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Millions of people showed up to protest the new Republican President in one of the largest demonstrations in history and the Democratic Party was barely in sight, NBC News reported.

This weekend's enormous women's marches in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere are the latest signs that the official Democratic Party apparatus, hobbled by a post-election lull that saw it lay off staff and freeze some operations, has so far missed out on opportunities to head the resistance to Donald Trump.

Only one of the seven candidates vying for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, attended a march, while the others participated in a forum held as part of a conference of Democratic mega-donors in Miami.

"Millions of people are coming out to march and protest, and it's not because of the leaders of the Democratic Party," said Dan Cantor, the national director of the progressive Working Families Party, which both endorses Democratic candidates and runs its own candidates on its ticket. "This movement and energy can't ever be run by the leaders of the Democratic Party, as it will also need to be able to hold Democratic elected officials accountable to standing up to Trump."

A red panda has gone missing from her enclosure at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, the zoo announced Tuesday. 

Sunny, a 19-month-old red panda, was last seen in her habitat on Monday evening, but she was nowhere to be found when zoo employees checked for her Tuesday morning.

A thorough search of the zoo on Tuesday turned up no results. 

Zoo employees are hopeful Sunny is still on the zoo grounds, but urge people in the Norfolk area to call the zoo hotline if she is spotted outside. 

They note red pandas are typically not aggressive, but any wild animal's behavior can be erratic. 

In 2013, another red panda went missing from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. 

Rusty, the red panda, was missing for about a week before a resident tweeted an image of him scampering up an incline next to a home in Washington.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 20,000 points soon after it opened Wednesday, the first time it's crossed the milestone, CNBC reports.

Dow futures rose around 100 points overnight, after the index closed at 19,913 — rising after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders — pushing it above 20,000 soon after it opened, an important psychological milestone.

Global shares rose strongly Wednesday, building on Wall Street's overnight rally.

One man was detained following an injury crash in La Mesa Wednesday.

Two vehicles collided at University and Palm avenues at approximately 6:15 a.m. The location is east of Spring Street and south of Interstate 8.

From the scene, it appears a silver Cadillac and a white mini van collided. The van's roof had been removed by emergency personnel.

No word on how many people were inside the vehicles.

No other information was immediately available.

It’s time for tee in San Diego: the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open starts Thursday, bringing the best of the PGA Tour to the links – plus plenty of opportunities for mixing and mingling.

The prestigious PGA Tour golf tournament runs Thursday through Sunday at the scenic Torrey Pines Golf Course. Fans will be able to see their favorite players, including Tiger Woods, who will make his 2017 on the course.

Woods played early Wednesday in the Zurich Pro-Am at Torrey Pines Golf Course. Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner of the event, was also set to tee off Wednesday morning.

Woods has won eight times as a professional playing at the Torrey Pines Golf Course, including his last major championship at the 2008 U.S. Open. He loves the tracks on the San Diego coast and his appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open will certainly be a big draw for spectators.

Woods won the Farmers Insurance Open in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013.

When the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open tees off Thursday, Woods and Mickelson will be joined on the green by several players with ties to San Diego, including Poway High School alum and four-time PGA Tour winner Charley Hoffman, San Diego State University alums J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele, and Torrey Pines High School graduates Michael Kim and Pat Perez.

Spectators can purchase several ticket options for the tourney, depending on which day they want to head to the links and what they want to do when they get there. 

Several party “zones” along the course will offer food, drinks and music.

The Servpro Fan Village, for instance, is located at the convergence of three holes: behind the 15th green, adjacent to the 17th fairway and a few hundred feet from the 18th tee. Farmers Insurance Open organizers call that area the “epicenter” of the action.

That area includes a 30,000-square-foot Michelob ULTRA Zone serving free samples of Michelob ULTRA, plus food offerings.

That’s also where Harrah’s Resort SoCal will host the Post Party Thursday, Friday and Saturday, once the last group has played through the 15th hole. The bash begins around 3:30 p.m. each day and will feature live music, food and Happy Hour drink specials. This area can be accessed by purchasing a Grounds ticket to the tournament.

