President Trump delivers his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, and he's tipping his hand on only one aspect of it in advance: "It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about," he told reporters on Monday, reports the New York Times. Tariffs, inflation, immigration, and Iran are just a few of the topics on the agenda as the midterms loom. One other aspect getting attention: the awkwardness of Supreme Court justices attending days after Trump slammed some of them as "disloyal" and "lap dogs" because of their decision to invalidate his tariffs. For Chief Justice John Roberts in particular, it will be quite a contrast from last year's first joint session of Congress, which was all "warmth and good vibes," notes USA Today.
This year, Roberts authored the opinion that has led to days of attacks on the court by the president, and Roberts was joined not only by the court's liberals, but by two Trump appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett—whom Trump called "an embarrassment to their families." Asked whether those justices were still welcome at Tuesday's address, Trump answered they were "barely invited" and said, "I couldn't care less if they come." Meanwhile, at least half a dozen Democratic lawmakers plan to skip the speech in favor of an alternate event at the National Mall, reports CNN. The address starts at 9pm Eastern.