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Katherine Gregg Journal Political Writer kathyprojo

PROVIDENCE, R.I. Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are expected to have a private tte--tte while they are both in Providence on Friday, to deliver speeches to the National Governors Association's summer meeting.

It is not on the official NGA schedule, but Scott Pattison, the executive director and CEO of the Governors Association, and NGA spokeswoman Elena Waskey told The Journal that they anticipate Pence, the former governor of Indiana, will also meet privately in Rhode Island with the governors, many of whom are his friends.

Marc Lotter, the vice president's press secretary, confirmed the meetings in an email to The Journal. He said more details would be released later Thursday.

Trudeau's presence at the governors' event along with other officials from Canada, Mexico, India, China and Japan hasdrawn national attention.

As stated in a Washington Post article on the Governors Association event: "The sudden interest in the work of the governors from abroad reflects fears by leaders of some foreign governments about the direction of U.S. trade policy under a president who has sharply criticized free-trade agreements negotiated by past administrations."

With 1,500 expected attendees, Pattison said the Rhode Island conference appears to be drawing the largest number ever for a National Governors Association summer meeting, and if all the governors who registered show up one of the largest turnouts of governors.

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Mike Pence, Justin Trudeau expected to meet privately in Providence - The Providence Journal

There's an old joke: A family has two sons. One son grows up and goes off to sea. The other becomes vice president of the United States. Neither is ever heard from again.

That joke made the rounds back in the 1910s, when the guy who liked to tell it, Thomas Marshall, was serving as Woodrow Wilson's vice president.

And while the vice presidency may have been something of a constitutional afterthought, a way to make sure the electoral college worked to pick a president, it has since evolved into an office with prestige, power -- and a pretty good chance of moving up to the presidency itself.

In this week's episode, we talk to two former chiefs of staff to past vice presidents as we chart the evolution of the office, from overlooked outpost to crucial cornerstone. And we remember some of the lesser known vice presidents in American history, like the two who voted against establishing the office in the first place, the guy who died before he even got to Washington, and the guy who compared the office to a "bucket of warm spit."

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Podcast: Why Mike Pence may be the most powerful VP ever - The Hill

A few days ago, I woke up in the early dawn because I felt a tickle on my left shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw a bug, and not just any bug. It was a scutigera coleoptrata, a nasty house centipede sporting a forest of legs. It was crawling on me. I jumped out of bed, emitting the sound one naturally emits when a hairy, leggy, gross-looking insect invades the sanctity of ones bed.

My husband, initially alarmed, started laughing when he realized the problem. When he finally stopped, he let out a long, contented sigh. Thats the girliest thing Ive ever seen you do, he said. That was awesome. Im pretty sure bearing his sons is the most girly thing hes seen me do. But I take his point.

Ive never been very girly. In childhood, I never formally protested my femininity by donning the backwards baseball cap (too clich), but I had no interest in dolls, ponies, beads, or ballet.Even in the bad old 1980s, American girls werent scolded all that much for gender non-conformism. I expect my mother was disappointed when her wonderful talents as a seamstress went unappreciated, but she generously kept those feelings to herself.

Throughout my adolescence and beyond, I was constantly hanging around with boys, but none of them were boyfriends. My interests seemed to steer me towards classes or clubs where girls were in the minority. It didnt much bother me, and Mom didnt panic either. I think she assumed that a girl who knew so many boys had to find a special one eventually. She was right. I met my husband in graduate school, and our very first conversation concerned the relative merits of analytic and continental philosophy. Some men like that kind of girl.

Marriage raised certain new questions about my relationships to men who werent my husband. I take matrimony very seriously, but male friendship has always been a significant part of my life too. It seemed to me that many of the guidelines that fellow religious conservatives recommended would be fairly problematic for me professionally and personally. Surely it should be possible to respect the sanctity of marriage without self-selecting out of beneficial professional opportunities, or wishing my male friends au revoir?

In one sense, opposite-sex friendship might seem easy for a woman who is so used to it. Ive had hundreds of male friends in my life, and only one became a lover. It seems natural that a lunch can just be lunch, a car ride just a car ride, and an extended discussion of Hayekian versus Randian libertarianism precisely that.

