IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.
2614d ago / 3:45 PM UTC

Interior Dept. Ordered to Stop Tweeting: Report

The Interior Department has been banned indefinitely from using its official Twitter accounts after sharing two tweets Friday that appeared unflattering and critical of the Trump administration, according to reports.

"All bureaus and the department have been directed by incoming administration to shut down Twitter platforms immediately until further notice,” according to an email obtained by The Washington Post and sent to Park Service employees.

In another email obtained by Gizmodo.com, Park Service employees were told the "Twitter stand down means we will cease use of Twitter immediately. However, there is no need to suspend or delete government accounts until directed."

The directive came after the National Park Service's Twitter account retweeted Washington Post reporter Binyamin Appelbaum, who shared a picture comparing the size of the crowd at the National Mall during the 2009 inauguration for Barack Obama and Friday's inauguration for Donald Trump. Attendance was noticeably smaller this year.

The National Park Service no longer provides actual crowd size estimates at the Mall following a dispute over questions about the Million Man March's attendance in 1995.

The other retweet mentioned that the White House's official site had taken down pages about civil rights, climate change and health care. Both retweets have since been deleted.

Despite the apparent Twitter ban, the National Park Service did tweet again Saturday to say they "regret the mistaken RTs from our account yesterday" without explaining why it occurred.

The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Twitter suspension. It remains without an official secretary since the Senate has yet to confirm Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., but career civil servants are running it temporarily, The Post reported.

2614d ago / 10:36 AM UTC

Man Shot During Protest at Milo Speech in Seattle

A man was shot and seriously wounded late Friday in Seattle near protests against a lecture by far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos but it was not immediately clear if the incidents were related.

Police said in a statement the victim was shot in the abdomen and was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Seattle police said that a “person of interest” had turned himself in to University of Washington campus police and was being questioned.

Protests against President Trump’s inauguration were held around the country Friday, some of which – including in Washington, D.C. – saw violence or acts of vandalism.

A crowd had gathered in Red Square, a large open space on the Seattle campus of the University of Washington, to protest Yiannopoulos’ speech. British-born Yiannopoulos is the technology editor for the right-wing news and opinion website, Breitbart.

Police said in a statement that the shooting “followed a day of largely peaceful marches and rallies in the city, which were unfortunately book-ended by acts of vandalism and violence.” They did not identify either the victim of the shooting or the person being questioned.

Police told a news conference the shooting victim was 25 years old, but a later police news release said he was 32. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

A large march is scheduled in Seattle for Saturday and police said they would have “a significant number of officers on hand” to ensure the safety of those participating.

2614d ago / 6:55 AM UTC

Police Make Arrests in Anti-Trump Protests in Several Cities

Police departments in several cities reported arrests and property damage during protests over the inauguration of President Donald Trump. In Seattle, police responded to a man shot near a demonstration.

New Orleans police arrested 15 people stemming from protests. Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said an "anarchist group" broke off from a protest and smashed windows of two police cars. Two officers were injured, he said.

Portland, Oregon, police used pepper spray on a group trying to cross a bridge, NBC affiliate KGW reported. Police said balls of ice and eggs were thrown at officers. Thousands protested downtown, according to the station. There were five arrests.

Three people were arrested on graffiti charges during a march of around 200 in Oakland, California, police said. More than 200 were arrested in Washington, D.C. In Seattle police responded to a man who was shot in the abdomen near a protest, authorities said, but circumstances were not immediately clear.

2614d ago / 2:24 AM UTC

President Trump Signs Executive Order Taking Aim at Obamacare

President Donald Trump hours after he was sworn in signed an executive order aimed at "minimizing the economic burden" of Obamacare "pending repeal."

The order, Trump's first since being inaugurated Friday, broadly tells administration officials to waive or delay provisions or requirements of Obamacare that pose a financial burden.

The order also says "It is the policy of my Administration to seek the prompt repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," commonly called Obamacare. Trump and other Republicans have pledged to repeal and replace the health care law, President Obama’s signature achievement.

Read More

2614d ago / 1:13 AM UTC

Police: 217 Arrested After Some D.C. Protests Turn Violent

Police in Washington, D.C., said 217 people were arrested and charged with rioting after some demonstrations in the nation’s capital turned violent on Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.

