Archives par mot-clé : video

How your credit union marketing team can create videos using Adobe Spark


Video, video, video.  That’s all we seem to talk about these days when creating new marketing ideas for our clients.  You may of heard that 2017 is the year of video marketing.  It’s true.  In fact, when marketers included a video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200-300%!

For our agency, we needed to find an editor to create custom videos for ourselves and our clients that had a quick learning curve, but was also robust enough to create a professional looking final product.  That’s when we discovered Adobe Spark.

And did we mention that it’s FREE to use?  That’s right…Adobe Spark is free to use, well for the time being anyway.  For your next credit union marketing promotion, why not create a video for it using Adobe Spark?

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Eyeview Appoints TiVo SVP Brian Katz to Lead Advanced Television Solutions Across Brand Client Initiatives

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwired – Mar 6, 2017) – Eyeview, the industry leader in outcome-based video marketing, today announced the appointment of Brian Katz as Vice President, Advanced TV Insights Strategy. Katz brings more than twenty years of experience in cable, digital and broadcast to the role.

Katz will lead and execute custom advanced TV solutions for Eyeview’s retail, CPG, auto and travel clients. He will leverage his experience to make addressable TV approachable for marketers who are new to this medium, and ensure the best financial outcomes for their paid media investments.

« Our clients want to do more with addressable TV, but feel it is way too complicated and cumbersome. They struggle to develop best practices, resources and experience with the medium. Brian’s expertise makes him a great client-facing advocate for marketers looking to engage, learn and expand their TV options. Video is evolving rapidly and Eyeview will continue to build thought leadership across our video portfolio, » said Jason Baadsgaard, CRO, Eyeview.

« I am thrilled to be joining the Eyeview team and believe their market offering surpasses others in the increasingly complicated addressable television space, » said Katz. « Being able to offer solutions across all forms of video, along with high accountability on the outcomes, is very powerful. At Eyeview, I am fortunate to be serving many of the same F500 brands I’ve historically partnered with in the past. »

Before joining Eyeview, Katz served as a Senior Vice President of Audience Purchaser Insights at TiVo. Katz also held multiple roles at NBCU cable and distribution units. He began his career at Paramount Domestic Television supporting sales strategy and syndicated programming for UPN.

Katz believes Eyeview is well ahead of the industry from a creative and measurement mindset. « Once marketers understand our capabilities, I think they will naturally gravitate toward the outcome-based approach to video advertising. »

« Brian joins Eyeview at a key inflection point in video advertising, where marketers have become frustrated with legacy ad serving platforms and traditional measurement. Our clients demand more creative personalization, financial accountability and quite simply, results, » said Baadsgaard. « Brian’s extensive experience in media and consumer insights makes him a tremendous addition as we push the industry towards more targeted and accountable solutions. »

This appointment will be instrumental as Eyeview moves to own the outcome-based video marketing category.

About Eyeview:
Eyeview is a video marketing technology company and the industry leader in outcome-based video marketing. Eyeview delivers superior return on investment through 1-to-1 video.

Through proprietary VideoIQ® technology, Eyeview easily leverages brand, product and consumer data to create and deliver 1-to-1 video ads to every consumer and ultimately drive sales. VideoIQ® provides an elemental knowledge of video variables that powers a results-driven decisioning engine, capable of making billions of decisions each day, delivering the most relevant message to every consumer across television, desktop, mobile and Facebook.

Headquartered in New York City, with offices in L.A., Detroit, Seattle, Chicago and London, Eyeview serves the nation’s top brands, including PG, Walgreens, Lowes, Honda, BMW and Priceline. Eyeview was ranked as the 2nd fastest growing company in the Tri-State Area by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™. For more information, visit http://www.eyeviewdigital.com/

Olapic Supports Launch of Instagram Ads in Stories With Its Innovative Content in Motion Video Solution

/EINPresswire.com/ — NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwired – March 06, 2017) – Olapic, leader in innovative visual content solutions and Instagram Marketing Partner, today announced it is supporting the global launch of Instagram’s Ads in Stories with its creative video format solution: Content in Motion. The short-form vertical video format allows brands to maximize the immersive, full-screen ads that now appear between Instagram Stories to help bring their business story to life, and connect with consumers in a personal and visually inspiring way.

