The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Tue Feb 24 2026

Nicole Fallert
Newsletter Writer & SEO Editor

Welcome to the Daily Briefing! Here's what's breaking this morning:

•	A backpack was discovered in the search for Savannah Guthrie's mom.
•	Christian leaders denounced Trump's actions.
•	Six planets will align in a cosmic "parade."

Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know Tuesday, from the president's annual address to a joint session of Congress to the fallout of a cartel leadership change in Mexico.

Trump to deliver State of the Union tonight

President Donald Trump is set to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second administration at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, laying out his agenda under mounting political pressure as midterm elections loom and voters signal deep dissatisfaction in national polling. USA TODAY will live stream the address on its YouTube Channel and website.

USA TODAY has your SOTU prep:

•	Trump joked about inviting the gold-medal-winning U.S. women's hockey teams. The women's team declined the invite.
•	Check up on the state of the economy ahead of the address (and why the auto industry may dominate the talking points).
•	The address falls on the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
•	Listen for Trump potential jabs to the Supreme Court.
•	Know who is giving the Democratic response to Trump.

More news to know now

•	'We were dodging burning buses.' American tourists are still stuck in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after the killing of a powerful cartel leader in Jalisco. The question now, experts told USA TODAY, is whether the CJNG cartel will de-escalate sporadic violence and regroup, or ramp up its attacks.
•	Nick Reiner pleads not guilty. Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Rob and Michele Reiner, pleaded not guilty in his parents' deaths in court on Monday.
•	Ex-DHS attorney: ICE teaches cadets to "violate the Constitution." Supervisors in ICE are teaching "new cadets to violate the Constitution" amid President Trump's promise of mass deportations, a former agency lawyer testified Monday to members of Congress.

Weather

The USA is snow blasted

A man on cross-country skies travels through Central Park on Feb. 23, 2026 in New York City.

Ryan Murphy, Getty Images

At points in a powerful Nor'easter this week, it was pumping out snow at more than 2 or 3 inches an hour, grounding flights, shuttering schools and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

March Madness

There's a new no. 1 in college basketball

It's the end of February — which means Selection Sunday is closing in. And Duke is now the No. 1 team. The Blue Devils received 27 of 31 first-place votes this week after upending previous No. 1 Michigan in one of those marquee clashes. On the women's side, No. 1 UConn pummeled Providence for their 45th straight win.

Before you go

•	Lily Collins was finally cast as Audrey Hepburn.
•	When can we see Alysa Liu, Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn skate next?
•	Don't break the Met Gala dress code.