‘Road tour’ by Cabinet members to promote Obama proposals

“Beginning Wednesday through the end of the week, Amazon will make the speech available across all devices for Americans to watch the State of the Union in the same way we’re used to consuming video content in 2016”, White House digital director Jason Goldman wrote in a blog post Sunday evening.

In a statement, the White House said those invited to the first lady’s guest box this year “personify President Obama’s time in office and most importantly, they represent who we are as Americans: inclusive and compassionate, innovative and courageous”.

The White House has been trying to keep up with trends in how people watch and consume media.

In August, Microsoft announced new parents would be eligible for an additional eight weeks of leave.

Chief Kathleen O’Toole, Seattle, WA: Chief O’Toole has led the Seattle Police Department in developing its approach to community policing, and her focus on improving officer morale, implementing new policies and optimizing department resources has received national attention.

Already, the SOTU is live-streamed on the White House’s YouTube channel and the Administration includes an “enhanced” address, meaning that you’re able to view slides that accompany Obama’s remarks. “Even in times of great challenge and change, our future is entirely up to us”.

Obama is unlikely to dwell on the 2016 election race directly, but in embracing optimism, the White House hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans.

The fight against Islamic State will also feature prominently in the speech, after December’s mass shooting in San Bernardino by a couple that was inspired by the terrorist group.

Obama last week acted unilaterally to require background checks of additional gun buyers and launched what is expected to be a yearlong campaign urging states and localities to do more.

Polling shows the country is also beset by economic unease despite a rash of positive economic data. “Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis”. That’s well south of the historic 6 percent average. One seat will be intentionally left empty as a tribute to those killed.

“We want to be talking with people, not at them”, she said, pointing to Obama’s recent town hall on guns, which included both opponents and proponents of increased gun control. “Their absence means something to this country”.

“It’s not going to be a laundry list of things on the agenda” like most State of the Union addresses, said Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Obama has recently reinserted about 3,500 USA military personnel into Iraq, slowed the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and authorized small numbers of special operations forces in Syria – though he adamantly rejects any large-scale military deployment His reluctance to get pulled into new conflicts remains at the heart of his foreign policy, and critics say other world powers are taking advantage of that.

After the speech, he will head to Omaha, Neb., then to Baton Rouge, La. Obamacare, as you know, is going to fail very soon and probably in ’17, our health care – we don’t have borders. Barden introduced Obama at the White House event last week that rolled out the president’s latest gun-safety initiatives.