Paris (CNN) If Washington is currently a dark place for President Donald Trump , a stop in the City of Light may prove well-timed.

"The White House is paralyzed," a top Republican close to the West Wing told CNN ahead of Trump's departure to Paris, a withering assessment of an administration whose goals of passing a health care bill, overhauling the tax code and defeating ISIS have been complicated once again.

"Another week lost," is how one official described the legislative timeline for Trump and Republicans, an acknowledgment that the latest swirl of Russia developments complicate an already imperiled agenda.

Escaping what advisers, aides, and other Republicans describe as a White House rattled by Russia bombshells, Trump will find himself here instead embraced by Gallic splendor. He accepted an invitation from the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, to be on hand for Bastille Day, the national holiday that commemorates the start of the French Revolution.

The Paris trip is at least a momentary respite from his current predicament in the United States: embattled against accusations prompted by his oldest son's meeting with a Russian lawyer and surrounded by lawyers and aides urging him to remain quiet.

Back home, Trump faces a deepening crisis over that meeting, which has jolted the White House and moved the Russian meddling controversy directly into Trump's inner circle.

The President approached the news about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting through the same lens he approaches everything with the word Russia in it, according to another person who has spoken with him: as an effort by his enemies and the media to discredit him and his presidency.

Privately, Trump has expressed dismay that Trump Jr. agreed to meet with the Russian lawyer, according to a Republican source, who said the President believes it wasn't a smart move -- but also that his son did not run afoul of the law.

Trump, the Republican source said, is annoyed that the narrative surrounding the meeting has become a distraction from what he and his advisers saw as a successful overseas trip last week to Poland and Germany.

Ahead of his departure for Paris, Trump spent much of his time watching television and huddled with top advisers, according to two administration officials. He barely left the Oval Office. And his mood ranged from furious to frustrated, but also defiant.

A day earlier, he received some degree of solace during a visit from evangelical leaders. A photo from the session inside the Oval Office showed a huddle forming around the entrenched President, hands resting on his shoulders as his head bows in prayer.

Outside the room in the West Wing hallways, staffers remain in fighting mood, according to several people speaking on condition of anonymity, describing the mindset among Trump's aides. Many view the episode surrounding Trump Jr. -- who remains widely popular among ex-campaign staffers -- as blatantly unfair, even if they concede his decision-making on the matter appeared questionable.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus -- who himself has been the subject of speculation over his own standing with the President -- has been telling staffers to "tune out the noise," according to a person familiar with his conversations. He's urged underlings to keep their heads down and stay focused on their work.

But the prospects of continuing the administration's work apace became far more difficult Tuesday morning when the email bombshell -- which showed Trump Jr. reacting enthusiastically to news the Russian government may have had dirt on Hillary Clinton -- hit the West Wing with very little warning.

It's also triggered another round of speculation about aides' standing in the White House. Questions about the origin of the leaks have rippled through Washington, with the suggestion that backstabbing aides may be looking to take down their rivals.

Little has emerged about how, specifically, The New York Times learned about the damaging emails. But in a White House already gripped with internal battles, the revelations only fueled the impression of a divided West Wing.

One source familiar with the matter said tensions have emerged between some members of the President's senior staff and Marc Kasowitz, Trump's longtime lawyer who has been retained to handle the Russia matter.

When Trump departs for Paris late Wednesday, he'll take along with him chief of staff Priebus, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and his homeland security adviser Tom Bossert. But two of the most prominent faces of his trips abroad -- senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner -- will remain stateside.

Some inside the administration concede the President's staff is long due for a shakeup, but that constant efforts to rebut the Russia allegations have made executing such a decision difficult.

Priebus, one administration official said, faces "fresh, new hell" daily. And other staffers simply seem too inexperienced to properly execute a presidential agenda, the official said.

Trump pushed back on reports of disarray in his White House on Wednesday, writing on Twitter: "The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things. I have very little time for watching T.V."

For months, Republicans close to the White House have been wringing their hands about Trump's reliance on his family members -- political neophytes -- for everything from political advice to domestic policy to international affairs.

A number of those officials warned that the combination of power and naïveté was sure to get Trump's family members in trouble. But even these sources expressed surprise about the damaging nature of the meeting between Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and a Russian lawyer.

"They're in deep, deep s--- and they don't know it," one Republican said of the Trump White House.

This Republican predicted the situation will worsen in the near future. Now that Trump's family members have all lawyered up, "they're past the point of coordination," and each person's lawyer will be looking to make a move that will cast their client in a positive light.

"Now you're into the phase that they're starting to turn on each other," the source said.

But Trump is still more inclined to trust his family members than anyone else on staff.

"Trump has not surrounded himself with good, strong, smart political operatives," said one source close to the White House. As for the kids and Kushner, "these guys have gone from never playing the game to walking into the major leagues, and they make mistakes all the time," the Republican source said.

