why the washington hilton? how many people are attending? how do you pull this off? julie: we chose the washington hilton specifically because they can accommodate over 600 for dinner. they can accommodate the pre-parties. they are private. and they have a holding room for the president in the bunker. i think that gives everybody a comfort level. host: this is the single biggest event they do every year? >> other than the prayer breakfast which is different seating. let's talk about the significance of this year. president trump is not in attendance. why? george: it is not unprecedented for a president not to calm. -- come. most recentlyses -- ronald reagan did not come in 1981. he had a good excuse, he was shot. he called them from camp david. host: he basically said when the secret service get in the car, listen to them. george: it was funny. disliked thereally dinner and skipped two of his. unlike other presidents who have skipped it, didn't send the vice president or the first lady. he wanted the press to suffer. in his diary, he talked about, they want me to com

at the700 people washington hilton. how did that all come together with the headliner? mr. mason: it is a big production, again, to get that many people in the room and you have the entertainment plans, and i certainly had a lot of support for that. it is a privilege and also a lot of work as president of the correspondents association to be in charge of that. headliner, i was looking for someone who would not roast the president in absentia, and i thought i found someone who could do that very well. tot: you also said you want look for highlighting the amendment -- first amendment. how will you do that? mr. mason: we will have a banner on this stage. we will have it in our video production and talking about it in our remarks. it will be mentioned, as well, that am very happy to say some will be there, who's worked for the washington post is a shining example of good journalism and the protections provided by the first amendment. host: presumably, at least three with president trump. how does the association move ahead in subsequent years? is a good that question, and that

when he was at the washington hilton hotel, we were talking back to the armored car.resident, looked back at the crowd, and at that point, john hinckley pushed himself forward and fired six rounds in about 1.4 seconds. [ gunfire ] >> the fifth round ricocheted off the car and hit the president under the left armpit. four people were shot in the assassination attempt. jim brady was shot literally between the eyes. a district of columbia policeman was hit in the back of the neck. i attempted to cover the president by making my body as large as i possibly could. i was shot in my right chest, but i clutched my abdomen because that's where the pain was. >> a secret service guy threw him in the back of the car and jumped on top of him and reagan was in bad pain. hi thought reagan had not been shot but he had cracked a rib. >> moments later, they saw frothy blood coming out of the president's mouth and redirected the motorcade to the hospital. >> many people thought reagan was going to die. >> there was this terrible sense of, i've been through this bmpl. i was in college wh

i was part of the presidential detail, protecting president reagan when he was at the washington hiltond we were walking back to the armor car. i looked back at the president and looked back at the crowd. at that point, john hinckley pushed himself forward and fired six round in about 1.4 seconds. >> oh my god. the fifth round ricochet offted the car and hit the president. four people were shot in the assassination attempt. jim brady was shot in between the eyes. >> the district of columbia policeman was hit in the back of the neck. i was attempted to cover the president by making my body as large as i could. i was shot in the right chest. the president was shot under the left armpit. >> this secret service guy, i threw him on the back of the car and jumped on top of him. reagan was in real pain. in fact, when the super service guy jumped on him, it cracked a rib. >> moements later, they awsaw bd coming out of reagan's mouth. >> there was a terrible sense of i have been through this before. >> i was in college when jfk was assassinated and the idea in this country, it is happening again

why the washington hilton? how many people are in attendance? and how do you pull this off? guest: we use the washington hilton specifically because they can accommodate over 2,600 in the room for dinner. they can accommodate the preparties. we have had up to 22 preparties that are private. and they have a holding room for the president. and the bunker. and i think that gives everybody a comfort level. host: the logistics for the hotel itself. this is the single biggest event they do every year, correct? guest: other than the prayer breakfast which is different seating. yes. host: george, talk about the significance of this year and this dinner. prum is not in attendance. why? guest: it's not unprecedented for a president not to come. we have had cases most recently ronald reagan didn't come in 1981, but had he a good excuse. he had been shot. but he called in from camp david. he was a presence at the dinner. host: had he a line -- he basically said when the secret service said get in the car, listen to them. guest: it was a funny call. and before that, jimmy carter really d

