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Fact-checking Trump's 2026 State of the Union address

February 24, 2026
Fact-checking Trump's 2026 State of the Union address

President Donald Trump delivered the longestState of the Union addressin history Tuesday night, touting his administration's economic policies and immigration enforcement, while condemning Democrats and the previous administration.

NBC Universal

Trump also made a series of exaggerated, misleading and false claims throughout the course of the evening on topics ranging from the economy to crime to elections.

Here's what the president got right — and wrong — in his address.

Did Trump lift millions off food stamps?

"We have lifted 2.4 million Americans — a record — off of food stamps," Trump said.

Verdict

This needs context.

Analysis

Nearly 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, informally known as food stamps.

Around 2.4 million people areexpected to lose eligibility for the programbecause of new work requirements passed in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, according to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, a nonpartisan think tank.

But the timeline for making sure that people meet those requirements varies by state, so some of the cuts haven't happened yet. And there is no proposed federal program to supplement the loss of food assistance.

Under the new work requirements, adults ages 55 to 64 and parents whose youngest children are at least 14 years old must document 80 hours per month of work, education or volunteering to maintain SNAP benefits. Without such documentation, they are eligible for food stamps for only three months within a three-year period. The law also gets rid of exemptions for veterans and people experiencing homelessness.

Did the 'Warrior Dividend' money come from tariffs?

"Every service member recently received a Warrior Dividend of $1,776. They put it on my desk. We got the money from tariffs and other things. A lot of money we have," Trump said.

Verdict

The claim that "Warrior Dividend" payments came from tariffs is false.

Analysis

According to a Pentagon release in December, the money to pay 1.28 million active-duty service members and 174,000 reserve members $1,776 each came from a supplemental housing fund that Congress appropriated as part of Trump's massive domestic spending bill last summer.

The funds were delivered to recipients "as a nontaxable supplement to their regular monthly housing allowance," the internalPentagon News Service reported in December.

As part of the announcement, Jules W. Hurst III, the acting comptroller for the Defense Department, said at the time, "We are grateful to President Trump, Chairman [Roger] Wicker, Chairman [Mike] Rogers and the other members of Congress who have made this Warrior Dividend possible through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act."

Trump says there's almost 'no crime anymore' in D.C.

"[W]e have almost no crime anymore in Washington, D.C. How did that happen? In fact, crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded, and murders in D.C. this January were down close to 100% from a year ago," Trump said.

Verdict

This is exaggerated.

Analysis

Crime in Washington has fallen in all but one category in 2026 so far, according todata published by the Metropolitan Police Department.(Assault with a dangerous weapon is the only category that has increased in 2026.) That data also showed declines in 2025 from 2024 in all violent crime and property crime categories.

But it is not accurate to say there is "almost no crime" in Washington.

Since Jan. 1, there have been nine homicides, 126 assaults with a dangerous weapon and 322 motor vehicle thefts in the city. Year-to-date, homicides are down 67%.

Trump claims other presidents failed to lower drug prices

"I am also ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs. Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They didn't even come close," Trump said.

Verdict

This is false.

Analysis

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, capping insulin at $35 a month for people on Medicare, placing a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for people on Medicare and, for the first time, allowing Medicare to negotiate the prices of some of its most expensive medications. On Jan. 1, the first negotiated prices took effect, including for the blockbuster blood thinner Eliquis and the cancer drug Imbruvica. After the law capped insulin costs for Medicare patients, drugmakers also extended $35 monthly caps to privately insured patients.

By contrast, Trump has stuck voluntary deals with at least 16 drugmakers in exchange for tariff relief. He launched the self-pay platform TrumpRx, which so far offers cash prices on 43 medications. Most of those deals, however, don't change what people with private insurance or Medicare pay at the pharmacy counter. Medicaid patients already tend to pay little or nothing for prescriptions. And many of the drugs listed on TrumpRx have generic versions that cost less than the advertised prices.

Was inflation at record levels when Trump assumed office?

"The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in history of our country. But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than five years, and in the last three months of 2025 it was down to 1.7%," Trump said.

Verdict

This is false.

Analysis

Inflation is not typically measured in just three-month periods. The consumer-price index, the most cited inflation metric, includes food and energy. While energy prices have been dropping, food prices have been on the rise over the last year.

On an annual basis, inflation when Trump took office was 2.9%, which is not a record high level.

