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Trump promises ‘turnaround for the ages’ in State of the Union address

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Trump promises ‘turnaround for the ages’ in State of the Union address


US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, February 24, 2026. — Reuters
  • Trump declares ‘Golden Age’ at start of his address.
  • His approval ratings falls sharply ahead of midterms.
  • Poll shows 60% of Americans view Trump as erratic.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump declared that “this is the Golden Age of America” at the start of his State of the Union address on Tuesday, seeking to project an aura of success at a fraught moment for his presidency and his Republican Party.

“Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” he said after taking the stage to cheers of “USA, USA” from his party’s members of Congress.

The annual speech carried enormous stakes for the president, with his approval ratings slumping, anxieties rising over Iran and Americans struggling with the cost of living as the November midterm election nears.

The televised prime-time speech to Congress, his second in the 13 months since returning to the White House, offers Trump a chance to persuade voters to keep his fellow Republicans in power. But the president is facing stiff political headwinds at home and abroad.

Just days ago, the Supreme Court invalidated his signature global tariffs regime, and new data showed the economy slowed more than expected while inflation accelerated.

The Department of Homeland Security is mostly shut down due to a dispute between congressional Republicans and Democrats over the administration’s aggressive immigration tactics, following the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis.

Meanwhile, Trump has struggled to turn the page on the scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Opposition Democrats have invited several people who accuse Epstein of abusing them to the speech.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed six in 10 Americans, including 30% of Republicans, think Trump, 79, has become erratic as he ages. Only 40% of respondents approved of his job performance, compared with 58% who disapproved.

A public case against Iran 

Trump, who has openly coveted the Nobel Peace Prize and set up his own “Board of Peace,” also appears to be inching closer to a military conflict with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Tuesday’s speech could offer Trump a chance to mount for the first time a public case for military intervention. Two White House officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump will discuss his plans but did not offer details.

He will also tout his record of brokering peace deals, they said. Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a reminder that he has yet to resolve the war he once said he could end in 24 hours.

The president was expected to address the Supreme Court’s decision on tariffs, arguing that the court erred and outlining alternative laws he can use to reconstitute most of the levies.

Trump reacted with fury to the ruling last week, targeting several justices with personal attacks. A repeat performance on Tuesday could make for some awkward moments, with four of the court’s nine justices in attendance.

White House aides and Republican campaign advisers, eyeing a challenging congressional midterm election, have urged Trump to focus on Americans’ economic worries. Trump’s victory in the 2024 election was based in large part on his promises to ease the cost of living, but opinion polls show voters are unconvinced by his efforts so far.

Trump has struggled to stay on message, straying in public speeches from the economy to his long list of grievances while at other times declaring he has already solved the problem.

One of the White House officials said Trump will “claim victory on the economy,” a message Republican lawmakers running for re-election are unlikely to welcome. He will argue that he inherited a poor economy from Democratic predecessor Joe Biden and that Democrats have overstated affordability concerns, both officials said.

Trump will point to stock market gains, private-sector investments and his tax-cut legislation as evidence that he has helped the economy, the officials said. The president will also tout his tough border policies and his deportation campaign, despite polls showing most Americans believe his administration has gone too far in rounding up undocumented immigrants.

Lengthy speech expected

Trump, who has a propensity for ad-libbing, said on Monday his address would be lengthy. His 100-minute speech last March – technically not a State of the Union speech, but otherwise similar – was the longest presidential address to Congress in modern history.

The White House officials said this year’s edition was crafted with room for unscripted moments.

“We are planning around it,” one official said.

Last year, some Democrats interrupted Trump’s speech with jeers before walking out in protest. This time around, more than 20 Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate skipped the speech altogether in favour of an outdoor rally on the National Mall.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, whose decisive victory in November was seen as an early midterm warning sign for Republicans, will deliver the official Democratic response to the speech.





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Chris Hemsworth shares reason of relocating to Australia from L.A

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Chris Hemsworth shares reason of relocating to Australia from L.A


Chris Hemsworth all set to feature as ‘Thor’ in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ 

Chris Hemsworth has shared the reason of relocating to Australia from Los Angeles. 

The 42-year-old opened that he was quite settled in L.A with wife Elsa Pataky and his daughter India and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, who were born then, but they were still kind of unhappy and were not enjoying their time there.

The Thor actor revealed, “It was right around the time my boys were born and we kind of were set up in L.A. and not enjoying it, you know? Like, nothing was shooting there. We were filming kind of everywhere else.”

Therefore, he decided to relocate to Australia and for him, it was the best decision for his family.

Hemsworth explained that life in Australia feels like a vacation.

He explained, “You know when you come back from work, you wanna go on a holiday? Like, coming home for me, it feels like a holiday. We have a big farm and horses and motorbikes and surf.”