host: 2700 people at the washington hilton. how did that all come together with the headliner? mr. mason: it is a big production, again, to get that many people in the room and you have the entertainment plans, and i certainly had a lot of support for that. it is a privilege and also a lot of work as president of the correspondents association to be in charge of that. looking for a headliner, i was looking for someone who would not roast the president in absentia, and i thought i found someone who could do that very well. host: you also said you want to look for highlighting the amendment -- first amendment. how will you do that? mr. mason: we will have a banner on this stage. we will have it in our video production and talking about it in our remarks. it will be mentioned, as well, and i am very happy to say that some will be there, who's worked for the washington post is a shining example of good journalism and the protections provided by the first amendment. host: presumably, at least three more dinners with president trump. how does the association move ahead in subsequent year

people inside the washington hilton. how to come together, and explain how you are able to book the headliner. "it's a big production to get that many people in the room, to have the entertainment planned. there was lots of support for that. it is a privilege and also a lot of work. i was can for headliner, somebody who could bring us that entertainment value to the dinner. i want people to come and enjoy themselves, having a bit of comedy has become a part of the dinner. that said i was looking for somebody who was not going to roast the president. think with the person from the daily show, i found somebody who will do that very well. >> you also want to focus on the first amendment. how will you do that? a few different things. they will make a big banner on the stage. we will talk about it in our video production. we will talk about it in our remarks on the stage. it sure hassan will no doubt mention it as well. i'm happy to say, bob woodward and carl -- will be there. there worked with the washington post during the

>> we use the washington hilton specifically because they can accommodate over 2,600 in the room for dinner. they can accommodate the preparties. we have had up to 22 pre-parties that are private. they have a holding room for the president and the bunker and i think that gives everybody a comfort level. >> and the logistics for the hotel. >> the prayer breakfast is different seating, yes. >> let's talk about the significant of this year and this dinner. president trump is not in attendance, why? >> well, it's not unprecedented far president not to come. we have had cases most recently ronald reagan had been shot. he called in from camp saifd! in fact he basically said when they say get in the car -- >> and before that jimmy carter really disliked the press and he skaped two of thiz. unlike others who have skipped it, he wanted the press to suffer. in his diary he talked about they want me to come and perform for my supper. i'm not going to do that. they joe di pow ell to make jokes aimed at the press. he came again and was a little more accommodating. what's unprecedented is a staff

as we speak, a large crowd is beginning arrivals at the washington hilton for what's usually a chance to see a u.s. president actually play nice with those people who cover him every day. no secret by now this president has a very different relationship with the press. this dinner one that was cemented back in 2011 when he was the main target of not only president obama but also the memorable lines from comedian seth meyers. >> donald trump has been saying he will run for president as a republican which is surprising since i just assumed he was running as a joke. gary busey said donald trump would make a great president. of course he said the same thing about an old rusty birdcage he found. donald trump often appears on fox which is ironic because fox often appears on donald trump's head. donald trump said he has a great relationship with the blacks. though unless the blacks are a family of white people, i bet he's mistaken. >> oh, the memories. that's a little context for why donald trump may not be there tonight. why did he choose harrisburg, pennsylvania over washington, d.c.? the

why the washington hilton? how many people are attending? how do you pull this off? julie: we chose the washington hilton specifically because they can accommodate over 600 for dinner. they can accommodate the

guest: we use the washington hilton specifically because it can accommodate over 2600 in the room for dinner. it can accommodate the crew parties. -- it cannot come to the pre-parties.

mccaffery, thank you to all of you. >> thank you. >>> let's check out the red carpet at the washington hiltong over there, mr. clemmons, yes? >> hoping, yes. >> there's where the white house cor correspondents' dinner will be arriving later tonight. you can see a few people arriving for the pre-parties. a few hot-button issues during president trump's first 100 days has been immigration, after a series of failed policy initiatives, where does the president go next? it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement™, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. at planters, we put fresh roawhich has its drawbacks.an, guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters. dearthere's no o

