The State of the Union Is...

Jan. 20, 2015

The state of the union is... Weak? Strong? In dire jeopardy? On a path to prosperity?| President Barack Obama will deliver the annual State of the Union address from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. Since Republicans took back control of Congress in November, Obama has proposed a series of major policy proposals, from unilateral immigration reform to free community college to a historic change in relations with Cuba — and his State of the Union address, while somewhat fruitless in the face of a Republican legislature, is expected to be no different. + Obama plans on detailing a new tax increase on the wealthiest Americans meant to fund a new, expansive tax cut for middle-class families and students. + Obama will also provide new details on his proposal for free community college for American students. Naturally, lawmakers are less than thrilled. + Given that the Supreme Court may finally decide the fate of same-sex marriage in the U.S., Obama may also attempt to cement his civil rights legacy with regards to LGBT rights. + Apart from touting his recent executive actions on immigration and diplomatic relations with Cuba, Obama will probably also brag about the relative success of the health care reform package that bears his name. + This remarkable selection of charts from Politico details how Obama's State of the Union priorities have changed since he took office:   Protests against 'Charlie Hebdo' continue in countries around the world Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Russia's Chechnya region on Monday against what its Kremlin-backed leader called the "vulgar and immoral" cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, Reuters reports. + Forty-five churches were set on fire over the weekend in Niger's capital during Charlie Hebdo-related protests, Agence France-Presse reported Monday. + Protests against the depiction of Muhammad broke out in countries around the world over the weekend, including Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. + French President Francois Hollande said Saturday that anti-Charlie Hebdo protesters in other countries "do not understand France's attachment to freedom of speech."

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Photo of the Day Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on Aug. 28, 1963, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the "March on Washington." King said the march was "the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the United States." See more photos remembering the slain civil rights leader here.

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