Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program, alternating between calling his remarks “big lies” to saying negotiations may yield an agreement through “honorable diplomacy.”
The remarks by two Iranian officials ahead of Thursday’s talks come as America has assembled its biggest deployment of aircraft and warships to the Middle East in decades, part of Trump’s efforts to get a deal while Iran struggles at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests last month.
If the negotiations fail, Trump repeatedly has threatened to attack Iran — something Mideast nations fear could spiral into a new regional war.
Here's the latest:
Asked whether it was wrong for Democrats not to stand when Trump asked during his State of the Union for members to stand if they believed the government’s first duty should be protecting U.S. citizens, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus doubled down on the decision not to.
“To sort of play that out so that it could be theater for America was disingenuous, at the very least,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the caucus. “Our country doesn’t need more division than it has.”
Oregon Rep. Andrea Salinas said she was “pissed” when Trump made the comment, saying Democrats have been trying to protect American citizens.
“Yes, we should be protecting American citizens, but instead, they’re killing them on the streets of Minneapolis,” she added.
Omar said Aliya Rahman of Minneapolis briefly stood in silence during Trump’s speech, along with other guests but was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about injured shoulders. Rahman was taken to the hospital for treatment and later charged with unlawful conduct, disruption of Congress
“The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy,” Omar said in a statement.
In a guest announcement, Omar described Rahman as a Bangladeshi-American software engineer and a disabled person with autism and a traumatic brain injury, who was driving to a doctor’s appointment on Jan. 13 when she was forcibly removed from her vehicle by Homeland Security agents. Omar’s office said Rahman experienced severe medical neglect and violence at the hands of ICE agents, requiring hospitalization.
Capitol Polices said State of the Union tickets explain that demonstrating is prohibited.
“The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders,” police said.
Democrats are very confident about their chances of flipping the House in November. And now that the State of the Union has passed, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that “it’s going to be a sprint to November 3rd.”
“House Democrats are on the verge of a takeover,” Jeffries said.
Democrats have relished their role as the opposition party. Rep. Ted Lieu said at the Wednesday press conference that Democrats are “the most effective minority party in U.S. history.”
But questions linger about what vision the party will actually provide if they win back either chamber in November. Leaders say it will become more clear in the coming days, as House Democrats huddle in Virginia to meet with labor leaders, policy experts and other elected officials to outline their agenda going forward.
House Democratic leadership kicked off a policy conference in Virginia by criticizing Trump’s State of the Union the night prior, saying it was filled with lies and a lack of vision.
“That was a disgraceful performance. Donald Trump hit a new low,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He added that “there was no substance in that speech, but a lot of snake oil.”
Jeffries and other Democratic leaders also insisted there was no tension within the party over the variety of responses to the speech, which included outbursts in the chamber and many members skipping it outright. Rep. Katherine Clark, the second ranking Democrat in the House, did not attend the speech.
“I decided not to go to the State of the Union because I wanted to hear the actual state of the union from my constituents,” said Clark. “Believe me when I say there is no space between us.”
The call between the leaders, which comes a day after the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was confirmed by a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Zelenskyy confirmed earlier that a Ukrainian delegation will meet with Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Russian officials on Thursday in Geneva for another round of talks aimed at ending the conflict.
Trump delivered a record setting 108-minute State of the Union speech on Tuesday, but did not spend much time discussing the brutal war that during his 2024 campaign he vowed to end on his first day back in the White House. He noted in the address that the “killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine” was leaving thousands dead each month.
— Aamer Madhani
The White House will host major tech companies involved in building out data centers for artificial intelligence on March 4 for them to sign a pledge to protect consumers from higher electricity prices.
That’s according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the forthcoming event.
Trump discussed at the State of the Union what he called the “Rate Payer Protection Pledge” for tech companies to build, bring or buy their own power for AI data centers, so that families did not shoulder the cost in their electricity bills.
The companies planning to sign the pledge include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI.
— Joshua Boak
Bureau of Land Management nominee Steve Pearce faced pointed questions during a Wednesday confirmation hearing over prior statements suggesting the government controls too much land.
The former lawmaker from New Mexico acknowledged being frustrated while in Congress about federal management of lands that make up a majority of some western states. But the Republican added that he “absolutely believes” in the importance of public lands.
“I do not believe that we’re going to go out and wholesale land from the federal government,” Pearce told members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The land bureau manages a quarter-billion acres — about 10% of land in the U.S.
During Trump’s first term, Pearce urged the Interior Department to reduce the size of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. He said he does not anticipate revisiting the issue.
The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed another tranche of sanctions on people and companies accused of enabling Iran’s ballistic missile program, drone production and illicit oil sales as the U.S. presses Tehran to make a deal ahead of nuclear talks this week.
The sanctions against 30 people, companies and ships come as Trump has massed the largest U.S. buildup of warships and aircraft in the region in decades and has threatened to use military action in a bid to get Iran to constrain its nuclear program.