Trump himself has remained out of sight since returning late Saturday from Hamburg, where he attended a high-stakes G20 summit and met with several foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The public invisibility is exceedingly rare for a new president. Officials described the absence as long-planned, however, after Trump complained he wasn't given any downtime following his first foreign trip in May.

"The last time we didn't plan any (down)-time and he wasn't happy about it," one official said.

Trump has been advised by his lawyers and White House advisers not to tweet about the matter involving his son, though he did emerge on Twitter Wednesday in a defiant mood.

"My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history," Trump wrote. "Sad!"

Having accepted an invitation from his French counterpart, Macron, to view the city's Bastille Day celebrations, Trump will decamp from controversy-clouded Washington for a more laudatory environment in Paris, where a military parade and haute dining await.

Even in Paris, however, Trump will find the episode hard to avoid. He's due to take questions from reporters on Thursday evening alongside Macron following more than an hour of bilateral talks inside the Élysée Palace.

Macron has already aligned himself as a tough-on-Russia counterpoint to Trump, who as recently as last week has questioned whether Russia was solely responsible for the election year hacking.

During a joint appearance with Putin at Versailles last month, Macron lit into his counterpart, employing a muscular takedown of various irritants -- including a Russian propaganda campaign meant to discredit his candidacy -- as the Russian leader stood by stone faced.

Trump hasn't yet confronted Putin in the same type of public outburst. And while he did raise the election meddling issue during his meeting with Putin last week in Germany, it remains unclear whether he accepted Putin's claims that Russia wasn't involved.

In Paris, Trump and Macron -- two of the globe's newest political leaders -- will seek areas of security cooperation, despite their outward differences on policy and personality. Appearances may deceive, however, as the two alpha-males find they have more in common than meets the eye.

For Trump, the trip represents a dramatic display of bilateral friendship for a leader not ordinarily disposed to overseas travel. On his first two foreign trips, Trump has seemed to fare better during bilateral stops in foreign capitals, where he's showered with grand displays of friendship, than at multi-nation summits where his isolationist brand of politics has been shunned.

In Paris the pomp will come in droves: Trump will be treated to a formal welcome at Les Invalides, dinner perched on the second landing of the Eiffel Tower, and an elaborate military display to mark Bastille Day, the centerpiece of his visit.

The trip is also designed to mark the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I, and the security theme will carry over in talks between the leaders, which the White House said would center on Syria and counterterrorism efforts.

Macron hopes to demonstrate to Trump the willingness of France to play a broader role in global security affairs. The country is the second largest contributor to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a key actor in counterterrorism efforts in northern Africa.

The traditional military parade Friday down the Champs-Élysées will give Trump a view of France's military hardware, but also point to the long history of cooperation between the two countries. The White House said American troops would participate this year, and that three veterans of the 1944 Normandy invasion would also be on hand.

But if Macron is eager to develop close security ties with Trump, in other areas he's already emerged as a vocal critic, most notably over Trump's withdrawal from the climate accord that bears the French capital's name.

Following the announcement, Macron adopted an aggressive stance, telling climate scientists they were welcome in France and mocking Trump's campaign slogan to urge the world to "make the planet great again."

Macron, who was elected decisively in May and bolstered by legislative successes for his new political party, views himself as a bridge between Europe and the United States, his advisers have said.

Unlike German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces reelection in September, Macron is unencumbered by a looming political contest where close ties to Trump could be unpopular.

Instead, Macron faces pressure to improve the security situation in France, which will require cooperation with the United States on intelligence sharing and bringing stability to the Middle East.</s>IOC Expects To Award Paris And Los Angeles 2024 And 2028 Olympics

Enlarge this image toggle caption Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The International Olympic Committee decided Tuesday that Paris and Los Angeles can work out a deal to be awarded the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games.

The committee's members voted unanimously that it can award both Olympics at its next meeting in September and that a three-way deal can be brokered among the two cities and the IOC.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo joined IOC President Thomas Bach on stage in Lausanne, Switzerland. Bach raised their hands in the air in a pose of shared victory.

"With Los Angeles and Paris, there are two fantastic cities from countries with a profound Olympic history," Bach said, according to the Associated Press.

Paris and Los Angeles are the only remaining contestants in the 2024 contest, after Boston; Budapest, Hungary; Hamburg, Germany; and Rome all dropped out. If the parties can't reach a deal, the IOC will name a host city for only 2024 at its next meeting.

The cities and the IOC will undertake final negotiations in the coming weeks. Either or both of the cities would need to be willing to host the 2028 Games if not awarded the 2024 Games, Reuters reports.

The IOC's decision locks in two major world cities years in advance and means the city that loses 2024 can avoid going through an arduous campaign to bid for 2028. Paris lost recent bids to host the 2008 and 2012 games.

