Gideon Resnick

This is Apple News Today.

On today's show, the story behind a unique new statue in the Capitol, how the president is trying to free a MAGA loyalist, and the next person in charge of our missions to space is confirmed.

But first, last night, President Trump gave a primetime address to the nation, focused mostly on the state of the economy.

During the speech, he attacked Democrats, blaming them for increased prices across the board and other issues, while giving himself credit for solving those problems.

The president also said that in just under a year, he brought the country back from the brink.

The combative speech comes at a moment when Trump has struggled to assuage concerns among voters that the general cost of living in the United States is still stubbornly high.

What has been a political strength of Trump's, one that he used to help win his second term in the White House, is now his own cross to bear in a sense.

Despite the president's claims during his address that prices for things like plane tickets, gas and groceries are all falling on his watch, the public at large hasn't really agreed with that.

Jacob Bogage is the White House economic correspondent for The Washington Post.

A new poll from PBS News, NPR, and Marist found that 36% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy.

That marks the lowest in their polling on the issue across his two terms in office.

A recent AP poll found similar levels of dissatisfaction.

And economic data does show that prices have edged up for much of Trump's first year back at the White House.

Recently, the administration has taken some actions to ease cost of living concerns, including rolling back some tariffs on grocery goods like Brazilian coffee and beef, a plan to cut the price of weight loss drugs, and rolling back fuel efficiency rules to make cars more affordable.

And just last night, Trump announced a plan to send checks to members of the U.S.

military.

Meanwhile, the White House is also actively trying to message to voters that they're working on the affordability crisis.

Just this week, Vice President J.D.

Vance made a stop in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, bearing that message.

Bogage told us that while Republicans close to Trump believe he has delivered on eliminating regulatory red tape in addition to tax hikes and cuts, Americans are just still unhappy with how things are going.