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Trump talks about an ‘energy emergency’
Trump said: “A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. ... That is why on my first day in office, I declared a national energy emergency.”
President Trump has already begun dismantling his predecessor's climate change and renewable energy policies and declared a national energy emergency to speed up fossil fuel development. But most experts think the characterization of an "energy emergency" does not accurately reflect reality. Scientists say the globe is experiencing a climate emergency instead.
“The reality is that the United States is well-supplied with energy in all of its forms,” said Gary Dirks, senior director of the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
Trump also highlighted his moves to open up areas in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. But expanding the area available for companies to lease and drill doesn't necessarily mean that more oil and gas will be produced.
Trump says his government must move quickly to lower egg prices
Trump talked about the price of eggs and other key staples at grocery stores, where prices have remained stubbornly high due to inflation.
He said Biden “let the price of eggs get out of control” and instructed members of his Cabinet to bring them down, saying they need to fix rising prices that he suggested the previous administration left them with.
Border crossings are down, but not at their lowest
Trump said: “Illegal border crossings last month were the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
Not so.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that there were “8,326 apprehensions of illegals by Border Patrol at the U.S. - Mexico Border” in February. He called it the lowest number in history “by FAR” and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it was “the lowest month in recorded history,” but U.S. government data show that the Border Patrol routinely averaged below that number in the 1960s.
While February marked the lowest arrest total in decades, the Border Patrol averaged less than February 2025 for the first seven years of 1960s. The government website does not track U.S.-Mexico border totals before 1960. The Border Patrol’s monthly average was 1,752 arrests in 1961.
Democrats tune out, Republicans tune in
Some Democrats are quietly chatting with each other as Trump delivers his remarks. Others are on their phones.
The caucus is largely silent, save for periodic groans and chuckling throughout Trump’s speech. A contingent of lawmakers continue to hoist protest signs.
And wearing the words “Resist” printed on the backs of their shirts, a handful of Democrats exited the House chamber.
Republicans are, by contrast, listening attentively to the president’s remarks and frequently cheering.
‘How did that work out’
Trump said: “We’ve ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. How did that work out?”
Trump is gloating about having survived, without any meaningful accountability, four different criminal prosecutions — only one of which went to trial. He’s also repeating a favored and oft-stated assertion that the Justice Department over the last four years was weaponized against him.
It’s a claim that overlooks the extensive evidence of criminal conduct that prosecutors say they gathered related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents. And his suggestion that his administration has acted to restore impartial justice at the Justice Department belies the fact that the department’s decision-making has already been rife with political considerations.
A new working group on so-called weaponization is targeting the prosecutors who investigated Trump, and senior officials dismissed a criminal case against New York’s mayor because they saw him as an ally in the president’s fight against illegal immigration.
Not an ‘economic catastrophe’
Trump said: “Among my very highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families. As you know, we inherited, from the last administration, an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.”
Americans were certainly still gloomy about the post-COVID inflation spike that peaked in 2022, but Trump did not inherit a disastrous economy by any measure.
The unemployment rate ticked down to a low 4% in January, the month he took office, while the economy expanded a healthy 2.8% in 2024. Inflation-adjusted incomes have grown steadily since mid-2023. And inflation, while showing signs of stickiness in recent months and still elevated at 3% in January, is down from its 9.1% peak.
Trump says he’s stamped out diversity and inclusion initiatives nationwide
Trump said his administration has rushed to ban diversity and inclusion programs in the federal government and dismiss workers charged with advancing such efforts.
“Our country will be ‘woke’ no longer,” he said.
His efforts have prompted private companies and other entities to similarly roll back efforts to promote diversity. They have also drawn a series of legal challenges, many of which are still in court.
Trump admonishes Democrats for not cheering him
“It’s very sad, and it just shouldn’t be this way,” Trump said.
That was him chiding Democratic members of Congress for failing to stand and applaud as the president delivered his speech.
Democrats remained seated as Trump said it, some scowling. Many held up small black signs printed with “False” in white lettering. Every time Trump boasts of his accomplishments, they hold up the signs.
