To kick off celebrations of America’s founding, Trump travels to its heartland
President Trump will deliver a speech in Iowa Thursday night launching a year of “America250” events for the country’s 250th anniversary while Republican leadership races to pass his “One Big Beautiful Bill” through the House.
The event will be at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and is touted as “A New Era Of American Greatness” by the commission organizing it. Trump is expected to speak at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Trump is expected to announce more details about proposals he floated on the campaign trail, like high school athletes competing in “Patriot Games” and a “Great American State Fair” featuring pavilions from all 50 states that “will showcase the glory of every state in the Union, promote pride in our history and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.”
But the speech will also be used as a platform for the president to tout his second-term policy agenda, including a sweeping tax and policy measure that is projected to increase the budget deficit while extending tax cuts that Trump put in place in his first term. The package also makes cuts to health care and social services.
Trump also said he would be discussing his trade agenda, “especially as it relates to Farmers.” Trump’s steep and broad tariff plans have put him at odds with farmers who rely on trade but have also been a part of the president’s base. The administration set a deadline of next week for countries around the world to propose new trade deals if they want to stave off steeper tariffs on their goods to the U.S.
Just how much policy versus pomp the event will have remains to be seen.
As part of the planning for the semiquincentennial anniversary, Trump signed an executive order in January creating a task force to plan for America’s 250th birthday next year.
The order also revives Trump’s call for a National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park honoring 250 figures ranging from Presidents Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy to basketball star Kobe Bryant, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and civil rights leader C.T. Vivian.
The yearlong celebration will be overseen by a president who has wielded some of the most power over the federal government since its founding nearly a quarter of a millennium ago. In the months since he took office, Trump has put the separation of powers to the test, as he seeks to consolidate power within the executive branch.
PEN America warns of rise in books ‘systematically removed from school libraries’
A new report says that the number of books being challenged or removed from public schools across the country has risen exponentially in the past two years. A Clockwork Orange tops their list.
Greetings from Kyiv, where you might stumble across Zelenskyy taking a stroll
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Where things stand with Trump’s National Guard deployments
The Trump administration has deployed or threatened to deploy National Guard troops in more than half a dozen American cities that it says are crime ridden.
Kimmel and Colbert appear as guests on each other’s shows
On Tuesday night, in New York City, they united in a special talk show crossover of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.
Poll: Agreement that political violence may be necessary to right the country grows
On hot button issues, a majority say children should be vaccinated; controlling gun violence is more important than gun rights; and Epstein files should be released, in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before 2026 midterms
Republican officials are pushing for more voting restrictions on U.S. citizens who were born abroad and have never lived in the country, after unsuccessfully challenging their ballots in 2024.