There’s also a section dubbed The Fringe (on the 15th green), an open-air sports bar where Harrah’s Resort SoCal will offer artisan snacks and a premium drinks. See ticket prices for The Fringe here.

The Surf Club, an open-air venue off the 17th green and overlooking the 18th tee, boasts an outdoor patio where spectators can watch the action. Surf Club tickets can be purchase here.

Meanwhile, between the 7th and 18th fairways, spectators will find The ZTE Grove, an area where fans can recharge their mobile devices and grab a drink in some 21+ sections. The Grey Goose 19th Hole (located on the north side of the par-3 8th green) will serve Grey Goose cocktails, also with breathtaking views. The William Hill Wine Lounge (located on the south side of the 8th) will offer a bevy of wine varietals from William Hill.

The Vantage Point – located near the 1st tee and 18th hole of the South Course also offers some nice rest areas. There’s La Cantina (behind the 1st tee on the South Course, near the Pro Shop) which serves the Torrey Breakfast Burrito (egg, potato, cheddar cheese and fresh salsa), mimosas, margaritas and more.

At The Vantage Point golf fans will also find the practice putting green where they can watch the pros as they prepare to play. There’s also an autograph area where fans can meet their favorite players after the round and the Torrey Pines Golf Shop where fans can buy official swag from the tournament.

For Citi Card members, there’s also a little area on the 14th green called the Citi Card Member Club, which will feature some fun elements, too.

Finally, for small and medium-sized groups, there's The Trophy Club presented by Genesis, an upscale venue with all of the action of the finishing hole of the tournament. This VIP section includes indoor seating and a tiered patio, plus an all-inclusive bar and food.

With food and drink vendors galore, it’s easy to spend an entire day (or the whole weekend, really) at the golf tournament. Check out the Farmers Insurance Open website for tickets, tips for planning your day at the golf course and details on who is serving what as you take in the tourney and those spectacular, unmatched ocean views that make this event a favorite among golf pros and fans alike.

Dissent is on the rise in North Korea and leader Kim Jong Un's "days are numbered," according to the country's highest profile defector to South Korea since 1997, NBC News reported.

Thae Yong Ho, Pyongyang’s former deputy ambassador to the U.K., said information has been seeping into the country, loosening the strict control the government has over residents.

Wednesday was the first time Thae spoke with overseas media outlets, but he has been making media appearances since his defection. He has been giving insight about the poor, authoritarian and nuclear-armed country.

"When Kim Jong Un first came to power I was hopeful that he would make reasonable and rational decisions to save North Korea from poverty," he said. "But I soon fell into despair watching him purging officials for no proper reason."

He said concern about his university-aged children's future was the trigger for his defection.

North Korea is ready to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile "at any time, at any place," according to a senior regime official exclusively told NBC News.

If such a launch was successfully carried out, it would be a major step toward Pyongyang's goal of targeting the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-armed weapon.

The comments were made by Choe Kang Il, deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, and highlight international concerns that the Kim Jong Un regime is more technologically advanced than previously thought.

A new San Jose city councilman held a Captain America shield as he was sworn in on Tuesday night, telling NBC Bay Area that the Marvel Comics character "embodies the ideas of America."

Lan Diep, a Republican legal aid attorney who is the son of refugees, received cheers after he said "I do solemnly swear" when the clerk asked if he would defend his oath of office.

In an interview after the meeting, the proud comic book geek and Houston-born son of Vietnamese refugees said that Captain America stands for the "kinds of things I strive for: equal justice, fair play and democracy."

Diep won a council seat on his second try, after losing in 2015, though the 2016 vote is still being contested. He's been recognized by presidents Barack Obama and George H. W. Bush, after moving to Mississippi to help people affected by the BP oil spill.

Diep was born in Houston to parents who fled Vietnam. He came to San Jose in 1999 and graduated from Independence High School, the University of California, San Diego and the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, according to his campaign website.

Along with his legal work with the Mississippi Center for Justice, Diep has worked as an international broadcaster for Radio Free Asia and the Legal Aid Society in San Jose.

