Twitter says it has put in place "safeguards" to prevent future accidental deactivation of accounts. The company said it is not able to share all details about our internal investigation or updates to our security measures, "but we take this seriously and our teams are on it."
Why it matters: Twitter acted quickly to figure out how President Trump's twitter account was inadvertently deactivated for 11 minutes on Thursday, which was later found to be done by a contractor on his last day of work. The company prides itself on being a reliable communications platform for its users, and Trump has become one its highest-profile power users. It's unsurprising the company opted not to detail its new safeguards, as that would make it easier for a malicious actor to skirt them.
President Trump addressed his administration's lack of nominees at critical posts in the State Department in an interview on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle last night, asserting that the vacancies don't matter given his place in the White House:
Let me tell you, the one that matters is me. I'm the only one that matters because when it comes to it that's what the policy is going to be.
Taxpayers will not be able to fill out a postcard-sized piece of paper to file their tax returns based on the House GOP tax plan, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said Friday in a discussion with Politico's Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman.
Why it matters: Republicans, including President Trump, had previously been claiming a majority of Americans would be able to file on just a postcard. Other highlights:
For several minutes on Thursday, the world was safe from President Trump's tweets. In what the social network company said was a move made by a customer service rep of their last day of work, Trump's personal Twitter account was deactivated for 11 minutes. The move prompted a lot of joking, but it's actually not a laughing matter. Some have argued that the president should be banned for violating the social network's terms of service, and certainly a case could be made for that.
Our thought bubble: But seeing the account temporarily deleted by a single rogue worker is actually quite troubling. This president uses it as a primary means of communication. Imagine if this had happened in the midst of a crisis, mid-tweet-storm.
En route to board Air Force One ahead of his 10-day Asia tour, President Trump doubled down on his morning tweets when talking to reporters.s. "A lot of people are disappointed in the Justice Department, including me," he said, for not opening an investigation into Hillary Clinton and the DNC.
Why it matters: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, already under fire for failing to disclose information relating to the Russia probe, is back on Trump's bad side for not being tougher on the Democrats, while still harboring frustration regarding Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
For decades, the region stretching from Australia to Asia has been referred to in Washington as as the "Asia-Pacific." "But as Trump prepares for a five-nation Asian tour, White House officials and even the president himself are steering clear of that term and using 'Indo-Pacific' instead," writes AP's AP's Matthew Pennington.
Why it matters: "By using 'Indo-Pacific,' the administration wants to propagate the idea that it's a region that stretches far beyond China's backyard and the tiger economies of East Asia."
Why it matters: The accounts, part of a torrent of revelations following the Harvey Weinstein scandal, raise "troubling questions about the boys' club environment in Congress where male lawmakers can feel empowered to target not only staffers but even their own peers ..."
While many Democrats wish it weren't so, Hillary Clinton just won't go away. First it was her regret-and-resentment tour. Then the book. And now a rolling wave of 2016 recriminations.
Be smart: As Democrats try to figure out 2020, it's bad enough that they keep re-litigating the Clinton-Trump general election. But top Dems think it's horrendous that the party is now re-litigating the Clinton-Sanders primary.
Twitter released a statement Thursday evening saying an employee had "inadvertently deactivated" President Trump's personal twitter account. The removal of Trump's account caused an immediate reaction among Twitter users, until the account reappeared minutes later.
"Earlier today @realdonaldtrump's account was inadvertently deactivated due to human error by a Twitter employee. The account was down for 11 minutes, and has since been restored. We are continuing to investigate and are taking steps to prevent this from happening again."
President Trump nominated Jerome Powell, a member of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, to serve as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, succeeding Janet Yellen. Trump said that Powell's nomination marked an "important milestone on the path to restoring economic opportunity for the American people."
Trump also took the opportunity to praise Yellen, calling her "a wonderful woman who has done a terrific job" and "a spectacular person." He noted that "she has served with dedication and devotion" and stated he was "grateful to her total commitment to public service."
The House's newly released tax reform calls for the Child Tax Credit to be expanded from $1,000 to $1,600 per child, which some Republican lawmakers have said isn't enough. Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted this morning, "House #TaxReform plan is only starting point.But $600 #ChildTaxCredit increase doesn't achieve our & @potus goal of helping working families."
Why it matters: Let the tax fight begin. This is the first serious knock on the tax bill of many that are sure to come. Sen. Rubio, Sen. Mike Lee and Ivanka Trump have been pushing for a $2,000 child tax credit, and Rubio told reporters last month that an $1,800 credit would result in all middle class families only breaking even.
Senator Maria Cantwell told Axios' CEO and Co-Founder Jim VandeHei and NBC's Chuck Todd "the notion that this administration is going to cut the energy efficiency office…and instead try to hold on to this coal idea…it's not an energy strategy for the future." The senator was joining an Axios/NBC event this morning, helping us drive the discussion about the administration's energy policy priorities in 2017.
Why it matters, per Cantwell: She said Trump's administration is basically saying, "it's time to go back," referencing Trump's comments on coal. Going backwards is not what is best for the economy, per Cantwell.
The Department of Justice has identified more than six members of the Russian government who were involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee's computers during the 2016 presidential election, the WSJ reports, citing "people familiar with the investigation."
Why it matters: These charges would specify who exactly was behind the DNC hack for the first time — and although U.S. intelligence agencies have already attributed the hack to Russian intelligence, they did not provide details about who was involved specifically in trying to back Trump's campaign at the detriment of Hillary Clinton's.
Remember the time that fired FBI Director James Comey testified that during a private White House dinner, President Trump had told him: "I need loyalty, I expect loyalty"?
Well, Axios can reveal that Comey refers mischievously to that conversation in the title of his book out May 1, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership."
Why it matters: Comey kept notes and showed during his testimony that he has an eye and voice for vivid, novelistic detail. He was fired. And the multimillion-dollar book deal — brokered by Javelin, with Flatiron Books. Means, motive, opportunity. This should be good!
Google, Facebook and Twitter announced record third quarter earnings over the past two weeks, despite facing one of the toughest PR crisis in years, with two days of televised congressional probes into the ways Russians used their platforms to meddle in the 2016 elections.
Why it matters: While users say they are worried about Russian influence in elections and are concerned over the way tech companies police themselves and protect their data, these issues haven't made the platforms any less popular. And while advertisers report feeling more concerned about brand safety on those platforms, the reach and efficiency of their ad networks has proven strong enough to outweigh those concerns.
