kate bennett was in the room. of course she follows all things melania trump for us. g in the public eye. did she say anything, speak up at the event? what were your initial impressions? >> she looked well, brooke. she seemed much herself wearing her coat dress and high heels as she does. she did not say anything. she sat quietly, nodded along as listened as the president spoke to member of h cabinet at that fema briefing. we didn't hear from her personally. i did see her later, though, in a room in fema when the president and first lady and vice president mike pence came down to thank fema workers, she did sort of work the room, shake hands, make eye contact, stuff that she's done before at public events. it's not unusual for her not to necessarily speak. we've seen her at these hurricane recovery briefings last year after the hurricanes sitting mostly quietly by the president's side as a briefing is received. so not unusual but have i to say she looked well and seemed very much like her old self. there was no resort of outward appearance that she'd been ill or anythi

kate bennett, you have covered fashion for a long time. >> wolf, everyone remembers their first katede. if you remember the '90s. her line launched in 1993. prior to that she was an accessories editor. i think she w one of the accessible timeless labels that everyone had to have. and her rise was similar with her name. she also did her line with her husband andy spade. he had a line jack spade. my grandmother gave me my first kate spade bag in college. i still have it. and ivanka trump tweeted something. kate spade's tragic passing is a reminder we never know a person's pain or burden. if you are contemplating suicide, seek help. she retweeted the suicide hotline. kate spade sold her line in 2006. she hadn't been involved in the day-to-day business for ten years as it expanded. she and herunched a new line in 2016. so trying to launch that and build something as big as kate spade was difficult in the fashion industry. a huge loss. creative and quirky lovely woman. big loss. >> terrific, terrific talent. a huge loss. 55 years old. we'll be right back. >>> this coming in to cnn, u.s. s

one of them is kate bennett. we have her on the phone. in motion with the first lady so let's get right to her. kate, what are you seeing and hearing and what is the latest? >> we just arrived i pouring rain inside texas. we're heading to a facility that houses children. some of them are tender age, ages 5 to 17 here. the first lady is expected to get a roundtable discussion together with experts -- i'm sorry, i'm walking and talking -- and then she will tour the facility and perhaps connect with some of these children. she wanted to see firsthand. her spokeswoman told us that this was 100% her decision, that she told the president, i'm heading to texas, and he said he supports it. this was a decision she made two days ago before the executive order was signed. >> and kate, what does it tell you that -- i said the word surprise -- the better word is unannounced. what does it tell you that a first lady who is media shy made the point of bringing you and bringing cameras to capture this in mcallen, texas? in fact, we're looking at new image

cnn white house reporter kate bennett joins me now. read the statement very carefully and i know you've been in communication with the first lady's office about this. you say she's not actually breaking with the president here, though. she's criticizing both sides? >> i think as usual with this first lady, she's the more compassionate voice of the administration. she says things with more, i guess, heart or tone that is a little more -- a bit softer, but she does say in that statement that she's waiting for, she thinks, both sides of the aisle need to come together and pass immigration reform. so what she's also saying is this is a political issue, she hates to see it, we need to govern with heart, however, she also sort of echoes the president here in saying that this is a partisan issue. >> both sides share the blame. >> even though this say discretionary policy the president started and could end with a phone call. >> exactly.i do think that, you people are, like, can't she tell her husband, you know, she needs to, you know, weigh in

a statement was issued in response to a question from our white house reporter kate bennett from the press secretary to the current first lady, melania trump, and it says this. quote, mrs. trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart, closed quote. gloria is still with us along with our white house reporter kate bennett who got that statement from the first lady. gloria, what do you make, first of all, of the statement from the current first lady? >> well, i'm glad kate asked the question of the first lady's office, and i think the fact that there actually was a response in and of itself is important. and that the first lady came out and effectively said -- she wasn't taking on her husband, i don't think so, but she effectively said this has to stop. which is, you know, getting in there in policy because she cares about children. that's one of her issues. >> it's so heartbreaking to

joining us live from washington, cnn white house reporter kate bennett. e did the first lady say by way of the spokesperson? >> it was her communications director stephanie grisham who did give cnn a comment today. "mrs. trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. she believes we need to be a country that follows all laws but also a country that governs with heart." so like you said, it doesn't deviate too much from what the president himself is saying. she's clearly noting that this is a partisan is this both sides of the aisle. however, she does tend to be the more compassionate voice of this administration, and it is unusual for her to weigh in on policy issue. she certainly doesn't have to. however, having made helping children and her be best policy the real essence and crux of her first lady platform, it seems appropriate that she does at least say something. this is why we reached out to her. and this is the response via her office. >>

