Trump lays low as he awaits findings of Mueller report

President Donald Trump is laying low at his Florida estate as he awaits the findings of the special counsel investigation, heeding the advice of his lawyers, who warned him against tweeting about the probe before details were released.

Trump, who spent the weekend golfing and relaxing with his family, was said to be relieved and happy that Robert Mueller's probe ended without any new indictments , according to people close to the White House. Still, it was unclear whether Mueller's report was critical of Trump's actions, and the president's lawyers told him tweeting about the investigation before that was clear might make his life more difficult.

The president notably did dial back his high-octane Twitter account over the weekend. His only public messages came Sunday morning, when he wrote "Good Morning, Have A Great Day!" and "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" The relative silence stood in contrast with the previous weekend, when Trump unleashed more than 50 tweets, many scathing attacks on the investigations that imperiled his presidency.

A view of Mar-A Lago on Friday, March 22, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla., before Caribbean leaders talk to media after meeting with President Donald Trump. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster)

Trump aides said Sunday that the White House had not been briefed on Mueller's report, which was turned over to the Justice Department on Friday afternoon. Attorney General William Barr spent the weekend combing through the report and planned to release its findings as early as Sunday.

Trump spent Sunday golfing with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., former Congressman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, according to a White House official, as aides sought to keep the president busy during the tumultuous weekend.

The president has railed against Mueller for months, calling the investigation a politically motivated "witch hunt." The inquiry focused on whether Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 campaign, as well as whether the president tried to obstruct the probe.

President Donald Trump is seen silhouetted in his motorcade vehicle, from the media van in the motorcade accompanying him, as he departs Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, March 23, 2019, in West Palm Beach, Fla., en route to Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster)

A larger pack of aides than normal — including press secretary Sarah Sanders — traveled with Trump to Mar-a-Lago to manage any fallout. Trump was briefed on what his supporters would say on television throughout the weekend; aides hoped the president might stay quiet if he felt his messages was getting out even if he wasn't delivering them himself.

White House officials were cautious about declaring victory or getting ahead of the details, said a person familiar with White House thinking, who like others, insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Trump allies like Republican Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan handled television interviews over the weekend, while White House officials were expected to speak more during the week.

Trump spent the weekend surrounded by aides, friends and family, including son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who are at the Florida estate for spring break with their children. Trump's eldest son was out fishing with his children when the report was delivered.

Supporters of President Donald Trump are seen from the media van in the motorcade accompanying the president in West Palm Beach, Fla., Saturday, March 23, 2019, en route to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster)

The president and first lady Melania Trump celebrated their son Barron's 13th birthday with dinner on the patio of Mar-a-Lago on Friday night. Trump also attended a GOP dinner that night and basked in the applause of hundreds of dressed-to-the-nines attendees.

He spent Saturday golfing with singer-songwriter Kid Rock in temperatures that hit the 80s, and headed back to his golf club again on Sunday. Trump also spent time on the phone with trusted confidants.

The president's low-key approach was a marked shift from his posture in recent days. Beginning last weekend, he unleashed a storm of tweets that were unusually harsh and varied, even by Trump's standards.

He leveled fresh recriminations at the late Sen. John McCain. He called adviser Kellyanne Conway's husband a "loser husband from hell," former FBI Director James Comey a "dirty cop" and former Vice President Joe Biden as a "low I.Q. individual." And Trump tweeted ongoing denouncements about the Mueller probe, saying it is the "biggest scandal in the history of the country."

Aides blamed that Twitter explosion in part due to too much free time. Heading into this high-stakes weekend, Trump advisers made a point of keeping the president busy and focused on positive developments, according to the Republican close to the White House.

While White House aides were pleased that the president kept a low profile through much of the weekend, few thought he would be able to stay out of the conversation for long.

Follow all of AP's Trump Investigations coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations .

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

The Houthis said they shot down the Predator with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.

The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.

Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.

A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)