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Easter is a strange time in America, I find.
Good Friday isn't a holiday and nor is Easter Monday. There are no mountains of hot-crossed buns in the supermarkets and, due to the diversity of religions, many people don't mark the occasion at all, with either church or chocolate.
That said, in keeping with his push against the PC police, Donald Trump made a point of saying "Happy Easter" to his fellow Americans, and the Easter Bunny took pride of place at the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
Mr Trump then went on to speak highly of the military and the general state of the White House flanked by the first lady and Mr Bunny, which was a little out of context.
Having tweeted:
... Mr Trump's frustration over US immigration laws then boiled over.
Less than two hours later, this:
It was the start of a flood of immigration related rhetoric that has dominated the week.
'Caravans' of immigrants coming to the US
So, Mr Trump says "caravans" of immigrants are headed for the US. What's he talking about?
Nope, try again.
Per NBC:
"A group of more than 1,000 migrants are on a month-long trek — on foot, in vans and by train — from Central America through Mexico toward the United States. Some will seek refuge in Mexico, others in the United States. The majority are from Honduras, according to Buzzfeed, which has a reporter with the migrants."
"The migrants have banded together to both make their journey safer and to publicise the dangerous conditions they are fleeing."
The group is part of a seasonal spike in migration common in March and April.
The number of people crossing the southern US border from Mexico has begun to return to pre-2017 levels when numbers were was at their lowest levels since the 1970s due to a "Trump Effect" following his tough talk on immigration during the campaign.
Mr Trump is having none of a "return to normal" and surprised many of his own advisers by saying he planned to send the military to the border to help control illegal immigration.
This, which would be very difficult to achieve both legally and politically, was later clarified. It's the National Guard that will be deployed — subject to the approval of three Republican Governors and one no doubt resistant Democrat in California.
The military may also help build The Wall on military land adjacent to the border.
Mr Trump also (again) threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and took subsequent credit for the Mexicans (supposedly) "breaking up" the so-called caravan.
All of this is an attempt by Mr Trump to shore up his base, and it's working:
Don't forget about those November mid-terms folks!
Trump goes off script
Speaking of which, Mr Trump then took off to West Virginia to meet with business leaders on tax.
This how it went down:
"This would have been my remarks. It would have taken about two minutes but to hell with it."
Right.
Pro-Trump propaganda or a 'corporate news journalistic responsibility promotional campaign'?
The question relates to the approach of Sinclair media, America's largest operator of local TV stations, and its promos that went viral after Deadspin put together an amazing video mash-up.
Sinclair defended the promos as a "well-researched journalistic initiative focused on fair and objective reporting".
The leader of the free world got involved.
And so did the Democrats:
Speaking of media, Mr Trump has had it in for Amazon, its boss Jeff Bezos and his paper, The Washington Post, for some time but he's amped up his attacks.
The mainstream media hit back, this from CNBC:
"Trump tweets fifth Amazon attack in a week, repeats false claim that The Washington Post is a 'lobbyist' for the online retail giant," it said.
ICYMI
EPA administrator's days may be numbered
It's been more than a week since questions first emerged about EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's $50-a-night deal in a swanky condo near Capitol Hill.
Fast forward a few days to news that two of his top political aides received salary bumps without White House approval.
Mr Pruitt defended himself in a combative interview with Fox News on Thursday, which reportedly didn't go over well with Mr Trump.
The EPA chief's days look to be numbered based on the Trump administration's attrition rate.
Shooting at YouTube HQ
A 38-year-old woman opened fire at YouTube's northern California headquarters on Tuesday injuring three people before turning the gun on herself.
Her issue? She believed YouTube was unfairly censoring her channels, leading to a loss of ad dollars and views.
US President's 'incoherent' Syria strategy
Shortly after Mr Trump told a room full of reporters he wanted to bring home the 2,000 US troops currently serving in Syria, the White House issued a statement saying the US would remain in the country and continue fighting the Islamic State group.
At least one US senator called the White House's Syria strategy "incoherent".
"Sources" later said Mr Trump wanted troops out of Syria within six months.
Tit-for-tat tariffs
China imposed tariffs on US goods in response to penalties on Chinese imports that Mr Trump has announced.
However a glimmer of a deal-making strategy emerged. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hinted the administration might seek to resolve the trade dispute through diplomacy.
"Even shooting wars end with negotiations," he told CNBC.
"So it wouldn't be surprising at all if the net outcome of all this is some sort of negotiation, whether it happens by May or some other time, that's another whole question."
What I'm reading and watching
- "Longevity has its place": Marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, his daughter Dr Bernice King speaks with the ABC's Conor Duffy
- Why China is confident it can beat Trump in a trade war (New York Times)
- Why Big Tech needs to fix its image problem with Conservatives pronto (The Federalist)
Coming up next week
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Senate and House committees in Washington, DC.
And, hot on the heels of his antsy trade and immigration rhetoric, Mr Trump heads to Peru to meet Latin American leaders at the Summit of the Americas.
Expect fireworks.
Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, government-and-politics, community-and-society, united-states
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