Listen to this issue.

0:00

/7:34

1×

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional tensions:

• Ahead of U.S-Iran nuclear-related talks scheduled for tomorrow in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei accused U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday of conducting a "disinformation and misinformation campaign" against Iran, and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, while urging a diplomatic resolution to tensions, said the U.S. would "taste the firm blow" of Iran's armed forces if the U.S. launches an attack during negotiations. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,460 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that U.S. and Ukrainian envoys will meet tomorrow in Geneva to discuss details of a possible postwar recovery plan for Ukraine and preparations for an upcoming trilateral meeting with Russian officials. [more]
• Marking yesterday's fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution voicing support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the G7 group of leading industrialized nations issued a leaders' statement re-affirming the group's "unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty and independence." [more on U.N.] [more on G7]

STATE OF THE UNION | In a nearly two-hour speech, President Donald Trump delivered the State of Union address before a joint session of Congress last night.

• Among the major themes in the speech were: touting what Trump said has been the country's strong economic recovery, condemning current Democratic actions and policies and those under the Biden administration, criticizing as "unfortunate" the recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down his emergency tariffs, and emphasizing the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence. [more]
• Trump took the opportunity to make several awards during the speech, including two Congressional Medals of Honor to Army helicopter pilot Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover for his action during the operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and retired Navy pilot Capt. E. Royce Williams, who shot down multiple Soviet jets during the Korean War and served in multiple conflicts. [more]
• [Trump speech: video | transcript] [Democratic response by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger: video | transcript]

U.S. MILITARY AND AI | Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly given artificial intelligence firm Anthropic a Friday deadline to allow unrestricted use of the company's AI technologies by the U.S. military or risk losing federal contracts and being designated a supply chain risk. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has stated that the company will not allow the use of its technologies for fully autonomous military targeting operations or mass domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | In its latest analysis, the Conference Board says both overall and short-term U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly in February following a sharp decline in January. The organization notes that four of five components in its Consumer Confidence Index rose in February but that the measure "remained well below the four-year peak achieved in November 2024." [full analysis] [more]

EPSTEIN INVESTIGATIONS | NPR cites its own analysis as showing that the U.S. Justice Department, in its congressionally mandated release of files related to late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, has withheld some Epstein files "related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor" and "removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump." [full NPR story] [more]

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE | In a 5-4 ruling yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court said that federal law generally shields the U.S. Postal Service from lawsuits over missing, lost, and undelivered mail, including “the intentional non-delivery of mail." The plaintiff in the case, a Texas landlord, claimed that USPS employees deliberately refused to deliver mail to her properties because she is Black. [more]

TEXAS | In what law enforcement officials have said is the first time terrorism charges have been filed against members of the decentralized antifa, or anti-fascist, movement in the U.S., a trial opened yesterday in Texas in which numerous activists are charged with providing material support to terrorists and attempted murder in connection with the July 4 2025 shooting of a police officer outside the Dallas-area Prairieland immigration detention center. [more]

U.S. VACCINES | A group of more than a dozen U.S. states sued the Trump administration yesterday, seeking a roll-back of recently updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies in which the agency said it would stop recommending that all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV. [more]

U.S. AND KOREA | U.S. and South Korean military officials announced today that their countries' joint annual Freedom Shield drills will be held March 9-19. The announcement comes as North Korea is holding its ruling Workers’ Party congress at which leader Kim Jong Un is expected to outline his key domestic, foreign policy, and military goals for the next five years. [more]

U.S. AND EUROPE DIGITAL FREE SPEECH | Reports say the Trump administration plans to launch an online portal at freedom.gov that will allow people in Europe and elsewhere to see online content banned by their governments, including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda. The holding site at freedom.gov currently features a "Freedom is Coming" headline along with the text "Information is power. Reclaim your human right to free expression. Get ready." Availability of the anticipated portal follows recent statements of concern by U.S. officials over what they say is widespread international censorship and limits on free speech. [more]

CARIBBEAN REGION | Heads of government of the 15-nation Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, bloc are meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis this week amidst regional concern and questions over U.S. policies and President Donald Trump's stated intention to restore "American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with CARICOM leaders today. [more]

GERMANY AND CHINA | German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in China this week on a trade-focused visit during which he called for a deepening of ties and resetting of relations between the world's second- and third-largest economies. Reports note that while no sweeping deals are expected to be signed during the visit, Merz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang have announced cooperation agreements in the areas of climate change and green transition, animal disease prevention, and sports collaboration agreements for football and table tennis. [more]

RUSSIA | Amidst a push by Russian authorities to limit the use of encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, prosecutors in Moscow have reportedly launched a criminal investigation into Russia-born, UAE-based Telegram founder Pavel Durov on suspicion of assisting “terrorist activities." [more]

SRI LANKA | Retired army intelligence chief Major General Suresh Salley was arrested in Sri Lanka today amidst investigations into alleged "links or lapses" by Salley in connection with the coordinated April 2019 Islamic State-linked suicide bombings across Sri Lanka in which nearly 270 people were killed. [more]

SWITZERLAND | Swiss authorities have announced plans to pay 50,000 Swiss francs ($56,000) to each injured survivor and deceased victim's family of those harmed in the New Year bar fire in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana in which 41 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1913, the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared to be in effect. [more history]