The latest round of talks between U.S. officials, including Witkoff, and Iranian negotiators via mediator Oman are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.
The new sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control include a list of ships accused of being part of Iran’s “shadow fleet,” which refers to rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing stiff sanctions.
The Department of Homeland Security would be barred from using a full-body restraint device called the WRAP under a new bill introduced in the House on Wednesday.
The “Full-Body Restraint Prohibition Act,” sponsored by U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., would prohibit future purchases of the device and create oversight and reporting requirements.
In announcing the legislation, Ramirez cited an Associated Press investigation that revealed several examples of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of DHS, using the device on people — sometimes for hours — on deportation flights dating to 2020.
The WRAP “fuels destruction in our communities and human suffering. This legislation is an additional step to end the pain and violence caused by DHS,” Ramirez said in a statement.
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Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer allied with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says she wants to address the root causes of chronic disease if chosen as the nation’s doctor.
Means, in a confirmation hearing with the Senate health committee on Wednesday, said her goal is to “get more whole, healthy foods on American plates.” She said the nation’s current system of “whack-a-mole medicine” that focuses on treating symptoms isn’t working.
Means’ vision dovetails with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement. But senators grilled her on some of its more controversial positions, including on vaccines.
Means wouldn’t commit to advising Americans to receive flu and measles vaccines if confirmed.
“I believe they’re an important part of public health,” she said of vaccines. “I also do not want to not encourage patients to have a conversation with their doctor.”
The U.S. Treasury Department said its licensing arm would implement a “favorable licensing policy” toward authorization requests for the resale of Venezuelan origin oil in Cuba.
A favorable licensing policy creates a presumption of approval for specific license applications in otherwise restricted or sanctioned areas.
According to a post on the Treasury Department’s website Wednesday, the policy is “directed towards transactions that support the Cuban people, including the Cuban private sector (e.g., exports for commercial and humanitarian use in Cuba).”
Any people or companies associated with the Cuban military, intelligence services or other government institutions would not be covered by the favorable licensing policy.
“I’m sure that Vladimir Putin has his military objectives and obviously he hasn’t stopped the killing, even though the president wants that very much to happen, but the best way to solve this is to continue to engage in diplomacy,” the vice president said on Fox News Channel on Wednesday morning.
Vance noted that this is the directive Trump has given his administration, but that “we’re under no illusions that these guys are going to meet in the middle of a field, give each other a hug and sing Kumbaya.”
The vice president said in an interview with Fox News Channel that the goal from the U.S. perspective has been “crystal clear” and it’s that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.
He said Trump prefers settling the matter using diplomacy but will unleash the U.S. military against Iran, if necessary, and that “most Americans understand that you can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons.”
Another round of talks between the U.S. and Iran are set for Thursday in Geneva.
“We’re sitting down having another round of diplomatic talks with the Iranians trying to reach a reasonable settlement, but a reasonable settlement toward what end: Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple,” Vance said. “I think the supreme leader and everybody in their system should understand it. We’ve been crystal clear and we’re hopeful that we’re able to come to a good resolution without the military, but if we have to use the military, the president, of course, has that right as well.”
Top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees want Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to provide more details about a top-secret complaint alleging she withheld classified material for political reasons.
In a letter sent to Gabbard on Wednesday, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut also direct Gabbard to allow the intelligence officer who filed the complaint to meet with lawmakers.
Gabbard has said she did nothing wrong and said she did all she could to ensure the complaint reached Congress. Two inspectors general for the intelligence community reviewed the claim that Gabbard restricted access to top secret material and found it to be noncredible.
Democrats have questioned why it took eight months for the complaint to reach Congress and say heavy redactions make it hard to understand the details of the complaint.
Gabbard’s office did not immediately respond to the lawmakers’ letter.
Trump gave his vice president a new job in the State of the Union address Tuesday night: leading what he called the “war on fraud.”
Vance said the Treasury Department will be looking at income tax records to try to uncover fraud, telling Fox News Channel “there’s a whole host of tools that we have never used.”
The Justice Department will also be involved, Vance said.
Wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means on Wednesday was facing senators for her confirmation hearing to become the nation’s next surgeon general, a platform she said she would use to promote efforts to end chronic disease by addressing its root causes, including through dietary and lifestyle changes.
“Our nation is angry, exhausted, and hurting from preventable diseases,” the 38-year-old said during her opening remarks in Washington before the Senate health committee. “Public health leaders must address the evidence-based, modifiable drivers of chronic diseases, which include ultraprocessed foods, industrial chemical exposure, lack of physical activity, chronic stress and loneliness, and overmedicalization.”
She’s expected to face tough questions about her qualifications and potential conflicts. The Stanford-educated physician’s disillusionment with traditional medicine drove her to a career in which she’s promoted a wide range of products, at times without disclosing how she could benefit financially.
“I have very serious questions about the ability of Dr. Means to be the kind of surgeon general this country needs,” Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate health committee, said Wednesday.
