The president has promised to “tell it like it is” when he delivers a State of the Union speech in all but name this evening to a joint session of Congress.

Here’s what to look out for.

Joe Sommerlad4 March 2025 09:50

Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News last night, the vice president aid Trump administration officials are already in talks with Russia to end the years-long war Russia launched against Ukraine, and warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to accept Donald Trump’s terms for a mineral rights deal and enter negotiations with Moscow.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s report.

Vance says US working on’Ukraine plan ‘with the Russians’

Vice President JD Vance on Monday said Trump administration officials are already in talks with Russia to end the years-long war Russia launched against Ukraine, and warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to accept Donald Trump’s terms for a mineral rights deal and enter negotiations with Moscow.

Joe Sommerlad4 March 2025 09:30

The other big news out of the Trump administration this morning is that it has moved to suspend aid to Ukraine after the president’s feud with Volodymyr Zelensky escalated on Monday.

Trump became incensed by the Ukrainian saying in an interview that the end of the war with Russia is “very, very far away” and accused him of not wanting peace.

Here’s the latest on that disastrous development for Kyiv from Josh Marcus.

Joe Sommerlad4 March 2025 09:10

Donald Trump’s introduction of his long-threatened 25 percent trade tariffs on Mexico and Canada has caused global stock markets to drop sharply, with the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all falling.

Investors, fearful of a trade war erupting, had hoped the president might relent in his promise to penalize imports from the nation’s two biggest trading partners but Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that there was “no room left for Mexico or for Canada. The tariffs, they’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow.”

The president also said that he would impose an extra 10 percent tariff on China, on top of the previous 10 percent tariff he introduced last month, with Beijing already retaliating.

The unease has already led to warnings that the U.S. could be heading for recession, with the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model estimating real GDP growth for the first quarter of 2025 at -2.8 percent, down from +3.9 percent just four weeks ago.

Here’s the latest from Io Dodds.

Joe Sommerlad4 March 2025 08:50

Musk’s team claimed they had canceled a Coast Guard contract between the maritime department and a company that provides entities administrative assistance. According to DOGE, killing the contract saved the US taxpayers $53.7 million, the New York Times reports.

However, the contract was worth only $144,000, was completed in 2005 and has not been active for two decades, the paper says.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Oliver O’Connell4 March 2025 08:30

Oliver O’Connell4 March 2025 08:00

The wild theory was quickly picked up by conservatives and MAGA media personalities, who wondered whether CNN “was tipped off” that a shooting would take place and that the network should be subjected to an investigation.

Oliver O’Connell4 March 2025 07:00

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar4 March 2025 06:06

Oliver O’Connell4 March 2025 06:00

A special program to help autistic students successfully navigate careers in math and science now faces an existential threat thanks to the Trump administration’s bid to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in American institutions.

Read more from Eric Garcia:

Eric Garcia4 March 2025 05:00