While the stories feature is new to Instagram, it has gained impressive momentum with more than 150 million people using the feature on a daily basis. Initial interaction and engagement numbers also demonstrate strong early adoption:

  • 70 percent of Instagrammers follow a business
  • One in five stories on Instagram receive a direct message from viewers
  • One-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses

(Source: Instagram Internal Data, January 2017)

« We have seen Instagram emerge as a powerful tool for businesses to reach and influence their target audiences through deeply visual experiences, » said Pau Sabria, co-founder of Olapic. « The early success of Instagram Stories demonstrates that consumers are embracing the personal connection created via stories. Because of the channel’s ephemeral nature, brands can step outside the bounds of traditional advertising to test new forms of expression. Using tools such as Content in Motion brands can publish innovative animated content that feels native to stories and has proven to have great impact while being extremely cost-effective to produce. »

Because Ads in stories is limited to one piece of media (e.g., photo or short video) Olapic’s Content in Motion is an ideal solution. Content in Motion uses professionally produced or user-generated static visual assets to quickly create vertical motion content that can perform without the burden of costly photo or video shoots. The animated content acts as a bridge between still images and video content and already fits the Instagram format standards. Brands using Content in Motion have seen significant results using the new motion content format with upwards of a 33 percent lift in post engagement via social feeds.

Olapic is an innovator in visual content. From pioneering the first visual earned content platform to creating unique on-brand content formats for use across all digital touch points, Olapic helps to drive brand engagement and performance for more than 400 of the world’s top brands in beauty, fashion, home decor, including Alex and Ani, Calvin Klein, JetBlue, L’Oreal, The North Face, Omni Hotels Resorts, Maybelline and West Elm, among others.

Click here to learn more about how Olapic’s Content in Motion helps brands create powerful motion content for Instagram Ads.

About Olapic

Olapic is the leading visual earned content platform for the curation, activation, and analysis of earned content. Olapic works with hundreds of global brands to amplify marketing and e-commerce channels with images and videos from real people, creating more personalized and powerful brand experiences. Olapic’s proprietary technology curates consumer photos and videos from a range of social media sites, identifies content that is most influential in driving engagement and conversion, permissions the content at scale, and then activates it across digital and offline channels, providing analytics on revenue, performance, and engagement. An official Facebook Marketing Partner, Instagram Partner, and Pinterest Marketing Developer Partner, Olapic is headquartered in New York City with offices in California, Cordoba, Argentina, and the United Kingdom. For more information on Olapic, visit www.olapic.com. Olapic is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc.

Sikhs respond to shooting near Seattle with fear, disbelief

Fear, hurt and disbelief weighed on the minds of those who gathered at a Sikh temple Sunday after the shooting of a Sikh man who said a gunman approached him in his suburban Seattle driveway and told him « go back to your own country. »

« Everybody who is part of this community needs to be vigilant, » Satwinder Kaur, a Sikh community leader, said as several hundred people poured into a temple in Renton for worship services about one mile from Friday night’s shooting.

« It is scary, » she added. « The community has been shaken up. »

Authorities said a gunman approached the 39-year-old Sikh man as he worked on his car in his driveway in the city of Kent, about 20 miles south of Seattle. The FBI will help investigate the shooting, authorities said.

Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas said the department is investigating the shooting as a hate crime. He said no arrests have been made yet after the victim was shot in the arm but that he did not believe anyone was in imminent danger.

« This is a top priority investigation, and we are doing everything possible to identify and arrest the suspect, » Thomas said in an email, adding that residents in the city of about 125,000 should « be vigilant » but also not let the shooting hurt their quality of life.

The FBI’s Seattle office said in a statement Sunday that it is « committed to investigating crimes that are potentially hate-motivated, » the Seattle Times reported.

The shooting comes after an Indian man was killed and another wounded in a recent shooting at a Kansas bar that federal agencies are investigating as a hate crime after witnesses say the suspect yelled « get out of my country. »

Friday night’s shooting was on the minds of many who gathered at a Sikh Temple in nearby Renton Sunday morning for worship. Women in colorful saris and headscarves and men wearing turbans sat on the floor on opposite sides inside the worship space.

