Today in one sentence: Trump used his first State of the Union of his second term to insist that “our nation is back,” calling it “a turnaround for the ages,” and that “the roaring economy is roaring like never before,” even as 39% of Americans say they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy; Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means, refused to recommend routine measles and flu vaccines for children during her confirmation hearing; the Justice Department said it’s reviewing whether it improperly withheld Epstein-related records listed in evidence logs, including FBI notes and summaries tied to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor; the Trump administration will not provide Congress with the unredacted intelligence behind a whistleblower complaint involving Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, citing executive privilege; a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting migrants to “third countries” they’re not from; and a White House staffer appears to have operated a large anonymous pro-Trump X account that amplified official Trump administration messaging.

1/ Trump used his first State of the Union of his second term to insist that “our nation is back,” calling it “a turnaround for the ages,” and that “the roaring economy is roaring like never before,” even as 39% of Americans say they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. Trump repeatedly pointed to the stock market, gasoline prices, mortgage rates, and inflation measures as proof the country is in a “golden age.” In a record-setting address that ran about 1 hour and 47 minutes, Trump blamed Democrats for voters’ economic concerns, dismissing affordability as “a dirty, rotten lie,” and saying: “You caused that problem.” Trump also doubled down on tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down key parts of his economic policy, calling it a “very unfortunate ruling” and a “disappointing ruling,” while promising to keep tariffs in place using “fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes,” and predicting that his tariffs would “substantially replace the modern day system of income tax.” Nearly an hour in, Trump issued a stand-or-sit challenge to lawmakers: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Most Democrats stayed seated. “Isn’t that a shame?” Trump said. “You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up,” and repeatedly saying, “These people are crazy, I’m telling you. They’re crazy.” Trump asked Congress to “codify” his efforts to lower drug prices, backed a ban on stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses, and pitched a government-backed retirement option for workers without employer matches, saying the government would “match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year.” He also demanded “the full and immediate restoration” of DHS funding amid the shutdown fight and urged passage of the SAVE America Act to require proof of citizenship to vote, claiming “cheating is rampant” and saying Democrats “want to cheat […] have cheated […] and we’re going to stop it.” Trump said the U.S. was “in negotiations” and that Iran “want[s] to make a deal,” but said “we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’” He added, “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” while vowing, “I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror […] to have a nuclear weapon.” He argued Iran was “again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions” despite his earlier claim that the U.S. had “obliterated” its nuclear program. Trump closed the marathon address by declaring: “The golden age of America is upon us,” and promising “our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before.” Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia delivered the Democratic Party’s response, asking: “Is the president working for you? We all know the answer is no.” (NPR / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press / CNN / Axios / CNBC / Politico)

  • 🗣️ Many people are saying…

  • ‘He’s Debased This Country’: The Best and Worst Moments From Trump’s State of the Union. (New York Times)
  • Trump’s State of the Union Was Long and Wrong. “But at least the President thinks everything is going great.” (New Yorker)
  • Trump’s State of the Union Variety Show. “Were you not entertained?” (The Atlantic)

2/ Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means, refused to recommend routine measles and flu vaccines for children during her confirmation hearing. Instead, the nation’s prospective top doctor with an inactive medical license repeated that “vaccines save lives,” “I’m supportive of vaccination,” and that parents “need to have a conversation with their pediatrician.” Means also declined to rule out a vaccine-autism link, which has been widely discredited by the medical community, instead saying “we do not know” what causes autism, adding that “we should not leave any stones unturned” and to keep vaccines “on the table.” If confirmed, Means would be responsible for advancing health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA agenda into official guidance through Surgeon General advisories. As health secretary, Kennedy, one of the nation’s leading vaccine skeptics, has directed the CDC to reduce number of routine childhood vaccine recommendations and ordered the CDC to update its webpage on vaccines and autism to reflect his beliefs. Nevertheless, Means insisted that “anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been part of my message.” (Politico / ABC News / Axios / New York Times / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / MS Now / NBC News / NPR / Washington Post)

3/ The Justice Department said it’s reviewing whether it improperly withheld Epstein-related records listed in evidence logs, including FBI notes and summaries tied to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor. The missing records include records from three FBI interviews in 2019 with a South Carolina woman who reported being sexual abused by Jeffrey Epstein and later made allegations involving Trump. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department is required to publish most Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case records and can’t withhold material because it’s politically embarrassing, though it can withhold duplicates, privileged material, victim-identifying information, or files tied to an ongoing investigation. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said he is opening an investigation and demanded that Justice Department explain the omissions. (Wall Street Journal / NPR / New York Times / NBC News / The Guardian)

4/ The Trump administration will not provide Congress with the unredacted intelligence behind a whistleblower complaint involving Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, citing executive privilege. In a Feb. 13 email to Democratic staff, Gabbard’s office said it couldn’t share the underlying material “due to the assertion of executive privilege” over parts of the intelligence report. Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrats on the intelligence committees, demanded to know who asserted the privilege and why, saying the heavily redacted complaint left them unable to verify even the basic allegation about a foreign conversation involving Jared Kushner. The Trump administration said the claims about Kushner were false, but offered no evidence. (Wall Street Journal)

5/ A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting migrants to “third countries” they’re not from. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy said the policy violated due process by allowing removals on as little as six hours’ notice, leaving migrants little chance to raise country-specific fears of persecution or torture. He faulted Homeland Security for relying on undisclosed “diplomatic assurances.” Murphy stayed the order for 15 days to allow an appeal, after the Supreme Court previously lifted his earlier injunction while the case was litigated. The ruling doesn’t apply to migrants removed under expedited removal authorities. (Washington Post / New York Times / Reuters / Associated Press)

6/ A White House staffer appears to have operated a large anonymous pro-Trump X account that amplified official Trump administration messaging. “Johnny MAGA” was linked through a shared phone number and public records to Garrett Wade, a White House staffer who works in rapid response helping run White House social media his anonymous account regularly boosted. (Wired)

The 2026 midterms are in 251 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 986 days.