 "FirstUp: Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, US to stop collecting tariffs after SC ruling")
All eyes are on United States President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address since assuming the second term in office. In this address, Trump is expected to outline how the country is doing and what Congress should focus on next.
In other news, deemed Illegal by the US Supreme Court, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is set to stop collecting Trump’s tariffs at 12:01 am EST, which is 10:31 am IST today (February 24).
Read this and more of the big news from across the world today.
Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address
Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term today. His speech is scheduled to begin at 9 pm (ET), which is 7:30 am (IST) on Wednesday.
According to Congress’ website, the State of the Union address is when the president reviews the nation’s condition and sets out priorities for lawmakers. The address is mandated by the US Constitution, which requires the president to keep Congress informed about the state of the nation and recommend legislative actions. The address typically lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.
US Customs to stop collecting tariffs
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has said it will stop collecting duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) starting today.
The duties had been deemed illegal by the Supreme Court last week. The court, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), ruled in a 6:3 judgment that it did not allow Trump to impose tariffs.
In response, Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff on all countries under a different legal provision and then raised it to 15 per cent.
German Chancellor begins China visit
The German government has announced that Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make an official visit to China from today (February 24) through February 26.
Merz will take part in a meeting of the German-Chinese Economic Advisory Committee and hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with discussions expected to focus on bilateral ties, economic cooperation, and security-related issues.
“May the Year of the Horse bring strength and give new impetus to German-Chinese relations,” he wrote on X. Merz also stressed that he will be going with “a large business delegation”.
4 years of the Russia-Ukraine war
The Russia-Ukraine war grinds on and marks its fourth anniversary today (February 24).
Efforts to end the conflict regained momentum after Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2025, having pledged to end the fighting within a day.
Since then, along with Trump’s meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as European leaders, several rounds of negotiations have been held in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Miami, and Geneva.
According to media reports, the US has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach an agreement.
With inputs from agencies
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