“Lie after lie after lie,” came one shout from the Democratic side of the chamber.
Trump borrows from Biden
“America is back.”
Trump started his address by taking a line from his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden.
As president, Biden repeatedly said in speeches that he told world leaders that “America is back.” The former president meant those words as a sign to allies in Europe and Asia that the United States was reengaging with the world. In one noted anecdote, Biden said that one world leader responded to his comment by asking how America would be back. There was a fear among allies, Biden said, that Trump could return.
Now, Trump is using Biden’s line to suggest that his return to the presidency means his vision of America is back.
Democrat Al Green confronts Trump and is removed from House chamber
“The presidential election of Nov. 5 was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades,” Trump said as he began his speech.
“You have no mandate,” Democratic Rep. Al Green countered.
Republicans quickly jumped to their feet with chants of “USA! USA!”
Green was then removed from the House chamber.
Republican members cheered at his removal, shouting “Get out!” and “Goodbye!” at the lawmaker. Green shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at Trump before police escorted him from the chamber.
Some Democrats silently hold small signs protesting Trump’s joint address
The circular black signs have bold white lettering including the statements “Protect Veterans,” “Save Medicaid,” “False” and “Musk Steals.” Some Democrats held the signs higher as the president began his remarks.
'America is back,' Trump says
Trump has begun his joint congressional address to “USA! USA!” chants and talking about the first 43 days of his administration, which has been marked by a major effort at reshaping and downsizing the federal government led by billionaire Elon Musk, spats with America’s allies and economic uncertainties brought by new tariffs.
Republicans greet Trump with chants of 'USA! USA!'
Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House.
Republican lawmakers were on their feet, chanting “USA! USA!” as President Donald Trump basks in the applause.
The GOP lawmakers are jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they also face a high-stakes task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month.
A mostly present Democratic caucus
Despite some notable absences, the Democratic side of the House chamber is largely packed ahead of Trump’s address.
Some Democrats chose to boycott the speech, including Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Don Beyer and Gerry Connelly of Virginia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., also chose not to attend.
Republicans erupt in applause, Democrats don’t move as Trump enters
The Republican side of the House chamber was on their feet, whistling and applauding as Trump’s entrance was announced.
The Democrats, meanwhile, were practically motionless. They were seated and mostly faced forward as Trump entered.
Cabinet members arrive at House chamber
The president’s Cabinet has entered the House chamber. Secretaries are being greeted by and chatting with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
A minority of the Supreme Court at Trump’s speech
Four sitting members of the Supreme Court are attending Trump’s joint address to Congress. It is normal for some members of the court to not appear at the president’s speeches before Congress.
Chief Justice John Roberts entered the chamber accompanied by Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan and Brett Kavanagh. Former Justice Anthony Kennedy is also present.
Absent from the group were Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.
Trump expected to take credit for ‘swift’ action on immigration, economy
In his joint congressional address, Trump is expected to take credit for “swift and unrelenting” action on immigration, economy and security, according to early excerpts released by the White House.
Trump will begin his speech by saying he has accomplished more in his six weeks in office than most administrations in four or eight years. He is also expected to call this moment the “dawn of the Golden Age of America.”
A starkly partisan welcome
Vice President JD Vance and members of the U.S. Senate received starkly different greetings from each side of the aisle. Vance and the Republican senators entering alongside him received applause from Republicans and their guests while Democrats almost were entirely seated and uniformly silent.
Senators largely mingled with and were embraced by members of their own party.
Elon Musk takes a seat in the gallery
Overlooking the House chamber, Elon Musk has taken a seat in the gallery.
Wearing a suit with a dark blue tie, Musk received a bit of applause from other guests in the gallery as he shook hands with those seated around him.
Seated along with him is newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, as well as members of Trump’s family — Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump.
Vice President JD Vance gets warm greeting from House Republicans
Vice President JD Vance is entering the House chamber to hearty handshakes and hugs from his fellow Republicans.
Until just a few weeks ago, Vance held an office in the Capitol as Ohio’s senator. He is still frequently there, taking on a role in the Trump administration of guiding the president’s nominees to confirmation.