As they entered and left the services, many expressed fear that one of their own was targeted and said they’re scared to go to the store or other public places. Some said they have noticed an uptick in name-calling and other racist incidents in recent months. Still others expressed hurt and disbelief at the lack of understanding and ignorance.

« Sikhism teaches about equality and peace, » said Sandeep Singh, 24. « It’s sad to see that’s what it has come to, » he said of the violence. « This is our country. This is everyone’s country. »

Gurjot Singh, 39, who served in the Marine Corps and is an Iraq war veteran, said he was dismayed that people think others who look different aren’t equal or don’t contribute equally to the community.

« This is equally my country as it is your country, » he said. « It doesn’t anger me. It hurts me. »

Hira Singh, a Sikh community leader, said there have been increasing complaints recently from Sikhs near Seattle who say they have been the target of foul language or other comments.

« This kind of incident shakes up the whole community, » he said, adding that about 50,000 members of the faith live in Washington state.

Kent Councilwoman Brenda Fincher went to the temple Sunday to show support for the community. « When a hate crime happens, we have to stand up and make sure everyone knows it’s not acceptable, » she said.

Kent police have not identified the man or released other information. But India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, identified the victim on Twitter early Sunday, saying, « I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai, a U.S. national of Indian origin. »

She said she had spoken to Rai’s father, who told her Rai is out of danger and recovering in a hospital.

Rai told police a man he didn’t know came up to him Friday night and they got into an argument, with the suspect telling Rai to go back to his homeland. He described the shooter as 6 feet tall and white with a stocky build, police said. He said the man was wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face.

« All of the information that I have available at this time suggests that the information provided by the victim is credible, » Thomas, the police chief, wrote.

Sikhs have previously been the target of assaults in the U.S. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the backlash that hit Muslims around the country expanded to include those of the Sikh faith. Men often cover their heads with turbans, which are considered sacred, and refrain from shaving their beards.

In 2012, a man shot and killed six Sikh worshippers and wounded four others at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee before killing himself.

The Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights group, on Sunday said everything must be done « to confront this growing epidemic of hate violence. »

« We are all accountable for what happened in Kent, Washington on Friday night, » Jasmit Singh, a Seattle-area community leader, said in a statement.

Raj Singh Ajmani, who lives in Bellevue, said he was shocked by the shooting.

« When it happens in your own community, you realize the danger and the times we’re living in, » he said before heading to service. « Some people worry that more such violence will occur because of President Trump. »

Marines’ Nude Photo-Sharing Scandal Prompts Calls for Justice

In the wake of the revelation that a large group of active-duty Marines is under investigation for sharing nude photos of female troops without their consent, a senior congressman is calling on the Marine Corps to take swift and decisive action.

Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement Sunday calling the alleged behavior by Marines and Marine Corps veterans « degrading, dangerous, and completely unacceptable. »

« I expect that the Marine Corps Commandant, General Neller, will use his resources to fully investigate these acts and bring to justice any individuals who have broken the law and violated the rights of other servicemembers, » the Washington Democrat said.

« He must also ensure that the victims are taken care of. The military men and women who proudly volunteer to serve their country should not have to deal with this kind of reprehensible conduct, » Smith added.

The investigation was made public Saturday evening by reporter Thomas James Brennan, who reported for Reveal News that members of the private Facebook group Marines United had shared dozens of nude photos of female service members, identifying them by name, rank and duty station. Group members also linked out to a Google Drive folder containing more compromising photos and information, Brennan reported.

A Marine Corps official confirmed an investigation was ongoing, but could not confirm that hundreds of Marines were caught up in it, as Brennan reported. The official referred queries about specifics to Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which did not immediately respond Sunday.

« The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website, » Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Ryan Alvis said in a statement provided to Military.com. « This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual. »

Of allegations are substantiated, active-duty Marines involved in the photo-sharing ring could be charged with violating UCMJ Article 134, general misconduct, for enlisted troops, and Article 133, conduct unbecoming, for officers, Alvis said. If Marines shared a photo taken without the subject’s consent and under circumstances for which there was a reasonable expectation of privacy, they may be charged with Article 120, broadcasting or distribution of indecent visual recording, she said.

« A Marine who directly participates in, encourages, or condones such actions could also be subjected to criminal proceedings or adverse administrative actions, » Alvis said.