Paris has been pushing hard for the 2024 Games, which would mark 100 years since it last hosted the Olympics. The Los Angeles Times reports that LA is expected to agree to host the 2028 Olympics; it could ask for concessions, such as a larger share of IOC revenue, in return for waiting. Los Angeles has proposed using the city's existing venues, boasting that it would not need to build any new permanent facilities to host the games.

"We take nothing for granted," Garcetti told reporters at a news conference afterward, the Times reports. "Our job now is to work with the IOC, to forge a path forward for our city and for the future of this [Olympic] movement."

Garcetti said the Olympics "can't afford to lose the United States," the AP reports. The Washington Post has reported that NBC single-handedly pays for much of the games: The network accounted for 62 percent of the IOC's broadcast revenue at the Sochi Games in Russia in 2014. New York and Chicago lost their bids for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Los Angeles last hosted the 1984 Olympics.</s>Paris (CNN) If Washington is currently a dark place for President Donald Trump , a stop in the City of Light may prove well-timed.

"The White House is paralyzed," a top Republican close to the West Wing told CNN ahead of Trump's departure to Paris, a withering assessment of an administration whose goals of passing a health care bill, overhauling the tax code and defeating ISIS have been complicated once again.

"Another week lost," is how one official described the legislative timeline for Trump and Republicans, an acknowledgment that the latest swirl of Russia developments complicate an already imperiled agenda.

Escaping what advisers, aides, and other Republicans describe as a White House rattled by Russia bombshells, Trump will find himself here instead embraced by Gallic splendor. He accepted an invitation from the new French president, Emmanuel Macron, to be on hand for Bastille Day, the national holiday that commemorates the start of the French Revolution.

The Paris trip is at least a momentary respite from his current predicament in the United States: embattled against accusations prompted by his oldest son's meeting with a Russian lawyer and surrounded by lawyers and aides urging him to remain quiet.

Back home, Trump faces a deepening crisis over that meeting, which has jolted the White House and moved the Russian meddling controversy directly into Trump's inner circle.

The President approached the news about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting through the same lens he approaches everything with the word Russia in it, according to another person who has spoken with him: as an effort by his enemies and the media to discredit him and his presidency.

Privately, Trump has expressed dismay that Trump Jr. agreed to meet with the Russian lawyer, according to a Republican source, who said the President believes it wasn't a smart move -- but also that his son did not run afoul of the law.

Trump, the Republican source said, is annoyed that the narrative surrounding the meeting has become a distraction from what he and his advisers saw as a successful overseas trip last week to Poland and Germany.

Ahead of his departure for Paris, Trump spent much of his time watching television and huddled with top advisers, according to two administration officials. He barely left the Oval Office. And his mood ranged from furious to frustrated, but also defiant.

A day earlier, he received some degree of solace during a visit from evangelical leaders. A photo from the session inside the Oval Office showed a huddle forming around the entrenched President, hands resting on his shoulders as his head bows in prayer.

Outside the room in the West Wing hallways, staffers remain in fighting mood, according to several people speaking on condition of anonymity, describing the mindset among Trump's aides. Many view the episode surrounding Trump Jr. -- who remains widely popular among ex-campaign staffers -- as blatantly unfair, even if they concede his decision-making on the matter appeared questionable.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus -- who himself has been the subject of speculation over his own standing with the President -- has been telling staffers to "tune out the noise," according to a person familiar with his conversations. He's urged underlings to keep their heads down and stay focused on their work.

But the prospects of continuing the administration's work apace became far more difficult Tuesday morning when the email bombshell -- which showed Trump Jr. reacting enthusiastically to news the Russian government may have had dirt on Hillary Clinton -- hit the West Wing with very little warning.

It's also triggered another round of speculation about aides' standing in the White House. Questions about the origin of the leaks have rippled through Washington, with the suggestion that backstabbing aides may be looking to take down their rivals.

Little has emerged about how, specifically, The New York Times learned about the damaging emails. But in a White House already gripped with internal battles, the revelations only fueled the impression of a divided West Wing.

One source familiar with the matter said tensions have emerged between some members of the President's senior staff and Marc Kasowitz, Trump's longtime lawyer who has been retained to handle the Russia matter.

When Trump departs for Paris late Wednesday, he'll take along with him chief of staff Priebus, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, and his homeland security adviser Tom Bossert. But two of the most prominent faces of his trips abroad -- senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner -- will remain stateside.

Some inside the administration concede the President's staff is long due for a shakeup, but that constant efforts to rebut the Russia allegations have made executing such a decision difficult.

Priebus, one administration official said, faces "fresh, new hell" daily. And other staffers simply seem too inexperienced to properly execute a presidential agenda, the official said.

Trump pushed back on reports of disarray in his White House on Wednesday, writing on Twitter: "The W.H. is functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things. I have very little time for watching T.V."

