• A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop denying asylum to anyone who transits through another country to reach the U.S. border, marking the latest legal defeat for a president waging an all-out battle to stem the flow of migrants entering from Mexico.
• The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco on Wednesday came hours after another federal judge in Washington, D.C., let the 9-day-old policy stand. The California judge's preliminary injunction halts the policy while the lawsuit plays out in court.
• The new policy denies asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without seeking protection there. Most crossing the Mexican border are from Central America, but it would apply to all nationalities except countries that border the U.S.
• The dramatic change went into effect last week, though there were conflicting reports on whether U.S. immigration agencies were enforcing it.
• Top U.S. officials said the policy would discourage migrants from leaving their countries, which they say is necessary to reduce the numbers of people that U.S. authorities are detaining.
• The White House condemned the judge's order, calling it "tyranny of a dysfunctional system."
• Full story HERE.

• Skip Tucker was unimpressed by the Mueller hearings.
• You could say he was unimpressed with Robert Mueller himself, but that wouldn't be telling the full story.
• Here's an excerpt from today's effort:

• Read Skip's full column HERE.

• The U.S. Department of Justice says some Alabama sheriffs have been providing concealed carry permits without running full background checks or even if the background check denied the application.
• A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives statement says the deliberate oversight meant the sheriffs ultimately allowed felons and other prohibited persons to buy guns.
• As such, the statement says federally-licensed gun shops can no longer accept Alabama permits issued since Aug. 1, 2013, as alternatives to running a full background check for gun purchases. The Monday statement says the permits were allowed as alternatives with the understanding that permit issuance would depend on the full background check.
• It says the FBI and ATF field inspections also found that sheriffs weren't getting necessary information for permit applications by non-U.S. citizens.