To underscore the significance of the allegations to Marine Corps leadership, both Neller and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green released statements condemning the alleged behavior.

« I am not going to comment specifically about an ongoing investigation, but I will say this: For anyone to target one of our Marines, online or otherwise, in an inappropriate manner, is distasteful and shows an absence of respect, » Neller said in a statement provided to Military.com. « The success of every Marine, every team, every unit and command throughout our Corps is based on mutual trust and respect. »

Green went further, releasing a 319-word statement in the form of an open letter calling the online photo-sharing « demeaning » and « degrading » and adding there was no place for it in the Corps.

« We need to be brutally honest with ourselves and each other. This behavior hurts fellow Marines, family members, and civilians. It is a direct attack on our ethos and legacy, » he said. « As Marines, as human beings, you should be angry for the actions of a few. These negative behaviors are absolutely contrary to what we represent. It breaks the bond that hold us together; without trust, our family falters. »

Messages Brennan shared with Military.com show that some members of the group responded to his report by threatening him and his family and attempting to publish information about where he lived.

« ‘Amber Alert: Thomas J. Brennan,' » wrote one user, referring to the child abduction emergency system. « 500.00 $ for nudes of this guys girl, » wrote another.

Brennan is a former infantry Marine and combat veteran.

This is not the first time the bad behavior of Marines online has captured the attention of Congress.

In 2013, the harassment of civilian women and female troops on several so-called « humor » Facebook pages with Marine Corps members prompted Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, to call on then defense secretary Chuck Hagel and then-commandant Gen. Jim Amos to intervene.

But in that instance, Marine Corps leadership opted to address the behavior privately, and on a case-by-case basis. No criminal prosecutions of Marines connected to the Facebook pages were ever publicized.

A later 2014 report on similar behavior resulted in investigations into 12 Marines, according to internal public affairs guidance published by Marine Corps Times.

As the first female Marines join infantry units in the wake of a 2015 Pentagon mandate opening all ground combat jobs to women, it’s possible service leaders now feel an additional mandate to quell the online exploitation of female service members by their colleagues publicly and decisively.

« Standup, speak out, and be a voice of change for the better. Hold those who misstep accountable, » Green said. « We need to realize that silence is consent–do not be silent. It is your duty to protect one another, not just for the Marine Corps, but for humanity. »

— Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

FBI Director Comey asked Justice officials to refute Trump’s unproven wiretapping claim

FBI Director James B. Comey asked the Justice Department this weekend to issue a statement refuting President Trump’s claim that President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump’s phones before the election, according a U.S. official, but the department has not done so.

Comey made the highly unusual request on Saturday after Trump accused Obama on Twitter of having his “‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower. »

The revelation, first reported by the New York Times, underscores the fraught nature of the FBI’s high-profile investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. A key question fueling the probe is whether Trump associates colluded with Russian officials to help Trump win.

Justice declined to comment late Sunday afternoon, as did the FBI.

The development came as Trump’s charge against Obama — leveled without any evidence — was being rebuffed both inside and outside of the executive branch. And it drew a blunt, on-the-record denial by a top intelligence official who served in the Obama administration.

Speaking on NBC News on Sunday morning, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. denied that a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) wiretap was authorized against Trump or the campaign during his tenure.

“There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign,” Clapper said on “Meet the Press,” adding that he would “absolutely” have been informed if the FBI had received a FISA warrant against either.

“I can deny it,” Clapper said emphatically.

In his claims early Saturday morning, the president tweeted that he “just found out” that Obama had “my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower » before the election, comparing it to “McCarthyism.”

“Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’ a race for president prior to an election?” Trump asked in another tweet. “Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!”

By Sunday morning, the White House doubled down on Trump’s explosive tweetstorm and called for a congressional probe into « politically motivated investigations. »

Current and former government officials said such surveillance would not have been approved by any senior Justice official in the Obama administration. Trump’s allegation raised hackles in the FBI leadership, insinuating as it did that the bureau may have acted illegally to wiretap a presidential candidate without probable cause that he was an “agent of a foreign power,” as the foreign intelligence surveillance law requires.