Thats not enough to settle the matter, though. Out of friendship, other kinds of feelings can grow, and married people should take active steps to ensure that they dont. This presumably is why some people choose to limit contact with non-familial members of the opposite sex, perhaps avoiding private meals or shared drinks, or time alone in cars or offices.

I had mixed feelings about the Mike Pence protecting my marriage controversy. On the one hand, its lovely to see an important and powerful man disciplining himself to show his wife that he is committed to their marriage. Thats a great example to set. On the other hand, I dont love the idea that the Mike Pence rules might become semi-normative for conservatives all across the nation.

If youre a male social worker or a female in the tech industry, the Mike Pence rules might be socially isolating, and a real hindrance to your career. For instance, Pence doesnt drink at mixed-company gatherings unless his wife is present. As a personal choice, that is fine; nobody should be obligated to drink alcohol at social gatherings. I, however, have multiple times found myself at a conference with perhaps two or three women among a few dozen participants.

If conservatives started informally viewing Pence rules as an expectation, that could be somewhat uncomfortable for me. People normally cant bring their spouses to conferences, and its awkward to think that my dining companions might see my mere presence at dinner table as the reason they cant have a glass of red wine with their steak. It seems like it might be easy to go from there to, Wouldnt it be nice if those two or three women werent here?

Its also pretty common for both scholars and journalists to use coffee or lunch as an occasion to discuss a story or paper, or just a topic of mutual interest. Often these meetings skirt the line somewhat between business and pleasure. Scholars usually like discussing ideas, and two colleagues might well get together just to discuss an argument or area of research that is of interest to both.

Its not exactly a business meeting. But those kinds of informal interactions are the stuff from which professional networks are built, so a woman in a male-dominated field or a man in a female-dominated field will be at a disadvantage if people see it as improper for married people to get together in that way.

Heres the interesting thing though: even as the Pence rules are potentially too restrictive, they may also not be restrictive enough. Among people who take marriage seriously, theres very little danger of suddenly forgetting ourselves and arranging a tryst with a random fellow conference-goer.

On the other hand, anyone who befriends people of the opposite sex should be attentive to the issue of emotional attachment. Friendship is good, but even casual interactions can create a sense of intimacy, which can lead to the sort of emotional dependence that may threaten a marriage. That kind of closeness, though, could develop in all kinds of ways, which neednt involve shared food or drinks, or even being in physical proximity. Lots of people fall in love online nowadays.

Do we have to ban opposite-sex friendship altogether? Thats pretty depressing. A less-drastic alternative might combine honesty (letting your spouse know whos joining you for coffee or a professional lunch) with an appropriate attention to the emotional distance that is fitting for opposite-sex friends. This last point requires you to be clear in your own mind about the difference between friendship and marriage.

Marriage takes work, and some of that work is difficult. It cant be all waltzes and candlelight dinners, because part of the point is to stick together through good and bad times. The upside of this is that you wont be alone through the bad times. It also means, though, that youll surely share some bad times. Not all of the memories you make with your spouse will be magical. That all applies before you bring the kids into it, and trust me: Kids make it that much harder.

With friends, you can tailor your interactions around common interests, and limit the relationship to that.

Especially if you and your spouse are shouldering a lot of stress at the moment, lighthearted moments with friends can provide some relief. Sometimes the shallowness, or at least the more targeted nature of our friendships, is part of what makes them enjoyable. Stressful or uncomfortable topics can just be avoided for the ninety minutes you spend with a particular friend, as you revel in your mutual love of Japanese gardens (or whatever).

If your friend is a ludicrously picky eater, you can just meet for coffee instead of lunch. If she has an annoying habit of talking during movies, dont make that a movie-going friend. There is a freedom to friendship that familial relationships tend not to have. With friends, you can tailor your interactions around common interests, and limit the relationship to that.

That freedom can be very pleasant, and its fine to enjoy that, up to a point. With opposite-friends, you do need to be more conscientious about maintaining appropriate context. Beyond the really obvious things (like decorum in dress), I think emotional closeness is the key.