President Trump called Sheinbaum after Mexico’s military killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to ask how things were in Mexico.
Sheinbaum described Monday’s brief call with Trump during her daily news briefing Wednesday. “I told him what the operation was like, that we had had intelligence help from the United States government, that the coordination was very good.”
Sara Carter, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, and U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson met with Sheinbaum’s security team Tuesday to congratulate them on the operation.
More than 70 people died in the operation and the violence that erupted after.
The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team visited President Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night.
Trump also announced that the women’s hockey team, which also defeated Canada to win gold, will “soon” visit the White House. The women’s team had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union due to the timing of the address.
Men’s players entered the House chamber through two sets of doors and walked down the rows of the press gallery. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle not only stood and cheered but chanted “USA!” several times, many even pumping fists.
“I want to thank you all,” Trump told the players. “What a special job you did. What special champions you are.”
Trump also said goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Hellebuyck tapped his heart as those in the chamber applauded.
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The Ukrainian delegation will meet with President Trump’s envoys in the run-up to another round of trilateral talks with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, is due to hold talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday in Geneva, Zelenskyy told reporters.
A U.S. push for peace has already brought Russia and Ukraine to the table in Abu Dhabi and Geneva this year, but the talks have produced no breakthrough on bridging key differences as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor enters its fifth year.
Thursday’s meeting will address details of a possible postwar recovery plan for Ukraine and discuss preparations for an upcoming trilateral meeting with Moscow officials, Zelenskyy said, adding that he has also tasked Umerov with discussing a possible prisoner exchange.
Ukraine expects the U.S.-brokered talks with Russia to take place next week, Zelenskyy said.
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Vance will deliver remarks “celebrating the Trump administration’s accomplishments” following Trump’s nationally televised address Tuesday night. The vice president’s office said he’ll do so at a to-be-named machining facility in Plover, Wisconsin, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee.
High-level administration officials typically fan out across the country after the speech to promote the president’s message and policies. Trump himself won’t hit the road until Friday, when he heads to Texas to talk about the economy and energy policies days before the state’s March 3 congressional primaries.
This will be Vance’s second visit to swing-state Wisconsin as vice president. He was last in the state in August, when he promoted Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts law in the western Wisconsin city of La Crosse.
Trump narrowly won the state in the 2024 presidential election after Wisconsin narrowly voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
The U.S. hasn’t made clear the aims of possible military action. If the goal is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it’s not clear whether limited strikes will work. If the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, that will likely commit the U.S. to a more massive, longer military campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, including the potential for chaos in Iran.
The status of Iran’s nuclear program is another mystery. Trump earlier said American strikes “obliterated” it. Now, dismantling whatever remains of the program appears to be back on the administration’s agenda. IAEA inspectors haven’t been allowed to inspect those sites and verify what remains.
There’s also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns.
Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each rose 0.3% before the opening bell, while Nasdaq futures climbed 0.5%.
In his speech Tuesday night, Trump focused on jobs, manufacturing and an economy he says is stronger than many Americans believe. He didn’t dwell on efforts to lower the cost of living — despite polling showing that his handling of the economy and kitchen-table issues has increasingly become a liability.
Investors are closely watching for an earnings report due later in the day from chipmaking giant Nvidia. The quarterly report is likely to sway a jittery stock market as investors weigh whether the massive bets riding on technology’s latest craze will pay off.
As has been the case since Nvidia’s chipsets emerged as AI’s best building blocks, the expectations are sky-high for the results covering the company’s fiscal quarter, covering November through January.
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Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, will appear before the Senate health committee Wednesday as she seeks approval to be the nation’s surgeon general.
The Washington confirmation hearing was rescheduled from last October, when Means went into labor the day she was set to appear. It will give the 38-year-old nominee an opportunity to share her vision for ending chronic disease by addressing its root causes, including through dietary and lifestyle changes. It’s a message that dovetails with that of the nation’s health department, which has shifted its focus away from its controversial vaccine policy changes and toward healthy eating as the midterm elections approach.
But Means also will likely face tough questions about her qualifications and potential conflicts. The Stanford-educated physician’s disillusionment with traditional medicine drove her to a career in which she has promoted a wide range of products, at times without disclosing how she could benefit financially.
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The CIA offered help to potential informants in Iran on Tuesday, providing Farsi-language instructions on ways to contact the U.S. spy agency safely.
The post is the latest in a series of recruitment pitches in Farsi, Korean, Russian and Mandarin that offered secure ways to contact the CIA. The Farsi-language message posted Tuesday to X, Instagram and YouTube, however, comes at an especially uneasy time in U.S.-Iran relations and as the Iranian theocracy faces new protests at home.
In a sign of new unrest in Iran, students held anti-government protests at universities in Tehran on Monday.
“Hello. The Central Intelligence Agency hears you and wants to help,” the agency wrote in the message, according to an English translation. “Here are some tips on how to make a secure virtual call with us.”
The Farsi-language post racked up millions of views within just a few hours.
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President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