“This is Nixon/Watergate,” Trump tweeted Saturday.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Sunday cited “reports” of “potentially politically motivated investigations” during the 2016 campaign, calling them “troubling.” But none of the media reports cited by the White House provides evidence of a politically motivated surveillance effort against Trump.

“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 2016, » Spicer said. “Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted,” the statement added.

Congressional committees in the House and the Senate are probing suspected Russian efforts to undermine the 2016 election as well as any contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

Trump’s tweets early Saturday may have been prompted by the comments of a conservative radio host, which were summarized in an article on the conservative website Breitbart. The Breitbart story had been circulating among Trump’s senior aides on Friday.

A spokesman for Obama on Saturday said the former president never authorized a wiretap of Trump or any other American citizen.

The White House’s escalation of Trump’s claims were kept at arm’s length by congressional Republicans appearing on Sunday morning news broadcasts.

When asked about Trump’s allegations, Senate Intelligence Committee member Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) declined to comment on the tweets but said he has “seen no evidence of the allegations.”

“Whether that’s a FISA court application or denial of that application or a re-submission of that application, that doesn’t mean that none of these things happened. It just means we haven’t seen that yet,” Cotton added, speaking on Fox News Sunday.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he is not aware of evidence to back up the president’s claim. “I have no insight into exactly what he’s referring to,” he said on “Meet the Press.” “The president put that out there, and now the White House will have to answer for exactly what he was referring to.”

Obama’s allies were more blunt, denying flatly that the former president had ordered a wiretap of Trump’s campaign.

“This may come as a surprise to the current occupant of the Oval Office, but the president of the United States does not have the authority to unilaterally order the wiretapping of American citizens,” said former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told “Meet the Press” that Trump is “in trouble” and acting “beneath the dignity of the presidency.”

“The president’s in trouble if he falsely spread this kind of information,” Schumer said. “It shows this president doesn’t know how to conduct himself.”

Earnest added that Trump was attempting to distract from the controversy involving contacts between his campaign aides, including now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Russian officials.

“We know exactly why president Trump tweeted what he tweeted,” Earnest added. “Because there is one page in the Trump White House crisis management playbook, and that is simply to tweet or say something outrageous to distract from a scandal. And the bigger the scandal, the more outrageous the tweet.”

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeatedly said that the president’s allegation was worth looking into.

“He’s asking that we get down to the bottom of this, let’s get the truth here, let’s find out,” Huckabee Sanders said. “I think the bigger story isn’t who reported it, but is it true. And I think the American people have a right to know if this happened, because if it did, again, this is the largest abuse of power that, I think, we have ever seen.”

Asked whether Trump truly believes Obama wiretapped him, Huckabee Sanders deflected.

“I would say that his tweet speaks for itself there,” she said.

Clapper’s comments referred only to whether Trump campaign officials had been wiretapped. But their conversations could also have been captured by routine surveillance of Russian diplomats or intelligence operatives.

U.S. monitoring of Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, for example, caught his conversations with Trump adviser Michael Flynn during the campaign. Flynn went on to become Trump’s national security adviser, but he was forced to resign last month after admitting that he had misled other senior Trump officials about the nature of those conversations.

The FBI and the National Security Agency also have obtained intercepted communications among Russians officials in which they refer to conversations with members of the Trump team, current and former U.S. officials have said.

On the broader question of apparent Russian interference in the 2016 election, Clapper urged congressional investigators to attempt to settle the issue, which he said has become a “distraction” in the political sphere.

The intelligence community found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government — at least until the end of the Obama administration, he said Sunday.

“We had no evidence of such collusion,” he said on “Meet the Press.” But Clapper added a caveat: “This could have unfolded or become available in the time since I left government.”

Whether there was any collusion is a key question fueling a wide-ranging federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

On Jan. 6, the U.S. spy agencies collectively released a report concluding that Russia carried out cyberhacks and other “active measures” with an intent to help Trump and harm the campaign and potential presidency of Hillary Clinton. The report, Clapper pointed out, included “no evidence” of collusion with the Trump campaign.

But the investigation by the FBI, the NSA and the CIA continues. The Senate and House intelligence committees also are conducting investigations.

Ellen Nakashima, Aaron Blake, Greg Jaffe and Robert Costa contributed to this report.

