Ireland (IST) is 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time (EST). France (CEST) is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Today President Trump and First Lady Melania will be traveling from Doonbeg, Ireland to Colleville-sur-Mer, France, for a commemoration ceremony on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. [♦5:00am EST / 11:00am CEST broadcast]
Departing Colleville-sur-Mer the first couple will travel to Caen, France, for a bilateral meeting and working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron. The President and First Lady will then fly back to Shannon, Ireland and spend the evening at Trump International Doonbeg, Ireland.

2:05am EST / 7:05am IST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Trump International Doonbeg en route to Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland, Doonbeg, Ireland
2:25am EST / 7:25am IST The PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive at Shannon Airport, Shannon, Ireland
2:35am EST / 7:35am IST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Shannon Airport en route to Caen – Carpiquet Airport, Caen, France, Shannon, Ireland
4:00am EST / 10:00am CEST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY arrive at Caen – Carpiquet Airport, Caen, France
4:10am EST / 10:10am CEST THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart Caen, France, en route to Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone, Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Caen, France
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The White House gave some advanced information about President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom; which includes trips to Ireland and France.  [Trip Date: June *3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.]

[*Anticipate Pelosi announcing “impeachment inquiry” on Monday June 3rd]

[White House] PRESS OFFICER: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you very much for joining us for this background call on the President’s upcoming trip to the UK, Ireland, and France. This will be on background, attributable to a senior administration official.
Joining us today is [senior administration officials]. They will provide a brief trip overview at the start, and then we’ll be able to take your questions.
So at this point, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official].
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you so much. I’ll just make a couple of brief remarks and then turn over to my colleague for some of the details.
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(Via White House) President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump accepted the invitation of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to visit the United Kingdom from June 3 to 5, 2019. This state visit will reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

In addition to meeting the Queen, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May. While in the United Kingdom, the President and First Lady will attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, at one of the primary embarkation sites for the Allied operation that led to the liberation of Europe during World War II.
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French President Emmanuel Macron said today he wants to see the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral rebuilt within five years.  During a televised address to the nation Macron affirmed “we will rebuild Notre Dame cathedral even more beautiful.”  He added “we can do it and once again, we will mobilize” to do so.

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A horrific historic and cultural loss. The 850 year old architectural masterpiece is a central monument to the Catholic faith. A spokesman said the entire wooden frame of the cathedral has come down, and the vault of the edifice could be threatened too. ‘Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,’ Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media.

The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions. Pictures showed enormous plumes of smoke billowing into the city’s skyline and flames engulfing large sections of the historic building as firefighters struggled to contain the inferno.
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Following a weekend of clashes, violence and stores burned in the city of Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron has replaced the police chief and announced blockades to keep yellow vest protesters away from key tourist destinations.

PARIS (AP) — France’s prime minister announced a ban Monday on yellow vest protests along the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris and in two other cities following riots on Saturday that left luxury stores ransacked and charred from arson fires.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said the ban will apply for an unspecified period in the neighborhoods that have been “the most impacted” in the cities of Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse, where repeated destruction has occurred since the yellow vest protest movement began in November.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo goes one-on-one with Martha MacCallum to discuss his message to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and Trump’s approach to NATO.  This is a really strong interview.
Secretary Pompeo brilliantly outlines the value of the nation state, and the principle that when a coalition is formed all members within that coalition (ie. NATO) have a responsibility to participate.  Watch:

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Yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a video-conference message to the assembly of international economic leadership in Davos. [Full remarks and transcript below]

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[Transcript] SECRETARY POMPEO: Good morning, and thank you, Borge, for your kind introduction. And thank you to the World Economic Forum for the invitation to speak today. It’s 18 degrees Fahrenheit here in Washington, D.C. You see the Lincoln Memorial to my back. So while I’m not here in person, I at least feel like I’m in Davos with the weather.
It’s interesting times that we live in. Over the past few years, all around the world, voters have tuned out politicians and political alliances that they thought weren’t representing their interests. A few examples of new directions that people have taken: Brexit; the election of President Macron in France; the rise of the Five Star Movement in Italy; Mahathir’s comeback in Malaysia; and of course, Borge, as you referenced, the election of President Donald Trump.
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Some of the highlights from today’s protests in France are quite remarkable.  Additionally, it seems indicative of an inflection point for Reuters to point out that Macron’s current approach toward the Yellow Vests is only making things worse….  Strange times.

PARIS (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron intended to start the new year on the offensive against the ‘yellow vest’ protesters. Instead, the French president is reeling from more violent street demonstrations.
What began as a grassroots rebellion against diesel taxes and the high cost of living has morphed into something more perilous for Macron – an assault on his presidency and French institutions.

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Last Wednesday night the arrest of a key political organizer of the Yellow Vest protests, a 33-year-old truck driver named Eric Drouet, spurred the movement to claim French President Macron was now arresting his political opponents. The arrest of Drouet has led to an increase in retaliation by the group against the French government. [Video from today]

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Yellow Vest demonstrators are now allied with various groups from across the political spectrum; most peaceful, but some, notsomuch.  This led to French government ministry official Benjamin Griveaux warning Emmanuel Macron yesterday that a “full blown revolution” was possible.
The evidence to support Minister Briveaux’s dire warning did not take long to surface as a team of masked intruders used a forklift and broke into the French ministry causing police and special forces to evacuate him to safety.
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