Melania Trump statue in Slovenia set on fire on 4th of July; suspects sought

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- A wooden statue of first lady Melania Trump near her hometown in Slovenia was reportedly set on fire on the Fourth of July, prompting its removal.“I want to know why they did it,” Brad Downey, an American artist who commissioned the sculpture, told Reuters.

Annual White House Easter Egg Roll scheduled for April 13

WASHINGTON — The annual White House Easter Egg Roll is set for April 13.First lady Melania Trump announced the date for the time-honored tradition on Monday.Tickets are free and are available through an online lottery scheduled to open Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. CST and close Feb. 24 at 9 a.m. CST.

President Trump, First Lady wish Americans 'Merry Christmas' as they mark holiday

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are wishing Americans a Merry Christmas as they celebrate the holiday with their family in Florida.“The president and I want to wish each and every American a very merry Christmas," the first lady said in a video message recorded at the White House and released Wednesday. “We say a special prayer for those military service members stationed far from home and we renew our hope for peace among nations and joy to the world," President Trump said in the message.The first family is spending the holiday at the president's private club in Palm Beach, attending a music-filled Christmas Eve service at a Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated church before celebrating with dinner in the ballroom of his private club.

Patriotism is the theme of Christmas at the White House

WASHINGTON — Patriotism is the theme of Christmas at the White House this year.Melania Trump announced “The Spirit of America” as the theme in a late Sunday tweet that included a minute-long video of the Christmas decorations being unveiled Monday.

First Lady meets with Congress members on drug policy

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – First Lady Melania Trump made a solo visit to Capitol Hill Wednesday for a round table with lawmakers and administration officials on the opioid epidemic.It’s been one year since Congress passed and the President signed into law the Support Act.That is the administration’s signature drug prevention and treatment law.One of Mrs.

Frustrated former teen vapers rally, meet first lady

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Teens across the country are saying enough is enough and want the government to put an end to the teen vaping epidemic.Dozens of teens rallied outside of Juul’s D.C. headquarters Wednesday, blaming the company for a surge in teen addicts.

First Lady Melania Trump cuts ribbon on reopened Washington Monument

WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump cut the ribbon Thursday as the Washington Monument reopened to the public for the first time in three years.The 555-foot stone obelisk closed in September 2016 to replace the aging elevator and upgrade security systems.Accompanied by a group of local fourth-graders, the first lady took the new high-speed elevator to the observation floor near the top, which offers a commanding 360-degree view of the entire District of Columbia.The monument has been closed off and on for most of the past eight years.

Melania Trump opens 3-state tour to promote 'Be Best'

TULSA, Okla. — Melania Trump is in Oklahoma to open a three-state tour to highlight all three components of her "Be Best" childhood initiative.The first lady on Monday is visiting the Dove School of Discovery, a Tulsa elementary school that the White House says incorporates character education in its curriculum.

Melania Trump's red topiary trees a hit at Christmas parties

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump's cranberry topiary trees may have left some of her critics seeing red, but they turned out to be a Christmas hit — one of several new ideas the Trumps introduced this holiday season.In a four-week stretch of 21 holiday parties, the president also did fewer official photo ops and largely froze out the media.

Melania Trump visits babies, moms affected by opioid crisis

PHILADELPHIA — First lady Melania Trump toured a hospital's neonatal care unit Wednesday to learn about the treatment given to newborns suffering from opioid withdrawal, after she was initially delayed by mechanical issues on her plane.Her flight was forced to return to a Washington-area military base because of smoke in the cabin, and she took a different plane to make the trip to Philadelphia.Mrs.

Melania Trump: Women accusing men should 'show the evidence'

WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump says women who make accusations of sexual abuse "need to be heard" and supported, but so do men.She says when there are accusations there needs to be "really hard evidence" and accusers should "show the evidence."Mrs.

Melania Trump puts on happier face during Africa tour

CAIRO — It took Melania Trump's first big solo international trip for her to show a different side of herself — a playful, less serious one.And while she generously dished out warm smiles and happy waves, the first lady also used her four-nation tour of Africa to draw some firmer boundaries between her own views and those of her husband the president."I don't always agree with what he says and I tell him that," the first lady told reporters Saturday against the backdrop of the Great Sphinx before she headed back to Washington. "But I have my own voice and my own opinions and it's very important for me that I express what I feel."The U.S. first lady hopscotched across Africa without President Donald Trump, commanding a spotlight that was hers alone.

Meet the newest US citizens: Melania Trump's parents

NEW YORK — First lady Melania Trump's parents were sworn in as U.S. citizens Thursday.Viktor and Amalija Knavs, both in their 70s, took the citizenship oath at a special, private ceremony in New York City.

Trumps, May, attend gala at UK's Blenheim Palace

LONDON -- President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, are on their way to a black-tie gala at Blenheim Palace near Oxford, England where they'll be joined by British Prime Minister Theresa May.The dinner is Trumps' official welcome to the U.K. during their first visit since Trump's election.

Melania Trump plans another trip to see immigration centers

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump is planning another visit to immigration centers housing migrants who have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border.The first lady's spokeswoman declined to release any details about the trip, including where or when she plans to go.Mrs.

Teen actress wears 'I do care' jacket to protest first lady

LOS ANGELES — Teen actress Jenna Ortega cares, and says Melania Trump should do the same.Ortega wore a green, hooded military jacket reading "I do care and u should too" on the red carpet at the Radio Disney Music Awards Friday night, countering the "I really don't care, do u?" jacket the first lady wore as she left Washington to visit detained migrant children this week.The 15-year-old, whose credits include "Jane the Virgin" and "Iron Man 3," told The Associated Press Trump's jacket showed poor judgment, and she couldn't believe her advisers allowed her to wear it.

First lady's 'I don't care' jacket causes a stir

McALLEN, Texas -- First lady Melania Trump boarded a flight to a facility housing migrant children separated from their parents wearing a jacket that read "I really don't care, do u?"The green hooded spring military jacket has the words written graffiti-style on the back.When asked what message the first lady's jacket intended to send, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said: "It's a jacket.

First lady visits Texas detention center: 'She wanted to see everything for herself'

McALLEN, Texas — Melania Trump made an unannounced visit to a Texas facility Thursday to get a first-hand look at some of the migrant children sent there by the U.S. government after their families entered the country illegally.The first lady's stop at Upbring New Hope Children's Center in McAllen came the morning after President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting the practice of separating these families.