For months, Republicans close to the White House have been wringing their hands about Trump's reliance on his family members -- political neophytes -- for everything from political advice to domestic policy to international affairs.

A number of those officials warned that the combination of power and naïveté was sure to get Trump's family members in trouble. But even these sources expressed surprise about the damaging nature of the meeting between Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and a Russian lawyer.

"They're in deep, deep s--- and they don't know it," one Republican said of the Trump White House.

This Republican predicted the situation will worsen in the near future. Now that Trump's family members have all lawyered up, "they're past the point of coordination," and each person's lawyer will be looking to make a move that will cast their client in a positive light.

"Now you're into the phase that they're starting to turn on each other," the source said.

But Trump is still more inclined to trust his family members than anyone else on staff.

"Trump has not surrounded himself with good, strong, smart political operatives," said one source close to the White House. As for the kids and Kushner, "these guys have gone from never playing the game to walking into the major leagues, and they make mistakes all the time," the Republican source said.

Trump himself has remained out of sight since returning late Saturday from Hamburg, where he attended a high-stakes G20 summit and met with several foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The public invisibility is exceedingly rare for a new president. Officials described the absence as long-planned, however, after Trump complained he wasn't given any downtime following his first foreign trip in May.

"The last time we didn't plan any (down)-time and he wasn't happy about it," one official said.

Trump has been advised by his lawyers and White House advisers not to tweet about the matter involving his son, though he did emerge on Twitter Wednesday in a defiant mood.

"My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history," Trump wrote. "Sad!"

Having accepted an invitation from his French counterpart, Macron, to view the city's Bastille Day celebrations, Trump will decamp from controversy-clouded Washington for a more laudatory environment in Paris, where a military parade and haute dining await.

Even in Paris, however, Trump will find the episode hard to avoid. He's due to take questions from reporters on Thursday evening alongside Macron following more than an hour of bilateral talks inside the Élysée Palace.

Macron has already aligned himself as a tough-on-Russia counterpoint to Trump, who as recently as last week has questioned whether Russia was solely responsible for the election year hacking.

During a joint appearance with Putin at Versailles last month, Macron lit into his counterpart, employing a muscular takedown of various irritants -- including a Russian propaganda campaign meant to discredit his candidacy -- as the Russian leader stood by stone faced.

Trump hasn't yet confronted Putin in the same type of public outburst. And while he did raise the election meddling issue during his meeting with Putin last week in Germany, it remains unclear whether he accepted Putin's claims that Russia wasn't involved.

In Paris, Trump and Macron -- two of the globe's newest political leaders -- will seek areas of security cooperation, despite their outward differences on policy and personality. Appearances may deceive, however, as the two alpha-males find they have more in common than meets the eye.

For Trump, the trip represents a dramatic display of bilateral friendship for a leader not ordinarily disposed to overseas travel. On his first two foreign trips, Trump has seemed to fare better during bilateral stops in foreign capitals, where he's showered with grand displays of friendship, than at multi-nation summits where his isolationist brand of politics has been shunned.

In Paris the pomp will come in droves: Trump will be treated to a formal welcome at Les Invalides, dinner perched on the second landing of the Eiffel Tower, and an elaborate military display to mark Bastille Day, the centerpiece of his visit.

The trip is also designed to mark the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I, and the security theme will carry over in talks between the leaders, which the White House said would center on Syria and counterterrorism efforts.

Macron hopes to demonstrate to Trump the willingness of France to play a broader role in global security affairs. The country is the second largest contributor to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a key actor in counterterrorism efforts in northern Africa.

The traditional military parade Friday down the Champs-Élysées will give Trump a view of France's military hardware, but also point to the long history of cooperation between the two countries. The White House said American troops would participate this year, and that three veterans of the 1944 Normandy invasion would also be on hand.

But if Macron is eager to develop close security ties with Trump, in other areas he's already emerged as a vocal critic, most notably over Trump's withdrawal from the climate accord that bears the French capital's name.

Following the announcement, Macron adopted an aggressive stance, telling climate scientists they were welcome in France and mocking Trump's campaign slogan to urge the world to "make the planet great again."

Macron, who was elected decisively in May and bolstered by legislative successes for his new political party, views himself as a bridge between Europe and the United States, his advisers have said.

Unlike German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces reelection in September, Macron is unencumbered by a looming political contest where close ties to Trump could be unpopular.

Instead, Macron faces pressure to improve the security situation in France, which will require cooperation with the United States on intelligence sharing and bringing stability to the Middle East.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron may be the world's oddest of political odd couples. Far apart on climate change and immigration, the two leaders will look for common ground on terrorism and defense policy when they meet this week in Paris.

The president will be the guest of honor at this year's Bastille Day events — a celebration of French national pride at a time when, according to Macron, "our world has never been so divided."

