NEWSPAPER WORLD

After a four-week absence from Washington, first lady Melania Trump returned to the White House on Saturday for an annual dinner and reception with the nation’s governors. “She worked very hard on making sure that everything was beautiful. And she’s very good at that,” President Donald Trump said in brief remarks to governors in the candlelit East Room, his wife seated nearby at a table filled with overflowing vases of white hydrangeas and tulips. While Melania Trump may be preparing the White House for visitors — she announced in a statement last week that tours of the historic home are reopening to the public — the first lady apparently has had less interest in spending time there.  Since her husband took the oath of office on January 20, she has not spent significant time at the White House, according to sources with direct knowledge of her schedule. Melania Trump was an active presence during the first days of the president’s second term, but after joining her husband for...

Dressed for the coldest conditions, I step out of the zodiac and place my feet on the White Continent for the first time. I feel a little awkward, because I’m still finding my way in this Antarctic armor. I’m wearing four layers on top, including three jackets, all of their hoods over my head. Thick winter gloves cover my fingers. In my pocket is, of all things, a bag of ashes, which adds to the bulk. I can feel the bump it makes on the right side of my jacket as I bend over and secure my snowshoes. I brought the bag because, like many travelers, I thought spreading Dad’s ashes somewhere special would be a nice tribute. This June will be 10 years since he died, and it would have been special to share this trip to Antarctica with him. Maybe a ceremonial offering, such as the spreading of his ashes, could suffice. I’m prepared to spread the ashes on this very walk, amongst the icebergs, mountains, penguins and glacier blue ice. But, before we set off on the snowshoe, the guide gives a sa...