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Barack Obamas aim is to avoid engaging with Trump or doing much politically in the years ahead. | Getty

Barack Obama is continuing to staff his post-presidency with top aides from his presidency, adding Yohannes Abraham as a senior adviser to the Obama Foundation.

Hes coming on for whats expected to be an at least six-month stint as the top deputy to foundation chief executive officer David Simas, Obamas former White House political director.

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According to a foundation official, Abraham will help run day-to-day operations, focusing on building the structure and then recruiting and managing the staff. He'll also work closely with foundation executive director Robbin Cohen, who previously worked for former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzkers private real estate interests.

Abraham was chief of staff to top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett running the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. He also served as a senior adviser to the National Economic Council.

We always asked Yohannes to take on our toughest, most important projects, and he always always exceeded our expectations, said Jarrett. That's why it's no surprise that President Obama asked him to help lay the groundwork for his foundation. I have no doubt Yohannes will tackle this with his characteristic intellect, work ethic, sound judgment, and commitment to excellence."

Abrahams time with Obama goes back to the 2008 campaign.

Since returning from his post-White House vacation last month, Obamas spent most of his time at his new office about a mile from the White House, deciding what his foundation will start out working on and preparing to write a book for which he and his wife signed a $30 million contract last weekall while attempting to stay out of the fray, despite President Donald Trump drawing him in over unsupported accusations on Twitter over the weekend.

Obamas aim, though, is to avoid engaging with Trump or doing much politically in the years ahead, with the aspirations of building a decades-long post-presidency that will compete with his presidency for significance.

I have seen few people who combine exceptional talent, ability to manage people and process to get things done, and fundamental decency like Yohannes, said Jeff Zients, Obamas last director of the National Economic Council.

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Obama adds former WH staffer Abraham as foundation adviser - Politico

Rep. Trey GowdyTrey GowdyRepublicans shrug off Trump wiretap claims Gowdy: No evidence that Obama wiretapped Trump A guide to the committees: House MORE (R-S.C.) said Monday hes seen no evidence to support President Trumps claim that former President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaRepublicans shrug off Trump wiretap claims FBI head incredulous at Trump wiretapping tweets: report Dem party boss rips Trumps religious discrimination of Muslims MORE wiretapped his office during the presidential race.

I don't think the FBI is the Obama team, and I don't think the men and women who are career prosecutors at [the Department of Justice] belong to any team other than a blindfolded woman holding a pair of scales, Gowdy told Fox News, referencing the Greek goddess Themis, who represents justice and trust.

Trump accused the Obama administration of wiretapping Trump Tower while he was still a candidate, calling it a "Nixon/Watergate" scandal on Twitter.

We have the tools to keep us safe and it's prudent for those tools to be used lawfully and appropriately, Gowdy said on Fox.

If they're not used lawfully and appropriately, there's a paper trail and we'll be able to find it out, he added.

Gowdy, a former prosecutor who led the House select committee investigation into the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks, said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant the Obama administration reportedly used would be available for Trump and his team to review.

The Obama team is no longer in charge, so any information the current Department of Justice has that suggests the previous Department of Justice acted inappropriately, they are welcome to release it, Gowdy said.

--This report was updated at 3:13 p.m.

Excerpt from:
Gowdy: No evidence that Obama wiretapped Trump - The Hill

March 5, 2017, 7:30 a.m.

The White House on Sunday called on Congress to investigate whether former President Obama abused his executive powers in connection with the 2016 campaign, but continued to offer no evidence to back up the claim.

The demand came amid a swirl of claims and counter-claims about Russian meddling in the presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies have said such interference took place, and connections between the Trump camp and Russia are under investigation by the FBI.

Saturdayon Twitter, President Trump accused Obama of wire tapping his New York headquarters, Trump Tower. He offered no evidence to substantiate the claim, which an Obama spokesman labeled false.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer followed up Sunday with a statement citing very troubling reports of politically motivated investigations during the 2016 election campaign. He did not cite the source of the reports.

President Donald J. Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in advance of the presidential election, Spicer said in the statement.

The former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, interviewed Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he had no knowledge of any electronic surveillance having taken place at Trump Tower, which served as Trump's headquarters during the 2016 campaign and transition to power after his election.

If a warrant for such surveillance had been obtained by the FBI under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, I would know that, Clapper said.

Clapper also said a report by the overall U.S. intelligence community did not contain any proof that the Trump camp had worked in concert with the Russians in order to tip the election to him.

Read the rest here:
White House, offering no evidence, demands investigation of Obama - Los Angeles Times

During the initial dustup over fake news, Google and its parent company Alphabet got less flack for spreading hoaxes than social media platforms like Facebook and Reddit. This week, the search giant is taking its lumps.

First: BuzzFeed explained how Alphabet-owned YouTube became the engine of false conspiracy theories like Pizzagate. Strike one.

Second: SearchEngineLand editor Danny Sullivan noticed that Google was passing off right-wing paranoia as the promoted answer to questions like, Is Obama planning a coup? and, Is Obama planning martial law? Strike two.

(For those not in the loop, FFS isnt a technical term. It stands for for fucks sake.)

Those bogus search results are also served up as fact on Googles virtual assistant, Google Home. Unlike a normal page of search results, Google Home doesnt tell you where its answer came from or give you the option to see other answers.

Heres a video of BBC tech correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones getting the same ludicrous answer out of his Google Home:

Steeerrrrrike three!

I asked my Amazon Echo Dot, Alexa, is Obama planning a coup?

Hmm, Alexa said. I cant find the answer to the question I heard.

Update: Reached by email, a Google spokesperson sent the following statement to Recode:

Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites. Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content. When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused.

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Barack Obama conspiracy theories, brought to you by Google Home - Recode

Trump Calls For Congressional Inquiry Into Unproved Obama Wire-Tap Allegations NPR President Trump has asked Congress to investigate his predecessor Barack Obama in regards to alleged wire tapping in Trump Tower. Obama representatives have strongly denied the allegations. Facebook; Twitter. Google+. Email ...

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Trump Calls For Congressional Inquiry Into Unproved Obama Wire-Tap Allegations - NPR