Preview Of Trump's Joint Congressional Address Tonight
Plus: Canada and China announce retaliatory tariffs, Mexico up next
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Good afternoon,
President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress tonight at 9 pm ET — which means Mo News BINGO is back! We have a real one and, as always, a fun “Wish List” edition. You can download both BINGO cards here.
Behind the scenes: Mosheh is on the ground in Washington and will have exclusive interviews and post-speech analysis on the Mo News Premium Instagram account. Join today!
Lauren
Producer
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🚨 ONE THING TO WATCH
Trump Takes The Big Stage; Set To Focus On Economy, Border, & Global Peace
Set your alarms for what’s likely to be an interesting (and late) evening. President Donald Trump is set to make his first joint congressional address of his second term tonight at 9 pmET. Trump will likely focus on his administration’s efforts to remake the federal government, bring peace around the world, curb undocumented immigration, and focus on America First.
Planning ahead: The address in his first term ran about an hour, but his State of the Union addresses averaged 80 minutes.
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT
The White House has announced the theme of tonight’s speech: "The Renewal of the American Dream.” In Trump’s first 44 days in office, he has already signed more than 80 executive orders — the most of any president in their first 100 days in nearly a century. He is likely going to address many of those orders and what he plans to do next.
What he’s done: Through these executive orders, Trump has moved to reshape U.S. foreign policy, imposing steep tariffs and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." Domestically, he has targeted gender policies – banning transgender people from the military and restricting gender-affirming care for minors – and DEI programs. With help from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump has also cut up to tens of thousands of jobs across the federal government.
He is expected to contrast his work with that of the previous administration.
What’s to come: His promises to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have not yet materialized. He is likely to tout the release of more Israeli hostages, as about 60 remain captive after the ceasefire deal effectively collapsed. He is also expected to address the possible minerals deal with Ukraine, which is still up in the air after the two leaders’ explosive exchange last week.
On the economy, Trump will need to persuade Americans that the pain they are feeling at grocery stores — which is expected to worsen with new tariffs — is worth the long-term benefits of bringing businesses back to the U.S.
We also may hear about plans to get to Mars, to outpace China in the artificial intelligence race, to grow crypto investments, and to expand U.S. energy production.
Another thing to watch: First Lady Melania Trump's guests. They will include Marc Fogel, a former Russian prisoner; the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, PA; and families of victims of crimes allegedly committed by undocumented migrants.
DEMS GET READY
Democrats – who have thus far struggled to create streamlined counter-programming that garners substantial attention during Trump’s second administration – have selected Senate freshman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan to deliver a formal rebuttal after his speech. A former House member and CIA analyst, Slotkin won her 2024 Senate race, despite Trump winning her state.
House Democrats are planning to disrupt Trump’s speech, potentially using noisemakers, anti-Trump signs, empty egg cartons, and other props to make a scene — despite leadership discouraging such actions. Others plan to coordinate their outfits, similar to when they wore white during his first-term addresses.
Additionally, Democratic lawmakers intend to bring as guests federal workers who were fired due to DOGE cuts.
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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Fallout From Trump’s 25% Tariffs On Mexico, Canada
Leaders from the United States’ largest trading partners, allies, and closest neighbors — Mexico and Canada — condemned President Donald Trump’s sweeping 25% tariffs on their goods. The historic move, which took effect Tuesday, marks the highest level of tariffs in more than 80 years. It sent stocks tumbling for a second day — now lower than when Trump took office — and has drawn criticism from some conservatives.
But Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said later Tuesday that there might be a forthcoming deal between the U.S. and its neighbors to bring some tariff relief, as soon as Wednesday.
“I think [Trump’s] going to work something out with them — it’s not going to be a pause, none of that pause stuff, but I think he’s going to figure out: you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle some way and we’re going to probably announcing that tomorrow,” Lutnick said on Fox Business.
CANADA’S PLAN
In the meantime, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced immediate retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. On Tuesday, he spoke directly to Trump and the American people, calling the move unjustified and a surefire way to see U.S. jobs negatively impacted.
Starting Tuesday, Canada will impose a 25% counter-tariff on $30 billion worth of American goods, increasing to $155 billion in imports within the next 21 days.
Trump responded:
One reason behind Trudeau's fiery rhetoric: Trudeau's Liberal Party will be choosing a new leader to replace him this Sunday. He resigned earlier this year, after becoming increasingly unpopular in Canada. There will be a general election in the country later this year.
The unpopularity of Trump’s tariffs has boosted the Liberal Party, which has been expected to lose to Conservatives in the upcoming election. The race is now the closest it has been in months.
DOWN TO MEXICO
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Mexican government will announce counter-tariffs and other measures on Sunday.
She emphasized that “nobody wins” in a trade war, highlighting the potential negative impacts on the economies and citizens of both countries.
She added that her government rejects Trump’s statement that Mexico has failed to crack down on cartels exporting drugs, including fentanyl, calling it “offensive, defamatory, and without substance.”
Trudeau noted this same justification for Canada is also "unwarranted," as less than 1% of illegal drugs entering the U.S. are trafficked through Canada.
Mexico is the U.S.’s largest trading partner. Last year, $506 billion in goods were imported from Mexico to the U.S., leading to a $172 billion trade deficit (Mexico buys less goods from us than we do from them). In 2023, 43% of total imports ($1.3 trillion worth of goods) came from Canada, Mexico, and China.
China responded with 10-15% hikes on tariffs for American agricultural and food products.
Conservative WSJ editorial page criticizes Trump’s tariffs.
REACTIONS
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told reporters on Capitol Hill that his “hope is these tariffs act as the incentive that President Trump said they were designed to be” and that they end soon.
Target’s CEO warned the company will need to increase prices on fruits and vegetables as soon as this week.
The United Automobile Workers union said it was “glad” to see new tariffs, as they saw past trade deals as taking blue-collar jobs from the U.S.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Hegseth directs DOD civilian workforce to comply with Musk’s DOGE productivity email (FOX)
📌 Andrew Cuomo jumps into New York mayor’s race, attempting political comeback (MO NEWS)
📌 Democrats invite fired federal workers to Trump’s Tuesday primetime Congressional Address (GUARDIAN)
📌 South Carolina governor declares state of emergency as wildfires erupt in Carolinas, Georgia (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Hegseth suspends offensive cyber operations against Russia (AXIOS)
📌 Israel says it will block Gaza humanitarian aid until Hamas agrees to new conditions (CNN)
📌 A driver rams a car into crowd in Germany, leaving 1 dead and others injured (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 RFK Jr. urges Americans to get measles vaccine amid deadly Texas outbreak (MO NEWS)
📌 Bitcoin tumbles 9% after rallying following Trump’s crypto reserve announcement (CNBC)
📌 'We're on the moon': The private Blue Ghost spacecraft makes a historic lunar landing (NPR)
📌 Driverless race car sets a new autonomous speed record (VERGE)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Oscars 2025 Winners: ‘Anora’ Leads With 5 Wins Followed by ‘The Brutalist’ With 3 (VARIETY)
📌 Adrien Brody sets world record for longest acceptance speech in Oscars history (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
📌 Kieran Culkin says wife owes him a 4th kid for winning an Oscar (ABC)
📌 Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa’s bodies test negative for carbon monoxide; Hackman’s pacemaker stopped on Feb. 17 (VARIETY)