jon: just so you know, jay carney, te president's spokesman, has just begun his daily briefing in the west wing of the white house. we are keeping an ear on what he has to say. if he gets to issues of importance to you, our viewers, we will take you there live. in the meantime, president obama is getting set on wednesday to kick off a major tour of africa. so in a time of huge deficits, this trip has generated a lot of controversy because the bill for you, the taxpayer, could be as high as $100 million. the trip will focus on the continent's growing economic and security importance for the united states, but as former south african president nelson mandela remains in critical condition in a hospital, it also will carry personal significance for president obama as well. chris freights is a national correspondent for the national journal and joins us now. to that cost thing first, chris, a lot has been made of the cost of this trip. presidential trips always cost a