Trump and Russia: What the fallout could be

Updated 9:07 AM ET, Sun March 5, 2017

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

(CNN)US President Donald Trump’s Russia problems seem to be getting worse by the week — Attorney General Jeff Sessions has become the latest senior Trump official to be found within a murky web of ties and contacts to Russia.

Offering no evidence, White House calls for probe into Trump claims. Top Obama spy official denies wiretap.


President Trump shakes hands with former president Barack Obama at his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

A former senior-level intelligence official flatly denied that President Trump or his campaign aides were wiretapped during the 2016 election, just minutes after the White House — offering no evidence — called for an investigation into Trump’s claim that then-President Barack Obama had ordered such surveillance.

Speaking on NBC News on Sunday morning, former director of national intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., who served in that post in the Obama administration, denied that a wiretap was authorized against Trump or his campaign during his tenure.

“There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign,” Clapper said on “Meet the Press.”

He added that he would “absolutely” have been informed if the FBI had sought or received a warrant to wiretap Trump or his campaign.

“I can deny it,” Clapper continued.

The unusual and blunt on-the-record statement came shortly after the White House issued a statement doubling down on the explosive accusations Trump leveled against Obama on Twitter on Saturday.

The president tweeted that he “just found out” that Obama had “wires tapped” in Trump Tower before the election, comparing it to “McCarthyism.”

“Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’ a race for president prior to an election?” Trump continued in another tweet. “Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!”

In a statement, White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited “reports” of “potentially politically motivated investigations” during the 2016 campaign, calling them “troubling.” He did not disclose which reports the White House was basing its claim on.

“Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling,” Spicer said. “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 2016.”

“Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted,” the statement added.

Congressional committees in the House and the Senate are probing suspected Russian efforts to undermine the 2016 election as well as any contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

Trump’s Saturday morning tweetstorm may have been prompted by the comments of a conservative radio host, which were summarized in an article on the conservative website Breitbart. The Breitbart story was circulating among Trump’s senior aides on Friday and Saturday.

A spokesman for Obama on Saturday said the former president never authorized a wiretap of Trump or any other American citizen.

The White House’s escalation of Trump’s claims were kept at arm’s length by congressional Republicans appearing on Sunday morning news broadcasts.

When asked about Trump’s allegations, Senate Intelligence Committee member Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) declined to comment on the president’s tweets but said he has “seen no evidence of the allegations.”

“Whether that’s a FISA court application or denial of that application or a re-submission of that application, that doesn’t mean that none of these things happened. It just means we haven’t seen that yet,” Cotton added, speaking on Fox News Sunday.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he is not aware of evidence to back up the president’s claim.

“I have no insight into exactly what he’s referring to,” Rubio said on “Meet the Press.” “The president put that out there, and now the White House will have to answer for exactly what he was referring to.”

Obama’s allies were more blunt, denying flatly that the former president had ordered a wiretap of Trump’s campaign.

“This may come as a surprise to the current occupant of the Oval Office, but the president of the United States does not have the authority to unilaterally order the wiretapping of American citizens,” said former Obama White House press secretary Josh Earnest.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told “Meet the Press” that Trump is “in trouble” and acting “beneath the dignity of the presidency.”

“The president’s in trouble if he falsely spread this kind of information,” Schumer said. “It shows this president doesn’t know how to conduct himself.”

Earnest added that Trump was attempting to distract from the controversy involving contacts between his campaign aides, including now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Russian officials.

“We know exactly why president Trump tweeted what he tweeted,” Earnest added. “Because there is one page in the Trump White House crisis management playbook, and that is simply to tweet or say something outrageous to distract from a scandal. And the bigger the scandal, the more outrageous the tweet.”

Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeatedly said that the president’s allegation was worth looking into.

“He’s asking that we get down to the bottom of this, let’s get the truth here, let’s find out,” Huckabee Sanders said. “I think the bigger story isn’t who reported it, but is it true. And I think the American people have a right to know if this happened, because if it did, again, this is the largest abuse of power that, I think, we have ever seen.”

Asked whether Trump truly believes Obama wiretapped him, Huckabee Sanders deflected.

“I would say that his tweet speaks for itself there,” she said.

Clapper’s comments referred only to whether Trump campaign officials had been wiretapped. But their conversations could also have been captured by routine surveillance of Russian diplomats or intelligence operatives.

