President Trump apparently has plenty of time to think up those off-the-wall tweets he's so famous for.
The leader of the free world's days are often dominated by undefined chunks of "Executive Time," private schedules examined by Politico show. Trump spends much of it "tweeting, phoning friends, and watching television," Politico writes — and he had a whole nine hours of it scheduled last Tuesday alone.
Past presidents notoriously crammed their schedules to make best use of their time. It was their "most valuable commodity," President George W. Bush's former chief of staff Mark McLarty told Politico. But Trump often complained about his rigorous schedule when he first took office. So when White House Chief of Staff John Kelly started his job, he invented "Executive Time," a former White House aide says. And now, senior staffers are reportedly the ones complaining about what he does with it.
Trump has recently started pushing his commitments later and later in the day, filling his mornings with tweetstorms and hours in front of the TV, another former White House aide tells Politico. Last Tuesday, he kicked off his day at 11:30 a.m. with a meeting, and only had a few other engagements scheduled for the rest of the day. The other nine hours were "Executive Time."
The rest of the week wasn't quite so relaxed as Tuesday, Politico notes. Aides also say Trump often fills those unscheduled hours with impromptu briefings and phone calls. Still, these freewheeling breaks show how "short-term bugaboos become the drivers of [Trump's] agenda, rather than any long-term vision," Politico writes. Read more about Trump's calendar at Politico. Kathryn Krawczyk
The Saudi gunman who killed three people on Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida went on Twitter before the shooting and accused the United States of being anti-Muslim, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Saudi Royal Air Force 2nd Lt. Mohammad Saeed Alshamrani also apparently tweeted his anger over U.S. support of Israel. The FBI confirmed it is operating on the assumption the shooting was an act of terror, with investigators working to determine whether Alshamrani, 21, acted alone or with others. Alshamrani was in the U.S. for flight training, and was killed by a sheriff’s deputy during the attack.
The official also told AP investigators believe Alshamrani went to New York City a few days before the shooting, and they are trying to figure out the purpose of his trip. A second U.S. official told AP on Saturday Alshamrani hosted a dinner party prior to the attack, where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings.
Rachel J. Rojas, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Jacksonville, said a Glock 9 mm weapon that had been legally purchased in Florida was used to carry out the shooting. In response, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he is against a “federal loophole” that lets foreigners purchase guns in the United States, and while he supports the Second Amendment, it “does not apply to Saudi Arabians.” Catherine Garcia
Caroll Spinney, the actor and puppeteer who made Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch come alive on Sesame Street, died Sunday. He was 85.
The Sesame Workshop said Spinney, who died at his home in Connecticut, lived with dystonia for many years. Spinney began working on Sesame Street in its earliest days in 1969, before retiring in 2018.
As Big Bird, Spinney traveled around the world, conducted symphony orchestras, danced with the Rockettes, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress.
In a statement, Sesame Workshop said Spinney's "enormous talent and outsized heart were perfectly suited to playing the larger-than-life yellow bird who brought joy to generations of children and countless fans of all ages around the world, and his loveably cantankerous grouch gave us all permission to be cranky once in a while." Catherine Garcia