Good evening. President Trump sat down last night with four of our White House reporters for a wide-ranging interview that lasted nearly two hours — a rare opportunity to press the president at length about his views and priorities. I’ll walk through what we learned. After that, we have news on Apple’s succession planning and a story about a Border collie with a big vocabulary.
Trump rejected limits on his global powersPresident Trump told my colleagues last night that he alone was the arbiter of his authority as commander in chief. He brushed aside international law and other checks on his power to order the U.S. military to strike or invade nations around the world. When asked if there were any limits on his global powers, Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” It was the most blunt acknowledgment yet of Trump’s worldview: that national strength alone should be the deciding factor when nations’ interests collide. Past presidents, he suggested, have been too cautious with American power. Follow here for more news from the Oval Office interview. Here are some of the highlights: On VenezuelaThe president said that he expected that the U.S. would be running Venezuela and extracting its oil for “much longer” than a year. He insisted that the country’s interim leaders, once members of Nicolás Maduro’s regime before he was detained by U.S. troops, are “giving us everything that we feel is necessary.” Hours after the interview, the Senate agreed to debate a war powers resolution aimed at curbing the president’s use of military force in Venezuela. Five Republicans joined Democrats in a rare bipartisan rebuke of the White House. One of those Republicans said that Trump’s comments to the Times about controlling Venezuela for years may have tipped the vote. In Venezuela, the government announced the release of political prisoners, an apparent gesture of change by its new leadership. On the ICE shooting
The Oval Office interview took place just hours after an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis. The president told my colleagues that the woman was at fault because she had tried to “run over” the officer. After the interview, analysis of footage from three camera angles showed that the motorist was driving away from — not toward — a federal officer when he opened fire. In related news:
On Trump’s healthFor most of the interview with The Times, Trump appeared confident and animated. He seemed eager to showcase his stamina, a topic one of our reporters in the room, Katie Rogers, wrote about in November. “Two hours,” Trump said of the length of the interview as it came to a close. “Katie, I could go nine hours.” Throughout, he tried on the full range of personas he has used in public life, taking unpredictable turns. The president also said he has not taken one of the popular obesity drugs, though he added that he “probably should.” On other topics
Meet one of the front-runners to become Apple’s next C.E.O.Tim Cook, Apple’s longtime chief executive, has told senior leaders at the company that he is tired and would like to reduce his workload. Last year, Apple began accelerating its planning for Cook’s succession, people close to the company told my colleagues Kalley Huang and Tripp Mickle. Some company insiders believe the front-runner to become the next C.E.O. is John Ternus, a low-profile but influential executive at Apple. Here’s what to know about him. More top news
‘The Pitt’ looks to build upon its Season 1 magicTonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, Noah Wyle’s charismatic, lifesaving character, Dr. Robby, returns to run an emergency room in Pittsburgh for Season 2 of “The Pitt.” The HBO show, which follows a somewhat realistic 15-hour shift over 15 episodes, became a sensation last year, earning several Emmys. The second season, with one episode a week through April, takes place over the course of a Fourth of July weekend. Our critic, who watched the first nine episodes, said it was very good. Sam Anderson, one of our magazine writers, spent a few days on the set and talked with Wyle (of “ER” fame) about what makes the show work so well. Read Sam’s piece here.
Can A.I. match Molière’s wit?Researchers in France spent the last two years training an artificial intelligence program in the work of Molière, the 17th-century playwright known for satirical comedy. They wanted to see if the bot could imitate his themes, structure and sense of humor. It was arduous. “It took Molière two weeks to write a play, whereas we’ve been at it for two years,” one said. But after plenty of expert feedback, the A.I. program eventually completed a script that will be performed this weekend.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This olive and ginger mixture makes every bite of baked fish taste delicious. Watch: “Young Mothers” is a tender portrait of four teenage moms in a maternity shelter. Listen: Check out music from the debonair saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Store: Wirecutter has advice on organizing your pantry. |