kate bennett at the white house, thank you.- it's father's day, kamau bell is spending time with his dad. how has the south change since he left 30 years ago. "united shades of america" preview next. with t-mobile, the whole family can stay connected with new iphones. which is great, unless your parents thought you were studying. aren't exams this week? somebody's busted. right now, at t-mobile, buy an iphone 8, get an iphone 8 on us. all on america's best unlimited network. only at t-mobile. a trip back to the dthe doctor's office, mean just for a shot. but why go back there, when you can stay home with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. neulasta helps reduce infection risk by boosting your white blood cell count, which strengthens your immune system. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy.

kate bennett is traveling with the first lady in texas right now.k us through how this all unfolded and what's happening right now. >> reporter: well, wolf, it unfolded very quickly. this was a plan the first lady's office started less than two days ago when she decided she wanted to go to texas, and in fact, used the words, i'm heading to texas, is what she told staff and the president. very quickly it came together. she didn't want to make a big deal of it beforehand. however, we are here on the ground. she is visiting a child -- a children's facility here, and she is -- these are children, wolf, where there are 10% of these 55 or so children housed here are indeed part of the, we're told, separated children that were separated from their parents. majority of them are unaccompanied minors who have come over the border either by themselves or via other family members or many -- smugglers -- >> i think we just lost kate. we're going to try to reconnect with her. kate bennett, our white house reporter, is traveling with the first lady in texas right

we have more from cnn's kate benne bennett. >> reporter: making a surprise trip to the border visiting a facility that cares for kids that have been separated from families. this is the decision the first lady made two days ago. her communications director told us and the president and staff that she wanted to go see what was happening in person. she was affected by the images she was seeing on television and audio. she has been engaged in the process before the president signed the executive order. now she did head to the facility that shelters kids between ages of 12 and 17. there were 55 children at this particular location. a percentage had been separated from parents at the border. >> we all know they are here without their families. i want to thank you for your kind work and compassion and your kindness you are giving them in this difficult time. i also would like to ask you how i can help to these children to reunite with families. as quickly as possible. >> reporter: she asked a lot of questions of how they were cared for and the process and whether they speak on the phone to t

. >>> let's bring in our white house reporter kate bennett. kate traveled with the first lady to texas. she's back at the white house right now. what are you learning about all of this, kate? >> reporter: clearly, the jacket has become a thing we're talking about. we watched the first lady return to the white house and go to the oval office. clearly, this wasn't a jacket she wore on the ground. she wore it on the way to texas, walking up to the plane and then we were surprised to see it again on the way back. of course, during the flight home was when all the controversy came up. this $39 jacket with this writing on the back. i think if any first lady had worn a jacket with a statement like that, be it michelle obama or laura bush or anyone, there would be questions, clearly, it's messaging. this is the first lady who is, in my opinion, used her fashion sense to reflect purpose. whether that's traveling to another country and mirroring that country's cull ture or the white pantsuit and white hat that many interpreted as beyonce. these are choic

. >> our white house reporter kate bennett is here to discuss the president's comments.t was a big operation. >> right. using the word operation is something that's new. we were told it was a procedure, not even to sort of use the word surgery. we were sticking to the record there. but apparently he sort of spilled the beans today by saying the length of the operation, which was almost four hours. it sort of lines up now a little bit more with how many nights she spent in the hospital with how much down time she did have those three weeks. it does make a bit more sense, certainly, but i don't think her office or the first lady herself, she's very private, i don't think she wanted those details perhaps made public. >> a procedure on her kidney. what does the first lady's office say? >> the statement the president said was correct, what they put out was correct. it was an embolization procedure. it was successful so they're certainly not pushing back on what the president said. i think he just revealed more details to the breadth and scope of what this procedure was. the f

