Videos of the Day: Energy Secretary Zinke to Leave as Trump Reshapes Cabinet

Epoch Newsroom
12/15/2018
Updated:
12/15/2018

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will be leaving his post at the end of the year, President Donald Trump said in a Dec. 15 tweet, marking the third high-profile cabinet departure announced since the midterm election.

“Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation,” Trump said. “The Trump administration will be announcing the new secretary of the Interior next week,” he added.

Zinke’s departure makes him the ninth Cabinet-level official to leave a post since Trump took office two years ago.

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Trump Calls Texas Judge’s Ruling on Obamacare ‘great for Our Country’

President Trump made an unscheduled stop at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday to honor fallen veterans as families and volunteers placed wreaths on headstones.

Accompanied by uniformed soldiers, the president carried an umbrella amid the tombstones.

Volunteers laid wreaths as part of “Wreaths Across America Day,” a national event in which volunteers adorn headstones of fallen veterans around the country with holiday wreaths.

While there, he responded to a reporter’s question about a federal judge ruling the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as being unconstitutional, saying it was a “great ruling for our country.”

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, sided with a coalition of 20 states that argued requiring people to pay for insurance coverage is illegal because a change in tax law last year eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance.

Scuffles With Police in Paris but Protest Largely Peaceful

Scuffles broke out between protesters and police in central Paris on Saturday on the sidelines of a largely peaceful demonstration, during the fifth straight weekend of protests by the “yellow vest” movement.

Riot police fired small amounts of tear gas to disperse groups of protesters who headed down the side streets off the French capital’s famed Champs-Elysees boulevard, some with traffic still flowing.

Saturday’s protest was far calmer in the morning, with riot police blocking off groups of protesters who attempted to disperse in side streets. At least 21 people were detained in Paris before the protests began, police said.

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Siren Calls Coffee Fans to New Starbucks Roastery in Manhattan

The largest working roastery in Manhattan has just opened its doors. After Seattle, Shanghai, and Milan, this is just one of four Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in the world. Each is designed to represent its city. In Manhattan, the pipes on the ceiling represent the subway system.

This Roastery cafe covers an area of 23,000 square feet, allowing people to experience the process of roasting coffee beans at a close distance.