The overseas trip comes as Trump is dogged by fresh controversy over his campaign's potential connections to Russia. Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday disclosed 2016 emails about his meeting with a Russian lawyer described to him as someone who was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump" in the campaign against Hillary Clinton. The president has maintained that neither he nor members of his campaign colluded with the Russian government ahead of the 2016 election.

Macron, for his part, has come out strongly against Russia's purported efforts to interfere in elections in the U.S. and across Europe. He has accused Moscow of working against his own campaign in support of his opponent, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The visit will gauge whether Trump and France's new leader can find consensus on any of the critical issues on which they find themselves deeply at odds. After Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accord agreement last month, Macron, a staunch advocate of research to combat global warming, beckoned "all responsible citizens," including American scientists and researchers, to bring their fight against climate change to France.

The president will mark the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I by visiting U.S. troops. White House officials are casting it as a celebration of the U.S.-French military alliance — both then and now.

Trump and Macron are scheduled to hold a joint news conference, during which Trump may face tough questions on the latest revelations about his son's contacts with a Russian lawyer. The two leaders and their wives will end a busy day of meetings Thursday with a lavish dinner at Jules Verne, at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

In the leadup to what will be Trump's first official visit to France, the White House chose to highlight areas where the two leaders can collaborate, and said their differences could foster more constructive dialogue.

"Macron and the president have somewhat different views on how to achieve the end goal, but I think the end goal is the same," Trump's top economic adviser Gary Cohn said last week.

Macron's path to the presidency was nearly as unlikely as Trump's. Rejecting ties with the French mainstream parties that had controlled the government since modern France began, he launched his own political movement just over a year ago and campaigned on pro-business and pro-European policies in direct counter to Le Pen.

"Both of these men were elected as outsiders and neither of them is really tied to their own national political establishments," said Benjamin Haddad, a Washington-based French political analyst with the Hudson Institute. "That may actually work to their advantage."

And Macron's national security pitch hasn't differed drastically from Trump's. On Syria, he argues for intervention, saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad is a threat to Syria and the Islamic State group is a threat to France. France has been plagued in recent years by a series of extremist attacks, including one of the deadliest attacks during Bastille Day celebrations last year, when a 19-ton cargo truck deliberately plowed into crowds in Nice, killing more than 80 people.

Macron supports intervention against Syria's government in response to its use of chemical weapons and could prove an important ally as the Trump administration seeks to increase pressure against Damascus. But in doing so, they'll need to tackle the issue of Russia's support for Assad, something Trump has only passively acknowledged.

At age 39, Macron became France's youngest president when he won a runoff against Le Pen in April. Despite no political experience, he pulled together an overwhelming legislative majority in France's parliament and recent polls show him with strong public popularity.

For Trump, whose approval ratings at home and abroad have sunk since he took office, experts say leveraging Macron's popularity could be the president's best bet to thaw his administration's image among European allies.

"Macron doesn't have the same constraints as (Germany's) Angela Merkel, who is entering an election campaign in which her opponents would love to make it a campaign about Donald Trump," said Jeffrey Rathke, deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant contributed to this story from Paris.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron may be the world’s oddest of political odd couples. Far apart on climate change and immigration, the two leaders will look for common ground on terrorism and defense policy when they meet this week in Paris.

The president will be the guest of honor at this year’s Bastille Day events — a celebration of French national pride at a time when, according to Macron, “our world has never been so divided.”

The overseas trip comes as Trump is dogged by fresh controversy over his campaign’s potential connections to Russia. Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday disclosed 2016 emails about his meeting with a Russian lawyer described to him as someone who was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump” in the campaign against Hillary Clinton. The president has maintained that neither he nor members of his campaign colluded with the Russian government ahead of the 2016 election.

Macron, for his part, has come out strongly against Russia’s purported efforts to interfere in elections in the U.S. and across Europe. He has accused Moscow of working against his own campaign in support of his opponent, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

The visit will gauge whether Trump and France’s new leader can find consensus on any of the critical issues on which they find themselves deeply at odds. After Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accord agreement last month, Macron, a staunch advocate of research to combat global warming, beckoned “all responsible citizens,” including American scientists and researchers, to bring their fight against climate change to France.

The president will mark the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I by visiting U.S. troops. White House officials are casting it as a celebration of the U.S.-French military alliance — both then and now.

Trump and Macron are scheduled to hold a joint news conference, during which Trump may face tough questions on the latest revelations about his son’s contacts with a Russian lawyer. The two leaders and their wives will end a busy day of meetings Thursday with a lavish dinner at Jules Verne, at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

In the leadup to what will be Trump’s first official visit to France, the White House chose to highlight areas where the two leaders can collaborate, and said their differences could foster more constructive dialogue.

“Macron and the president have somewhat different views on how to achieve the end goal, but I think the end goal is the same,” Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn said last week.