Six police officers were injured, but the injuries were described as minor. At least four businesses were vandalized and sustained "significant damage” and a limousine was set on fire, police said. Witnesses said some of those involved were self-described "anarchists."

Read More

2614d ago / 11:53 PM UTC

Senate Confirms Trump Nominees Mattis, Kelly Hours After Swearing-In

The Senate easily confirmed two of President Donald Trump's cabinet nominees just a few hours after Trump’s swearing in at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

Retired Gen. James Mattis was confirmed to be defense secretary by a vote of 98-1 vote. And another retired general, John Kelly, was confirmed to lead the Department of Homeland Security by a vote of 88 - 11. Only Democrats voted against Kelly.

Read More

2614d ago / 10:20 PM UTC

President Trump Calls Inauguration 'Beautiful Day'

NBC's Kristen Welker gets the first question with President Donald Trump.

2614d ago / 6:07 PM UTC

Financial Markets Dip During Donald Trump Inaugural Address

Financial Markets shed gains made early in the day just as newly sworn-in President Donald Trump began his inaugural address.

The Dow Jones industrial average shed roughly 52 points at about 12:03 p.m., about a minute after Trump began delivering his first speech as president. 

The S&P 500 dropped roughly 6 points, and the Nasdaq composite trimmed about 13 points of the day's gains.

The three indices continued to trade above their open, and rose slightly before dropping again.

A little less than 40 minutes after Trump delivered his speech, the Nasdaq had dropped about 30 points from the day's high, while the S&P 500 dipped another 4 points.

2614d ago / 5:35 PM UTC

Pope Francis Sends a Message to President Trump

Pope Francis sent well-wishes to President Trump:

Upon your inauguration as the forty-fifth President of the United States of America, I offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office. At a time when our human family is beset by grave humanitarian crises demanding far — sighted and united political responses, I pray that your decisions will be guided by the rich spiritual and ethical values that have shaped the history of the American people and your nation’s commitment to the advancement of human dignity and freedom worldwide. Under your leadership, may America’s stature continue to be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast and those in need who, like Lazarus, stand before our door. With these sentiments, I ask the Lord to grant you and your family, and all the beloved American people, his blessings of peace, concord and every material and spiritual prosperity.

2615d ago / 5:08 PM UTC

@POTUS Account Now Features President Donald Trump

The official Twitter account of the president of the United States, @POTUS, has been updated to reflect President Donald Trump The account hasn't posted anything yet, but it has quickly attracted followers.

2615d ago / 3:10 PM UTC

Here's Who Is Attending Tea at White House Before Swearing-In Ceremony

President-elect Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, will join President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for tea at the White House before the official swearing-in ceremony. Below is a list of attendees of the gathering, according to the White House pool.

  • The President
  • The First Lady
  • The Vice President
  • Dr. Biden
  • President-Elect Trump
  • Mrs. Trump
  • Vice President-Elect Pence
  • Mrs. Pence
  • Hon. Roy Blunt, Chairman of Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (R-MO)
  • Mrs. Abbie Blunt, Spouse of Senator Blunt
  • Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader (R-KY)
  • Mrs. Elaine Chao, Spouse of Senator McConnell
  • Hon. Charles E. Schumer, Senate Democrat Leader (D-NY)
  • Ms. Iris Weinshall Schumer, Spouse of Senator Schumer
  • Hon. Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the House (R-WI)
  • Mrs. Jana Ryan, Spouse of Speaker Ryan
  • Hon. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader (R-CA)
  • Mrs. Judy McCarthy, Spouse of Rep. McCarthy
  • Hon. Nancy Pelosi, House Democrat Leader (D-CA)
  • Mr. Paul Pelosi, Spouse of Rep. Pelosi
2615d ago / 2:07 PM UTC

Another President Donald?

As America prepares to inaugurate the 45th president of the United States, here's a little-noticed piece of trivia: another U.S. president was also once legally named Donald.

According to court records, Ronald Reagan was legally named "Donald Reagan" for nearly half of his life due to an error on his birth certificate. 

According to a Reagan expert quoted by the AP in the 1980s, the county clerk in the town where Reagan was born wrote down the wrong name, a mistake that was not discovered and corrected by Reagan's mother until 1944.