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradeuded his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. thanks forjoining us. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: in colombia, hundreds of rescue workers and troops are continuing to dig for survivors of landslides that have killed more than 200 people — including dozens of children. australia's four year long inquiry into sexual abuse by catholic priests draws to a close. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the financial times, which has president trump warning china that the us could take unilateral action against north korea over the nuclear threat. that's ahead of his first meeting with the chinese president xi jingping, when they meet this week for the first time in florida. perhaps unsurprisingly, the japan times has a

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm tom donkin. the latest headlines: the bbc sees evidence of so—called islamic state appearing to use children as human shields in the battle for mosul. president trump has said the united states would be prepared to tackle the growing nuclear threat from north korea with or without help from china. gordon chang is a china analyst and the author of ‘nuclear showdown: north korea takes on the world' joins me now from newjersey. tributes have been paid to the british civil rights campaigner darcus howe — who has died at the age of seventy four. the writer and broadcaster campaigned for black rights and against racism for more than 50 years. our correspondent elaine dunkley looks back at his life. in the fight against police brutali

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm tom donkin. the latest headlines: the bbc sees evidence of so—called islamic state appearing to use children as human shields in the battle for mosul. president trump has said the united states would be prepared to tackle the growing nuclear threat from north korea with or without help from china. a regional newspaper in mexico says violence against journalists and the lack of punishment for those responsible is forcing it to close down. norte de ciudad juarez said sunday's edition would be its last after a journalist who worked for the paper was shot dead last month. greg dawson reports. the final headline was a simple one — "goodbye." above the door of the norte newspapaer building, a black ribbon to mark the murder that

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradede included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc world news. i'm chris rogers. a reminder of our top story: rescue teams in colombia are continuing to search for survivors after devastating mudslides. 254 people are known to have died. 43 of them children. more now on our top story. our correspondent will grantjoins us on the line from bogota. willa moving address from the president of columbia, and no doubt a country reeling in shock at the death toll from this mudslide, and the devastation it is called —— it has caused. —— colombia. the devastation it is called —— it has caused. -- colombia. that is right. juan manuel santos tried to speak to the country in grief, but try to offer hope. he said that they would lift mocoa up. he spoke specifically to those who had lost loved ones, and assisted that rec

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. welcome back the newsday on the bbc. yes, thanks forjoining us. let's bring you up—to—date with the headlines: that russia is in mourning after an explosion on a metro train station in st petersburg kills 11 people and injures dozens more. president putin has laid flowers at a makeshift shrine to the victims. the russian prime minister said the blast is a terrorist act. and one of the most read stories on bbc .com: the exciting discovery of the remains of an asian pyramid in egypt just south of the capital cairo, believed to have been built 3700 years ago — it is hoped excavation work will reveal more and establish the size of the pyramid. well, let's take a look at the front pages from around the world and we start with the singapore's straits times as it covers the s

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradet. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: russia is in mourning after an explosion on a metro train in st petersburg kills 11 people and injures dozens more as authorities say it is a terrorist attack. after a devastating landslide, colombian authorities bury the dead, and bring in emergency water supplies, as they race to avoid the spread of disease. and one of the most read stories on bbc.com, this exciting discovery of the remains of an ancient pyramid in egypt, just south of the capital cairo. it's believed to have been built 3,700 years ago. it's hoped excavation work will reveal more and establish the size of the pyramid. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. let's start with the straits times, in singa

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trades assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc world news. i'm ben bland. the latest headlines: president putin has laid flowers near the scene of the st petersburg metro blast which killed 11 people. the authorities say it was a terrorist attack. families are beginning to bury their dead, but hundreds of people in colombia are still missing. authorities have declared a national emergency following the devastating mudslides. a senior saudi general has defended his country's actions in the brutal conflict in yemen. major—general ahmed al—asiri told the bbc that lessons had been learned, where civilian casualties had been inflicted. the fighting in yemen has claimed more than 10,000 lives and displaced more than 3 million people. in march 2015 a saudi—led coalition, supported by the us and the uk, intervened against

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradeant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: the us has accused syria's president of brutal, unabashed barbarism after an apparent chemical attack left at least 58 people dead. one of the worst atrocities of the syrian war has sparked global condemnation, the un is set to stage emergency talks. the suspected gas attack in syria has dominated many of the front pages from around the world. it was described as among the worst in the country's six—year civil war. the gulf news leads with that story — which will be discussed in an emergency session of the un security council on wednesday. it runs a picture of a child being treated by doctors at a makeshift hospital — with the headline, gassed to death. the japan times reports on the gove

