far been received negatively on the communist run island. we are watching him, he says. he wants to build a wall, to do this, to do that. a lot of strange things. former president obama dramatically changed the u.s.'s cold war era policy towards cuba. reopening the american embassy in havana and became the first sitting u.s. president to visit the island since 1928. direct flight service was re-established in 2016 between the u.s. and cuba. u.s. cruise ships are making frequent stops here, and the island is again crawling with american visitors. but during the presidential campaign, trump promised to take

a tougher stance on cuba. >> but all of the concessions that barack obama has granted the castro regime were done through executive order, which means the next president can reverse them, and that i will do unless the castro regime meets our demands. those demands will include religious and political freedom for the cuban people. and the freeing of political prisoners. >> reporter: members of trump's administration say obama's cuba policy is not helping regular cubans, just the government that oppresses them. take a walk down just about any street in old havana, and you'll see the country's economy changing before your very eyes. more cubans are beginning to open up restaurants, beginning to rent out their homes, and that's economic activity that's being driven in large part by the new u.s. policy towards cuba. many people say they're starting see the benefits of that policy.

one of them is nelson rodriguez who last year opened his restaurant, which serves all-day breakfast and seems to always be full of visitors from the u.s., something that could change in trump retightens travel restrictions to cuba. >> i know many, many american who come. >> what would you like to see happen between our two countries? >> well, to have a good relationship. fair business together. and, yeah, i think to continue. i don't know what going to happen with the new president. >> reporter: cuban president raul castro says he wants to work with trump. but there could be clashes. castro also says cuba won't make any concessions to the u.s. and in january staged a rare military parade. even comedians like pio say trump's tough talk on cuba if he is tougher, he's going to find a tough every people here, pio says. the people will resist him here, and he will be just one more that goes into history.

he should loosen the screws like obama. >> obama good. >> reporter: time will tell if trump's stance on cuba has more bark than bite. patrick oppmann, cnn, havana. >> great perspective there from patrick in cuba. let's get a weather update. the u.s. west coast is preparing for yet another series of major winter storms. derek van dam is standing by at the world weather center. tell us what they can expect. >> good day. it seems like it's feast or famine across the west coast of the united states, specifically when we're talking about california. we're talking about so much water they're filling up their reservoirs. they're actually running out of locations to store their water. so if we look back a few years ago, we were talking about an exceptional drought over california. that is no longer. we'll get to the details in just one moment. but look at what's lining up across the pacific northwest. this is going to bring rain,

snow, a mixed bag of precipitation, perhaps some ice near the portland area. another storm system lining up across the pacific. yet another cold front that will bring more wet weather, helping end that long-standing drought for the state of california. a very busy and active radar at the moment. but let's talk about what happened in january. first and foremost, looking into california, we had exceptional amounts of rain. the pump stations that bring the water across the sacramento valley southward into southern california into places like los angeles, santa barbara, those areas desperately need the water that they receive in the north. and you know what? they delivered more h 2 o in the month of january than in any month than the past 12 years alone. we're talking about exceptional amounts. it really shows in the california drought monitor. if we compare just over two years ago, we had 92,000 square miles across california that was under exceptional drought. now compare that to just about a

week ago, we have no areas across the entire state under this exceptional drought. even los angeles, places further south into san diego, these locations saw two, three, even four times their monthly average for january. thumbs up, mother nature. that's exactly what we needed. guess what, there's more to come. this time we're going to favor northern california, the mountains into the cascades for oregon and washington, across the tetons. great news for the skiers and snowboarders who love this stuff. but also great news for the resz vors as we head into the spring months because the snowpack actually helps fill up those reservoirs when we need it the most. we run out of the monthly and seasonal rainfall as we head into the months of june, july, and august, and those snowpacks in the mountain help fill up the reservoirs from then. we also have a concern for winds across the sacramento valley and southern oregon. do take care. and when we compare that snowpack across the sierra nevada mountain range into california, this is what it looked like in 2015.

this is what it looked like in 2016. we get into 2017. just taken a couple of days ago. we're talking about the average depth of 41 inches across that particular region. you ever wondered how they take these measurements? let's take you to phillips station. this is just outside of sacramento. they actually measure the snowfall in this particular location, and this tells meteorologists and high drol gists all kinds of information. what they found here is that the california as a state, as a whole, has 173% above their annual snowpack for this time of year. that is what we need, and i'll send it back to you, robyn and cyril with a big thumbs up because we are happy. the west coast is happy. we love the stuff. >> thumbs up, mother nature. is that some sort of technical term? >> i had to go to five years of school for that one. >> well done, you. thanks, derek. >> i always feel smarter when you're done talking to us.