Diep brought the iconic Captain America shield to his swearing-in because "I think it's a symbol of what's positive," he said, "in this darkened political landscape."

While Diep believes "Trump is not a real Republican, and some might say that about me," he said the Captain America stunt was not a specific message to Trump.

"I wasn't trying to protest the president, but it's a reminder of what America aspires to be. In this administration, local government will have more of a role to play in taking care of its citizens," he said. "In that way, realizing that this is the landscape I'm stepping into, I wanted to shine a ray of optimism and levity."

Diep said he wants to wait and see if Trump will actually hold true on many of his campaign promises, like banning Muslims from the U.S. and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, before he passes judgment.

In fact, Diep was out at San Jose's women's march on Saturday. He also attended Obama's farewell address in Chicago this month, according to the Mercury News — Diep was named a White House champion of change in 2011.

Others have found the symbolism of Captain America especially poignant as Trump became a force in American politics.

Vishavijit Singh, a Washington-born Sikh cartoonist, has been dressing as the cartoon character — complete with blue turban — to fight racial stereotypes in the wake of 9/11, according to The Washington Post.

Singh went to Cleveland during the Republican National Convention, dressed in full costume, to continue battling the bigotry that many minority groups have felt with Trump's rise. Singh was also behind the #SendSikhNotetoTrump during the campaign, NBC News reported.

And after Trump was elected president, actor Chris Evans who played the character in the Marvel movies, tweeted, "This is an embarrassing night for America. We've let a hatemonger lead our great nation. We've let a bully set our course. I'm devastated."

Diep told NBC Bay Area he was not directly motivated by either of those causes.

NBC Bay Area's Ian Cull contributed to this report.

Fifteen triathletes from across the U.S. who are blind and visually impaired are participating in the first-ever “No Sight, No Limits” USA Blind Triathlete High Performance Camp. The camp is taking place at the Chula Vista Elite Training Center, formerly the Olympic Training Center.

“The goal of the camp is for each participant to develop specific skills like gaining speed, confidence and precision,” said the camp’s director Amy Dixon.

Dixon, a member of Team USA Paratriathlete, knows the vision issues campers are dealing with and the obstacles they need to overcome.  Dixon has lost 98% of her vision due to a rare type of Uveitis (an inflammatory eye disease).

So how does Dixon think these campers are doing?

“It’s been eye opening, pardon the pun, but I’ve been inspired. The name of the camp is No Sight, No Limits and just because you have vision loss doesn’t mean you can’t do anything you want.“ said Dixon.

Of the fifteen campers, 10 are completely blind, 2 are have partial vision loss and 3 are blind and deaf.

“To see how they communicate with their guides through a type of sign language called Pro-Tactile is amazing. Blind and deaf athletes have to sign on their guides back on the tandem bike, or on their shoulder when swimming. It shows that there are really no barriers for any type of vision impairment,” said Dixon.

The campers range from the ages of 22 to 64, some are training for shorter distance triathlons, while others are training for the Ironman. The athletes come to learn, get better and be motivated.

Blind and deaf triathlete Patrick Vellia said, “The camp is amazing.  There are no boundaries for us, there’s no physical limitation for us, if anyone has limitations, then it’s in your mind.”

Sarah Morrison said, “I just want everyone to know that deaf, blind athletes can run, swim and bike.  We can do anything if we set our mind to it. If you set a goal, you can do it, don’t be scared. There are no limits, especially at this camp.”

Morrison said this camp has inspired her so much that she’s thinking about doing an Ironman Triathlon.

The camp is entirely funded by private donations. All involved say they’d like the “No Sight, No Limits” Triathlete camp become an annual event.

A man wanted in a series of armed bank robberies around San Diego was captured Wednesday in Mission Valley following a short pursuit and chase.

The so-called “Bag Trick Bandit” was arrested in the parking lot of the Mission Valley YMCA before 9 a.m., San Diego police said.

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An officer spotted a U-haul truck and attempted to pull over the driver. The truck drove off, leading police on a pursuit.