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradeutside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. welcome back to newsday on the bbc. i mariko welcome back to newsday on the bbc. imariko oi welcome back to newsday on the bbc. i mariko oi in singapore. thank you very much werejoining i mariko oi in singapore. thank you very much were joining us. underbidder at xiaomi in london. —— the assad regime has been accused of barbarism after dozens of people we re barbarism after dozens of people were killed in a suspected gas attack on a rebel—held town. —— babita sharma. tributes are late to the 14 babita sharma. tributes are late to the 1a people killed in monday's bomb attack in st petersburg. this suspected gas attack in syria has dominated many of the front pages from around the world. it was described as amongst the worst in the country's six—year war. the golf

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradeside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm tom donkin. the latest headlines: bad weather is hampering search and rescue efforts in colombia, where more than 250 people have been killed in a landslide. the supreme court in venezuela has reversed its decision to strip the opposition—led congress of its powers. that's following a surprise intervention by president nicolas maduro. officials in australia are warning that swollen rivers are still threatening tens of thousands of people in queensland and new south wales, as emergency workers battle to restore water and electricity supplies to parts of the region. the floods come in the aftermath of tropical cyclone debbie. earlier i spoke with greg christensen, the mayor of the scenic rim region in southern queensland. he's just returned from

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he'd been addressing a trade unionde included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. the latest headlines: the president of the european council, donald tusk, has warned of tough talks ahead, as britain and the european union start two years of brexit negotiations. a senior aide of venezuelan president nicolas maduro has broken ranks with him to condemn a widely criticised supreme court ruling that stripped the opposition—led congress of its powers. in south africa, there's growing criticism of president zuma from within his own party, after a reshuffle in which he removed some key figures from government. there's been particular anger and protests held in the street over his decision to sack the widely—respected finance minister pravin gordhan, who's clashed with mr zuma over the economy. 0ur correspondent milton n

why the washington hilton? how may people are in attendance? how did you pull this off? guest: we used of the hilton specifically because they can accommodate these people. they can accommodate the pre-parties. they have holding room for the president. that gives everybody a comfort level. this is the same event they do every year, right? guest: except for the prayer meeting. host: president trump is not in attendance, why? guest: it is not unprecedented for president not to come. ronald reagan did not come. he had a good excuse. he had been shot. he called in. it was a funny call. before that, jimmy carter really disliked the press he skipped two of his. unlike other presidents who he wanted theit, press to suffer. they want me to come and perform or my supper, i'm not going to do that. he said his press secretary. and was aain in 1980 little more accommodating. it was not pretty. what is unprecedented about this year's dinner is the staff boycotting it that has never happened. i find that troubling because the dinner started in 1921 to honor the press, to take care of

guest: we use the washington hilton specifically because it can accommodate over 2600 in the room for dinner. it can accommodate the crew parties. -- it cannot come to the pre-parties. and they have a holding room for the president. gives people at comfort level. host: the logistics of the hotel itself --this is what they do every year, correct? guest: other than the prayer breakfast, which is different seating. condon, let's talk about the significance of this year. president trump is not in attendance. why? guest: it is not unprecedented for a president not to come did we have had cases most recently, ronald reagan did not come in 1981, but he had a pretty good excuse. he had been shot. but he called them from cam davis. he basically said, when the secret service and get in the car, listen to them. guest: exactly, exactly. it was a funny call. reallythat, jimmy carter disliked the press and the dinner, and he skipped two of his. thate other presidents skipped it, did not send the vice president or first lady, he one of the press to suffer. hehis diary, he talks about, wants me to co

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he'd been addressing a trade unions assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: violence has broken out in the paraguayan capital, asuncion, after senators backed a bill to amend the constitution to allow president horacio cartes to stand for a second term. a senior aide of venezuelan president nicolas maduro has broken ranks with him to condemn a widely criticised supreme court ruling that stripped the opposition—led congress of its powers. the authorities in hungary are ready to start transferring asylum seekers to container camps on the border with serbia. the prospect of being held there has already put off some migrants and refugees from transiting the country — the camps have also attracted criticism and could be delayed by rulings in the european court of human rights. our correspondent nick thor

