Trump vows to press ahead on reshaping America in speech to Congress as Democrats register dissent
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy as he delivered an unyielding address Tuesday night to Congress and the nation. Democratic legislators registered their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection. Trump’s prime-time speech added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies that he promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office. Trump pledged to keep delivering sweeping changes to the country, rescuing it from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor while repeatedly needling Democrats.
Trump’s address to Congress showed the country’s stark partisan divide
WASHINGTON (AP) — A president’s address to Congress — even without the formal gloss of a State of the Union address — is typically a time for a call to national unity and predictable claims about the country being strong. But that wasn’t President Donald Trump’s plan. His speech on Tuesday night was relentlessly partisan, boasting about his election victory and criticizing Democrats for failing to recognize his accomplishments. The hard edge reflected Trump’s bulldozer approach to his second term, brushing aside opposition and demanding loyalty throughout the federal government.
FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump during his address to Congress
President Donald Trump’s one-hour and 40-minute address to Congress highlighted many of his initiatives, from an immigration crackdown to tariffs and energy policy. But many of his comments Tuesday night included false and misleading information about those efforts. Trump overstated numbers around his immigration crackdown and misrepresented economic figures, repeating several false claims he has made in the past. He also distorted an initiative from his predecessor on electric vehicles and took credit for Army recruitment trends that began before he entered office.
Trump’s trade war draws swift retaliation with new tariffs from Mexico, Canada and China
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s trade war against America’s three biggest trading partners drew immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China. The president’s latest tariffs also sent financial markets into a tailspin Tuesday as the U.S. faced the threat of rekindled inflation and paralyzing uncertainty for business. Just after midnight, Trump imposed 25% taxes on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10% on Canadian energy. Trump also doubled the tariff he slapped last month on Chinese products to 20%. Beijing retaliated with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of U.S. farm exports. Canada planned to put tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods.
Zelenskyy calls Oval Office spat with Trump ‘regrettable,’ says he’s ready to work for Ukraine peace
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says last week’s Oval Office blowup with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was “regrettable,” and he adds, “It is time to make things right.” His remarks came hours after the White House announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine. In a social media post on X, Zelenskyy said Friday’s White House meeting “did not go the way it was supposed to be.” He added that ”it is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.” He said Ukraine is ready to sign a deal on its rare-earth minerals and security with Washington. Trump said during his address to Congress that he received a letter from Zelenskyy saying as much.
Israel cut off food and supplies to Gaza. Aid groups are scrambling. What’s happening on the ground?
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s cutoff of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza’s 2 million people has sent prices soaring and humanitarian groups into overdrive, trying to distribute dwindling stocks to the most vulnerable. The population relies entirely on the aid to survive. Israel’s move to freeze it has imperiled the tenuous progress aid workers say they have made to stave off famine over the past six weeks under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. Humanitarian groups say they don’t have significant stockpiles of supplies inside Gaza and that an extended freeze could be catastrophic. Israel says it is blocking aid from entering to pressure Hamas to accept its new ceasefire demand.
Army surrounds South Sudan vice president’s home as his allies are arrested
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudanese soldiers have surrounded Vice President Riek Machar’s home in the capital and several of his allies were arrested after an armed group allied to him overrun an army base. Machar’s rivalry with President Salva Kiir has in the past exploded into civil war. He said last month that the firing of several of his allies from posts in the government threatened the 2018 peace deal between him and Kiir that ended a five-year civil war in which more than 400,000 people were killed.
Who’s St. Francis, whose love for the poor, creation, and peace inspires Pope Francis?
ASSISI, Italy (AP) — St. Francis is the medieval Catholic saint whose spirituality focused on loving the poor, creation, and peace. He’s been a key inspiration for the pope — who chose Francis as his papal name. As Francis remains hospitalized, pilgrims flock to seek Franciscan spirituality in the central Italian hilltop town of Assisi. It’s here that the saint was born more than 800 years ago, and his tomb is venerated in a magnificent basilica.
Trailblazing Olympic refugee boxer Cindy Ngamba set for a pro debut on all-female fight card
LONDON (AP) — Cindy Ngamba makes her pro boxing debut Friday in London. Ngamba made history at the Paris Olympics when she became the first athlete competing as a refugee to earn a medal. She took bronze in the middleweight category. Her first professional fight is Friday against veteran Kirstie Bavington in a bout at Royal Albert Hall as part of an all-female card headlined by the Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price welterweight world title unification fight. The 26-year-old Ngamba is from Cameroon but has lived in Britain for the past 15 years.
LeBron James becomes first to score 50,000 combined points in NBA regular season and playoffs
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James has become the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and postseason. He needed just one point during the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The 40-year-old James is already the top scorer in NBA history in both the regular season and the playoffs during a career in which he has rewritten all previous definitions of basketball longevity. He is on the verge of 50,000 combined points deep into his 22nd season. That’s tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons in the league by any NBA player.