A prosecutor told a jury at the opening of an espionage trial Tuesday that an angry CIA employee got his vengeance by committing the agency’s biggest leak of classified information ever, but a defense lawyer said her client was innocent. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Denton pointed at 30-year-old Joshua Adam Schulte in a Manhattan courtroom as he blamed him for the massive leak of secrets that was published by WikiLeaks in March 2017. “This case is about the single biggest leak of classified information in the history of the CIA,” Denton said. The leak was “instantly devastating” to America’s interests abroad, he said, because it exposed CIA operatives, brought intelligence gathering to a halt and left allies wondering whether the U.S. could be trusted with sensitive information.

Who’s clapping now? On the brink of his Senate acquittal, President Donald Trump will be unleashing “relentless optimism” during his third State of the Union address, a speech designed to pivot from his impeachment to his drive for reelection. Trump is speaking from a position of strength, with nearly complete control of the Republican Party. The theme of his speech: “The Great American Comeback.” It’ll be a different experience for Democrats, nearly all of whom voted for Trump’s impeachment in the House. Where Trump will point to GOP unity ahead of the 2020 elections, Democrats and their difficult nomination will be on display after a long night of uncertainty in Iowa’s kickoff caucuses — an “unmitigated disaster,” as Trump tweeted Tuesday.

New Hampshire rarely takes its cues from Iowa. And this time, there aren’t clear cues anyway. The Democratic presidential hopefuls descended on the small New England state on Tuesday, fresh off overnight flights, full of caffeine and without official results from Iowa. That didn’t stop many of them from offering some form of a victorious message — and raising the stakes on the importance of New Hampshire. “Everything we know is extremely encouraging,” Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday after being endorsed by Jim Donchess, the mayor of Nashua. Bernie Sanders, whose campaign released its own caucus results with a claim of winning, wasn’t expected to greet voters in the state until the evening.

A portrait of a robust U.S. economy is sure to take center stage Tuesday night when President Donald Trump gives his third State of the Union address. It is an economy that has proved solid and durable, yet hasn’t fulfilled many of Trump’s promises. Nine months before the election, the economy keeps growing steadily if only modestly. Unemployment is at a half-century low. And consumers, the lifeblood of the U.S. economy, continue to spend. Average pay is rising faster than when Trump took office three years ago, with the largest percentage gains now going to lower-wage workers. Some research has found that this trend, which began in 2015 before Trump’s election, partly reflects higher state minimum wages. Economists warn, though, that the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has risen to 49%, his highest in Gallup polling since he took office in 2017. The new poll finds 50% of Americans disapproving of Trump, leaving just 1% expressing no opinion. The average percentage not having an opinion on Trump has been 5% throughout his presidency. Trump’s approval rating has risen because of higher ratings among both Republicans and independents. His 94% approval rating among Republicans is up six percentage points from early January and is three points higher than his previous best among his fellow partisans. The 42% approval rating among independents is up five points, and ties three other polls as his best among that group. Democratic approval is 7%, down slightly from 10%.

[COMMUNICATED] The Yemenite admor and kabbalist Rav Avner Efgin Shlita will hold mass tefillos at Kever Shmuel HaNavi for those who donate to his Torah institutions. Rav Avner Efgin, head of the Bais Halevi mosdos, the fame of whose teffilos has spread throughout the entire Jewish world, is launching a special fundraiser to save his institutions. The names of donors along with their personal requests will be mentioned at historic prayer events at Kever Shmuel HaNavi, events which are famous throughout the Jewish world for the miracles they have worked in the past.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that a nationwide vote on constitutional changes he proposed wouldn’t be used to extend his current term in office, but remained tight-lipped about his future political plans. Kremlin critics have seen Putin’s amendments as part of his efforts to stay at the helm after his current presidential term expires in 2024. The proposed changes, however, don’t make it clear exactly how he could do that. Asked during a meeting with students and teachers if the vote could be used to directly extend his term in office, Putin said it’s not what he wants. “I didn’t propose that to extend my authority,” Putin said.

Two days after returning from a visit to London, the Vitznitzer Merkaz Rebbe (Reb Mendel) left early Tuesday morning on a mysterious trip which was kept top secret until the last moment, traveling toward Eilat with over 100 chassidim. The story began when 75 Vitznitzer chassidim who donated more than NIS 50,000 to Vitznitzer mosdos received a surprise message about a trip with the Rebbe and were asked to arrive at the main Viznitzer beis medrash in Bnei Brak at 4:30 a.m. with passports and tefillin, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. The trip was a complete surprise and was kept completely under wraps until the last minute.

An October trial date was set Monday for two associates of Rudy Giuliani who are charged with making illegal campaign contributions. Lev Parnas was the only defendant among four men facing trial to be at a Manhattan courthouse when U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken set the Oct. 5 trial date. If the trial begins on time, it will occur a month before the presidential election. Parnas was smiling and wearing an American-flag pin in court. Outside court, he declined to say if he was cooperating. He said he believes the truth will emerge. Parnas and fellow defendant Igor Fruman had worked with Giuliani to try to convince Ukraine to announce an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

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