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he'd been addressing a trade unionluded his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. our main headline: violence has broken out in the paraguayan capital, asuncion, after senators backed a bill to amend the constitution to allow president horacio cartes to stand for a second term. there will be tough and sometimes even confrontational talks ahead for britain and the eu, as they try to negotiate the terms for brexit. that's the warning from the president of the european council, who says there's just no way around it. the chiefs of eu institutions are usually little known outside the brussels bubble. but brexit has changed all that. this is my first divorce... donald tusk, president of the european council, today presented the draft brexit guidelines. the mood music — polite but steely. the talks, which are about to start,

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a tradeed his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm in singapore. yes, welcome. iam babita yes, welcome. i am babita sharma yes, welcome. iam babita sharma in london. our top stories: in colombia, hundreds of rescue workers and troops are continuing to dig for survivors of a landslide that's obliterated parts of the city of mocoa and killed over 200 people. 20 people have been murdered and others wounded at a sufi shrine in pakistan's punjab province. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the financial times, which has president trump warning china that the us could take unilateral action against north korea over the nuclear threat. that's ahead of his first meeting with the chinese president xi jingping — when they meet this week for the first time in florid

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc world news. the red cross has 200 people are now known to have died in a mud slide in southern colombia. the supreme court in venezuela has reversed its decision to strip the opposition—led congress of its powers, following a surprise intervention by president nicolas maduro. officials in australia warn that swollen rivers are still threatening tens of thousands of people in queensland and new south wales. the floods came in the aftermath of tropical cyclone debbie. local residents have been warned to remain vigilant in the aftermath of the powerful tropical cyclone ita. as swollen rivers continued to rise, putting tens of thousands living near major rivers in queensland and nsw. cyclone debbie hit the eastern coast on tuesday with winds of up

. >> let's talk about the dinner, why the washington hilton? how many people are attending and how do you pull this off? >> we use that specifically because they can accommodate over 2600 in the room for dinner. they can accommodate the three parties pre-parties you have up to 22 pre-parties that are private and they have a holding for the president and i think that gives everybody a comfort level. >> host: the logistics for the hotel itself, this is the single biggest event they do every year, correct? >> other than the prayer breakfast which is different sitting. >> host: george, let's talk about the significance of this year. president trump is not in attendance, why? >> is not a precedent for president not to come. we have had cases most recently ronald reagan didn't come in 81 but he had a good excuse, he had been shot. but he called in from camp david. he was a presence at the dinner. >> he basically said when the secret service i get the car, listen to them. >> exactly, it was a funny call. before that, jimmy carter really dislike the pr

. >> we're back the dinner here at the washington hilton is happening right now. right inside ballroom is down these steps. right here. and earlier i was talking to security guard who's within here the last six correspondence dinners he says to him the crowd is year looked about half the size of last year. >> just a bit ago prison of the white house association addressed the crowd here. take a listen. >> tonight, looks a little different the values that under pinned this dinner have not changed and in fact i think reinforced. we here to celebrate good journalism and here to celebrate and i'm happy to report for nip who is interested that this dinner is sold out. >> and wrels the president mocked the dinner describing it as a large group of hollywood actors and washington media consoling each other in hotel ballroom. he said he not only had a larger crowd at his rally but better people too. and he called some outlets fake news and then he sthed. >> they're wishing in washington they're watching right now and they would love to be with us right here tonight. but the

the event is happening tomorrow night at the washington hilton. >>> another big march through the streetsf d.c. and major roadwork in northern virginia, just a few things that may cause delays as you travel around town this weekend. >> i'm melissa with a look at your first 4 traffic. the climate march on saturday, we have rolling closures from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. street between independence and pennsylvania avenue. traveling westbound on pennsylvania avenue from 3rd street. we have the full list on the nbc washington app. something else happening this weekend. reston park way lane closures at dulles toll road. friday at 10:00 p.m. and then until sunday at 9:00 a.m. saturday at 8:00 p.m., to monday at 3:00 a.m., two northbound lanes will be closed. also, we have repairs on 95 this weekend. the neabsco creek bridge, the first phase of construction, two southbound lanes gog close south of potomac mills mall. they'll open the express lanes southbound starting on friday afternoon and running all through the weekend. have a great weekend. see you monday morning for news4 today. >> thanks, >

