President Donald Trump, during his Tuesday night State of the Union address, awarded the Purple Heart to Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and deceased Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, two National Guard members who were critically injured and fatally shot by a gunman who ambushed them while on duty last year in Washington, D.C.

Trump used a portion of his State of the Union address to acknowledge Wolfe and the parents of 20-year-old Beckstrom, who did not survive her injuries.

‘I’m going to ask a highly respected General James Seward to present Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and the great family of Sarah Beckstrom, with the award created by our late, great president, George Washington himself,’ Trump said. ‘It’s called the Purple Heart. We love you all.’

As Trump spoke, Major General James ‘Jim’ D. Seward, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard, presented Specialist Beckstrom’s medal to her parents and pinned the Purple Heart on Staff Sergeant Wolfe in the viewing gallery above.

‘Your daughter was a true American patriot,’ Trump told Beckstrom’s parents, ‘and she will be greatly missed.’

‘She was a great person,’ Trump said. ‘I saw reports on her. They’ve never seen anything like it. So sorry.’

Addressing Wolfe, Trump said, ‘The doctors thought that Andrew was gone, but his mother said, ‘No, no, Mr. President, Andrew will be fine. He’s going to make it.’ I’ve never seen anything like it.’

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised their award in a statement, describing the award as a ‘solemn and unforgettable moment, one that ensured their courage and sacrifice were honored not only by West Virginia but also before the entire nation.’

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were both shot by a gunman just blocks from the White House last November, in what federal authorities are investigating as a terror attack.

The alleged shooter is an Afghan refugee who came to the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome during the military’s withdrawal from Kabul in 2021.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution honoring the two National Guard members.

‘Spc. Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Wolfe represent the very best of our nation,’ Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, said at the time.

‘Young Americans driven by service, compassion, and a sense of duty. Their willingness to step forward to serve their communities and their country reflects the highest ideals of military and public service.’

Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was ejected from President Donald Trump’s primetime address to a joint session of Congress for a second year in a row.

Fox News Digital spotted Green on the Democrats’ traditional side of the House chamber Tuesday evening ahead of the State of the Union, standing at a seat just five rows from where Trump was due to begin speaking.

As Trump arrived, however, he held up a sign that read in all capital letters, ‘Black people aren’t apes!’

Green did not put the sign down and remained standing even after Trump began speaking, prompting Capitol security to escort him out of the chamber. 

Fox News Digital also saw heated conversations between Green and two House Republicans, Reps. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Pat Fallon, R-Texas, before he was removed.

The longtime Texas progressive lawmaker was removed by security in 2025 during Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress after repeatedly interrupting the president by shouting and shaking his cane.

The House voted to censure Green over the outburst, with 10 Democrats joining the GOP in the move.

He was one of several Democrats to disrupt Trump’s speech in 2025, but Green’s persistent and loud protests after being asked to quiet down forced Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to direct security to eject him from the chamber.

Green yelled at the time, ‘You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.’

‘Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session,’ Johnson said in response.

Green has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics among House Democrats, pushing impeachment articles against him on multiple occasions.

He had remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking.

‘I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, ‘don’t punish me.’ I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,’ Green said, according to the White House press pool report. 

‘But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Tuesday urged spring breakers with plans to visit Mexico to cancel their trips due to violent clashes in the country triggered by the Mexican army’s killing of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho,’ earlier this week.

Mullin made the comments during an appearance on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box,’ in which he said his chiropractor was still planning to visit a popular tourist destination in Mexico.

‘Anybody that’s planning on going to Mexico for spring break … I mean, my chiropractor called me yesterday and said he’s still planning on going to Cancún, I said, ‘Are you crazy?” Mullin said.

‘No one should be going down there right now, it is very volatile and the United States is laser-focused on watching what’s taking place,’ he continued.

The senator’s comments come after Mexican troops conducted operations on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting El Mencho, a former police officer who became the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, which U.S. authorities have identified as a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States.

El Mencho carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over roughly the past 15 years, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación has expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking organization operating from its stronghold in Jalisco.

The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., and that U.S. authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to El Mencho’s killing.

After El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in several Mexican states. Violent clashes were also reported in parts of western Mexico.

Mexican authorities later said that the security situation had been ‘stabilized.’

‘The security situation has now stabilized following targeted operations in Jalisco,’ the Mexican Embassy in the U.S. said on Tuesday.

‘Federal and State authorities are proceeding to reopen transit corridors and restore public services smoothly,’ the embassy continued. ‘Airline operations are normal, and international carriers are resuming flights today. Puerto Vallarta International Airport has reopened to domestic traffic.’

The embassy added: ‘If traveling through Jalisco, some local security measures remain in place, while authorities are restoring airport operations to full capacity. We are working with international partners to ensure safety and stability at all transit hubs and tourist destinations.’

But the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico remains in effect. The U.S. government earlier issued a shelter-in-place order for Americans in Mexico, but that order has since been lifted.

The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación is considered the most powerful cartel in Mexico with an estimated 19,000 members and operations across 21 of the country’s 32 states.

The Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Mullin said on Tuesday that cartels splitting after Mexico’s operation is a ‘great opportunity for us, and Mexico, to take them all out.’

‘Now, are we going to eliminate all the drug trafficking in the world? Absolutely not. But can we get a handle on it again? Absolutely,’ he added.

President Donald Trump used part of his State of the Union address on Tuesday to spotlight American military heroism, awarding U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover and U.S. Navy Captain E. Royce Williams with the nation’s highest military honor. 

Recounting what he described as a high-risk January raid targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump detailed Slover’s role in leading the mission. He said Slover was piloting a Chinook helicopter transporting U.S. forces into heavily fortified enemy territory under the cover of darkness. As the aircraft approached the target, it came under intense machine gun fire from multiple directions.

‘There were many heroes on that January raid to capture Maduro. Really great heroes. It was very dangerous,’ Trump said, describing the perilous mission.

‘He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces,’ the president continued, telling lawmakers that ‘the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge on Eric’s ability’ to keep flying as blood ‘pour[ed] down the aisle.’

Slover, still recovering from his wounds, attended the address with his wife, Amy, as he was presented with the nation’s highest military award.

Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to Williams, a 100-year-old Korean War veteran and retired Navy captain, for his extraordinary combat valor during a long-classified 1952 aerial dogfight over the Sea of Japan. 

Flying a single F9F Panther jet from the USS Oriskany, Williams engaged and shot down four Soviet MiG-15 fighters during a 35-minute battle despite being heavily outnumbered and flying an aircraft considered inferior in speed and climb rate. 

At the time, the U.S. government kept the encounter secret to avoid escalating tensions with the Soviet Union, which was not officially acknowledged as a combatant in the war. Decades later, after the details were declassified, Williams’ actions were formally recognized with the nation’s highest military honor.

The back-to-back Medal of Honor ceremonies underscored the administration’s emphasis on military service, drawing extended applause from lawmakers and guests in the chamber.