If you have an idea and immediately think, Oh, I cant wait to discuss that with opposite-sex-friend! ask yourself why youre excited to talk to that person and not your spouse. If the reason is just that your friend shares your love of opera and your spouse doesnt, thats probably okay. If the friendship seems to be creeping outside those more targeted areas of mutual interest, it might be prudent to see less of that person, and to work on strengthening your friendship with the man or woman you married. An opposite-sex friend shouldnt be the person youre most eager to tell when you get really good (or really upsetting) news.

I suspect that many marriages run into trouble just over a failure to put the pleasures of friendship in their proper place.

Sometimes the practicalities of married life seem to be stacked against you. More than once, Ive had an enjoyable conversation with a stranger at a conference dinner, and thought wistfully, That was nice, but I wish my husband could have been the man across the table for that length of time. At home, the kids rarely leave us undisturbed for so long.

I suspect that many marriages run into trouble just over a failure to put the pleasures of friendship in their proper place. An enjoyable conversation or a passing moment of mirth supply a stark contrast to the tense discussion you had with your spouse this morning, and you become confused. Why is this person making you feel good today, when your spouse isnt?

Stay out of those treacherous waters by reminding yourself of what marriage really is. Modern people put a lot of stock in the emotional component of romantic love, which is fine to a point. If you start imagining that Jim must be your true soul mate, because he shares your love of pottery when Jack never has, youve definitely passed the point.

We shouldnt have to choose between getting married and having friends. The way to avoid that, though, is by keeping different relationships in their proper places.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Were hoping this will be the first of many decade-versaries, so we kept it simple. We had dinner, saw a photography exhibit, and came home to find our kids watching dancing chimneysweeps with their babysitter.

As a married woman, I take pains to ensure that my husband is the only man who makes me feel like that.

Being out with my husband (for a whole evening!) got me reflecting on how much I still enjoy the simple boy-girl dynamics of a date. Youd think that might all get buried under the mountain of stress and responsibility. Sometimes it does, but that pleasure can re-emerge with surprising ease, and its still very sweet.

The simple things are still fun. Me putting on a skirt for him. Him pulling out a chair for me. Theres a palpable pleasure that comes just from strolling through a gallery, being a couple. It reminds you of the thrill you got at 16, when a boy called to invite you to a dance. You boy. Me girl. Us together. It never really gets old.

As a married woman, I take pains to ensure that my husband is the only man who makes me feel like that. He is, and Im grateful for it, because even if youre not a pretty in pink sort of lady, it still feels good sometimes just to be a girl.

Right here I could burst into a rendition of Natural Woman, but its a little soon after the bug incident to start gunning for a new record. So Ill just say that I do value my friends of both sexes, as I have my entire life. But that only heightens my appreciation of the man whos still the one.

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The Mike Pence Rule Is Great For Him But Not For Everyone - The Federalist

A formal article of impeachment for obstruction of justice against President Trump. Veuer's Nick Cardona (@nickcardona93) has that story. Buzz60

US President Donald Trump whispers to US Vice President Mike Pence before a meeting with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in in the Cabinet Room of the White House June 30, 2017 in Washington, DC.(Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON Just one day after President Trump's oldest son stunned the political world by releasing emails showing he actively sought damaging information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, Mike Pence offered aninteresting and rather dramaticdescription of what it's really like to be vice president.

According to Pence, being aleader can feel like being on a roller coaster.

"You need to keep your arms and legs in the ride at all times," he told student leaders Wednesday at American University. "Put the roll bar down, because you just got to hang on."

The roller coaster analogy appeared to be a particularly apt one these days for Pence, who is trying to navigate the latest controversy to hit the White House after this week's revelations that Donald Trump Jr. met last summer with Kremlin-linked lawyer NataliaVeselnitskaya after he wastold the Russian governmentwould provide the information as part of its support for his father's campaign.

After the news broke, Pence issued a statement that appeared to distance himself from the Trump campaign.Pence is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket," his spokesman Marc Lotter said Tuesday. The meeting, which also included then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner, took place right after Trump clinched the Republican nomination last summer.

