Trump declares 'America is back'

Here's what his voters think.

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Edson Caldas Hello. Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress in a televised 100-minute-long speech. Today, we bring you takeaways from the night, investors' reactions and the Democrats' response.  Elsewhere, we are covering more fiscal stimulus in China, a deal to boost defense spending in Germany and another milestone for LeBron James. Today's Top News   Trump touts a relentless start to his term. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS Trump's address to Congress A triumphant Donald Trump told Congress that "America is back" after he reshaped US foreign policy, ignited a trade war and ousted tens of thousands of government workers in six weeks in power. He said Ukraine was willing to negotiate, reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland, and hailed the "reclaiming" of the Panama canal. There was little market reaction to the marathon speech, the longest presidential address to Congress in modern US history. From diehard supporters of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement to people who consider themselves more centrist, we asked his voters what they made of the speech. Political Correspondent Jim Oliphant highlights more takeaways from the night on today's Reuters World News podcast.  Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a moderate elected in a state carried by Trump last year, made a case for bipartisan values and invoked former Republican president Ronald Reagan in her party's rebuttal to Trump's address. In other news US Marshals have warned federal judges of unusually high threat levels as billionaire Elon Musk and other Trump administration allies ramp up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, said several judges with knowledge of the warnings. The parties hoping to form Germany's next government agreed to create a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund and overhaul borrowing rules in a spending shift to revamp the military and revive growth. Here's how a pivot to defense could help Europe's largest economy. The Greek parliament voted to set up a committee to investigate how a minister handled the aftermath of a deadly 2023 train crash, days after violent protests over a perceived lack of government accountability brought business to a halt. South Sudanese forces have arrested a senior military official allied with First Vice President Riek Machar, and deployed troops around Machar's residence, risking a 2018 peace deal that ended a civil war, his spokesperson said. Business & Markets   Global growth concerns have shot back onto the radar of financial markets as weakening US economic data and growing trade tensions hurt consumer confidence and business activity. A shift in the mood music is apparent across markets. A trade group representing nearly all major automakers warned that new 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico imposed by Trump will lead to drastic price hikes. For more news on the industry, sign up for the Auto File newsletter. China unlocked more fiscal stimulus, promising greater efforts to support consumption and cushion the impact of an escalating trade war with the United States on an economy that Beijing is determined to grow by another 5%-or-so this year. ASML, the computer chip equipment maker that has been hit by successive waves of US-led restrictions on exports to China, said in its annual report that uncertainty over export controls had weakened customer demand in 2024. Some advocates believe AI is poised to surpass human capabilities. Others see it more as a powerful problem-solving tool. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Felix Martin explores the implications of the diverging views for investors and economists. In Pictures A member of the Padre Miguel samba school in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Our photographers have been capturing scenes of Brazil's famously colorful Carnival celebration for the past few days. Here are the highlights from the Sambadromes in Rio and Sao Paulo. See our photo gallery And Finally... LeBron James, first NBA player to score 50,000 total points. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images LeBron James reached another milestone in his unprecedented NBA career, becoming the first player to score 50,000 total points after hitting a three pointer in the first quarter of the Lakers' blowout win over the Pelicans in Los Angeles.   Read more Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? 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