U.S. monitoring of Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, for example, caught his conversations with Trump adviser Michael Flynn during the campaign. Flynn went on to become Trump’s national security adviser, but he was forced to resign last month after admitting that he had misled other senior Trump officials about the nature of those conversations.

The FBI and the National Security Agency also have obtained intercepted communications among Russians officials in which they refer to conversations with members of the Trump team, current and former U.S. officials have said.

On the broader question of apparent Russian interference in the 2016 election, Clapper urged congressional investigators to attempt to settle the issue, which he said has become a “distraction” in the political sphere.

The intelligence community found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government — at least until the end of the Obama administration, the nation’s former top spy said Sunday.

“We had no evidence of such collusion,” Clapper said on “Meet the Press.”

He added a caveat: “This could have unfolded or become available in the time since I left government.”

Whether there was any collusion is a key question fueling a wide-ranging federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

On Jan. 6, the U.S. spy agencies collectively released a report concluding that Russia carried out cyberhacks and other “active measures” with an intent to help Trump and harm the campaign and potential presidency of Hillary Clinton. The report, Clapper pointed out, included “no evidence” of collusion with the Trump campaign.

But the investigation by the FBI, the NSA and the CIA continues. The Senate and House intelligence committees also are conducting investigations.

Ellen Nakashima, Aaron Blake, Greg Jaffe and Robert Costa contributed to this report.

WATCH | Hong Kong’s new tourism campaign inspires Chef Margarita Fores to make these dishes

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

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Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Chef Margarita Fores, Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016, Simon Wong, Regional Director SEA Hong Kong Tourism Board at the Philippine launch of HKTB's newest global marketing campaign videos, January 24, 2017. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Chef Margarita Fores, Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016, Simon Wong, Regional Director SEA Hong Kong Tourism Board at the Philippine launch of HKTB’s newest global marketing campaign videos, January 24, 2017. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

What would make Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016, Margarita Fores, create new dishes inspired from her latest travel? A trip to Hong Kong exploring its latest gourmet finds as well as time-honored culinary offerings would make her do that.

In the latest global marketing campaign of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)  titled ‘Best of All, It’s in Hong Kong,” the rich diversity and quality of experience the city has to offer to visitors around the world is showcased.

Four videos starring Hong Kong celebrities and the city’s many offerings—including gourmet dining, fashion and entertainment, family adventures by land, sea and sky, and the Great Outdoors—are presented by these famous locals.

Actor Michael Wong, for instance, takes his niece and nephew around the city for some family adventure time. Fashion designer Anais Mak shows the stylish side of the city. Actor Sean Lau introduces viewers to the other side of bustling Hong Kong: its quaint neighboring communities and natural landscapes.

Chef Umberto Bombana (in white shirt) is shown in Hong Kong Tourism Board's 'Tasting the Town' video with other culinary personalities from the region, including Filipino and Asia's Best Female Chef for 2016 Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Umberto Bombana (in white shirt) is shown in Hong Kong Tourism Board’s ‘Tasting the Town’ video with other culinary personalities from the region, including Filipino and Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016 Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Umberto Bombana, chef-owner of the three-Michelin star Italian restaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, gives a tour of the city’s markets, various eateries, and gourmet finds in his “Tasting Hong Kong” video for HKTB.

Becky Ip, HKTB Deputy Executive Director, shares in a statement, “We want Filipino visitors to see, feel and have a taste of the best Hong Kong can offer through the eyes of locals via this campaign. From the videos, Filipinos can discover the breathtaking intensity, surprising contrasts, rewarding variety and captivating style, within Hong Kong. This new brand campaign will take Hong Kong to new heights as a destination by connecting and inspiring Filipinos, especially young people and families, to travel to Hong Kong and experience the best and most authentic Hong Kong moments.”

Chef Margarita was tapped by HKTB to be part of the filming of the gourmet dining video with Chef Bombana along with other culinary personalities from the region.

Chef Umberto Bombana (in photo, extreme left) poses with other culinary celebrities from the region, including Asia Best Female Chef 2016 Margarita Fores of the Philippines. Chef Bombana stars in the Hong Kong Tourism Board's newest campaign video titled 'Tasting the Town.' Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Umberto Bombana (in photo, extreme left) poses with other culinary celebrities from the region, including Asia Best Female Chef 2016 Margarita Fores of the Philippines. Chef Bombana stars in the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s newest campaign video titled ‘Tasting the Town.’ Photo courtesy of HKTB.