Read more:

Did Donald Trump Jr. break any laws by seeking damaging information from Russia on Hillary Clinton?

Timeline: Donald Trump Jr.'s interactions with Kremlin-linked lawyer

Tully: What must Mike Pence be thinking?

Senate Judiciary panel will call Paul Manafort to testify in Russia investigation

Pencesreaction to thedisclosure appeared to be a stark departure from his usualblanket rejections that there was any contact between Trumpland and the Russians, as well as from Pence's usual effusive praise of Trump.

We all see whats happening here. The roof is falling in on the president and the administration, said political commentator Stuart Rothenberg.I took it as an effort to create a separate narrative. Its hard for me to believe its anything else.

Ron Klain, who worked for former Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, put it more bluntly on Twitter: "I've never seen any @VP statement that so distanced himself from the @POTUS."

But spokesman Lotter arguedWednesday that his originalstatement explained that Pence is still focused on advancing Trump's agenda. The vice president, Lotter said,continues to have a packed schedule that recently includedmultiple meetings Tuesday on health care and a trip to Kentucky on Wednesday to help sell the GOP bill. "Any suggestion that he is distancing himself is laughable armchair punditry," Lotter said.

Yet another adviser, who was not authorized to speak publicly,said Pence istaking a wait-and-see approach to the latest controversybefore mounting a robustdefense of the administration.

The adviser said Pence is handling the situation in the same way he did with the biggest bombshellduring the campaign season the release of the Access Hollywood tapes in which Trump bragged about groping women. Pence canceled a campaign trip to Wisconsin and laid low for several days, until Trump apologized during the debate. In the same way, Pence is letting Trump take the lead on responding to the latest Russia revelations, the adviser said.

The measured response is evidence of the tight rope Pence continues to walk as he tries to support his boss without sacrificing his own reputation and political future.

With growing criminal and congressional investigations into possible collusion between the Trump team and the Russian government, Pence has tried to keep his distance from potential scandals but hes still had to lawyer up hiring last month Richard Cullen, former U.S. attorney who is chairman of Washington, D.C.-based law firm McGuire Woods.

Pence may be playing it more cautiously since he has been sent out time and again to defend the president on many controversial issues, from Russia to voter fraud claims Trump has made without evidence.

And some of his previous comments have come back to bite him. Pence, in a January appearance on CBSs Face the Nation, dismissed as bizarre rumors the question of whether anyone in the Trump campaign had contact with Russians who were trying to meddle in the election.

"Of course not," Pence said when posed a similar question by Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday. "Why would there be any contacts between the campaign?"

Trump Jr.'s emails, of course, call these comments into question.So while Mike Murphy, another longtime friend of Pence and an Indiana political strategist, said Pence might be one of the most loyal people hes ever met he notes thathes also not nave.

Murphy said the facts surrounding the Trump Jr. meeting are continuing to emerge, so it doesnt make sense for Pence to give a full-throated defense of the situation yet. I dont think its disloyal, he said. I think its prudent.

Rothenberg, the political commentator, said Pence faces the classic problem all vice presidents have:They need the president to do well and their job is to be supportive. But at the same time, they have to look out for their own future. And these kinds of controversies make that job difficult.

Hes trying to walk those fine lines. `Yeah, Im supportive, but I didnt know about hisstuff, Rothenberg said. Hell have to go back and forth on this line depending upon the next shoe to drop.

But those who know Pence well say they expect him to remain loyal to Trump, even as he takes steps for self-preservation. He is 150 percent a Trumpster now, said Rex Early, former chairman of the Indiana GOP who headed the Trump/Pence campaign in the state. Hes loyal, as he should be.

Calling Pence the ultimate team player, Indiana Republican Bob Grand said Pences comment was just a statement of fact, not an attempt to distance himself from the situation.

Hes cherished the moment that he got selected," said Grand, a top GOP fundraiser and Pence friend who helped Pence celebrate his recent birthday on Air Force 2. "He worked tirelessly on the campaignThats a team. Hes with the president.