Macron’s path to the presidency was nearly as unlikely as Trump’s. Rejecting ties with the French mainstream parties that had controlled the government since modern France began, he launched his own political movement just over a year ago and campaigned on pro-business and pro-European policies in direct counter to Le Pen.

“Both of these men were elected as outsiders and neither of them is really tied to their own national political establishments,” said Benjamin Haddad, a Washington-based French political analyst with the Hudson Institute. “That may actually work to their advantage.”

And Macron’s national security pitch hasn’t differed drastically from Trump’s. On Syria, he argues for intervention, saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad is a threat to Syria and the Islamic State group is a threat to France. France has been plagued in recent years by a series of extremist attacks, including one of the deadliest attacks during Bastille Day celebrations last year, when a 19-ton cargo truck deliberately plowed into crowds in Nice, killing more than 80 people.

Macron supports intervention against Syria’s government in response to its use of chemical weapons and could prove an important ally as the Trump administration seeks to increase pressure against Damascus. But in doing so, they’ll need to tackle the issue of Russia’s support for Assad, something Trump has only passively acknowledged.

At age 39, Macron became France’s youngest president when he won a runoff against Le Pen in April. Despite no political experience, he pulled together an overwhelming legislative majority in France’s parliament and recent polls show him with strong public popularity.

For Trump, whose approval ratings at home and abroad have sunk since he took office, experts say leveraging Macron’s popularity could be the president’s best bet to thaw his administration’s image among European allies.

“Macron doesn’t have the same constraints as (Germany’s) Angela Merkel, who is entering an election campaign in which her opponents would love to make it a campaign about Donald Trump,” said Jeffrey Rathke, deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant contributed to this story from Paris.</s>(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP). International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach, left, from Germany welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron, 2nd left, and the Paris 2024 delegation with Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, 3rd left, duri...

(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP). The Los Angeles 2024 delegation attend the presentation of Los Angeles 2024 Candidate City Briefing for International Olympic Committee (IOC) Members, with, from left, Candace Cable, Director of Paralympic and ...

(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP). International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach, 2nd left, from Germany welcomes Allyson Felix, US Sprinter and all the delegation during the presentation of Los Angeles 2024 Candidate City Briefing f...

(Valentin Flauraud/Keystone via AP). French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for the presentation of Paris 2024 Candidate City Briefing for International Olympic Committee (IOC) Members, at the SwissTech Convention Centre, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tu...

(Valentin Flauraud/Keystone via AP). Eric Garcetti Mayor of Los Angeles, gestures as he arrives for the presentation of Los Angeles 2024 Candidate City Briefing for International Olympic Committee (IOC) Members, at the SwissTech Convention Centre, in L...

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - The IOC has decided it can pick both Los Angeles and Paris as Olympic host cities in September when the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games rights should be awarded at the same time.

International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously Tuesday to seek a consensus three-way deal between the two bid cities and the IOC executive board. Talks will open with Paris widely seen as favorite for 2024.

If a deal falls through, only the 2024 hosting rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

Agreement seemed assured by the reaction of the two mayors. Eric Garcetti of LA and Anne Hidalgo of Paris emerged on stage holding hands to acclaim the decision.

The mayors were joined by IOC President Thomas Bach who raised an arm of each in a shared gesture of triumph.

A deal to make both cities winners would fulfil a strategy Bach set in motion last December to help safeguard a stable future for the signature Olympic event.

"With Los Angeles and Paris, there are two fantastic cities from countries with a profound Olympic history," Bach said earlier.

The IOC approved the expected double award after hearing both cities present their 2024 hosting plan at a conference center in the Olympic capital city Lausanne.

Both cities used 45 minutes of videos and speeches, including French President Emmanuel Macron promoting the Paris cause, in a closed-door session with International Olympic Committee members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics.

Earlier Tuesday, the mayors of Los Angeles and Paris said they could work toward a deal.

"We look forward to working together maybe not in competition but collaboration with Paris," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference after his city's bid officials opened the campaign event.

Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have long touted their good relations on other issues such as climate change.

"We are all at the disposition and by the side of the IOC which was right to ask itself this question," Hidalgo said at the Paris news conference, citing her friendship with Garcetti as potentially a "key element" to reaching an agreement.

The dual award can give the IOC a decade of stability with two world-class cities touting financially secure bids. LA plans to use only existing venues with zero risk of white elephant venues. This follows years of overspending by Olympic hosts and political defeats to sink potential candidates.

The win-win option also guards against a 2024 loser refusing to bid again for 2028.

It also avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris - which lost with bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics - and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively. Paris also failed with a 1992 bid.

"We lost three times, we don't want to lose a fourth one," Macron said at the news conference. "I'm here to convey the message that there's a strong unity to back this candidacy."

