| | | | As advisers cross globe, Trump stays put | | Nearly 100 days into his presidency, President Donald Trump is remaining at home while delegating diplomatic travel to his subordinates, who this week are spreading across the globe to some of the world's most problematic regions.
Vice President Mike Pence, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis are all traveling overseas this week on key diplomatic missions amid heightened global tensions. Despite the miles his administration is putting on military aircraft, Trump himself has yet to travel abroad during his presidency. Even within the United States, his trips have been limited to quick stops within a few hours of Washington. He hasn't slept anywhere aside from his own beds at the White House or Mar-a-Lago since taking office.
Pence's latest foreign trip -- a 10-day slog through South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia that amounts to 53 hours flying aboard Air Force Two -- is his second trip abroad since January. He traveled to Germany and Brussels in March in a carefully monitored bid to reassure continental allies of US commitments to NATO and the European Union. Trump spent the February weekend of Pence's Europe trip in Florida as well, playing rounds of golf at his nearby club.
Trump has told his team he doesn't want lengthy trips abroad to distract from his focus on domestic issues in the United States, according to people who have spoken to him about his travel plans. More from CNN's Kevin Liptak. | | "(They) gotta behave." -- President Donald Trump, when asked whether he has a message for North Korea at the White House Easter Egg Roll. | | | | Watch Melania Trump's left hand: She gave a gentle nudge to her husband, President Donald Trump, when he didn't raise his hand during the national anthem at the White House before starting Easter Egg Roll festivities. | | Gorsuch's first full week: Religious liberty, voter ID laws | | A look ahead: Fresh off a contentious confirmation hearing, Justice Neil Gorsuch takes the bench at the Supreme Court for two weeks of oral arguments that include a significant religious liberty case. It's the first time Gorsuch dons a black robe as a justice, and his presence brings the court back to full strength more than a year after the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
It is a busy week, as the justices will decide whether to add some important cases for next term; they will announce opinions Tuesday and Wednesday and hear arguments for the last scheduled sitting of the term. Last week, the justices held their regular closed-door conference to discuss pending petitions.
One pending petition concerns a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple's wedding reception, citing religious objections. Another case deals with North Carolina's voter ID law that was blocked from going into effect before the last election by the lower courts. Here's more on that from CNN's Ariane de Vogue. | | Melania Trump kicks off 139th annual Easter Egg Roll | | | Eggs were rolling -- nearly 18,000 of them -- Monday at the White House. First lady Melania Trump, hosting the 139th annual White House Easter Egg Roll, kicked off the event alongside President Donald Trump, calling it a "wonderful tradition." It was a bit of a scramble for it to all come together, CNN's Betsy Klein and Kate Bennett report.
Here are my favorite pictures from the event: | | | The Obamas are living their best lives: Former President Barack Obama snapped a photo of former first lady Michelle Obama as she posed on the top deck of a yacht where the couple and celebrity friends spent Friday morning off the island of Mo'orea in the South Pacific. | | 3 things you may have missed today | | | Spicer defends White House's lack of transparency: The President's tax returns and White House visitor logs -- both public information under the previous administration -- will remain private under President Donald Trump, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer. More from CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Immigration arrests rise in first months of Trump administration: The number of undocumented immigrant arrests rose by roughly one-third in the first weeks of the Trump administration, largely driven by an increase in the number of non-criminals arrested. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal authorities made 21,362 arrests from January 20 to March 13 of this year, including 5,441 non-criminals. More from CNN's Tal Kopan.
Hill spending bill unlikely to fulfill Trump promises: Time is ticking on an April 28 deadline when the government will run out of money. Bipartisan negotiators in the House and Senate are narrowing in on a final agreement that would continue to pour government dollars into Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act -- two entities despised by conservatives -- while not providing much, if any, money for Trump's much-touted wall on the border with Mexico. More from CNN's Ted Barrett and Manu Raju. | | | Eric Trump defends his father's frequest trips to the golf course, saying it helps him "build" friendships. ... A prominent member of the neo-Confederate movement endorsed Virginia gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart during a Civil War-era themed "Old South Ball" in early April. ... | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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