President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill this week to deliver the State of the Union address. Trump will speak Tuesday before a transformed nation. One year back in office, Trump is defying conventional expectations. The Republican president has executed a head-spinning agenda that includes upending priorities at home, shattering alliances abroad and challenging the nation's foundational system of checks and balances. Lawmakers in the House chamber will listen to Trump's agenda for the year ahead. It's an important moment for Congress, which has essentially become sidelined as Trump often bypasses the legislative branch to act on his own, amassing enormous power.

President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has contributed to a year-to-year drop in the U.S. growth rate as the nation's population hit nearly 342 million people in 2025. That's according to population estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 0.5% growth rate for 2025 was a sharp drop from 2024's almost 1% growth rate, which was the highest since 2001 and was fueled by immigration. The 2024 estimates put the U.S. population at 340 million people. Immigration increased by 1.3 million people last year, compared with 2024's increase of 2.8 million people. Trump made a surge of migrants at the southern border a central issue in his winning 2024 Republican presidential campaign.

President Donald Trump has commanded attention during his second term. From military interventions to controversial social media posts, the Republican has rewritten the presidency's role in a divided country. Trump's actions can spark diplomatic crises and stir public debate. Despite low approval ratings on issues including health care, Trump remains a dominant force, using social media to maintain his presence. Meanwhile, Democrats are also leveraging digital media to capture attention, with figures such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani leading the charge.

President Donald Trump has used the government shutdown to reshape the federal workforce and target detractors. The president says he'll be meeting Thursday with budget director Russ Vought to discuss potential spending cuts. Trump has already suggested slashing Democratic priorities and mass firings of federal workers. Vought has already withheld funds for projects in New York and canceled green energy projects in Democratic states. Congress remains at a standstill on legislation to end the shutdown, with Democrats demanding concessions on health care. Congress has no action scheduled Thursday in observance of the Jewish holy day, virtually guaranteeing the shutdown will last into Friday.

WASHINGTON — Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congres…

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says it will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually. The move Wednesday amounts to a major downsizing of the responsible for coordinating the work of 18 intelligence agencies, including on counterterrorism and counterintelligence. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says the office "has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence." The reorganization is part of a broader administration effort to rethink how it tracks foreign threats to American elections, a topic that has become politically loaded.

The White House has announced an increased federal law enforcement presence in Washington for at least the next week to combat crime. This move follows President Donald Trump's suggestions that his administration could take over running the city. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that federal personnel from various police forces would be visible on the streets starting at midnight. This initiative will last for at least a week, but there will be the option to extend. The decision comes after a recent assault on a government worker, and amid Trump's criticism of rising crime in the city. Local officials, however, can point to declines in carjackings and homicides since 2023.