Minutes after Macron spoke, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: "Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!"

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>LAUSANNE – With French President Emmanuel Macron joining Paris in presenting its bid to the International Olympic Committee, President Donald Trump offered his support of the Los Angeles bid in a tweet early Tuesday.

Los Angeles and Paris presented their bids for the 2024 Olympics here at the SwissTech Convention Center on Tuesday morning. Mayor Eric Garcetti led the Los Angeles bid, while Macron led Paris’ effort.

Asked about Trump, Macron focused on what his support of Paris 2024 here meant for the Olympics. He and Trump are meeting in Paris on Thursday, and Macron said the leaders would discuss issues they agree on, including the fight against terrorism and the war in Syria, as well as others they disagree on.

“As to my presence here, it’s only a positive signal. I’m not presenting this candidacy as a reaction against something else,” Macron said.

“I think that the meaning of our candidature is not a reaction against something. It’s just that France is ready and our desire is to be the bidding city for 2024.”

Trump has supported the Los Angeles bid since he was elected in November. He and Garcetti spoke about the bid in a phone call then.

Most recently, Trump hosted IOC President Thomas Bach at the White House last month.

Asked about Trump on Tuesday, Garcetti said the bid has the support of the federal government. Should Los Angeles get the Olympics, it would be designated as a National Special Security Event, making the federal government responsible for security.

The bid has also been assured that international delegations would be able to get into the country for the event. A ban for travelers from of six predominantly Muslim countries, which Trump first signed in late January, has faced a series of losses in federal courts.

The Supreme Court reinstated part of it last month and will hear the case in October.

“The Olympics is one of the few things that unites us in the United States right now,” Garcetti said. “The White House has been wonderful and supportive and has issued letters saying not only with athletes and the delegations get in for the Olympics, but also the test events leading up to the Olympics.

“We have real political unity. We feel confident about the logistics of the immigration that needs to happen for the Games.”</s>LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Finally, Los Angeles and Paris have their Olympic hosting destiny in their own hands.

If they can agree who goes first, each city will be awarded either the 2024 or 2028 Summer Games in September.

International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously on Tuesday to seek a consensus three-way deal between the two bid cities and the IOC executive board. Talks will open with Paris widely seen as the favorite for 2024.

If a deal falls through, only the 2024 hosting rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets, on Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

However, an agreement seemed assured, judging by the reaction of the two mayors.

"I have full confidence that we will get there," LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a celebratory news conference for both candidates and IOC President Thomas Bach.

Garcetti and Anne Hidalgo, his friend and counterpart from Paris, had emerged on stage seconds after the vote, holding hands, to welcome the decision. They were joined by Bach, who raised an arm of each in a shared gesture of triumph.

The mood looked set to continue over dinner at the IOC's favored five-star hotel, the Lausanne Palace.

The Franco-American alliance continues later this week. U.S. President Donald Trump is due in Paris to join President Emmanuel Macron for Bastille Day on Friday, the national holiday.

Macron was in the Olympic capital city Tuesday to promoting the Parisian cause — in a closed-door session with IOC members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics, and a subsequent news conference.

The presidential push was judged necessary by Paris, which has failed with three recent Olympic bids.

"We lost three times, we don't want to lose a fourth one," Macron said at the news conference. "I'm here to convey the message that there's a strong unity to back this candidacy."

Minutes after Macron spoke, Trump wrote on Twitter: "Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!"

Even without help from heads of state, LA and Paris are likely to reach a deal. A head-to-head fight for 2024 would create a loser that is unlikely to return four years later for a new 2028 bid contest.

"Both of us will find it more and more difficult to convince cities — whether it's Paris, Los Angeles or other American cities — to really go into this process if one of us gets turned down," Garcetti had said earlier Tuesday.

A deal to make both cities winners would fulfil a strategy that Bach set in motion last December to help safeguard a stable future for the signature Olympic event.

Asked when a 2024-2028 agreement could be sealed, Bach suggested: "If you ask me, I hope that in August we could be there."

The IOC approved the expected double award after hearing both cities present their 2024 hosting plans at a conference center in its home city.

Both cities used 45 minutes of videos and speeches in a closed-door session with IOC members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics.

At separate news conferences, the mayors said they could work toward a deal.

"We look forward to working together, maybe not in competition but collaboration with Paris," Garcetti said.

Garcetti and Hidalgo have long touted their good relations, and on Tuesday noted their cities' common positions on issues such as climate change and welcoming refugees.

Hidalgo cited her friendship with Garcetti as potentially a "key element" in the expected deal.

The dual award can give the IOC a decade of stability with two world-class cities touting financially secure bids. LA plans to use only existing venues with zero risk of white elephants. This follows years of overspending by Olympic hosts and a series of political defeats that have sunk the campaigns of potential candidates.

It also avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris — which lost with bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics — and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively.