Who is the ‘designated survivor’?
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has been selected to be the designated survivor for Trump's speech, according to a White House official.
When government officials gather for big events, a “designated survivor” is kept away to make sure someone in the line of presidential succession stays alive in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
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Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller contributed reporting.
Pink is the color of the night for Democratic women
Democratic congresswomen are aiming to send a feminist message at President Trump’s speech with their blazers, dresses and scarves.
More than three dozen members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus are wearing pink and burgundy clothing for the president’s joint address, a color palette the women believe represents female empowerment. At least a half dozen congressmen have joined in on the action with pink ties.
Trump heads to the Capitol
The president and first lady Melania Trump have left the White House and entered his armored limousine for the short drive to the Capitol.
Billionaire Elon Musk was seen walking out of the White House a few seconds before Trump to join the presidential motorcade to the Capitol.
DC to remove ‘Black Lives Matter’ street mural near White House
The District of Columbia will remove the large “Black Lives Matter” painted on the street a block from the White House as Mayor Muriel Bowser struggles to fend off threats of encroachment from both President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Bowser announced the change on X on Tuesday, writing: “We can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.”
Bowser ordered the painting and renamed the intersection Black Lives Matter Plaza after days of chaotic protests over police brutality that brought her into conflict with Trump during his first term.
Why isn’t Trump’s address called the State of the Union?
By tradition, a State of the Union address is intended as a look back on the prior year. Trump just took office on Jan. 20, so he’s only been in office for just over a month.
Instead, newly inaugurated presidents typically use their first joint congressional address to look forward, setting a tone for their legislative agenda. According to the Congressional Research Service, the average number of policy requests in a first-year address is 42.
What will happen after Trump speaks?
The opposing party — in this case, the Democrats — will offer a message in response to the joint congressional address. That also happens after State of the Union addresses.
This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will give the Democrats’ response, which will also be televised. Democratic leaders have said that in her message, Slotkin will likely focus on economic issues.
The party has also tapped Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, chair of the Hispanic Caucus, to give a Spanish-language response. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, allowing government agencies to choose whether to offer documents and services in languages other than English.
FBI and DOJ headquarters among more than 440 federal buildings listed for potential sale
The Trump administration on Tuesday published a list of more than 400 federal properties it says it could close or sell, including the FBI headquarters and the main Department of Justice building, after deeming them “not core to government operations.”
The headquarters of numerous agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are listed as well.
The list published by the General Services Administration includes some of the country's most recognizable buildings and spans nearly every state, with properties ranging from courthouses to office buildings and parking garages.
▶ Read more about the properties the GSA says could close
Second judge orders longer-term block on Trump orders on transgender youth health care
A second federal judge has extended a block on Trump's executive orders halting federal funding for providers of gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.
The judge's ruling came in a lawsuit filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has already been compromised by the president's orders.
The preliminary injunction keeps enforcement of the orders on hold while the case plays out, though the administration is expected to appeal.
▶ Read more about the block on Trump's executive orders
Who is attending Trump’s speech?
Trump will speak in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, which is large enough to accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers, as well as members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump’s Cabinet.
There’s always one Cabinet member missing, though. Called the “designated survivor,” that person is intentionally left out to ensure that someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
The president also typically invites guests who sit in the balcony above the House floor with the first lady. Sometimes there are personal connections, and other times the guests have an association with an issue the president intends to highlight in his remarks.
Vance will head to the U.S.-Mexico border
Vice President JD Vance will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border for a firsthand look at the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Vance will be in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday, according to state officials and local activists. Federal aviation officials have also cleared air space for Air Force Two to make the trip.
The vice president is making a series of stops, including to Shelby Park, a municipal park along the Rio Grande that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott seized from federal authorities last year in a feud with the Biden administration.
How to watch Trump’s address to Congress
Trump will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.
A number of networks have said they plan to air Trump's address across their broadcast and streaming platforms, with special programming before and afterward. The Associated Press will livestream the address online at apnews.com and on its YouTube channel.
