NPR News: 02-25-2026 5AM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. President Trump highlighted the U.S. economy and lower prices in last night's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. NPR's Deepa Shivaram says the president spoke for nearly two hours and declared the State of the Union to be strong.
Trump spoke about a range of issues related to high costs and claimed Americans are paying less thanks to his actions. Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much that we really don't know what to do about it. He was also adamant about his tariff plans and called the recent Supreme Court ruling striking them down, quote, disappointing. The president also offered several awards to guests in the crowd. He brought out the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team, who recently won gold against Canada, and he said he'd award the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to their goalie. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Washington.
The annual rate of inflation in the economy eased to 2.4 percent in January compared to 3 percent when Trump took office a year ago. Still, it remains above the Federal Reserve's annual target of 2 percent. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger gave the Democratic response to the president's State of the Union speech. She was critical of Trump's handling of the U.S. economy and immigration enforcement. NPR's Claudia Grisales says Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California delivered the party's Spanish language response.
Padilla relived when he was taken into custody after confronting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference last summer. He said he may have been knocked down for a moment, but it's a reminder of a lesson Latino parents pass on to their children. If you fall seven times, get up eight, Padilla said, adding he knows he's not alone. He called for Americans to fight what he described as Trump's illegal policies. He said that's led to the weaponization of immigration law enforcement agents, higher health care and housing costs, and efforts to interfere in November's midterm elections. Claudia Rizales, NPR News.
Congress has failed to pass legislation designed to improve airline safety and prevent mid-air collisions. The bill required aircraft flying around busy airports in the U.S. to have a locator system that provides data about the locations of other aircraft. The legislation fell just shy of the two-thirds needed for passage in the House yesterday. It cleared the Senate by unanimous consent back in December. The bill stemmed from last year's mid-air collision near Washington, D.C., involving an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. That crash left 67 people dead. On Monday, the Pentagon announced its opposition to the bill, saying the change could harm national defense.
This is NPR News from Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to the Caribbean today for talks with regional leaders. Rubio is attending the Caribbean Community Summit nearly two months after the U.S. military seized Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Caracas to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S. They're due back in federal court in New York next month. In last night's State of the Union speech, Trump referred to the U.S. apprehending Maduro as a colossal victory for national security. In addition, the Pentagon has been attacking suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and seizing sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela. The director of the Louvre Museum in France has resigned four months after a pricey jewel heist.
NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Paris says the robbery highlighted security lapses and other problems there.
President Emmanuel Macron accepted Laurence Descartes' resignation and called it an act of responsibility at a time when the world's largest museum needs calm. Descartes has faced intense criticism, especially since the brazen daytime heist saw thieves get away with $100 million in Napoleon-era jewels. Several people have been arrested, but the jewels are still missing.
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