Highlights: The Trump presidency on April 19 at 18:24 P.M. EDT/2224 GMT

(Reuters) - Highlights for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday: NORTH KOREA Vice President Mike Pence says in Japan that Washington will work with its allies and China to put economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea but adds that the United States would defeat any attack with an "overwhelming response." The Trump administration denies being misleading about a U.S. carrier strike group's push toward the Korean peninsula, saying it never gave an arrival date and that the ships still are on their way. 2016 ELECTION Sources tell Reuters a Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system. IRAN The White House is aware of "potential negative impacts" from a review ordered by Trump of whether lifting sanctions through the Iran nuclear deal was in U.S. national security interests, his spokesman says. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says Iran's destabilizing influence in the Middle East would have to be overcome to end the conflict in Yemen, as the United States weighs increasing support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting there. THE DOLLAR Trump is "absolutely not" trying to talk down the strength of the dollar, the Financial Times quotes Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying. ADMINISTRATION Trump's choice for deputy secretary of commerce, Chicago Cubs baseball team co-owner Todd Ricketts, has withdrawn his nomination, a source says, amid reports of difficulties untangling his financial holdings to the satisfaction of the government ethics watchdog. EMISSIONS RULE The Environmental Protection Agency says it will reconsider a rule on emissions from oil and gas operations and delay its implementation, marking the administration's latest effort to dismantle Obama-era environmental regulations. GLOBAL ECONOMY The International Monetary Fund warns that Trump's proposed tax cuts and rollback of financial regulations could spark a new round of financial risk-taking of the type that preceded the last crisis in 2008. SAUDI TRIP Trump may add a visit to Saudi Arabia to a trip to Europe in May in what will be his first overseas journey since becoming president, a senior administration official says. PATRIOTS VISIT While some players stay away in protest, the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots make the traditional visit to the White House where team owner Robert Kraft lauds longtime friend Trump and likens his long-shot victory to the Patriots' own. (Compiled by Bill Trott; Editing by Andrew Hay and Jonathan Oatis)