“He hit a parked car. He hit the fence. He got out. He attempted to make it to the river bed,” said SDPD Robbery Division Lt. Todd Griffin.

Griffin said a K-9 took the suspect down and held him until officers could put handcuffs on him. The suspect will be treated for a dog bite, Griffin said.

The suspect was dubbed "Bag Trick Bandit" for hiding his hand inside a bag during two of the robberies, as if he was concealing a weapon.

Officials believe the same bandit was responsible for the following robberies:

• December 21 – Bank of America, 2341 Ulric Street, San Diego, CA
• December 21 – US Bank,4195 Genesee Avenue, San Diego, CA
• January 5 – Wells Fargo Bank – 7525 Clairemont Drive, San Diego, CA
• January 8 – US Bank, 3645 Midway Drive, San Diego, CA
• January 22 – US Bank, 2645 Midway Drive, San Diego, CA

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Mall owner Westfield Corp. has signed leases with at least nine new dining-oriented tenants, slated to open in the company’s Westfield UTC in October 2017.

A company statement said the lineup now includes new locations of San Diego-based Arbor and Great Maple, and Orange County-based Javier’s Finest Foods of Mexico. Also signed are coffee purveyor La Colombe, the burger-oriented Shake Shack, Smokeyard BBQ and Chop Shop, The Winery Restaurant La Jolla, True Food Kitchen and Din Tai Fung, specializing in Taiwanese dumplings.

Those will join other dining venues that recently opened or were previously announced at the University Towne Center property, including burger chain Johnny Rockets, Korean eatery Bibigo, and Kazanori Poke & Wraps. Mall operators said several others will be opening later this year.

The incoming eateries are part of a larger $585 million renovation and expansion underway at Westfield UTC, located off La Jolla Village Drive near Interstate 805. Slated for completion in October, the project also includes a new two-level Nordstrom store and more than 250,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space, gardens and plazas, parking facilities, and indoor and outdoor event spaces.

Long-time San Diego radio staple Chris Cantore, whose morning show on KZBT was cancelled this week, posted comments about his future on Instagram the day after his departure from local airwaves.

Tuesday-morning drive-time listeners wondering why they were hearing somebody else DJ'ing FM 949's broadcast instead of the Cantore + Woods show had concerns confirmed on Facebook when Cantore replied to a post with the single word "Fired." Later in the day, Woods posted his employment status at Entercom, the station’s owner, as "left job."

On Wednesday, Cantore upped a video to Instagram saying that he'd been brought to tears after dropping his kids off at school for the first time in years (presumably due to his work schedule) and alluded to this future plans. 

"Got a lot happening, a lot in motion," Cantore said, in part. "All will be revealed. Unfortunately, right now it's in the hands of people who wear suits. And as soon as they figure stuff out: Game on. Until then, I can't say anything else, but, man, I love you and thank you."

Another cryptic comment was tweeted out by the Cantore + Woods account: "While local media chirps, we'll give the real deal soon. Thank you for your patience. We love you, you know that."

The show's cancellation is the most recent change in a string for FM 949. Last year, the station unveiled a redesigned logo and abandoned its long-running "It's about the music" slogan. Entercom counts more than 125 stations under its belt -- including 19 sports-only stations -- which is worth noting because KBZT has also signed up as the new San Diego Padres broadcasting partner.

A day after the news broke, the cause for the programming change is still unknown. For his part, Cantore -- a former SoundDiego contributor -- maintained in comments on Facebook that the show's ratings were solid. On Tuesday, the All Access Music Group trade website published a statement about the situation that it attributed to FM 949 program director Kevin Callahan: "We wish them the best and hope they land on their feet soon. We are looking for a ratings winning morning show and we know there are some killer options both locally and nationally. Applicants can send materials now to SDJobs@Entercom.com." 

The move on Tuesday at FM 949 came in the wake of the departure of another local radio fixture, Michael Halloran, who suddenly left his role at just weeks ago as the program director and DJ.

SoundDiego reached out to FM 949 on Tuesday but has yet to receive a comment.