Inflation fell as low as 2.3% in April before it spiked again after his sweeping worldwide tariffs were introduced.

Recent record inflation was experienced in 2022 when it hit 8.9%. The highest inflation ever experienced happened in the 1980s, when it reached as high as around 14%.

Trump said more Americans are working now than ever before

"More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country." Trump said.

Verdict

This is true.

Analysis

The statement is correct, though the labor market's rate of growth has slowed sharply since Trump took office, and 2025was the worst year for job creation since 2020. Excluding recessions, 2025 was actually the worst year for job creation since 2003.

A total of 584,000 jobs were created last year,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's down significantly from more than 2 million in both 2024 and 2023. In 2022, as the economy bounced back from the pandemic, more than 4.5 million jobs were created. The pace of job creation is also slower than it was in each of the first three years of Trump's first term.

Did Trump secure $18 trillion in investments in U.S.?

"I secured commitments for more than $18 trillion, pouring in from all over the globe," Trump said.

Verdict

This is false.

Analysis

While a number of companies, such as tech firms, semiconductor companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers, have made public commitments to invest in the U.S., many of those commitments are either only slight increases from previous announcements or in line with previous plans. In addition, the commitments and investments the White Housetouted on its own websitetotal $9.7 trillion.

A review of the White House list also found the $9.7 trillion figure to be misleading. More than $2.5 trillion of that is not investments,Bloomberg Economics foundin November. About $3.5 trillion of that comes from opaque sovereign pledges, and another $3.5 trillion is corporate investments. Of those corporate investments, $2.9 trillion is planned for data centers.

"More than $250 billion of the White House pledges were announced or planned before Trump retook office in January," Bloomberg Economics researchers also found.

Many of the commitments are also over the long term and are likely to be subject to change. For example, it recently took drugmaker Fujifilm Biotechnologies five yearsto open one factoryin North Carolina.

Did Trump eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security?

"We held strong, and with the Great Big Beautiful Bill, we gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors," Trump said.

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Verdict

This needs context.

Analysis

It's true that Trump cut taxes for seniors and hourly workers with the bill he signed into law last year, but he didn't eliminate all the taxes he mentioned here. Some workers can now deduct overtime and tips, though there are income caps and maximum deduction limits. While some seniors may pay less in tax thanks toa new deduction,Social Security income is still taxed.

Trump says the murder rate is the lowest it's been in 125 years

"Last year, the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history, the lowest number in over 125 years," Trump said.

Verdict

This is true.

Analysis

This is true, according to an analysis of crime data published last month by the Council on Criminal Justice, an independent, nonpartisan group.

Thegroup's January analysis predicted that"when nationwide data for jurisdictions of all sizes is reported by the FBI later this year, there is a strong possibility" that the homicide level "would be the lowest rate ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900, and would mark the largest single-year percentage drop in the homicide rate on record."

However, it's important to note that crime did not suddenly begin falling when Trump returned to office in January 2025; it has been declining gradually for years.Several years of national datashow that crime has consistently beenfalling in cities and towns across the U.S.

Trump says the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' was the largest tax cut in history

"Last year, I urged this Congress to begin the mission by passing the largest tax cut in American history, and our Republican majority delivered so beautifully," Trump said.

Verdict

This is false.

Analysis

Trump is referring in this statement to his "One Big Beautiful Bill," which he signed into law in July. The law cut taxes for many people and businesses while also significantly cutting an array of federal programs.

Trump's claim that the law represents the largest tax cut in American history, however, is false. While the cuts are significant, they are the sixth largest in American history,according to a November analysis published by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.

Trump says 70,000 new construction jobs have been added

"We have added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time," Trump said.

Verdict

This is exaggerated.

Analysis

From January 2025 to January 2026, 44,000 construction jobs were added, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, far fewer than the 70,000 Trump touted.

Did Biden allow millions of migrants, including murderers, into the U.S.?

"They poured in by the millions and millions — from prisons, from mental institutions. There were murders — 11,888 murders. They came into our country. You allowed that to happen," Trump said, in reference to Biden.

Verdict

This needs context.

Analysis

It's true that 10 million people entered the U.S. illegally under the Biden administration, but there's no evidence that millions of migrants were coming from prisons and mental institutions, as Trump claims.

As for the claim about 11,888 murders, there are more than 13,000 convicted murderers without legal status who are not in ICE custody, but that figure can't be blamed exclusively on Biden. It's not clear when those migrants arrived in the U.S. — they could have entered at any point over the last four decades or even earlier, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The 13,000 number also includes noncitizens in state and federal prisons.

Trump claims $19 billion in fraud committed in Minnesota

"When it comes to the corruption that is plundering, it really is plundering, America, there's been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion dollars from the American taxpayer. We have all the information, and in actuality, the number is much higher than that," Trump said.

Verdict

This lacks evidence.

Analysis

The figure far exceeds estimates from the Justice Department, which has so far charged 98 people in Minnesota, 85 of whom are Somali, with $1 billion of fraud. The House Oversight Committee hasestimated the fraud"could exceed $9 billion" as investigations continue.

Federal prosecutors, who began investigating the fraud allegations during the Biden administration,have also indicatedthat the total amount of federal taxpayer money that was misused could be as much as about $9 billion. That number stems from a federal prosecutor's public statement that estimated that half of the $18 billion in federal funds paid out to 14 programs in the statemay have been fraudulent.

Trump says egg and beef prices are declining

"The price of eggs is down 60%," Trump said. "And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly."

Verdict

This needs context.

Analysis

Egg prices came down over the last year — dipping around 48% from January 2025 to January 2026, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, beef prices keep hitting all-time highs — with ground beef reaching a fresh record at $6.75 per pound last month, up nearly 22% from the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Has Trump ended 8 wars?

"I ended eight wars," Trump said.

Verdict

This is exaggerated.

Analysis

There is no consensus about how many wars or potential wars Trump has ended. And where peace has prevailed, Trump's impact as a mediator is up for debate.

Trump has claimed credit for ending conflicts between Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Thailand and Cambodia, Serbia and Kosovo, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and India and Pakistan.

In some cases, fighting hasresumedafter declarations of peace or ceasefires, includingbetween Thailand and CambodiaandRwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. And in other cases, there was no shooting war in the first place, as with Egypt and Ethiopia, but Trump's envoys sought to defuse tensions that could trigger a conflict over a dam project.

Trump has claimed that in his first term, a U.S.-brokeredeconomicsecured peace between Serbia and Kosovo. The two sides have not been in a shooting war since the 1990s, but deep political tensions persist, despite the deal agreed upon during Trump's first term.

Some of the countries' leaders have said Trump helped end the fighting, including between Israel and Iran, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Pakistan and India. Pakistan hasdescribed Trumpas having played an instrumental role in ending a war with India. But India's governmenthas deniedthat the U.S. played a role in negotiating the ceasefire, saying the fighting ended as a result of direct talks between the two countries.

Israel and regional experts have credited Trump with helping end a 12-day war between Israel and Iran after he ordered airstrikes against Iran's nuclear sites. Trump is now threatening another U.S. air attack on Iran depending on the outcome of diplomatic talks with Iranian officials Thursday.

Even some of Trump's criticshave praised his rolein helping broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, though the ceasefire remains fragile.

Will the SAVE America Act get rid of mail voting?

"I'm asking you to approve the SAVE America Act," Trump said. "It's very simple. All voters must show voter ID. All voters must show proof of citizenship. No more crooked mail-in ballots, except for illness, disability, military or travel."

Verdict

Trump's comments about mail-in ballots are false.

Analysis

The SAVE America Act, which was approved by the House but has not passed the Senate, proposes adding significant new proof of citizenship and voter ID requirements, but it wouldn't eliminate mail voting.

Trump claims cheating in elections is 'rampant'

"Cheating is rampant in our elections. It's rampant," Trump said.

Verdict

This is false.

Analysis

There is no evidence of widespread fraud in American elections. The conservative Heritage Foundation has collectedonly dozens of casesof fraud in key swing states amid tens of millions of ballots cast over decades.

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Trump touts a 'roaring economy' in his State of Union as Americans continue to struggle

February 24, 2026
Trump touts a 'roaring economy' in his State of Union as Americans continue to struggle

Declaring "a turnaround for the ages," President Donald Trump offered a version of America's standing during his State of the Union address Tuesday night that is at odds with the perceptions of the electorate.

NBC Universal

Wearing a red power tie with a flag pin on the lapel of his Navy suit and speaking to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, Trump rolled off a list of statistics and policies to support his view that the nation is "back bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before" — a "golden age of America."

A "roaring economy," Trump said near the start of his record-breaking one-hour, forty-seven-minute speech, "is roaring like never before."

He vowed to maintain unilateral tariffs on foreign goods despite anadverse Supreme Court decision, promising that "these powerful, country-saving, peace-protecting tariffs will remain in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes."Four of the justices, including three who voted for what he called "a very unfortunate ruling," were in the chamber for Trump's speech. He said the levies, which most economists say are paid for primarily by Americans, will eventually replace the income tax.

Trump touted popular policies included in his controversial 2025 tax cut, from eliminating taxes on tips for wage workers to investment vehicles for newborns dubbed Trump accounts.

"With modest additional contributions," Trump said, "accounts could grow to $100,000 or more by the time children turn 18."

But Americans tell pollsters, in survey after survey, that they arenot satisfied with the economy13 months into Trump's second presidency.Nor do most of them approveof his handling of the other key pillar of his agenda, a mass-deportation campaign, or ofthe overall job he has donein the Oval Office.

It remains to be seen whether Trump's remarks will sway voters as they gauge whether they want to give him another two years with a Republican Congress.

Republican leaders betrayed no concern about hitching their electoral wagon to Trump after his address.

"House Republicans are proud to stand with President Trump to keep our majority and continue advancing an agenda focused on safety, opportunity, and common sense," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee said in a statement. "The choice couldn't be clearer as we continue building an America that works again."

In a speech laced with insults for his Democratic adversaries — and punctuated bya heated exchangewith several lawmakers over his deportation campaign — Trump insisted that the "affordability" message that helped Democrats win off-year elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York last year is a figment of their own creation.

"They caused and created the increased prices that all of our citizens have to endure," he said, turning his gaze toward the Democratic side of the chamber. "You caused that problem!"

He added that Democrats "knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie."

Shaikat Chakrabarti, a progressive Democratic candidate for a House seat based in San Francisco, said in an interview before the speech that Trump has accelerated existing economic challenges facing American workers rather than restoring prosperity.

"He campaigned on bold, sweeping economic changes, getting the prices down, ending our forever wars, and all we've seen since he's come into office is him super-charging that decline," said Chakrabarti, who is one of several candidates running for the seat that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is leaving open with her pending retirement.

At one point Tuesday night, as Trump credited himself for closing the U.S. border with Mexico and pursuing mass deportation, Trump triggered perhaps the fiercestexchange between a presidentand members of Congressduring a joint sessionin a modern historyreplete with examples of interruptions.

Trump said Democrats should "be ashamed of yourselves" for not standing when he said "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."

Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., yelled back, "You have killed Americans!"

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Federal agents killed American citizens Renee Nicole Goodman and Alex Pretti last month in Minneapolis, which is represented by Omar in the House, during a Trump administration immigration crackdown that repeatedly turned violent.

"You should be ashamed!" Omar shouted at Trump.

Trump opened on a more nonpartisan note, bringing the gold-medal-winningU.S. Olympic men's hockey teaminto the gallery above the House floor to a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle and chants of "U-S-A!" He also received bipartisan support when he called on Congress to pass legislation banning stock trades by lawmakers.

But that measure, along with others Trump proposed on Tuesday night, would require Congress to legislate at a time when narrow partisan margins, bitter political divides and the upcoming midterms have conspired to stall Congress.

As Trump spoke, lawmakers remained in a stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which had its funding authorization expire in the middle of the month.

Trump said, for example, that he will "remedy this gross disparity" in which many workers are not benefiting from record stock market performance by contributing $1,000 per year to earners' retirement accounts — a move that would necessitate congressional action.

And he called on Congress to pass what he called "the Dalilah law," which would ban states from giving commercial driving licenses to undocumented immigrants. One of his guests at the speech was Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who wasseverely injuredwhen a truck driven by an undocumented immigrant slammed into the car she was in.

As presidents often do, Trump saved his assessment of America's global position for the end of his remarks. What was different Tuesday night is that he has been locked in brinksmanship with Iran, and top congressional leaders were given a classified briefing on the topic earlier in the day.

Trump praised the June 2025 mission that he said at the time had knocked out Iran's nuclear capabilities. And then he said that the regime in Tehran is "pursing their sinister nuclear ambitions."

"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy," he said. "But one thing is certain: I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon."

He repeated his mantra that he believes in "peace through strength."

As he gets ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this summer, Trump made repeated references to the founders and the longevity of the American experiment.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, D-Calif., told NBC News he thought it was "a great kickoff to America's 250th" and lauded Trump for "doing a good job showcasing all the greatness in America."

Dozens of Democrats attended a separate rally, but Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said he made a conscious decision to listen to the president and then resisted the urge to leave at times during the address, taking particular exception to Trump calling members of Congress corrupt while ignoring "grift by the president."

Other lawmakers and analysts noted that the president did not mention the failure of his administration to comply fully with the law he signed requiring the full release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.More than a dozen House Democratsinvited survivors of Epstein's abuse to be their guests Tuesday night; some Democratic lawmakers also wore pins supporting the survivors and criticizing the administration's handling of the files.

"He kept trying to pull rabbits out of a hat, lying to Americans that everything is perfect while people struggle to pay for groceries, rent and childcare," said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas. "He couldn't explain away his reckless tariffs, dangerous foreign policy or why his administration is still hiding millions of Epstein files."

But Coons said, all in all, there wasn't much said.

"The ratio of minutes to substance was stunningly low," he said.

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Trump awards Medals of Honor to 2 military pilots in State of the Union

February 24, 2026
Trump awards Medals of Honor to 2 military pilots in State of the Union

During his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump awarded two Congressional Medals of Honor, the nation's highest decoration for valor in combat -- one for heroism from more than 70 years ago and the other from the U.S.'s most recent military action.

ABC News

One of the recipients was Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, a special operations helicopter pilot who was severely wounded in the raid that captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro. As Slover's Chinook swept in, rounds from the ground tore through the cockpit and into his legs and hip.

"Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces," Trump said as Slover stood with the aid of a walker.

Win McNamee/Getty Images - PHOTO: Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover receives the Congressional Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Slover was presented the award by Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, a break from tradition in which the president personally presents the award to its recipient.

In recent decades, the review and awarding the Medal of Honor comes after exhaustive reviews and interviews with witnesses that can drag on for years -- that had become the norm with heroic actions that occurred in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the announcement of Slover's award marks a break with that pattern as he was awarded the medal just 52 days after his mission, a short turnaround similar to what was seen in World War II.

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First lady Melania Trump presented the second Medal of Honor to retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, a 100-year-old retired Navy captain whose extraordinary dogfight during the Korean War remained classified for decades, even to his wife, as the encounter could have ignited World War III.

"At 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves," Trump said. "He was a legend long before this evening."

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: First Lady Melania Trump presents US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor during US President Donald Trump's the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026.

According to Navy records, on Nov. 18, 1952, during the Korean War, Williams launched from an aircraft carrier on what was supposed to be a routine patrol. Then came a warning that seven MiG-15s were inbound. The three other American aircraft in Williams' formation were unable to engage with the MiGs.

The MiGs he faced were Soviet aircraft flown by Soviet pilots at a time when the Soviet Union was not officially a combatant in the conflict. Public acknowledgment of the clash risked escalating into direct confrontation between nuclear powers, a step that, in 1952, many feared could ignite a third world war.

What followed was 30-minutes of aerial combat. By the time it ended, he had shot down four enemy jets. His own aircraft, a F9F-5 Panther, was riddled with more than 250 bullet holes, yet he managed to guide it back to the carrier and land safely on deck.

There was no celebration waiting for Williams. Instead, he was told he could not speak about what had happened and the encounter was immediately classified. He didn't even tell his wife until the 1990s, when the records of the fight were declassified.

ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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4 military working dogs died due to "unsatisfactory" facilities, DoD watchdog finds

February 24, 2026
4 military working dogs died due to

Four military working dogs died between the 2021 and 2023 fiscal years because they were housed and trained in "aging and unsatisfactory kennel facilities," the Defense Department inspector general found, although the Air Force disputes the deaths were the result of neglect.

CBS News

An Air Force spokesperson said autopsies determined one of the dogs died of severe bronchopneumonia and three died due to extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli pneumonia. The autopsies did not attribute the deaths to neglect, the spokesperson said.

But the Air Force concurs with the overall recommendation in the report to increase the number of caretakers for military working dogs and to develop a plan to upgrade all of the kennel facilities.

The inspector general in a report published last week found the military working dog program did not consistently protect dogs in non-training status "from extreme weather conditions and kennel mold issues, or manage quarantine and isolation areas."

Undated: DoD dog displaying stress behaviors with its water bucket, TRS Kennel facilities, Joint Base Antonio-Lackland, Texas. / Credit: Defense Dept. inspector general

Investigators visited 12 installations of different service branches with dog programs, including North Carolina's Fort Bragg, where they found "mold in the light fixtures, ceiling tiles, and equipment room" of one of the buildings. Another building was closed because of mold growth.

In addition to the aging facilities around the country, investigators found a group of about 200 dogs at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, in Texas — where all the dogs undergo their initial training — did not receive the required amount of physical or social activity because of a caretaker shortage.

Instead of the five hours of physical activity, social, and cognitive enrichment that are required for the dogs each day, the report found the dogs were walked for about 10 minutes, four times a week, or less.

The investigators focused on dogs that were in "non-training status," meaning they are not awaiting deployment, have a medical disposition, or are in a rejected-from-training status.

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In general, the dogs that are in training status receive "sufficient" physical and social activity. At the time of the site visit, the unit had about 230 military dogs that were not in training status.

In total, the Pentagon has over 2,200 Working Dog Teams across 182 locations worldwide and provides dogs to agencies at the state and federal level, the Air Force spokesperson said.

The inspector general recommended that the secretary of the Air Force reduce the number of dogs at the training squadron until there are enough caretakers to provide adequate care, and also said a plan should be developed to upgrade the kennel facilities so that they meet current Defense Department standards.

The dogs at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland showed behaviors like "continuous spinning, jumping, chewing on their metal water buckets, and excessive vocalization," according to investigators, that were signs of the lack of physical and social activity. They also showed physical signs of heat stress, "including rapid panting with enlarged tongues and ears swept back."

Undated: DoD dog in open-air kennel facilities exposed to ambient weather conditions / Credit: Defense Dept. inspector general

The training squadron told investigators it lacked the manpower for the required five hours of physical activity but did try to provide some enrichment through "inflatables, audio books, music, and scented bubble machines." Investigators said this was not sufficient.

In response to the recommendations, the Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics said the program now is allowing the training squadron to hire more caretakers for the military working dogs and would reduce the number of dogs in "non-training status."

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New York calls for $13.5 billion tariff refund from Trump administration

February 24, 2026
New York calls for $13.5 billion tariff refund from Trump administration

By Jasper Ward

Reuters

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to issue $13.5 ‌billion in tariff refunds after the U.S. Supreme Court struck ‌down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs.

Last year, shortly after returning to the White House, Trump ​imposed varying tariffs on most of the world's countries. The move, which Trump called "Liberation Day," was met with legal challenges from businesses and some U.S. states.

Those tariffs, Hochul said, cost the average New York household an ‌estimated $1,751 in added costs ⁠over the last year and harmed the state's small businesses.

"These senseless and illegal tariffs were just a tax ⁠on New York consumers, small businesses and farmers, and that's why I'm demanding a full refund" the governor said.

The White House did not immediately respond ​to ​a request for comment.

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Hochul joins Illinois ​Governor JB Pritzker and California ‌Governor Gavin Newsom who last week called on the Republican president to issue refunds following the Supreme Court ruling.

All three Democratic governors are considered contenders for the U.S. 2028 presidential election.

The White House dismissed the calls by the governors, saying they spent decades talking about issues that ‌Trump was able to address.

"President Trump used ​tariffs to actually deliver where Democrats ​could only talk, so naturally ​Democrats are resorting to gathering more meaningless popcorn headlines – ‌pathetic but unsurprising," White House spokesman ​Kush Desai said ​in a statement.

Reuters reported last week that Penn Wharton Budget Model economists estimated more than $175 billion in U.S. tariff collections are ​subject to potential refunds.

Treasury ‌Secretary Scott Bessent has said the issue of tariff refunds ​would be addressed by the lower courts.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward ​in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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Trump says he has told big tech companies to build their own power plants

February 24, 2026
Trump says he has told big tech companies to build their own power plants

Feb 24 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday during his State of the Union address that his administration has told major ‌technology companies they must build their own power plants for their ‌data centers, a measure meant to protect consumers from rising bills.