The Republican president will be speaking in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, which is large enough accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers as well as other officials who are typically invited to such events.
The IRS is drafting plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce, AP sources say
The IRS is drafting plans to try to cut its workforce of roughly 90,000 people in half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation and not authorized to speak on the record.
A reduction in force of tens of thousands of people would render the IRS “dysfunctional,” said John Koskinen, a former IRS Commissioner.
The federal tax collector employs roughly 90,000 employees total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data. People of color make up 56% of the IRS workforce, and women represent 65%.
The reductions are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency.
▶ Read more about the planned cuts
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Associated Press reporter Fatima Hussein contributed reporting.
GOP chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee hopes for ‘deep breath’ in US-Ukraine relations
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi had been notably quiet since the fallout from Zelenskyy’s Oval Office visit.
But on Tuesday, he released a statement saying he hopes lawmakers can “take a deep breath” and that “the excellent, hopeful signs that come from this statement by President Zelenskyy came to fruition and come to fruition quickly.”
Wicker was among the senators who met with Zelenskyy ahead of his disastrous meeting with Trump. Friends can argue and move on, he said. “And I think we’re seeing that process today. I hope to heaven that that is the case.”
Congressional Black Caucus plots resistance to Trump
Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat, said more than two dozen of its members discussed in a wide-ranging meeting how to navigate against the Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration.
“We’re going to do everything we can in unity to push back and to stop the most egregious of things from happening that comes through the legislative process,” she said.
Rep. Troy Carter, a Louisiana Democrat, said “we’re going to embarrass those members who should be doing better by the people that elected them.”
The lawmakers say many of those efforts start online.
Protest events scheduled in all 50 states ahead of Trump address
Protest groups gathered at parks, statehouses and other public grounds across the country to assail Trump’s presidency as dangerous and un-American.
Events were scheduled throughout the day on Tuesday in all 50 states, including later gatherings on the West Coast and in Hawaii.
The rallies and marches — set in motion by the fledgling 50501 Movement, a volunteer-driven group organized in the weeks after Trump's inauguration — mark the latest attempt at national resistance to the hardened support of Trump's "Make America Great Again" base and the success it has had in reshaping the Republican Party in the president's populist image.
▶ Read more about the protests
Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador says US commitment to the alliance is ‘ironclad’
Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador reassured senators at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the administration’s commitment to the military alliance was “ironclad.”
The U.S. commitment has been called into question by Trump’s scathing criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Matt Whitaker, an acting attorney general in Trump’s first term, told senators that a key part of his mission would be to push the 32 NATO allies to meet Trump’s demand to increase their own defense spending.
▶ Read more about Trump's pick as NATO ambassador
Judge orders Trump administration to detail the steps it has taken to restore refugee program
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle says he’s concerned that the Trump administration canceled contracts with refugee resettlement agencies just a day after he ordered the government to reinstate the program.
Whitehead issued a preliminary injunction last week that halted Trump's efforts to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
But a day later, major resettlement agencies, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their "cooperative agreements" with the State Department had been canceled. The groups said in a court filing on Thursday that it appeared the administration was trying to circumvent the ruling.
During a hearing Tuesday, Whitehead said he had those same concerns, but he agreed with the Justice Department that the termination notices were not technically in violation of the injunction.
Commerce secretary says US likely to meet Canada and Mexico ‘in the middle’ on tariffs
After Trump’s tariffs rattled the economy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the United Sates will likely meet Canada and Mexico “in the middle” with an announcement coming as soon as Wednesday.
Lutnick told Fox Business News that he has been on the phone with Canadian and Mexican officials after Trump on Tuesday imposed 25% tariffs on the countries, including 10% import taxes on Canada’s energy products such as oil and electricity.
Lutnick said the tariffs would not be paused but that Trump would reach a compromise.
“I think he’s going to figure out, you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle in some way,” Lutnick said. “We’re going to probably be announcing that tomorrow.”
FEMA official fired over immigration payments to NYC sues
Mary Comans was one of four employees fired Feb. 11 by Homeland Security.
