
With all that's going on in this chaotic world, President Joe Biden is taking time to visit Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, and then the Republic of Ireland. The trip, which mixes business with pleasure, begins today.
As of Monday, the White House could not or would not say which members of his family will accompany the elderly president on a sentimental visit to his ancestral home.
"As I think you all also know, he's very excited for this trip and has been now for quite some time," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Among the items on Biden's schedule are meetings with two prime ministers, speeches at universities, and a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday agreement.
Then there's the personal part of the trip in the Republic of Ireland, as Kirby described it: