Wednesday 03.05.25

Ash Wednesday services are underway in Vatican City, where Pope Francis is notably absent as he continues to fight double pneumonia in the hospital. A pulmonary care physician told CNN that the coming days will be crucial in determining whether the 88-year-old pontiff can recover. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and on With Your Day.
 

By Alexandra Banner

President Trump gestures as he speaks to a joint session of Congress. (Mandel Ngan/Pool/Reuters)

Congressional address

President Donald Trump delivered a combative, campaign-style address before Congress and the American public on Tuesday. In the nearly 100-minute speech, Trump touted his divisive executive actions and repeated false accusations that drew protests from Democratic lawmakers. He claimed his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already found hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud, though his administration has provided no evidence of that. Trump also blamed former President Joe Biden for everything from higher grocery prices to foreign conflicts. Immigration was also a key focus, with Trump stressing crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants and calling for stricter border security.

Tariffs

After imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, President Trump spent several minutes of his congressional address doubling down on his tariff agenda. Trump said his tariffs would "make America rich again," add fairness to America's trade with foreign countries and promote American industry, including steel and agriculture. However, businesses have railed against the plan that they fear could cause profits to fall and inflation to spike. On Tuesday, the International Chamber of Commerce warned that Trump's trade agenda could ignite a global trade war that could plunge the world's economy into a Great Depression-like event. US markets are also looking to rebound after the Dow fell by more than 600 points for a second day on Tuesday. 

Severe storms

A multifaceted storm is churning through much of the US, threatening millions of people with fierce winds, blizzard conditions and fires. Forecasts show the storm is set to reach the East Coast today and impact areas from Florida to New York. The strongest storms are expected from Charleston, South Carolina to southern Virginia, which could see damaging winds and tornadoes. Dozens of fires have also erupted across Texas amid a critical fire risk across a large portion of the state, while blizzard warnings remain in effect across parts of the Midwest. At least two people are dead in Mississippi’s Madison County after storms swept across the state on Tuesday.

Flight safety

Lawmakers and aviation organizations are grappling with whether the US has maintained its title as "the gold standard" when it comes to flight safety. During a House hearing Tuesday, experts expressed concerns about the nation's aging infrastructure, chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages and what they called a broken hiring process. Rep. Troy Nehls — a Texas Republican and chairman of the subcommittee on aviation — pointed out that 105 of the Federal Aviation Administration's 138 systems are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. The questioning comes following a string of aviation incidents, including the deadly midair collision near Washington, DC, in January and other close calls throughout the country.

Measles outbreak

The CDC is on the ground in Texas responding to a measles outbreak that has grown to 159 cases. At least 22 people are hospitalized, according to state health officials. Most of the cases are in Gaines County, in eastern Texas, which is home to a large unvaccinated Mennonite population. Previously, the CDC had provided lab support and measles-mumps-rubella vaccines to Texas to help the outbreak response. The state announced last week the first death in the outbreak — a school-age child who was not vaccinated and had no underlying health conditions. It was the first measles death in the US since 2015 and the first in a child in the US since 2003.

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