this is inside the washington hilton at the white house correspondents dinner being held tonight without president trump. break wg tradition skipping the event this year. we are checking in. former trump national security officer michael flynn under investigation. congressman peter welch will join me next. poor mouth breather. allergies? stuffy nose? can't sleep? take that. a breathe right nasal strip instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than allergy medicine alone. shut your mouth and say goodnight, mouthbreathers. breathe right. we've done well in life, with help from our advisor, we made it through many market swings. sure we could travel, take it easy... but we've never been the type to just sit back... not when we've got so much more to give when you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. ameriprise "how to win at business." step one: point decisively with the arm of your glasses. abracadabra. the stage is yours. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business. so find a venus smooth

[applause] >> we are live at the washington hilton where this year's white house correspondents dinnerng up on the program, werealists awards presented by bob woodward and interdigital was provided by a daily show correspondent. we going to show you this event from the beginning. ♪ there is a lot to celebrate because journal of -- journalism is such an important part of what we continue to enjoy. have ther countries benefit of this as our founding fathers were so brilliant. thomas jefferson famously said he would rather have a press about a government rather than a government without press. that is what the founders wanted. that is the role of the press secretary, to reject the role of the press. if we do not protect that relationship -- >> i think one of the things that happen in this past election is that journalists if they follow the story and the facts and do not worry about all of the other stuff coming here is what they are saying. journalism will be resurgent, that will be a good thing. in any american wants to hear about the truth of what they are press wants toy accurately ta

think they're going to have dinner with the president, i'm like no, you're going to be in the washington hiltonat the jumbo tron. this a misperception that coming to this dinner is supporting the white house and i think that celebrities find that incredibly divisive >> a lot of hollywood stars used to go to this thing, one thing is it's good at is reboots >> people describe a lot of the dinner veterans, people who have been going to this many years, saying this is a course correction, back to what the dinner was about in the first place >> thanks for joining us this morning. >> ok. fox back. discover card. i'm not a customer, but i'm calling about that credit scorecard. give it. sure! it's free for everyone. oh! well that's nice! and checking your score won't hurt your credit. oh! i'm so proud of you. well thank you. free at at discover.com/creditscorecard, even if you're not a customer. at dominion, we're putting our energy to work creating a cleaner environment by using cleaner energy sources like solar, wind and natural gas. we've reduced carbon emissions by nearly 25

be held at 7:30 the same time of the white house correspondence dinner will be happening at washington hilton which is an annual tradition event that they have that is usually attended by the. he said wow not ab tending this year. >> his relationship with the media, he is not going to the white house correspondents dinner it is all about the media. >> yeah. >> making fun of the president as a matter of fact. >> it is a tradition they make jokes. >> i remember sitting in the table, over to my left was donald trump, as in an every day citizen and president obama was ripping joke after joke. this was during the time when donald trump was questioning the birthplace of president obama. >> okay. >> and he sat there and he just stared up at the president, he was mad. he wasn't laughing. later he said at that correspondence dinner, he made a decision at that table to run for president. he was so mad. >> that was the moment. >> i have heard him say that. >> wow. >> you were there for it. >> i was there. >> and now he is president. >> has seen it all, folks. >> it is time to retire. >> sit. >> probably

president trump has a series of ceo meetings at the white house and then he will go to speak at the washington hiltont of the building association. he is more comfortable when he is talking about things like tax reform, infrastructure, but if he does not have anybody to negotiate with or cannot negotiate with them it is a lost cause. by measuring set -- mentioning secretary treasurer mnuchin, what happened to the tax plan? in an over the weekend interview with the financial times, president trump backing off of the timeline saying he does not want to announce when he wants to have the tax plan released. folks in washington are looking at this and saying, what is the next major legislative item on the to do list? if it is tax reform, when will it come out? david: kevin, thank you so much. jonathan: let's bring in ben mandel. callme in with a consensus and then you get something like a weaker sales print and all of a sudden people are shaken. ben: it raises a broader question -- is that reflation trade dead? are we approaching a high water mark for equities and global bond yields? butink the answer is

