House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the Artemis II astronaut crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen—as his guests for President Trump's State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, along with Claire Lai, daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, in posts shared between 11:15 PM and 12:15 AM UTC on February 25, 2026, in Washington, D.C., to highlight American space achievements and global freedom struggles, according to Johnson's official X statements. Johnson described the Artemis II mission as NASA's first crewed voyage around the moon in over 50 years, welcoming the astronauts who carry humanity's hopes, per his Axios-linked post. He noted Jimmy Lai's imprisonment by China for defending free speech and pledged efforts for his release alongside Rep. Chris Smith, inviting Claire Lai for her courage, as stated in his New York Times-referenced announcement during the 59-minute reporting window. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's DSCC invested $1 million in Alaska Senate race infrastructure for youth, Native, and hyper-local organizing, per Axios reporter Stephen Neukam citing a source familiar with the plans, posted around 11:30 PM UTC. Attorney General Pam Bondi previewed Trump's address focusing on making America safe again with the lowest murder rate in 125 years, in a post at approximately 11:45 PM UTC. Sen. Mark Kelly accused Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth of violating his constitutional rights via a federal judge's ruling, vowing to fight their appeal to protect veterans' free speech, according to his X post linking to coverage. Separately, a court rejected the government's argument that seizing Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's devices did not implicate the First Amendment, per journalist John Hudson. Trump speechwriters Ross Worthington and Vince Haley crafted the over-two-hour address, with Worthington as chief architect and Haley advising on policy, as reported by Politico's Sophia Cai. Hill leaders prepared to reauthorize the SBIR small business tech program this week after Pentagon warnings, according to Bloomberg's Mark Satter citing John Donnelly.
