White House

During the signing ceremony, White House pool reporters asked Trump questions about his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has offered to testify on Russian involvement in the US election in return for immunity from prosecution.

The President ignored the questions and moved to another room, only to be followed by Vice President Mike Pence, who picked up the folders containing the two executive orders.

But she will not have an official title or salary when she works in the West Wing - the hub of US executive power.

The official also confirmed media reports that the 35-year-old would have access to classified information.

Her role will be to serve as Donald Trump's "eyes and ears" while providing broad-ranging advice, her attorney was quoted as saying by Politico.

Ivanka, who has her own fashion brand, will be joining her husband Jared Kushner, who is a senior adviser to the president.

Theresa May's spokesman, James Slack, said the claim that the UK's signals intelligence agency GCHQ helped then-president Barack Obama eavesdrop on Mr Trump was "ridiculous".

"We've made clear to the administration that these claims are ridiculous and they should be ignored and we've received assurances that these allegations will not be repeated," he said.

BCThe statement from Republican Senator Richard Burr, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, dismissed Donald Trump's claim his phones were tapped.

Mr Trump had accused his predecessor Barack Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower during the presidential race.

Mr Burr joins a cadre of lawmakers who have rejected the allegation.

Confide, the secure messaging app reportedly employed by President Donald Trump's aides to speak to each other in secret, promises "military-grade end-to-end encryption" to its users and claims that nobody can intercept and read chats that disappear after they are read.

However, two separate research have raised a red flag about the claims made by the company.

The tour group, including many young children, cheered and screamed as the President popped out from behind a room divider.

Trump called fifth-grader Jack Cornish of Birmingham, Alabama, toward him, gave him a hug, and posed together for a photo. Cornish, 10, appeared to flash an "OK" sign as Trump gripped his shoulders.

"Work hard, everybody, work hard," he said, standing in front of a portrait of former first lady Hillary Clinton.

Trump waved to the group as he walked away.

The request came a day after President Donald Trump alleged, without supporting evidence, that then-President Obama ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump's campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York.

Mr Trump, who has been facing intense scrutiny over alleged Russian interference in support of his presidential bid, made the wire-tapping allegation in tweets written from his weekend home in Florida early on Saturday.

His press secretary said the inquiry into alleged Russian interference should also examine these allegations.

The comments are the most direct the White House has been on the shooting, which killed Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year old employee at GPS company Garmin, and left Alok Madasani, 32, and Ian Grillot, 24, in the hospital.

"As more facts come to light and it begins to look like this was an act of racially motivated hatred," said Sarah Sanders, a White House spokeswoman. "I want to reiterate the President condemns these or any other racially or religiously motivated attacks in the strongest terms. They have no place in our country."

The decision sent a signal across the administration that Trump is furious at leaks from inside the White House. The sources also said the President gave his blessing before Spicer blocked reporters from the briefing last Friday.

When reached by CNN, Spicer denied that Trump was involved in either decision.

"(Trump) did not sign off or even know what I did. That is not accurate," he said, later adding, "I don't believe he even knew there was a gaggle and in no way was it discussed with him or any other staffer."

White House officials had sought the help of the bureau and other agencies investigating the Russia matter to say that the reports were wrong and that there had been no contacts, the officials said. The reports of the contacts were first published by The New York Times and CNN on February 14.