>>that there are two americas, working class americans and then there's washington elites at the hilton tonight. >> he's going to a place that he can -- he didn't win the counties surrounding harrisburg but he won around it by a lot. he's thanking them in a way tonight. he's touting his accomplishments, we expect. what evidence can he put towards these peoplehat i have made your life better. when it comes to the voters that he's talking to tonight, what can he say to directly make the argument that yes, i've made your life materially better. >> this is going to be a rally that's loud, proud and genuinely american. y'all are going to cover it as is everyone else. he's going to talk about the things that put us genuinely better. if you look at where we are militarily, they know that america is going to be strong again. we've put a line in the sand and we're going to stick to it. our enemies know that as well. folks that he didn't normally get along with, he's trying to bridge those gaps. he's bringing democrats in and saying, i want to work with these folks. he's still trying to work to b

it's one of the hilton hotels in washington. a red carpet affair, journalists and celebrities and politicians all mingling and sometimes it's criticized for being too cozy so trump is going the other direction. very much criticizing the press implicitly by deciding not to attend and telling his aides not to attend. there was speculation back when trump said he wasn't going to this dinner that he might do something else. sure enough, it is this rally in pennsylvania instead. >> the white house correspondents association, they have known a couple of weeks now the president wouldn't be there when he tweeted that out sometime ago so that is not new. this rally is. have they responded to this concept of a competing event? >> no but i think the association sort of expected the president to pull off something, whether it be live tweeting the event or whether holding a rally or some other sort of spectacle. this is something the president -- the now president did during the campaign very effectively. think about that evening when there

washington. my guests this week are the china expert isabel hilton, the north american writer and broadcaster jeffreynd rachel shabi, a writer on middle eastern affairs. welcome to you all. the horrific pictures of the gas attack in syria have brought a swift american missile attack. rachel, how is this seen in the middle east? where do we go from here? it seems to have support for trump's reports. there was praise for the courageous move. the king of saudi arabia praised the move. bahrain, jordan, turkey. israel, so the allies in the region were supportive. the reaction from syrians has been positive but measured. of course, people welcome some retaliation for such a horrendous act, a chemical attack against your own people, syrian people are going to be positive about anything that retaliates against that, to show that in an international community that is not acceptable. it is also measured in the sense that syrians would say "that is good, but why are there no similar reactions when there is attacks when the syrian regime throws barrel bombs on us or when there are chlorine gas attacks?" there wa

washington. my guests this week are the china expert isabel hilton, the north american writer and broadcaster jeffreytack. rachel, how is this seen in the middle east? where do we go from here? it seems to have support for trump‘s reports. there was praise for the courageous move. bahrain, jordan, turkey.

washington. my guests this week are the china expert isabel hilton, the north american writer and broadcaster jeffreyrific pictures of the gas attack in syria have brought a swift american missile attack. rachel, how is this seen in the middle east. where do we go from here? it seems to have support for trump's reports. there was praise for the courageous move as did other gcc countries. bahrain, jordan, turkey. israel, so the allies in the region we re israel, so the allies in the region were supportive. the reaction from syrians has been positive but measured. 0f syrians has been positive but measured. of course, people welcome some

washington continuing with our special coverage. done with the trump rally, but you're looking at live pictures in the hilton hotel, the white house correspondents dinner. this is an annual tradition. some of the most powerful people in media mix with a list and b list and sometimes c list celebrities. the playoff is the commander in chief playing the part of stand up comic. >> welcome to the white house correspondents dinner, the night when washington celebrates itself. >> as you know, i always look forward to these dinners. it's just a bunch of media types, hollywood liberals, democrats like joe biden. how come i can't have dinner with the 36% of people who like me. >> in good and bad, i have actually shown up for eight straight years. looking back, that was probably a mistake. >> this year is a little different. president trump will not be following that tradition. the first president in 36 years to skip this event. you would have to go back to 1981 when ronald reagan was not there recovering from that assassination attempt. president trump does not like much of the press and he reiterated that at that rally in pennsylvania taking aim at the