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Trump to Pledge New 'American Dream' in Congress Speech

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)
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Trump to Pledge New 'American Dream' in Congress Speech

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

Donald Trump will promise a "renewal of the American dream" on Tuesday in his first address to Congress since returning to office, laying out a vision of extended presidential power and a reshaped world order.

The Republican president's speech comes after a whirlwind first six weeks in office, in which the United States has been roiled by a radical bid led by billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk to overhaul the federal government by closing down agencies and firing many workers, reported AFP.

The 78-year-old Trump has also caused turmoil on the global stage, pausing military aid for Ukraine as he pivots toward Russia, vowing to "own" Gaza and unleashing tariffs against US allies.

The White House said the theme of the speech at 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) would be "the renewal of the American dream," in social media posts linking to a story on Fox News, the administration's preferred outlet.

Fox said Trump would cover four areas: his second term's achievements so far at home and abroad, the economy, a push for Congress to pass border funding and Trump's plans for "peace around the globe."

"President Trump is the greatest orator we've ever had in the Oval Office. Every time he's done one of these addresses, Americans have been overwhelmingly blown away," his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters on Monday.

"It's an opportunity for President Trump, as only he can, to lay out the last month of record-setting, record-breaking unprecedented achievements and accomplishments that have made this the most successful opening to any presidency."

Trump himself promised in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday that the address to Congress "WILL BE BIG" and vowed that "I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!"

In a sign of Musk's influence in Trump's administration, the world's richest person will reportedly attend the joint session of the House and Senate.

Economic pressure

Trump's address at the US Capitol comes just over four years after his supporters stormed the building following his 2020 election defeat.

Trump is likely to strike a triumphant tone as he returns to a Republican-controlled Congress, determined to exert more executive power than any president in decades.

Trump, who notoriously painted a picture of "American carnage" when he was inaugurated for his first term, is expected to tout the record blitz of executive orders he has signed since his return to the White House.

Together with Musk, Trump has shown his intent to push through his "Make America Great Again" agenda -- even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority or straining ties with allies.

Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers, ended diversity programs and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba as part of his crackdown on foreigners without papers.

On the world stage, Trump will discuss his efforts to redefine US foreign policy.

He said on Monday that he would "let you know" during the speech about progress towards resolving the Ukraine conflict, after freezing military aid to Kyiv and stunning the world by starting talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

His speech will come just four days after an extraordinary clash in the Oval Office with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, which left US support for Kyiv hanging in the balance.

Trump's presidential offensive has left the Democrats, already stunned by their 2024 election defeat, flailing for ways to counter him and his hogging of the news cycle.

But with his poll numbers softening, Trump will also know he faces pressure to deal with stubborn issues facing Americans -- most importantly inflation.

Trump's tariffs threaten to weigh on the economy, with US stocks closing sharply lower on Monday after he confirmed the levies would come into effect one minute into Tuesday against major trading partners Mexico and Canada.

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World

China Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills Tens, Injures 61

Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
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China Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills Tens, Injures 61

Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)
Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)

The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred at around 4:43 pm on Monday at the Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company in Liuyang, Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Following the blast, all fireworks makers in Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, which administers Liuyang, had been ordered to stop production ahead of safety inspections, CCTV said.

Videos on social media from Monday showed continuous explosions accompanied by a vast cloud of smoke rising high into the air in a rural area surrounded by mountains, said AFP.

Drone footage from CCTV taken a day later showed a swathe of smoldering debris where buildings had stood, with rescue workers and excavators scouring the rubble.

Smoke continued to rise from some buildings left standing, many of them with their roofs blown off.

Changsha mayor Chen Bozhang told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that another five people had died since earlier reports that 21 were killed.

"We feel deeply grieved and filled with remorse," Chen said, adding that search and rescue work was "basically complete".

The central government had sent experts to guide rescue efforts, while more than 480 rescuers had been urgently dispatched to the site, according to CCTV.

They had established a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) control zone around the site and evacuated people nearby.

Police had apprehended the company's management while investigations into the cause of the accident continue, CCTV said.

President Xi Jinping had called for "all-out efforts" to treat the injured, search for missing persons, and for those responsible to be held accountable, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Liuyang is a major fireworks hub, producing around 60 percent of the fireworks sold in China and 70 percent of those exported.

Industrial accidents, including in the fireworks industry, are common in China due to lax safety standards.

Last year, an explosion at another fireworks factory in Hunan killed nine people, and in 2023, three people were killed after blasts struck residential buildings in the northern city of Tianjin.

In February, separate explosions at fireworks shops in Hubei and Jiangsu provinces killed 12 and eight people.

World

Ukraine to Observe Own Truce with Russia Starting May 6, Zelensky Says

A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ukraine to Observe Own Truce with Russia Starting May 6, Zelensky Says

A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)
A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine will observe its own truce with Russia starting May 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, after Moscow declared a unilateral truce with Ukraine over the May 9 Russian holiday.

"As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media," Zelensky said in a post on X.

"In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5-6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect," he added.

World

Alberta Separatist Group Says It Has Enough Signatures to Trigger Referendum on Leaving Canada

This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Alberta Separatist Group Says It Has Enough Signatures to Trigger Referendum on Leaving Canada

This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)
This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)

Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada.

The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote.

The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada.

A “yes” vote would not trigger independence automatically. Negotiations with the federal government would have to take place and Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said some Indigenous groups who are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum would use venues including the courts to stop independence from happening.

Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, arrived at the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton on Monday leading a convoy of seven trucks to deliver the names.

“This day is historic in Alberta history,” Sylvestre said. “It’s the first step to the next step — we’ve gotten by Round 3 and now we’re in the Stanley Cup final.”

He said most papers were handled five times to verify the signatures.

More than 300 supporters gathered, waving the provincial flag and chanting “Alberta strong.”

However, the petition could face another hurdle this week as an Edmonton, Alberta, judge is expected to rule on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations who say Alberta separation would violate treaty rights.

Smith has accused previous federal Liberal governments of introducing legislation that hamstrings Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil, which she said has cost the province billions of dollars. She also said she doesn’t want the federal government meddling in provincial issues.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government did not immediately respond to the development.

Béland, the political science professor at McGill, said a referendum is likely to lose.

“Right now, support for independence in Alberta is rather low. Less than 30% and much lower if we only focus on hard core supporters. And the odds of a victory of the pro-independence camp appear to be low at this stage," he said.

Béland also said considering recent news of a large data breach involving an Alberta separatist group, the formal verification process is especially crucial to make sure the signatures are authentic.

“Mark Carney is indeed popular, even in Alberta. The push for independence by some Albertans predates his prime ministership and it’s related to economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta by the federal government," he said. “These concerns increased during the Justin Trudeau years but they have peaked and even declined since he left office.”