The Note: Pence pays a visit to Korean Peninsula
Pence declared an end to what he called a policy of "strategic patience."
— -- NOTABLES
--VP PENCE DECLARES END TO 'STRATEGIC PATIENCE' ON NORTH KOREA: Vice President Mike Pence declared an end to what he called a policy of "strategic patience" on North Korea during a surprise visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on his trip to South Korea. "[T]he era of strategic patience is over," Pence said. "President Trump has made it clear that the patience of the United States and our allies in this region has run out and we want to see change. We want to see North Korea abandon its reckless path of the development of nuclear weapons, and also its continual use and testing of ballistic missiles is unacceptable." Pence received a security briefing from Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and then visited the Freedom House observation post in the Korean DMZ. ABC’s J.J. GALLAGHER, ALEXANDER MALLIN and RILEY BEGGIN have more: http://abcn.ws/2oC2TsO
--TRUMP ‘WILL TAKE ACTION’ TO END ANY NORTH KOREA THREAT TO US: TOP SECURITY ADVISER: Hours after North Korea paraded its weaponry and attempted a missile launch, President Trump's national security adviser said the U.S. leader will not allow Kim Jong Un’s regime to have the capacity to threaten the U.S., explains ABC's NICKI ROSSOLL. "While it's unclear and we do not want to telegraph in any way how we'll respond to certain incidents, it's clear that the president is determined not to allow this kind of capability to threaten the United States," Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster told ABC's MARTHA RADDATZ in an exclusive interview on "This Week" Sunday. http://abcn.ws/2oAzi2W
--HAPPENING TODAY - TRUMP FAMILY HOSTS THEIR 1ST WHITE HOUSE EGG ROLL: Today’s annual White House Easter Egg Roll brings a day of celebration for a busy first family, as an estimated 21,000 guests descend upon the White House’s South Lawn. The tradition originated nearly 150 years ago, when children would gather on Capitol Hill to roll eggs, ABC’s RILEY BEGGIN notes. Members of Congress pushed the event off the Hill in 1878, and it was moved to the president’s “backyard,” where it’s taken place nearly every year since. Planning for the massive annual event began later than usual this year, prompting questions about whether the event was going to happen at all. http://abcn.ws/2p9iEuu
SPEED READ with ABC’s ADAM KELSEY
MIKE PENCE ARRIVES IN SOUTH KOREA, ATTENDS WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY AND EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES. Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea Sunday morning, landing at the U.S. Air Force's Osan Air Base just hours after North Korea's failed missile launch. Pence's 10-day trip to the region also includes stops in Japan, Indonesia and Australia, with a stop in Hawaii on his return to the U.S. The trip follows the North's failed missile test, which was timed to the birth anniversary of the country's late founder and Saturday's military parade in its capital, Pyongyang. A U.S. aircraft supercarrier is also en route to the Korean Peninsula, reports ABC's DAVID CAPLAN. http://abcn.ws/2oAitW1
BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT KIM JONG UN WILL 'MISCALCULATE,' US MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS. A top-ranking U.S. military official on the Korean peninsula said the biggest concern is that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will "miscalculate" his chances of winning any military fight against the U.S. and its ally, South Korea, write ABC's MOLLY NAGLE and NICKI ROSSOLL. “Our biggest concern is that he's going to miscalculate. That's always our concern,” Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the number two U.S. military officer in South Korea said on "This Week" Sunday. http://abcn.ws/2oMMfbY
TRUMP'S RHETORIC ON NORTH KOREA ‘MAKES PEOPLE NERVOUS’ BUT ACTIONS ARE POSITIVE: FORMER US ENVOY. A former U.S. envoy said President Trump's aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea over its nuclear program "makes people nervous," but he praised some of the administration's actions in response to the North Korean threat as encouraging. Christopher Hill, former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea, said on “This Week” Sunday that he thinks President Trump "is trying to out-North Korean the North Koreans" with his tough rhetoric. ABC's QUINN SCANLAN has more: http://abcn.ws/2ogg69x
TRUMP RESPONDS TO PROTESTS DEMANDING HE RELEASE HIS TAX RETURNS: 'THE ELECTION IS OVER.' President Trump apparently remains defiant in response to calls that he release his tax returns, a demand made loudly and visibly this past weekend by thousands of protesters around the U.S. The president took to Twitter on Sunday to deride the Saturday protests as "small," and to suggest that the issue is irrelevant considering his victory in the presidential race. The president also suggested that the protests were organized by "paid" protesters, citing no evidence, notes ABC's ALEXANDER MALLIN. http://abcn.ws/2oDCv3d
HOW GORSUCH’S CONFIRMATION COULD IMPACT THE SUPREME COURT. Monday marks the first day that newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch will hear cases after a bruising confirmation battle. Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee, was sworn in last week, becoming the 113th person to serve on the Supreme Court. He fills the seat left vacant since last February, when Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly. The first case he is scheduled to hear at 10 a.m., along with the eight other justices, is Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Board, a case stemming from an employment issue at the U.S. Census Bureau. ABC’s GENEVA SANDS has more: http://abcn.ws/2pIaHZp
WHO’S TWEETING?
@jimrutenberg: I wanted to learn something about truth in America, so I went to Russia http://nyti.ms/2ppBoW6
@realDonaldTrump: The recent Kansas election (Congress) was a really big media event, until the Republicans won. Now they play the same game with Georgia-BAD!
@bluestein: Georgia special election candidates make final plea for votes http://bit.ly/2ptgJOc
@juliehdavis: Trump has rarely ventured from the WH or his Mar-a-Lago retreat during 1st months in offc, breaking w predecessors http://nyti.ms/2oC2xCn
@vladduthiersCBS: Great read from @VanityFair's @Sarahlellis on the West Wing's backstabbing, bullying, distrust, & the buzzing flies http://bit.ly/2oJXwd6