Obama Tweets Climate Change, but Can’t Resist NBA Questions

NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama engaged his Twitter followers on Thursday to answer questions on climate change, but it was his tweets about the NBA Finals and a presidential flub that stole the spotlight.

The president opened the Twitter Q&A — using his new Twitter account, @POTUS — by inviting people to ask questions using the hashtag #AskObama.

The first question the president fielded was a softball from @calebmegajew, who asked Obama about handling “climate change deniers.”

Nearly 17,000 questions poured in from people using the #AskObama hashtag, and the president strayed a little from climate change to twice answer questions about the NBA, once about Thursday’s firing of Tom Thibodeau, the now-former head coach of his hometown Chicago Bulls.

The second basketball question that the commander-in-chief answered was about the upcoming NBA Finals.

The president also had a presidential gaffe, drawing a bunch of grief from the Twittersphere in his answer about an emerging trade deal.

Obama should have placed the period (.) prior to the (@) to ensure that his entire following would see the tweet.

While it’s the first time the president has answered questions from his new @POTUS Twitter handle, it’s not the first time he has answered questions on Twitter.

Obama participated in a Twitter town hall in 2011, and conducted Twitter Q&As in August and December of 2012.

After the @POTUS account was launched May 18, Twitter says Obama set the record as its fastest user to amass one million followers. He now has nearly 2.5 million followers 10 days later.

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Former Senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82

Win McNamee/Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 82 years old. Lieberman died in New York City “due to complications from a fall,” his family said in