we're following breaking news on cnn. a u.s. judge suspended president trump's immigration order. plus we'll hear from a group of voters who say the president's flurry of executive orders is a great thing. all that and more when we come back.

welcome back. we're live with breaking news. a new court ruling knocking down u.s. president trump's controversial travel ban. cnn's been following this story since it broke late on friday when a u.s. judge in washington state temporarily halted the travel ban nationwide. the trump administration says it will challenge the ruling because it considers that its travel ban is lawful. >> still the judge's ruling basically resets to before mr. trump's executive order. u.s. customs and border protection told airlines the government will begin reinstating u.s. visas to affected international travelers. and we've just heard qatar airways have just announced those eligible will now be allowed to travel to the u.s. if they present valid documents. a group of women say this travel ban is one of the best things president trump could have done for the united states. >> in fact, they say everything so far has been great except for the media and the democrats. >> that's us. >> as martin savage now reports.

>> i was so elated i could hardly stand it. it was like the best early christmas present i could have gotten. >> reporter: these arizona women love everything about president donald trump and can't understand it if you don't. >> if anybodyn this country is against anything he said he's going to do, i really worry about their judgment. >> reporter: as he made any slip-ups, blunders, any mistakes in your mind? >> not at this point for me. >> reporter: the people he's surrounding himself with, the cabinet choices. >> great. >> oh, my gosh. >> incredible people. >> wonderful. >> just incredible people. >> reporter: but some wonder is he moving too fast? >> no. he's going to move forward quickly because he's going to do exactly what he said he was going to do. i don't think he's moving fast at all. i say keep on going. >> reporter: they see nothing wrong with the president but plenty wrong with everyone else, beginning with democratic opposition in congress. >> and i think that's a terrible thing that the left is doing to

hold things up, and it's so purposeful. >> reporter: doesn't sound like what the republicans were doing during the obama administration. >> no. they showed up. >> reporter: how is it different? >> they showed up. >> the democrats are not even showing up. >> these people are actually not showing up for the vote. >> people really dislike him. i don't understand it because i love him. i love who he is. i love his transparency. >> reporter: speaking of transparency -- what about the tweeting? should that have stopped? >> i love it. >> you know what it does? it leaves you out. >> reporter: the "you" eileen is referring to is the mainstream media, which the group blames for what they see is a nonstop barrage of negative news about the president. >> you push and you push and you push, and you don't back off. and frankly i'm fed up with it. >> reporter: it's not the only thing these trump voters are fed up with. they're also sick of the demonstrators, who they say can't accept that hillary clinton lost. >> get over it. move on. let the man get to work and

better our country. stop with the protests. >> reporter: speaking of moving on, what's with trump's seeming fixation on the inauguration crowd size? why was he bothered? >> i think it's fair for him to defend himself. that's all. >> reporter: and what about the president's claim of widespread voter fraud for which he's offered no proof and officials say didn't happen? do you believe president trump when he says he thinks there were several million votes cast illegally? >> yes, and i'm really glad that he's checking that system out just like he's checking out the immigration problem. >> reporter: trump's immigration executive order is another issue these supporters see differently. seeing the move not as discriminatory but rather about safety for americans. >> you know, as a mother of four kids, i feel that it is the right of my children to grow up in a country where they feel safe. >> reporter: but what about refugee children who are now banned from reaching the safety

of america? >> if we lead with our emotions, this country is sunk. you can't lead with your emotions. >> reporter: it's not all gloom and doom. despite the differences they see, these women believe we can unite as a nation under president trump. in fact, they say we already did for a brief period, inauguration day. >> it was just touching. it was a wonderful two or three hours and everybody was just kind of like, yeah, this is a transfer of power, peaceful. this is how america is. >> thanks to martin for that perspective there. i'm robyn curnow. thinks nor joining us. >> i'm cyril vanier. more at the top of the hour. stay with us.

live from cnn's world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers in the yund and around the world. i'm robin occur now. >> and i'm cyril vanier. the white house is gearing up for a leel fight that could go all the way to the supreme dourt. on friday a u.s. federal judge in washington state temporarily blocked enforcement of the president's immigration order. >> in response the white house said it would seem an emergency stay of the judge's ruling. the travel ban sparked huge protests in the u.s. and around the world. it temporarily bars travel to the u.s. from seven muslim majority nations and suspends