Tonight 1/28/2014– 9:00 PM On all the major channels Watch for people’s reactions! What are the major topics???? Earn Extra Credit points! President Obama will update Americans on the most important issues facing our country in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday January 28, at 9 pm ET.

2014 State of the Union

State of the Union Address Article 2, Section 3... “He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”

History of the State of the Union

How does it start? Ordinarily, the President himself is not permitted to enter the House Chamber without the explicit permission of Congress and for each State of the Union address in which the President is going to read his remarks, a formal "invitation" is made. As tradition requires, House Speaker John Boehner invited the president to speak to a joint session of Congress.

Before the speech Before the speech begins, there will be commentary by the reporters on tv. They will likely be talking about... the topics to be discussed pointing out the different people that are in the room. Listen closely, as they will probably be mentioning which member of the President’s Cabinet is not in attendance (on purpose) this year. Seating arrangements (more about this later) Supreme Court (will discuss later)

President waits to be announced House Chamber

The President is announced The President's presence upon entering the House chamber is ceremoniously announced by the U.S. House Sergeant at Arms, who calls out, "Mr. (Madam) Speaker, the President of the United States!"U.S. House Sergeant at Arms

The President enters The President enters the chamber to a standing ovation and spends several minutes greeting members of Congress and walking toward the podium at the front and center of the House chamber.standing ovation

The President Enters

President Obama greets members of Congress

President George W. Bush shakes the hand of Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson as he arrives on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, to deliver his 2008 State of the Union address. Looking on are Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. A previous year, President Bush enters the room and shakes hands.

Copies of the Speech Once there, the President hands copies of the address to the Vice President of the United States (as President of the Senate) and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, both of whom sit behind the President for the duration of the speech. If either is unavailable, the next highest-ranking member of the respective house substitutes. Vice President of the United StatesSpeaker of the House of Representatives

Vice President Speaker of the House President This is what it looked like in a previous year

Who is in the audience? Sitting near the front of the chamber are the members of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of Staff the Justices of the Supreme CourtSupreme Court the members of the President's Cabinet.President's Cabinet Customarily, one cabinet member (the designated survivor) does not attend, in order to provide continuity in the line of succession in the event that a catastrophe disables the President, the Vice President, and other succeeding officers gathered in the House chamber.designated survivorline of succession also present, Members of Congress

A previous year

2013

Supreme Court Justices

The President’s Cabinet – July 2012

The Press

Plus One Each member of Congress is allowed to bring one guest. Gabrielle Giffords Mark Kelly Tony Bennett Ted Nugent

Michelle Obama Laura Bush

Designated Survivor The member of the president’s cabinet who does not attend the address in case of a catastrophic event, in order to maintain a continuity of government is called the Designated Survivor The Designated Survivor for the 2013 SOTU Address was Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu

In previous years, the room was divided by political party.

Recently, it has been different! Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn

So were the reactions

The Speech – what is it about? In the State of the Union the President traditionally outlines the administration's accomplishments over the previous year, as well as the agenda for the coming year in upbeat and optimistic terms. At some point during the speech, the President usually says "The State of our Union is strong" or a very similar phrase. Since the 1982 address, it has also become common for the President to acknowledge special guests sitting near the First Lady in the gallery, such as everyday Americans or visiting Heads of State.1982First LadyHeads of State The guests are usually relevant to some part of the President's speech.

The Exit 2013

State of the Union goes INTERACTIVE Join us and watch a live enhanced broadcast featuring charts, graphs and data that will help you understand his policies. From the White House website Interactive “Social Media” Facebook – Twitter Instagram #insideSOTU iPhone and Smart phone apps live streaming, charts, graphs and much more!

The Enhanced Online Version

EXTRA CREDIT 6 points available 1 point - parent signature 1 point – which Cabinet member is not there? 2 points – topics: write down 2 topics discussed (1 point each) 2 points - your reactions and thoughts: (1 point each)

What to watch for tonight