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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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Reese Witherspoon breaks silence after AI support controversy

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Reese Witherspoon breaks silence after AI support controversy


Reese Witherspoon breaks silence after AI support controversy

Reese Witherspoon has broken her silence following a wave of criticism over her support for artificial intelligence, insisting that she is not being paid to promote the technology. 

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the Morning Show star addressed the backlash that followed her recent “AI revolution” post, clarifying that her interest stems from being a “curious human” rather than a corporate spokesperson. 

While acknowledging that her original comments certainly got people talking, she noted that her children are already learning about these tools and that she is seeing AI impact every sector of business, from “vibe coding” founders to traditional industries.

The Oscar-winning actress had previously sparked controversy by warning that women were 25 percent less likely to use AI than men, despite their jobs being three times more likely to be automated. 

This prompted a fierce reaction from followers who raised concerns about intellectual property theft, the environmental impact of data centres, and the potential for computers to replace human creativity. 

In her latest response, Witherspoon admitted these concerns are valid, stating she understands the worries regarding job security and the environment. 

She also expressed her own reservations about the rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), making it clear she does not believe computers should ever replace humanity.

Despite the pushback, Witherspoon remains committed to her “learn along with me” approach, viewing the technological shift as an inevitability for the future of filmmaking. 

She previously told Glamour that while people can lament the change, it is already here, though she believes physical manual building and human ingenuity will always remain the highest forms of art. 

The actress even shared a few of the specific tools she currently uses, including AI Assistant, the search platform Perplexity, and the shopping agent Vetted AI, as part of her effort to stay educated.





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Museum heist mystery ends as Romania’s 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet returns home

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Museum heist mystery ends as Romania’s 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet returns home


Museum heist mystery ends as Romania’s 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet returns home

Thieves broke into the Drents Museum in the Netherlands in the early hours of the morning, pried open a door with a crowbar, triggered an explosion, and made off with some of Romania’s most precious ancient treasure in January 2025.

Now the authorities have recovered the artifacts. The centrepiece of the recovery is the Cotofenesti helmet, a 2,500-year-old golden artefact from the Dacia civilisation and one of Romania’s most revered national heirlooms.

Three golden bracelets were also taken in the raid. Most of the stolen items arrived at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport and were transported under armed guard to the National History Museum, where they were placed in a glass cabinet flanked by masked, armed officers.

The return came after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic negotiations between Romania and the Netherlands, and an ongoing criminal trial involving three suspects. The whereabouts of a third golden bracelet remain unknown, though the Drents Museum’s director Robert van Langh vowed the search would continue.

Van Langh, who attended Tuesday’s handover, acknowledged the weight of the moment for Romanian people in particular.

He said, “The grief, the anger and now the relief have naturally been even greater here than in the Netherlands,” adding, “Romanian national heritage has returned home.”

The theft had shocked the art world when it happened. Security footage captured three figures forcing their way into the museum in what appeared to be a swift and deliberate operation.

In the weeks that followed, fears grew that the helmet might have been melted down. Its fame and instantly recognisable appearance made it virtually impossible to sell on any legitimate market, but that same notoriety also made it a target.

When Dutch prosecutors unveiled the recovered items at a news conference earlier this month, it emerged that the helmet had been slightly dented during its disappearance. The recovered bracelets, however, were found to be in perfect condition.

For Romania, the return carried a significance that went well beyond the monetary value of the objects. Cornel Constantin Ilie, the National History Museum’s interim director, described the artefacts as “relics of our historical memory” and said the country had lived for months with the fear that part of its past could be lost forever.





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NATO jets intercept Russian bombers over Baltic Sea

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NATO jets intercept Russian bombers over Baltic Sea


NATO jets intercept Russian bombers over Baltic Sea

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces deployed a number of jets to intercept Russian bombers and fighter jets flying over the Baltic Sea in an impressive display of power on Monday.

French Rafales took off from a Lithuanian air base and joined fighter jets from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania to intercept the hostile jets; however, no aerial engagement occurred as Russian jets remained in airspace over neutral waters.

The French detachment, stationed in Lithuania as part of the NATO’s air policing effort, said their jets kept watch over Russian aircraft, adding, “The Russian mission included 10 fighter jets taking turns in escorting two supersonic Tu-22M3s.”

In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Defence Ministry said that the flight of their bombers was over four hours long and it occurred in neutral airspace.

The ministry said: “All flights of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace.”

It added that their aircraft regularly conduct flights in international airspace over the Baltic and Black Seas and the Pacific, the Arctic and the North Atlantic Ocean.

NATO’s muscular display of airpower comes after the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump described the alliance as a “paper tiger” due to its refusal to take part in the U.S.-Israeli military aggression against Iran.

The incident comes just a week after the British Royal Air Force jets were scrambled to intercept unidentified aircraft approaching the British airspace. However, no interception took place as the jet remained outside UK airspace. 





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