Travel bans and dubious endorsements in Trump's busy day

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Tuesday, 5 December 2017 “If you're horrible to me, I'm going to write a song about it, and you won't like it. That's how I operate.” Taylor Swift STORY OF THE DAY [The Principal Agent Network (PAN) Dossier: Zuma and Mahlobo knew about Arthur Fraser’s rogue intelligence programme]( By MARIANNE THAMM for SCORPIO Former Minister of State security, David Mahlobo, and President Jacob Zuma were aware when they appointed SSA Director General, Arthur Fraser, in September 2016 that he was a key suspect in two damning and confidential reports by the then Inspector-General of Intelligence, Faith Radebe. The investigation into the clandestine and parallel intelligence structure, the Principal Agent Network (PAN), established by Fraser and former NIA DG Manala Manzini, found millions blown over the years without any authorisation, or accountability. The DA is considering approaching the courts to rule Fraser’s appointment as DG as illegal and irrational. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Supreme Court enforces travel ban]( Travellers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen will no longer be allowed into the United States. The Supreme Court has ruled that a Trump-enforced ban on these countries would remain in effect, pending appeal. The ruling overturns the lifting of said ban by lower courts. the enforcement of the ban, however, will bolster Donald Trump's flagging presidency. [Democrats to meet Trump over shutdown]( The Democrats will meet with their prime political adversary this week to discuss how to avert a US government shutdown. Republicans are pushing to pass emergency funding through in order to prevent the lockdown on government spending. Democrats, meanwhile, want Republicans to ease up on key reforms, specifically immigrant rights. Nobody is budging, and the average America will ultimately be left in the lurch. [Switzerland to return stolen Nigerian millions]( A sum of $320-million stolen by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha will be returned to the country by Switzerland. The sum is just a small fraction of the total $2.2-billion embezzled by Abacha during his five-year reign as Nigeria's ruler. The ruling may bode well when one day South Africa's lost billions are located and repatriated. [Trump endorses Moore for Senate]( President Trump took a break from shutting down the government to endorse Roy Moore. Moore is accused of multiple counts of child molestation, which initially was termed by Trump as "troubling". Faced with the prospect of a Democrat rival winning instead of Moore, however, it seemed as though Trump valued Moore's power over basic human rights. — PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA-EFE/MIKE NELSON Romain Jordan Sebastian Imadouchine of France reacts during the men's 85kg weight class Snatch competition at the Weightlifting World Championships at the Anaheim Convention Centre in Anaheim, California, US, 3 December 2017. IN NUMBERS 14.6 The length in metres of the long-extinct Titanoboa snake. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is Robert Sobukwe's birthday. The PAC's founder was born in 1924. The movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is titled It’s Raining Falafel in Israel. FEATURED ARTICLES [ANC Leadership Race: With branches’ cards revealed, a tough, tight contest looms]( [ANC Leadership Race: With branches’ cards revealed, a tough, tight contest looms]( BY Carien du Plessis [Analysis: ‘Irrational, unlawful’ spending for Mandela funeral provides chilling glimpse into SA graft]( [Analysis: ‘Irrational, unlawful’ spending for Mandela funeral provides chilling glimpse into SA graft]( BY Rebecca Davis [Op-Ed: Beware the dangerous ambitions of the anti-business propaganda campaign]( [Op-Ed: Beware the dangerous ambitions of the anti-business propaganda campaign]( BY Stuart Theobald and Colin Anthony [Op-Ed: ANC in December – what is at stake?]( [Op-Ed: ANC in December – what is at stake?]( BY Raymond Suttner [The Gathering (video, session 3): Hip hop dynamism from Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh]( [The Gathering (video, session 3): Hip hop dynamism from Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh]( BY Daily Maverick [Op-Ed: Getting Beyond Aid in Africa]( [Op-Ed: Getting Beyond Aid in Africa]( BY OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, GREG MILLS & DICKIE DAVIS [Life Esidimeni: D-Day for suspended Gauteng health boss, Dr Selebano]( [Life Esidimeni: D-Day for suspended Gauteng health boss, Dr Selebano]( BY Greg Nicolson [Op-Ed: Hunters and predator breeders take aim at Star journalist]( [Op-Ed: Hunters and predator breeders take aim at Star journalist]( BY Don Pinnock [GroundUp: Social grants falling as share of state expenditure]( [GroundUp: Social grants falling as share of state expenditure]( BY GroundUp OPINIONISTAS [On the ANC constitution and the election of a new NEC: The legal issues]( [On the ANC constitution and the election of a new NEC: The legal issues]( A column by Pierre de Vos [Ten misconceptions about ‘net neutrality’]( [Ten misconceptions about ‘net neutrality’]( A column by Ivo Vegter [Foundations that support our society – from politics to grants]( [Foundations that support our society – from politics to grants]( A column by Shelagh Gastrow [Media rules society. It is a business, not some crusader for equality and justice]( [Media rules society. It is a business, not some crusader for equality and justice]( A column by Sandile Memela — Weather BFN: min: 14° max 21°, rainy CPT: min: 15° max: 26°, cloudy DBN: min: 19° max: 23°, rainy EL: min: 16° max: 24°, cloudy JHB: min: 14° max: 17°, rainy KIM: min: 17° max: 23°, cloudy NLP: min: 14° max: 27°, cloudy MHK: min: 13° max: 22°, rainy PMB: min: 13° max: 21°, rainy PE: min: 16° max: 26°, rainy PTA: min: 12° max: 22°, rainy Financial Data Oil=$62.43 Gold=$1,275.73 Platinum=$926.86 R/$=13.54 R/€=16.04 R/£=18.23 $/€=0.83 JSE All Share=59,607.34 DJIA=24,362.24 FTSE 100=7,338.97 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](