These transactions have been standard for years through a program that refunds some communities the cost they incur caring for a surge in migration.
But they’ve come under intense attack by Republicans. The workers were accused of circumventing leadership to make the transactions.
The lawsuit says her removal was unlawful.
In a statement Comans said she’d faithfully “served my oath to the Constitution” and said her termination was politically motivated.
Trump wants to use the ‘God Squad’ to increase lumber production, but it must follow strict rules
Trump wants to increase logging in national forests and on public lands, including by bypassing endangered species protections.
To do that, the federal government would have to activate a seldom-used committee nicknamed the “God Squad” because it can approve federal projects even if it leads to extinction of a species otherwise protected by the Endangered Species Act.
But experts say there are strict procedural requirements — and no provision under law to proactively use the committee to bypass protections.
▶ Read more about how Trump wants to use the "God Squad"
Produce company warns of possible cost increase
Oxnard, California-based Mission Produce packs avocados and mangos and distributes them to supermarkets and restaurants all over the world.
Mission Produce co-founder and CEO Steve Barnard said the company grows some of its own produce in Peru, Guatemala, California and South Africa. But this time of year, most avocados come from Mexico.
Barnard said Mission Produce still has pre-tariff inventory ripening up in its U.S. warehouses, so it won’t need to raise prices immediately.
“If this thing lasts 10 days or more, our costs will be substantially different. We’ll have to come to the table and figure something out,” Barnard said.
Judge rules against Trump in firing of board member
A federal judge has ruled that Trump did not have the authority to attempt to fire a member of the board responsible for protecting federal government employees from political reprisals or retaliation for whistleblowing.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras concluded that Trump doesn’t have the power to remove Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris from office “at will.”
Contreras ruled less than a week after a different judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump unlawfully tried to remove Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel. Both cases ultimately could wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Weapons on their way to Ukraine were part of Trump’s pause
Trump’s order pausing aid to Ukraine includes military assistance and weapons that had already been approved and were en route to the country, according to a defense official.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, said that it’s not clear what weapons that includes or how much aid was stopped even as it was en route to Kyiv.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. had used two major ways to provide security assistance to Kyiv: presidential drawdown authority, which takes weapons and supplies from Pentagon stockpiles and sends them quickly to the warfront, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which uses longer-term contracts to send weapons.
The official said that some weapons approved by the Biden administration in recent months that were being provided through the drawdown authority were affected by Trump’s pause.
But no details are available. As an example, a $500 million aid package was approved in January, before Biden left office. It included missiles for air defense, ammunition bridging systems and other equipment. Officials did not know how much of that aid had already arrived in Ukraine.
It’s also unclear whether Trump’s order has any impact on any of the contracts that were authorized or finalized under USAI during the Biden administration.
—Lolita C. Baldor
Trump ‘welcomes input’ after Arab leaders endorse Egypt’s postwar plan for Gaza
The Egypt plan, approved by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo on Tuesday, would allow Palestinians to remain in the territory during a post-war reconstruction unlike Trump’s plan that calls for depopulating the strip and redeveloping it as a beach destination.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Trump “stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza” but also “welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region.”
“It’s clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis,” Hughes added.
Arab leaders approved the Egyptian proposed $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza by 2030 as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
Israel’s leaders have welcomed Trump’s proposal, which Human Rights Watch and others have said would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible displacement of the civilian population of a national group from a geographic area.
Trump administration set to drop lawsuit pushing Idaho to allow emergency abortions, filing shows
Idaho has a strict ban on the procedure, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
The Justice Department outlined its plans to move for dismissal of the lawsuit originally filed by the Biden administration, according to the court papers filed by St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest hospital network.
Dropping the case would represent a dramatic reversal from the previous administration, in a state with one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws.
St. Luke’s is seeking a court order allowing doctors to continue providing abortions in emergency situations as they deem necessary. The hospital has previously said Idaho’s abortion ban required pregnant women to be flown out of state for emergency care.
A Justice Department spokesperson and Idaho officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
▶ Read more about the emergency abortion lawsuit
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