Trump Gives State of the Union

As he delivered his State of the Union Address at the Capitol Building last night, President Donald Trump attempted to suspend the polarization that continues during his presidency. He stated, “Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out coming ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve.” Many Republican leaders -- fighting to preserve their majorities in both the House and Senate this year -- viewed the State of the Union as creating a positive vision of what a Republican majority could accomplish in the months ahead. Democrats, on the other hand, were not impressed with the speech nor President Trump’s plan for the future of the country. Throughout the speech he offered to forge common ground with Democrats on emotive issues such as immigration and the meaning of patriotism. He also offered to work on issues important to liberals like infrastructure, family leave and criminal justice reform. The State of the Union Address is an annual message presented by the President of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress, except in the first year of a new president's term. The message includes a budget message and an economic report of the nation, and also allows the President to outline their legislative agenda (for which the cooperation of Congress is needed) and national priorities. The address fulfills rules in Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, requiring the President to periodically "give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.”

In Other News The head of surfwear brand Quiksilver is missing in the Atlantic Ocean after his boat was found washed up on a French beach. Pierre Agnes -- the CEO of Boardriders, Quiksilver's parent company -- set out aboard his motorboat on a routine fishing trip on Tuesday morning from southwestern France. French authorities deployed four vessels and four helicopters on Tuesday to search for him after the boat was discovered run aground and empty on a beach along the French coast. Scenes of Iranian women with their heads uncovered holding their hijabs on sticks have taken place. Women in Iran have been removing their headscarves to protest the law that forces them to wear a veil in public. A woman who did this during the recent wave of anti-regime protests was arrested, but she was released this week and the demonstrations spread. The veil law was enacted after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 but has been relaxed in recent months. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is stopping shipment of food and water to the island today, four months after Hurricane Maria. The news blindsided officials in the US commonwealth, who said they were still talking with FEMA about when the Puerto Rican government could take over supply distribution. One official said they'd need at least two weeks to get ready. FEMA, which still has 5,000 personnel in Puerto Rico, said it will continue to help the island's residents and could resume the food and water shipments, if needed.