MOSCOW--Russian president Vladimir Putin told reporters Tuesday that he starts each morning with the same satisfying routine. "Every day before I go to work, I like to come downstairs, have a cup of coffee, and jot down some stories for my state-run media outlets,” said the Russian leader, adding that
he occasionally only has time to scribble the front-page headlines when he’s in a hurry. “I typically start off writing whatever the big national and political news should be and then maybe work my way over to smaller stuff on my way to work. As an autocratic ruler, I just think it’s my responsibility to manipulate what’s going on in the world.” He sometimes uses his dreams for inspiration, or if he's feeling particularly cheery one morning, "I'll look at my agenda and pick one 5-year goal and one 10-year goal to move forward. It's a great feeling to be able to control what my country knows."