Correspondents' dinner lacks glitter without Trump
By JOCELYN NOVECK, Associated Press
Apr 29, 2017 1:34 AM CDT
In this combination photo, Hasan Minhaj attends the 75th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony on May 21, 2016, in New York, left, and Samantha Bee attends the IWC Schaffhausen Tribeca Film Festival event on April 20, 2017, in New York. On Saturday, April 29, Minhaj will host the annual White House Correspondents'...   (Associated Press)

The annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association is taking place without its traditional star.

This year the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has decided to stay away from an event in which he would be a prime target of biting humor.

That's dulled the glitter emanating from celebrities who usually come to the Saturday night dinner as guests of media outlets. Absent a busload of big names, the event is focusing on the First Amendment and the crucial role of the press in a democracy.

There will be, as usual, a comedian emceeing the event, which will air on C-SPAN: Hasan Minhaj, of "The Daily Show."

A president hasn't declined to attend since Ronald Reagan in 1981, though he was recovering from an assassination attempt.

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