thank you for that good reporting from kate bennett. still ahead, new questions after the president's attorneys reveal he dictated the statement his son issued kbt meeting at trump tower with russians during the campaign. >>> and kim jong-un suddenly purges three of the top generals. what doehat meanor the upcoming summit next week? liberty mutual saved us almost $800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. with liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey! oh, that's my robe. is it? when you switch to liberty mutual, you could save $782 on auto and home insurance. and still get great coverage for you and your family. call for a free quote today. you could save $782 when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance. ♪now i'm gonna te my mma ♪that i'm a traveller ♪i'm gonna follow the sun♪ ♪now i'm gonna tell my momma transitions™ light under control™ visit your local visionworks to ask about transitions™ brand lenses visit your local visionworks ♪ south l.a. is very medically underserved. when the o

let's talk about this with chris cillizza, editor at large, and kate bennett, cnn white house reporterod evening. >> hi, don. >> hey, don. >> i'm perplexed and torn. i'll explain later. you travel with the first lady today, kate. she was trying to highlight the good work the shelter is doing for immigrant children. her choice of jacket got the attention. we showed the pictures as she boarded the plane. plainly visible on the back was "i really don't care. do u?" of all the jackets she owns, why this one? >> it's perplexing, don. i will agree with you. i'm not sure. i follow the first lady closely. i cover her, i have for over a year. i often talk about her fashion choices which many pay homage to the countries she's visiting or are very well thought out in terms of what she's wearing. she's a former fashion model. she understands fashion. i don't get it. the work we saw today, the shelter, the kids she interacted with, her determination behind the scenes to make this trip happen in less than 48 hours, all of those things to me are paramount to what she wore. however, i can't really exp

. >> kate bennett is reporting that this is not an ask for permission type of situation. melania trump informed that she was going to the border and see the facility where these migrant children were being held and the president was supportive of her decision. she visited three different classrooms and spoke with the childr who a being held there. asked a lot of questions of the workers who are staffing the facility, including how she could help the reunification process, children and their families. this coming as the white house is still not being clear on how exactly they plan to reunite the roughly 2,300 children who have already been separated from their families at the border. >> in listening to what we heard, she was talking to the people at this facility. obviously, this is a carefully choreographed visit, everything is fine. the children are smiling, nuthing nut nothing to see here. but the perspective as we watch her walk through this facility, this is a crisis of the administration's own making. >> that's absolutely correct. president trump continuing to deflec

our kate bennett live in washington with the very latest on this. we're wondering where she was, kate. >> reporter: everyone was wondering. 24 days is a long time. yesterday's event wouldn't be such a big deal, it's something very normal for a first lady to attend but when we hadn't seen her, all eyes were on her. even the president joked about the where's melania memes that had popped up on the internet and he said, they're even jokes that did she leave him, did she leave him and she's right here in the front row as an walkward moment considering the setting and gold star families, however this is certainly something that the white house is saying the media has added fuel to the fire, certainly i spoke to melania trump's spokesperson stephanie grisham yesterday and she told me in a statement, mrs. trump has always been a strong and independent woman who puts her family and certainly her health above all else and that won't change over a rabid press corps. she's confident in who she is, what she is doing and in her role and knows the rest is just spe

. >> kate bennett, over to you. we're about the same age. i remember when my mom bought me my first kate spade bag. i treated it like a piece of art with the white kate spade label on the outside. it breaks my heart to to think of leaving behind this 13-year-old daughter. >> it's such a sad story. i think we all remember our first kate spade and the term kate spade became a thing. can i borrow your kate spade? are you going to bring your kate spade? it very much became an embodied her brand and who she was, as cindy was saying. even chelsea clinton today tweeted saying "i remember my first kate spade, my grandmother got it for me" when she was in college. and if you know someone struggling with depression, speak up, say something. kay spade just launched a new line called francis valentine, was trying to find footing in the fashion industry, using her creativity and brilliance to mount that climb to the top of the fashion pile. and clearly her legacy is so much that kate spade label you and i just talked about. >> what about kate spade the wo

kate bennett, our white house reporter traveled with the first lady to texas today. joining us on the phone right now. kate, update us on the latest information you are getting and also interest clearly in the jacket she was wearing and what it said. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. we literally just touched back here in washington with the first lady. certainly, a lot of the focus has been on the jacket and why she was wearing it. we observed her getting on the plane earlier this morning. we could not read the writing on it because of where we were positioned under the wing of the plane, too far away. as the story broke, as we were flying back, it is extremely curious. she was not wearing the jacket when she exited the plane in texas nor wear it to the facility to visit the children or back up on the plane. so i'm not sure the reasoning behind that. certainly she is not one who's worn messaging before blatantly on the clothes which is a questionable incident and the spokeswoman saying this is not something to focus on. focus on her good work. not about a jacket. howe