The decision to return to his hometown in Australia was largely influenced by his own upbringing.

The Crime 101 star, while recalling his childhood days in the country, shared, “We lived about 20 minutes from the main sort of suburban areas in Melbourne up in the hills. And the nearest neighbour was a kilometre or two away.”

Work wise, Chris is looking forward to the release of the much-awaited film Avengers: Doomsday, in which he will be reprising his MCU role Thor.





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Singer David Bowie’s daughter makes disturbing claims

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Singer David Bowie’s daughter makes disturbing claims


Singer David Bowie’s daughter makes disturbing claims

Alexandria “Lexi” Jones, the daughter of late music icon David Bowie, has shared deeply personal claims about her childhood, alleging she was forcibly sent to a treatment center during one of the most fragile periods of her life. 

In a video posted to her Instagram, the 25-year-old opened up about growing up with famous parents and the struggles she says were largely hidden from public view.

Lexi, who is also the daughter of supermodel Iman, said she felt conflicted about her upbringing. 

While she acknowledged being grateful for the opportunities that came with her family’s status, she admitted she often questioned whether people were drawn to her for who she was or for who her parents were.

As a teenager, those doubts intensified into serious mental health challenges.

Throughout the video, Lexi spoke about being sent to “treatment” at 14, later explaining that she was dealing with depression, an eating disorder and substance abuse. 

She said her situation worsened after her father was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014, a moment she described as her breaking point. 

While others around her experimented socially, Lexi said her substance use was about escape rather than enjoyment. 

“For me, it wasn’t about fun,” she said. 

“I wasn’t experimenting, I was escaping. Escaping from my complicated mind, my complicated family, my complicated school. When the party ended for everyone else, I kept going. And I drank and got high alone.”

Lexi claimed she was taken from her family home against her will shortly after Bowie’s diagnosis. 

She recalled her father reading her a letter beforehand and remembers the final line clearly: “I’m sorry we have to do this.” 

She described two men arriving at the house on a weekday morning and giving her what she felt was an ultimatum. 

“They told me I could do this the easy way or the hard way,” she said. “I chose the hard way.” 

She alleged she clung to a table leg, screaming, as she was pulled into a black SUV and driven away without being told where she was going.

According to Lexi, she was first taken to a wilderness therapy programme, where she spent 91 days living outdoors through winter conditions. 

She said she slept under tarps, learned survival skills and was strip-searched on arrival before being issued basic gear and a heavy backpack.

“We made fires by stripping birch bark and striking flint and steel,” she recalled. “I was a city girl. I didn’t even know this kind of programme existed.”

After three months, Lexi said she was transferred to a residential treatment centre in Utah, where she remained for more than a year. It was there that she learned of her father’s death in January 2016. 

She shared that she had spoken to him just two days earlier, on his birthday. 

“I had the luxury of speaking to him two days before, on his birthday,” she said. “I told him I loved him and he said it back, and we both knew.”

She also spoke about the pain of seeing public statements saying Bowie died surrounded by his whole family. The wording, she said, made her feel physically sick. 

“Yeah, the whole family was there. Except for me,” Lexi said.

Bowie, who also had a son, Duncan Zowie Jones, with his former wife Angie Bowie, died on 10 January 2016 from liver cancer. 





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Katherine Short had help amid ‘mental illness’ before death

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Katherine Short had help amid ‘mental illness’ before death


Katherine Short had help amid ‘mental illness’ before death

Katherine Short, the daughter of comedian Martin Short, had been open about living with mental illness and the support she relied on in the years leading up to her death. 

On her now-deleted professional website, Katherine previously shared that she had a service dog named Joni, who helped her manage her condition on a daily basis.

“Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years,” Katherine wrote, explaining that the dog was named after singer Joni Mitchell. 

She described how the dog often accompanied her to work, adding, “Joni will often be in the office with me, cuddled up on her bed. She is an absolute sweetheart and just LOVES people, so don’t be surprised if she greets you with a smile, a wagging tail…and maybe even a kiss.”

The same website detailed Katherine’s professional life as a clinical social worker, highlighting her private practice and a wide range of specialisms, including anxiety, psychotic disorders and borderline personality disorder. 

She was also actively involved with Bring Change 2 Mind, a charity focused on tackling stigma around mental health.

Katherine was reportedly found dead at her Hollywood Hills home on Monday evening, with authorities later confirming the death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

She was 42. 

According to emergency officials, “At 6:41 p.m., we responded to a reported shooting at that address,” the Los Angeles Fire Department told Page Six, confirming a 911 call was received earlier that evening.

In a statement released following her death, the family said: “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short.

The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”

Katherine was the adopted daughter of Martin Short and his late wife, Nancy Dolman, who died from cancer in 2010. 





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