Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Trump Gives The Longest State Of The Union In History
President Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in American history last night, talking for one hour and 47 minutes, beating the previous record holder by 19 minutes; former President Bill Clinton spoke for 88 minutes in 2000. Trump started his address by saying the “Golden Age of America” has started. For the second time in the last year, Rep. Al Green was escorted out of the chambers during a joint address to Congress, this time carrying a sign that said “Black people aren’t apes.” The president bragged about gains in the stock market over the last year, highlighting “three all-time record highs.” Trump touted progress on crime, saying “Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history,” specifically calling out a drop in crime in Washington, DC. The president didn’t shy away from commenting on the Supreme Court ruling last week against many of his tariffs. Trump called it “an unfortunate ruling,” then announced that he had found other laws that will allow him to continue. Justices Barrett, Kagan, Roberts, and Kavanaugh were in attendance for the SotU. Trump had biting comments about the mostly motionless Democratic side of the chamber during his speech, calling them “sick people” and chastising them for not standing to recognize various things in the speech. Trump did briefly talk about the ongoing tension with Iran, saying, “They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
2 Senate Fails To Advance DHS Funding Bill
The Senate failed yesterday to advance a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, pushing the partial government shutdown past its 11th day with no clear path to a resolution. The measure fell 50 to 45, well short of the 60 votes needed to move forward; it was the second time the Senate had tried and failed to advance the same bill. Democrats have refused to back any funding bill that does not include reforms to both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, a demand that traces back to last month's fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minneapolis. Lawmakers had spent their weeklong recess trading proposals, with Democrats sending over a counteroffer last week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday that Republicans had not moved at all on the core issues. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged room for compromise but put the blame on Democrats.
3 US Air Force Stealth Fighters Land In Israel
About a dozen U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth fighters have landed in Israel, a U.S. official confirmed yesterday. The jets took off from Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in the United Kingdom earlier in the day, flying with their transponders switched off but accompanied by refueling tankers whose transponders were active. The deployment is part of an ongoing U.S. military buildup in the Middle East that has included multiple fighter aircraft and transport planes moving into the region in recent weeks. It comes as President Trump has said he is weighing a limited military strike on Iran if the country does not agree to a nuclear deal.