At the  Philippine launch of HKTB’s new global marketing campaign in January, Chef Margarita shared her love for Hong Kong and how this culinary destination has inspired her. She also presented a special menu that fuses Filipino and Hong Kong flavors.

Chef Margarita Fores of the Philippines with Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), at the Manila launch of HKTB's newest global marketing campaign, January 24, 2017. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Margarita Fores of the Philippines with Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), at the Manila launch of HKTB’s newest global marketing campaign, January 24, 2017. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Among the dishes Chef Margarita prepared at the HKTB launch held at a hotel in Bonifacio Global City were a Crab Trio Sformato with Chinese Black Vinegar and Negros Muscovado Glaze for the first course; This was followed by Handmade egg taglierini, Asian “Bolognese” for the second course.

Chef Margarita Fores' Crab Trio Sformato with Chinese Black Vinegar and Negros Muscovado Glaze (left photo) and (right) Handmade egg taglierini, Asian “Bolognese.” Photos courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Margarita Fores’ Crab Trio Sformato with Chinese Black Vinegar and Negros Muscovado Glaze (left photo) and (right) Handmade egg taglierini, Asian “Bolognese.” Photos courtesy of HKTB.

For the third and fourth main courses, there were Spotted Philippine Garoupa “in Cartoccio” inspired by Hong Kong’s claypot rice and Spice US Angus Short Rib “Adobo.”

Spotted Philippine Garoupa “in Cartoccio” inspired by Hong Kong’s claypot rice and Spice US Angus Short Rib “Adobo” by Chef Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Spotted Philippine Garoupa “in Cartoccio” inspired by Hong Kong’s claypot rice and Spice US Angus Short Rib “Adobo” by Chef Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

And for the sweet ending, Chef Margarita served Salted egg panna cotta and Red Bean ensaymada.

Salted egg panna cotta  Red Bean ensaymada by Chef Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Salted Egg Panna Cotta and Red Bean Ensaymada by Chef Margarita Fores. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

“I am honored to be able to marry two of my favorite things, Hong Kong and my passion for cooking, and contribute to Hong Kong’s latest brand campaign,” says Chef Margarita in an HKTB handout.

Chef Margarita Fores of the Philippines makes a guest appearance in Chef Umberto Bombana's video titled 'Tasting the Town' produced by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

Chef Margarita Fores of the Philippines makes a guest appearance in Chef Umberto Bombana’s video titled ‘Tasting the Town’ produced by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Photo courtesy of HKTB.

“I hope that through my specially-created dishes, fellow Filipinos will be able to savor the best tastes and experiences Hong Kong has to offer, and discover Hong Kong to create their own unique authentic experience.”

The chef adds, “For Filipinos, food means celebrations, togetherness and hospitality. It is no surprise why we keep flying to Hong Kong, to enjoy an exciting variety of food options. Personally, I love exploring traditional dishes that reflect the heritage and cultures of Hong Kong.”

Besides being one of the chef’s favorite culinary destinations, she also shares that Hong Kong is also a worth a visit for its stylish fashion scene and as a place to bond with family. In her case,

Chef Margarita adds that she used to bond with her son by visiting Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park. Chef Margarita is also amazed by the less known side of the city: its natural landscapes. Hong Kong has green mountains, beaches and outlying islands to explore and enjoy the natural breathtaking scenery; suitable for Chef Margarita’s healthy lifestyle.

Here’s the HKTB video featuring Chef Bombana with Chef Margarita:

Top destination among Filipinos
According to HKTB, the Philippines remains an important source market with more than 700,000 Filipinos visiting Hong Kong each year. In 2016, visitor arrivals from the Philippines recorded a double-digit growth and HKTB is confident that this growth momentum will continue.

The HKTB release adds that the city remains top-of-mind among Filipino travelers especially for “celebrating occasions, enjoying theme parks and attractions, shopping and café hopping; as well as exploring the outlying islands and embarking on hikes to appreciate the natural scenic beauty.”

For more information, log on to discoverHongKong.com/best.