Reuters

The announcement comes amid growing local ​opposition to energy-hungry data center projects around the country blamed for a jump in electricity costs.

"Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rate payer protection pledge. You know what that is? We're telling the major tech companies ‌that they have the ⁠obligation to provide for their own power needs," he said.

"We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of ⁠numbers, the amount of electricity that's needed. So I'm telling them, they can build their own plant. They're going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure ​the company's ​ability to get electricity, while at ​the same time, lowering prices of ‌electricity for you," he said.

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He did not name the companies involved or provide details on how the plan would be implemented or enforced. The White House is expected to host companies in early March to formalize the effort, according to two sources familiar with the plan.

The Trump administration supports efforts to ‌advanceartificial intelligencein competition with China, but ​the impacts of the rapid proliferation of AI ​data centers on power prices ​have become a potential vulnerability for Republicans ahead of the ‌November midterm elections.

PJM Interconnection, the largest ​power grid operator in ​the U.S., last month unveiled a plan in which new large power users would either bring their own new generation to the grid ​or limit their usage ‌when the system is stretched.

Companies such as Anthropic andMicrosofthave also voluntarily announced initiatives to ​limit the impact of data centers on consumer energy prices.

(Reporting ​by Richard Valdmanis, editing by Deepa Babington)

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4 military working dogs died due to "unsatisfactory" facilities, DoD watchdog finds

February 24, 2026
4 military working dogs died due to

Four military working dogs died between the 2021 and 2023 fiscal years because they were housed and trained in "aging and unsatisfactory kennel facilities," the Defense Department inspector general found, although the Air Force disputes the deaths were the result of neglect.

CBS News

An Air Force spokesperson said autopsies determined one of the dogs died of severe bronchopneumonia and three died due to extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli pneumonia. The autopsies did not attribute the deaths to neglect, the spokesperson said.

But the Air Force concurs with the overall recommendation in the report to increase the number of caretakers for military working dogs and to develop a plan to upgrade all of the kennel facilities.

The inspector general in a report published last week found the military working dog program did not consistently protect dogs in non-training status "from extreme weather conditions and kennel mold issues, or manage quarantine and isolation areas."

Undated: DoD dog displaying stress behaviors with its water bucket, TRS Kennel facilities, Joint Base Antonio-Lackland, Texas. / Credit: Defense Dept. inspector general

Investigators visited 12 installations of different service branches with dog programs, including North Carolina's Fort Bragg, where they found "mold in the light fixtures, ceiling tiles, and equipment room" of one of the buildings. Another building was closed because of mold growth.

In addition to the aging facilities around the country, investigators found a group of about 200 dogs at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, in Texas — where all the dogs undergo their initial training — did not receive the required amount of physical or social activity because of a caretaker shortage.

Instead of the five hours of physical activity, social, and cognitive enrichment that are required for the dogs each day, the report found the dogs were walked for about 10 minutes, four times a week, or less.

The investigators focused on dogs that were in "non-training status," meaning they are not awaiting deployment, have a medical disposition, or are in a rejected-from-training status.

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In general, the dogs that are in training status receive "sufficient" physical and social activity. At the time of the site visit, the unit had about 230 military dogs that were not in training status.

In total, the Pentagon has over 2,200 Working Dog Teams across 182 locations worldwide and provides dogs to agencies at the state and federal level, the Air Force spokesperson said.

The inspector general recommended that the secretary of the Air Force reduce the number of dogs at the training squadron until there are enough caretakers to provide adequate care, and also said a plan should be developed to upgrade the kennel facilities so that they meet current Defense Department standards.

The dogs at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland showed behaviors like "continuous spinning, jumping, chewing on their metal water buckets, and excessive vocalization," according to investigators, that were signs of the lack of physical and social activity. They also showed physical signs of heat stress, "including rapid panting with enlarged tongues and ears swept back."

Undated: DoD dog in open-air kennel facilities exposed to ambient weather conditions / Credit: Defense Dept. inspector general

The training squadron told investigators it lacked the manpower for the required five hours of physical activity but did try to provide some enrichment through "inflatables, audio books, music, and scented bubble machines." Investigators said this was not sufficient.

In response to the recommendations, the Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics said the program now is allowing the training squadron to hire more caretakers for the military working dogs and would reduce the number of dogs in "non-training status."

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