kate bennett traveled with the first lady, she's "outfront." >> i'm here to learn about your facilityow i can help. >> reporter: the first lady on the southern border today to see firsthand the reality behind her husband's zero tolerance border policy. but it wasn't what she said that created a stir. it was what she wore. this jacket with the words "i don't really care do you" on the back as she left for texas, again when she got home. the first lady's communications director stephanie grisham said, it's a jacket, there was no hidden message. while in texas, she lost the jacket and visited a children's holding center. >> when the children come here, what kind of stage, you know, physical and mental stage they come here? >> usually when they get here, they're very distraught in the sense they don't know where they're at -- >> reporter: she sat down with kids separated from their parents after being captured trying to illegally cross into the u.s. >> how many times they speak with their relatives or families per week, for example? >> well, the children are allowed to communicate with th

>> our colleague kate bennett reported melania trump remains at the white house.irits, continuing to take meetings related to her be best campaign and other issues she's been working on, but it has been interesting that the white house has been really reluctant to shed any light on her medical condition after she did spend nearly a week in the hospital for what should have been a routine procedure based on the information that was provided publicly. other members of the first family went to camp david this weekend, donald trump jr., daughters ivanka and tiffany joined the president there, melania trump notably absent. the white house said, though, she is still feeling great, relaxing at home in the white house with baron. >> quickly, why not end all the speculation and make an appearance? >> well, i mean, the white house has been pretty open about this and they are trying to -- not open, but they've been branding all the speculation about this as quote, unquote, conspiracy theories regarding first lady melania trump, but to be a little fair to her and her office f

herself from her own husband's policy and really starting to -- aw from reporting from, you know, kate bennetteally step up in a way we haven't seen first ladies do before. it is important that more and more republicans speak out on this. they'll have an important conference meeting tomorrow. i've been in a lot of those meetings in the basement, we'll see republicans actually, hopefully, confront the president on this for first time. they have been reluctant as we know to confront him publicly. we'll see if they do so privately. >> maria, i've seen your public comments on this. i know you abhor the policies you see. do you believe those republican voices, they're not a huge number, but certainly more than we have seen on past issues, disagreements with the president, do you believe they will move this president on this policy? >> well, that's the question, i think, jim, because it doesn't seem like this president is moved by much. but, yes, let's leave aside that this is abhorrent, that i believe in many, i think including my friend doug heye, believe this is completely immoral as a mother and

wolf, we're told by our kate bennett who spoke with stephanie gresham, a spokesperson for the first lady, that the first lady wants to continue to check on the well being of those children being held in detention and that that visit is to happen later on this week. the president is voigs h-- is v frustration with harley-davidson and their decision to move production overseas as europe is retaliated, the president tweeted a warning to the company, if they move, watch it. it will be the beginning of the end for harley-davidson after so many bikers supported mr. trump during the election, it is surprising to hear him tell a big part of his base and it is his way o-- or the highway. wolf. >> let's bring in justice reporter laura jarrett. take us inside of this travel ban decision. how were the justices -- justices divided and why? >> this entire case boils down to how broadly do you view executive power. and for five justices, the fact that the executive order on its face is neutral and doesn't mention religion took the day. and so they didn't care one bit about what trump said on the campai

0wen bennett, deputy political editor at huffpostuk and the journalist and broadcaster penny smith. in a few minutes' time viewers on bbc one willjoin us for a summary of the day's news with katerime minister says she's disappointed after one of her own mps blocked plans to make upskirting a criminal offence. the new law would have seen offenders who secretly take photos up victim's clothes sentenced to up to two years in jail. but tory mp sir christopher chope was able to block the legislation by shouting "object". 0ur politcal correspondent iain watson reports. i was at a festival with my sister on a blistering hot day, waiting for my favourite band to come on stage and two guys took pictures up my skirt. gina martin was a victim of upskirting, the practice of secretly taking pictures under someone's clothes. a liberal democrat mp wanted to make it a criminal offence in england and wales, with offenders being jailed for up to two years. it's already outlawed in scotland but yesterday in parliament, this happened. 0bject! objection taken, secretary. conservative mp sir christopher chope uttered that one word, object, and under parliamentary procedure, the proposed law was hal