Those losses deepened a rift between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Swiss-based IOC that LA 2024 and a new team of American officials have worked hard to heal.

Paris also failed with a 1992 bid and pinned its hopes on hosting in 2024, exactly 100 years after its previous Summer Games.

Garcetti said the Olympic movement "can't afford to lose the United States."

The IOC's most valuable TV rights deal is with NBC and several of its top-tier sponsors are American.

Still, a 2028 Olympics in Southern California could be the first American-hosted games since 1996 in Atlanta.

Bach has said the idea of a double award was presented to him at a lunch last year by friends whom he declined to identify in a recent interview with French sports daily L'Equipe.

The LA bid team declined to comment Tuesday whether the suggestion came from its supporters, as some believe.

"He (Bach) has good friends who gave him good advice," LA bid chairman Casey Wasserman said.</s>LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC has decided it can pick both Los Angeles and Paris as Olympic host cities in September when the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games rights should be awarded at the same time.

International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously Tuesday to seek a consensus three-way deal between the two bid cities and the IOC executive board. Talks will open with Paris widely seen as favorite for 2024.

If a deal falls through, only the 2024 hosting rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.

Agreement seemed assured by the reaction of the two mayors. Eric Garcetti of LA and Anne Hidalgo of Paris emerged on stage holding hands to acclaim the decision.

The mayors were joined by IOC President Thomas Bach who raised an arm of each in a shared gesture of triumph.

A deal to make both cities winners would fulfil a strategy Bach set in motion last December to help safeguard a stable future for the signature Olympic event.

“With Los Angeles and Paris, there are two fantastic cities from countries with a profound Olympic history,” Bach said earlier.

The IOC approved the expected double award after hearing both cities present their 2024 hosting plan at a conference center in the Olympic capital city Lausanne.

Both cities used 45 minutes of videos and speeches, including French President Emmanuel Macron promoting the Paris cause, in a closed-door session with International Olympic Committee members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics.

Earlier Tuesday, the mayors of Los Angeles and Paris said they could work toward a deal.

“We look forward to working together maybe not in competition but collaboration with Paris,” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference after his city’s bid officials opened the campaign event.

Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have long touted their good relations on other issues such as climate change.

“We are all at the disposition and by the side of the IOC which was right to ask itself this question,” Hidalgo said at the Paris news conference, citing her friendship with Garcetti as potentially a “key element” to reaching an agreement.

The dual award can give the IOC a decade of stability with two world-class cities touting financially secure bids. LA plans to use only existing venues with zero risk of white elephant venues. This follows years of overspending by Olympic hosts and political defeats to sink potential candidates.

The win-win option also guards against a 2024 loser refusing to bid again for 2028.

It also avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris — which lost with bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics — and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively. Paris also failed with a 1992 bid.

“We lost three times, we don’t want to lose a fourth one,” Macron said at the news conference. “I’m here to convey the message that there’s a strong unity to back this candidacy.”

Minutes after Macron spoke, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: “Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!”

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The International Olympic Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to break with tradition and award two games at once.

Paris and LA are the only competitors left for 2024. But it's been clear since early this year that the IOC is leaning toward awarding the next two games at the same time, to streamline the selection process and provide greater financial stability to the games.

Hosting a modern Olympics practically guarantees massive debt and cost overruns, and many cities have abandoned bids recently. Researchers at Oxford's Saïd Business School estimate the cost overrun for the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, was $1.6 billion.

"Brazil is not a unique case. All summer and winter games that we've studied have shown cost overruns," wrote Bent Flyvbjerg, the lead researcher. "For a city and country to host the games is a huge undertaking and one of the most costly and financially risky megaprojects they can undertake."

Related: Why nobody wants to host the Olympic Games

IOC Vice President John Coates suggested Tuesday that the Paris and Los Angeles Olympic committees will be left to figure out who should host in which year. The decision would then be ratified in September.

If the two cities can't settle the question of who would get which games, the IOC would decide in September. In that case, the 2028 games could be open to additional bidders.

Paris and Los Angeles were left as the only contenders for 2024 when Budapest withdrew its bid in February. Officials from both Paris and Los Angeles had stressed that their cities already have more than 90% of the facilities they need to host, reducing the additional cost.

Before the announcement, President Trump tweeted that he is "working hard to get the Olympics for the United States." He has been on record supporting Los Angeles' bid since shortly after his election in November, and reportedly called IOC President Thomas Bach to lobby for the city.

Bach first raised the possibility of awarding the 2024 and 2028 games at once, saying in December that tapping one city at a time "produces too many losers." The IOC's executive board voted last month in favor of awarding both games at the same time. The full IOC voted Tuesday.
The International Olympic Committee plans on awarding the 2024 games to Paris and the 2028 games to Los Angeles. Both Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump have voiced their support.