Mary Tyler Moore, who will forever be known to a generation as the woman who could "turn the world on with her smile," died Wednesday. She was 80.

"Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine," said her longtime representative Mara Buxbaum in a statement. "A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile."

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 29th, 1936, Moore was the star of two widely popular television shows decades apart. She played Laura Petrie, wife of Dick Van Dyke, on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" which ran from 1961-66.  Moore won Emmys in 1964 and 1966 for her work.

Four years later Moore took center stage in the critically acclaimed "Mary Tyler Moore Show" which ran from 1970-77.

Surrounded by an all-star comedy ensemble that included Edward Asner, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Ted Knight and Betty White, the show was a fan favorite and critical success. Moore won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in 1973, 1974 and 1976 for the show, which aired it's final episode in 1977.

Moore was also an acclaimed film actress, appearing in dozens of films and scoring a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the 1981 film "Ordinary People."

Off screen Moore was part of a power couple duo as wife to former NBC CEO and Chairman Grant Tinker. The couple married in 1962 and divorced in 1981. Tinker died in November, 2016.

Diagnosed with diabetes at 33, Moore dedicated much of her life to educating others about the disease. She wrote about her struggles eight years ago in her book, "Growing Up Again: Life, Love, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes."

Just over a month ago, BYU defeated Wyoming 24-21 in the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on December 21, 2016.

Turns out the Cougars and Cowboys are now the answer to a trivia question.

The San Diego Bowl Game Association board of directors voted to eliminate the Poinsettia Bowl and will produce only one post-season college football game in 2017: the Holiday Bowl.

“College football and the bowl game structure has gone through major changes through the years and our board feels the time is right to focus our efforts on one post-season game,” said Mark Neville, executive director of the San Diego Bowl Game Association.

“The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl staged exciting match-ups for more than a decade and we were one of the few cities to host two bowl games.”

The 40th edition of the Holiday Bowl will still take place this coming December in America’s Finest City.

“For now we plan to continue producing the Holiday Bowl and its one-of-a-kind fan experience in Qualcomm Stadium,” continued Neville. “However, Petco Park could one day serve as the ideal home for the Holiday Bowl. It's certainly a tremendous venue with world-class amenities that our fans would enjoy.”

A Padres team representative confirmed Monday with NBC7 that the club is in exploratory discussions to host the Holiday Bowl in the near future.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer also expressed interest in keeping the game in town.

"The Holiday Bowl brings tourism, economic activity and pride to San Diego year after year," said Faluconer in a statement. "Focusing resources on just one event will ensure that the Holiday Bowl remains a top-tier attraction."

"I am excited to have started discussions this week with the Bowl Game Association and the Padres about the possibility of bringing the Holiday Bowl to Petco Park," added Faluconer. "We remain fully committed to supporting this fantastic game."

The San Diego State football team’s agreement to play home games at Qualcomm Stadium ends in 2018 and with the Chargers move to Los Angeles, the future of the 50-year old venue is in doubt.

San Diego State played in the Poinsettia Bowl three times.

The Aztecs won the 2010 game against Navy 35-14 in front of more than 48,000 fans at the Q.

SDSU’s last appearance came in the 2014 matchup, which was also against Navy. The Midshipmen won that meeting 17-16.

HP is recalling about 101,000 laptop batteries due to risk of overheating and causing fires.

The company has expanded the number of recalled batteries to include those shipped with laptops sold between March 2013 and October 2016. A previous battery issue for the same model led to a recall of 40,000 batteries in June 2016.

The defective lithium-ion batteries containing Panasonic cells that are used in HP notebook computers were sold at Best Buy, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club and authorized dealer dealers nationwide and online at www.hp.com. The batteries were also sold separately for between $50 and $90.

It is compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP ENVY, Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion laptop computers. The batteries that are part of the recall start with the codes: 6BZLU, 6CGFK, 6CGFQ, 6CZMB, 6DEMA, 6DEMH, 6DGAL and 6EBVA.

