Trump celebrates his first weeks back in office in a speech to Congress. Border Patrol agents are accused of targeting people based on their skin color during a “fishing expedition.” And director Bong Joon-ho talks about his upcoming movie, “Mickey 17.”
Here’s what to know today.
Trump touts accomplishments and lays out his vision for America
Donald Trump touted the first weeks of his second term as president as a ringing success in a speech before a joint session of Congress, declaring “America is back” and that his administration has “accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years.”
Republicans showered Trump with applause as he touched on his economic plans, culture war issues, immigration and more.
Democrats demonstrated that they are not as impressed. Though mostly silent, one representative, Al Green of Texas, shouted at Trump until he was removed from the House chamber (See video of the interruption). Trump taunted Democrats for not applauding him and repeated his derisive nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, “Pocahontas,” when talking about Ukraine.
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Trump’s speech, which at an hour and 40 minutes was the longest speech ever delivered by a president to Congress, covered a variety of topics. Here are a few highlights:
→ On the economy, Trump acknowledged that newly imposed tariffs could cause pain for Americans. “A little disturbance,” he said, “but we’re OK with that.” He also renewed his pledge to eliminate taxes on tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay — even though the budget that the House passed last month would make room only for extending the tax cuts from his first term.
→ On foreign policy, Trump pledged to sign a deal that would give the U.S. mineral rights in Ukraine, though his discussion of the war was relatively short despite it dominating the White House’s agenda in recent days. He also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would oversee efforts to regain control of the Panama Canal and invited Greenland to join the U.S. “if you choose.”
→ On immigration, Trump said he is waging the “most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” He also highlighted the passage of the Laken Riley Act.
→ Missing from the speech was any mention of the thousands of federal workers who have been fired since Trump has taken office. However, he mentioned Elon Musk several times and claimed without evidence that he had found “hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud” in the government.
More coverage of Trump’s speech:
- Watch highlights from the speech in three and a half minutes.
- Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan lit into Trump in the Democratic response, suggesting Ronald Reagan is “rolling in his grave” and warning Trump’s policies “could walk us right into a recession.”
- Culture wars and GOP unity: See five key takeaways from the speech
- Under whose watch did egg prices spike? Is Canada to blame for the fentanyl crisis? Our politics team fact-checked these and other claims from Trump’s speech.
- Traditionally, presidents embark on a post-speech tour to amplify their vision to the public. But Trump is staying put.
More politics news:
- There’s a growing recognition within the Trump administration that plans to use Guantánamo Bay to detain 30,000 immigrants is not working.
- The Trump administration rescinded its guidance directing federal agencies to fire probationary employees.
- White House adviser Alina Habba suggested military veterans affected by mass layoffs may not be “fit to have a job at this moment.”
- Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, with opinions that made him a polarizing figure during the Covid pandemic, faces a Senate confirmation hearing today.
Trump could scale back tariffs on Canada and Mexico, commerce secretary says
Less than a day after new tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China took effect, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated relief may be in sight. An interim agreement with Canada and Mexico could come as soon as today, Lutnick said yesterday in an interview on Fox Business News, and allow tariffs on Canada and Mexico to be rolled back to some degree.
Reaction to the tariffs — 25% on nearly all goods from Mexico and Canada and additional 10% on all imports from China — was swift, with economists and companies warning about the potential wide-ranging implications:
🚗 The price of cars could increase, even for vehicles assembled in the U.S.
🏠 The cost of building a new home could rise by as much as $10,000 per house, an economist said, which would impact the real estate market as a whole.
🛍️ Target and Best Buy have warned of price hikes, though some businesses have vowed to hold the line on costs.
China and Canada have already imposed retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would respond by Sunday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said imposing tariffs “is a very dumb thing to do.” Read the full story here.
Border Patrol operation detained legal residents in ‘fishing expedition,’ lawsuit alleges
Border Patrol agents are accused of carrying out a “fishing expedition” in Kern County, California, allegedly targeting people of a certain color in a search for criminal immigrants, making arrests without warrants and using trickery to get people to leave the country, according to a recent lawsuit. Border Patrol said that 60 agents arrested 78 people, all who were unlawfully in the U.S. in the three-day operation. However, attorneys said some of the people arrested had no criminal convictions.
On. Jan. 8, agents arrested Ernesto Campos Gutierrez, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen and resident of Bakersfield for 20 years, after they blocked his truck, slashed his tires, and dragged a passenger from the truck. The same day, Yolanda Agiulera Martinez, a 56-year-old lawful permanent resident was ordered out of her car and thrown to the ground before she was arrested. After she showed agents a photo of her legal residency card, she was told to “get the f— out of here,” according to the lawsuit.
The arrests have left many people in the Latino-majority county traumatized, attorneys said. Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- New Mexico authorities said there were “no significant findings” of carbon monoxide or gas leaks at actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s home.
- Twenty-five Canadian suspects were charged in a “grandparent scam,” allegedly bilking American elders in 40 states of $21 million.
- After the first measles death in a decade in the U.S., pediatricians say they’re walking a fine line with parents, some of whom are clamoring for early vaccinations and others who don’t want their kids to receive the vaccination.
- ESPN’s discussion and debate show “Around the Horn” is ending after more than 23 years.
Staff Pick: Director Bong Joon-ho is back
Bong Joon Ho attends the World Premiere of “Mickey 17” in London on Feb. 13.Dave Benett / WireImage / Getty Images
“Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho returns with his signature blend of drama and absurdist comedy with “Mickey 17.” The film, out Friday, stars Robert Pattinson as an “expendable” — a worker who takes on potentially fatal assignments during an expedition to a new planet, with the expectation of being cloned if he dies. Bong, who speaks Korean, talks about how he nails his specific brand of comedy in another language, his special bond with Pattinson and how getting his big break in his 50s means he can stay truer to himself. — Jessi Prois, NBC Asian America editorial director
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