As he spoke to students at American University, Pence did not address the controversy, but he did call Trump a champion, a visionary and a bold leader who is restoring Americas rightful role as leader of the free world.White House spokesman Sarah Sanders insisted Tuesday "there's absolutely no distance between the president and vice president.

Yet there is a distinct difference in how each leader isapproaching the latest bombshell.

While Trump has vented publicly, lashing out at the media and other perceived enemies, Pence in recent days has taken a business-as-usual approach: tweetingphotos of himself riding horses in Rock Creek Park, meeting with Senate Majority Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill, and praising Trump's European trip.

And while there are plenty of news stories quoting exasperated White House aides and unhappiness in Trumps inner circle, there are rarely comments from Penceor those close to him about his state of mind.

Pences Wednesday speech at American University shed little insight, but he did have these lessonsfor the students: Aspire to be men and women of character. Respect and defer to those above you in authority. Have a healthy dose of courage. As President Trump said just a few months ago, nothing worth doing ever came easy, Pence said.

That's another lesson Pence may be learning in this White House, as the vice president has hitplenty of obstacles in recent weeks even beyond the congressional and special counsel investigations involving current and past members of the Trump administration.

It's not just Russia squabbles. Pence has also had the recent headache of heading the voter fraud commission President Trump created, seemingly in hopes of backing his unsubstantiated claims millions of fraudulent votes cost him the popular vote last year. The commission has sparked a backlash from secretaries of state including from Pences home state and the American Civil Liberties Union is among the groupssuing Pence's panel even before its first scheduled meeting next week.

What's more, some of the policy positions Pence cares mostabout havent yet come to fruition.

On the administrations top policy goal of repealing and replacing Obamacare, Pence has not yet seen the same success in the Senate as he did in the House in helping lawmakers find a way to get enough votes for passage. His boss continues to complicate negotiations with his shifting comments on how to proceed, frustrating senators who are already exasperated with the distractions of the daily developments on the Russia investigation.

David McIntosh, a longtime friend of Pences who runs the Club for Growth, said Pence hasnt let the ongoing investigations deter him from focusing on the legislative agenda. I dont think its a factor at all in how hes doing the job, said McIntosh, whose group is pushing for repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Still, as the White House continues to put out political fires, there was much speculation that Pence was looking out for his own future when he created in May a super PAC, allowing him to raise money that can be used to help candidates but also strengthens his position in the party.

The New York Times recently detailed Pences wooing of donors, including through regular dinners held at the vice presidents official residence.

Grand, however, said Pences PAC is just another way hes helping the team, in addition to directly raising money for various party organizations, candidates and other PACs.The question is, how do you strengthen the team? This is another avenue, the Indiana Republican said.

And he dismissed the question of whether Pence could reach the point where he no longer wants to be part of that team.

I honestly dont think theres a breaking point, Grand said. Hes the vice president of the United States. I think hes doing a great job. Every day, all day long, the administration is under attack. Time and time again, you listen to all the commentary of people who speculate about all these things. From his standpoint I would hope, I dont know, but I would hope, that he just continues to do his job.

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How Vice President Mike Pence is weathering the Donald Trump Jr. Russia revelations - USA TODAY

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday offered a curious statement in response to that mornings release of emails showing that the eldest son of President Donald Trump met with a Kremlin-linked lawyer in 2016 intending to obtain damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

The carefully worded response from Pences press secretary Marc Lotter attempts to absolve the vice president of any responsibility and involvement. It makes a point of mentioning that Donald Trump Jr.s June 2016 meeting which was also attended by Trumps then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trumps son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner took place before Pence joined the presidential ticket.

The vice president is working every day to advance the presidents agenda, the statement from Pences office says. He was not aware of the meeting. He is also not focused on stories about the campaign especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign.

Ron Klain, who served as chief of staff for Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden, said that Pences statement was particularly unusual.

In an interview in January, Pence denied that there were any ties between Trump campaign officials and Russian officials.

Well, of course not, Pence told CBS John Dickerson.And I think to suggest that is to give credence to some of these bizarre rumors that have swirled around the candidacy.

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Mike Pence Attempts To Distance Himself From Growing Trump Scandal - HuffPost