HP recommends that customers with the potentially defective batteries stop using them completely, remove them from the laptop and contact HP for a free replacement battery. Until a replacement battery is received, HP recommends consumers should use the notebook computer by plugging it into AC power only.

There has been one report of the battery overheating, melting and charring, leading to about $1,000 in property damage.

Customers can call HP Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET at 888-202-4320 on line at www.HP.com for more information. 

Days after millions of women marched nationwide to bring attention to women’s issues, the Trump administration and Congress have responded with actions against women's reproductive rights.

On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. House passed H.R. 7, anti-abortion legislation, voting 238-183. The bill proposes to permanently ban women from receiving federal financial assistance for abortions. While the bill does not ban abortions outright, it bans all government subsidies of abortions. This ban reaches beyond Medicaid to include private insurers that cover abortions through plans bought on exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey.

“Pro-life Americans struggle for the day when abortion violence will be replaced by compassion and empathy for women and respect for weak and vulnerable children in the womb,” the Republican congressman said on the House floor. “They believe, as do my pro-life colleagues and I, that we ought to love them both--mother and child--and not fund the destruction of children through abortion.” 

The bill extends the provisions the Hyde Amendment, which excludes abortions from federally funded health care provided to low-income people, primarily through Medicaid. The only exceptions in the Hyde Amendment to permit abortions are rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is endangered. 

Most states have followed this provision, but 17 states still fund abortions for low-income women.

If H.R. 7 is signed into law, no state would be permitted to subsidize them. Furthermore, the law will indirectly stop insurance plans from offering abortion coverage by refusing government subsidies to women to choose plans that include abortion coverage under ACA.

“There is no chance this bill will pass the Senate,” said Matt House, senior aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "It won't gain enough Democratic support."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office said it had no announcement to make about the legislation or when it might be taken up.

Identical versions of H.R. 7 were passed in 2014 and 2015, but never made it through the Senate and would have likely been vetoed by then-President Obama. However, if the bill passes in the Senate, President Trump could be expected to sign the bill into law, having voiced a strong anti-abortion stance on the campaign trail and through the revival of "The Mexico City Policy."

On Monday, President Trump reinstated the policy, which is an executive order blocking foreign aid or federal funding to any international nongovernmental organization that provides abortions. The “gag” order began with President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Since then, incoming Democratic presidents have rescinded the order and incoming Republican presidents have reinstated the order upon taking office. 

H.R. 7 comes on the heels of the Women’s March on Washington, which took place on Jan. 21 and expanded to sister marches in major cities across the country and around the world. A common theme in speeches and seen on signs at the marches was the phrase “my body, my choice,” referencing women’s reproductive health choices. One women's group, New Wave Feminists, was removed from the official sponsorship of the event after voicing anti-abortion views. 

“Decisions about a woman’s health care should be made in her doctor’s office, not on the House floor,” Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement about H.R. 7. “The bill passed by the House is a sweeping assault on women’s health that aims to eliminate abortion coverage for millions, make Hyde and other abortion bans permanent and undermine a woman’s ability to make personal decisions about her own health care.” 

Richards also said that the passage of H.R. 7 would disproportionately affect low-income women and women of color. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 75 percent of abortion patients are poor or low-income women and 59 percent are women of color.

“The House of Representatives’ vote today on H.R. 7 was a vote to punish women who seek abortions on the basis of how much money they earn, where they live, and how they are insured,” Dr. Willie Park, board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. “No woman should be denied the ability to make this personal health decision because she is poor.”

Mar-a-Lago, the Trump organization's Palm Beach resort, has doubled its membership fee to $200,000, CNBC reported.

The increase began on Jan. 1, according to people close to the resort. It had been considering raising the price for some time, they said. Members have access to a beach club, pools, restaurant, tennis courts, and more, as well as the possibility of mingling with President Donald Trump.

The fee hike drew criticism from many, including Barack Obama’s former ethics lawyer.

While there’s no way of knowing whether membership demand has increased, the initiation fee remained at $100,000 from 2012 until January. Members pay $14,000 per year in annual dues on top of their initiation fee.