U.S. public appetite and escalation risks

President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term in office, lauding the strength of American economy. But even though wealthier Americans are benefiting financially from the positive economic trends, lower-income households are increasingly finding themselves left behind.

Meanwhile, Democrats are holding government firm over funding the Department of Homeland Security as they demand reforms to ICE.

And Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration is going to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding from Minnesota over fraud concerns.

And, in global news, Trump officials sat down with Iranian leaders in Geneva for a third round of indirect talks. They come as the U.S. military amasses in the Middle East ahead of a potential strike on Iran.

The Trump Administration is on damage control after U.S Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says Israel is entitled to more land in the Middle East than it currently holds.

And Cuba announces its military has destroyed a boat that entered Cuban waters on Wednesday, killing four. Cuba’s country’s interior minister called the incident “a foiled armed infiltration.”

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