Live: President Obama's State of the Union 01/20/2015
President Barack Obama delivers the sixth State of the Union address of his tenure Tuesday night from the Capitol in Washington, beginning at 9 p.m. EST. Follow U.S. News' live blog for what to expect from the speech, plus up-to-the-minute updates, analysis, reaction and more.
3rd & 7 37yd
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The @TeaPartyExpress response to #SOTU focused on teamwork, unity and vision. "With God & Liberty as partners on our team, we will succeed."by WriteEditRepeat via twitter 1/21/2015 4:21:55 AM
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Ernst is right that most Americans are in favor of Keystone. She's also right that the Affordable Care Act has meant more costs for some.
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Sen. Joni Ernst wants to "tear down trade barriers" to create more jobs in the U.S. Trade is one issue on which Republicans agree with President Obama. The president faces more opposition from Democrats to agreements like TTIP and TPP.
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When you do a "People" search for "bread bags" on Twitter, the first suggestion is @joniernst. #RepublicanResponseby PDShinkman via twitter edited by U.S. News & World Report 1/21/2015 3:54:53 AM
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by U.S. News via twitter edited by U.S. News & World Report 1/21/2015 3:54:44 AM
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Response from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) about what the president said on health care: “I’d like to hear talk more about 21st-century cures, helping to get treatments, medical devices and medicines through the U.S. Food and Drug administration more rapidly, which would help virtually all Americans. This is something that both Republicans in Congress and the president believe is important."
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"In the next few weeks, I believe we will pass the bipartisan Kirk-Menendez bill to give our children an insurance policy against a nuclear war in the Middle East.” -- Sen. Mark Kirk's (R-Ill.) response to President Obama's State of the Union address.
Kirk is leading the charge in Congress to pass a bill that would impose more sanctions on Iran. Obama said he will veto any legislation passed before diplomatic negotiations have a chance to play out. -
#YesWeTan begins the night. Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney come out of the woodwork. Cher reacts.
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So who caught the Keystone XL reference tonight?
Obama to Congress: Focus on Infrastructure, Not Keystone XL Pipeline - US News
US News & World ReportThe president urged lawmakers in his State of the Union address to fund road, rail and telecommunications upgrades – and end a six-year focus on the proposed $5.4 billion pipeline. -
Obama: “No challenge – no challenge – poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.”
Obama: No 'Greater Threat' Than Climate Change - US News
US News & World ReportIn his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Barack Obama reaffirmed his second-term focus on mitigating global warming. -
At #SOTU camera crews from Al Jazeera are next to Fox News. Progress? #SOTU2015 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B717gMMCUAATzeS.jpg
by Tom Risen via twitter 1/21/2015 3:41:51 AM -
Rand Paul calls for term limits for Congress in his response.
State of the Union - RAND PAC - Reinventing A New Direction PAC
RAND PAC - Reinventing A New Direction PAC -
Before she ran, @JoniErnst thought nothing of her hog castrating past: ow.ly/HFDxy #GOPResponse #SOTUby U.S. News via twitter 1/21/2015 3:37:55 AM
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Sen. Joni Ernst mentions terror attacks in Nigeria, Australia and Canada. Obama didn't.
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President Obama’s mentions of other countries in his last three State of the Union addresses:
2013:
Japan, China, Germany, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Mali, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Burma, Egypt, Syria, Israel
Notable: No mention of Iraq.
2014:
China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Mali, Syria, Israel, Iran, Tunisia, Burma, Ukraine, Philippines
Notable: Calls for a Palestinian state, but doesn't acknowledge existence of Palestine. Doesn't mention Russia by name.
2015:
Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Paris (France), Syria, China, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, Israel.
Notable: Calls Putin out by name. -
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Obama gets big applause for bringing up the Voting Rights Act, which saw a key provision struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Meanwhile, challenges to voter ID laws and other voting restrictions are ricocheting up the legal system.
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"I have no more campaigns to run" [Applause from Republicans] "I know, because I won both of them." [Loud cheers from Dems]by PDShinkman via twitter 1/21/2015 3:09:22 AM
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President Obama's speech does not mention open enrollment, which is still running until Feb. 15. The Department of Health and Human Services projects that at least 9.1 million Americans will enroll. So far, 6.8 million Americans have signed up through the federal marketplace or have been auto-enrolled into the same plan they signed up for previously.
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President Obama on Iran sanctions in last year's State of the Union:
"The sanctions that we put in place helped make this opportunity possible. But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it. For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed. If Iran’s leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will be the first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. But if Iran’s leaders do seize the chance, then Iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security challenges of our time without the risks of war." -
"We still may not agree on a woman’s right to choose," Obama says.
US News & World Report
Abortion foes hope that legislation to limit the procedure will have broader implications as GOP lawmakers fast-track legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks. -
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"I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young graduates from New York to California; and our newest officers at West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs, and New London." That last one is the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut
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"I’ve seen something like gay marriage go from a wedge issue... to a story of freedom across our country" (Well, only half the crowd stood)by Gabrielle Levy via twitter 1/21/2015 3:02:16 AM
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Republicans are sitting on their hands a lot tonight while Democrats cheer.
The call to close Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorists gets no applause on the GOP side. -
President Obama mentions "precision medicine" in his speech, promising today to launch a new initiative toward curing diseases like cancer and diabetes. Known more commonly as "personalized medicine," the approach requires targeting treatments to a particular patient's specific needs. One of our stories took a look at a way this is being done at NorthShore University Health System.
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Obama brings up the treatment of LGBT people, which stands to become a major part of his legacy, especially if the Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage this year.
US News & World Report
A landmark ruling could come from the court by this summer in favor of same-sex marriage this spring. -
We've written about the gruesome numbers from the CIA Torture Report. Obama just said he has banned torture.
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In last year's State of the Union address, President Obama dedicated three paragraphs to Iran. This year, ongoing nuclear negotiations made just one graph.
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FACT CHECK: "I’ve prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained."
The use of and reliance on drones by the U.S. military is at an all-time high.