State of the Union Address 2014

:00:13. > :00:22.Welcome. Shortly, Obama will tell the world what he wants to

:00:23. > :00:25.accomplish in the year ahead. But facing some of the lowest approval

:00:26. > :00:45.ratings since he took office, just how much can he get done?

:00:46. > :00:56.Welcome to our special coverage of President Obama's State of the Union

:00:57. > :00:59.address. ? For more on what to expect tonight, I am joined by Ben

:01:00. > :01:01.Feller, former White House correspondent for the Associated

:01:02. > :01:04.Press news agency. He is now a media strategist at the consulting firm

:01:05. > :01:10.Mercury. We're also joined by Linda Yueh, the BBC's chief business

:01:11. > :01:16.correspondent. Obama is going to his six year of his presidency. Will

:01:17. > :01:28.this be a big lofty speech of grand ambitions? Absolutely. The president

:01:29. > :01:35.says he will go around the American Congress. He has limited time to do

:01:36. > :01:41.what he wants. He is saying to the lawmakers, this is not working

:01:42. > :01:45.anymore. I have to work on my own. It is tradition for the first lady

:01:46. > :01:50.to be joined by guests import to read the course of the year. She'll

:01:51. > :02:00.be joined by some the big is of the Boston bombing, for example. We will

:02:01. > :02:05.get Obama in a minute. How many people are watching this bit around

:02:06. > :02:10.the world? In Asia and Europe, they are watching. And the emerging

:02:11. > :02:17.economies. It is an unusual thing to say. In terms of economic policies,

:02:18. > :02:23.the US has a huge impact, especially for developing countries, these

:02:24. > :02:31.economies are tied to the dollar. On the fiscal front, but will be of

:02:32. > :02:36.interest. People will also be watching top foreign policy. John

:02:37. > :02:42.Kerry is better, making his way down the aisle to his seat. All of the

:02:43. > :02:48.Cabinet members are there. Except for one. Whisked off to a secret

:02:49. > :02:57.location god forbid anything should happen this evening. We have Chuck

:02:58. > :03:03.Hagel, the Defence Secretary. All are facing the prospect of another

:03:04. > :03:08.three years in office. What can we get done in this Administration?

:03:09. > :03:17.Want your go, the President was sworn in after a resounding

:03:18. > :03:21.campaign. An agenda of climate change, immigration. A new hope in

:03:22. > :03:28.the second term. The 2013 happened. Nothing went right. They know that.

:03:29. > :03:35.They are coming forth with optimism not just for the American but global

:03:36. > :03:39.audience. He will be more modest. The President is trying to secure a

:03:40. > :03:42.legacy that says this country is on the rebound where if you work hard

:03:43. > :03:56.you can make it. That is the essential thing. A domestic scene.

:03:57. > :03:58.-- theme. The perception of America around the world, particularly

:03:59. > :04:06.emerging economies, where growth is troubled, America is described as

:04:07. > :04:20.the most exciting emerging economy out there. It must be to see America

:04:21. > :04:25.from the outside with one perception but inside America, the President is

:04:26. > :04:30.getting flack with the state of the US economy. Most of the global

:04:31. > :04:46.economy is not doing well. You are right. I was in Davos. Emerging

:04:47. > :04:52.economies are in trouble. Turkey and India are putting money into their

:04:53. > :04:59.borders. The recovery in the US is slow. GDP is the low precrisis

:05:00. > :05:12.levels. The fiscal impasse is an issue that could read it had a game.

:05:13. > :05:20.With unemployment, it is 5%. -- rear its head again. If Obama faces a

:05:21. > :05:32.divided Congress, it adds to the uncertainty that the world's number

:05:33. > :05:39.one in economy is facing. We should dwell on these pictures. The State

:05:40. > :05:46.of the Union address is an odd tradition in American politics. You

:05:47. > :05:51.have the President's rivals, the Republicans. You also see some of

:05:52. > :06:00.them lined up there, sitting for hours, grabbing their seats, waiting

:06:01. > :06:05.to shake his hand. It is the quintessential theatre of this town.

:06:06. > :06:12.Some people in this room desperately want to be there and blown up hours

:06:13. > :06:20.just for this moment. They love it. -- line up. Some people did not want

:06:21. > :06:25.to be there. Some outliers do not where they know where they will

:06:26. > :06:28.stand when the President speaks. Their agendas might conflict with

:06:29. > :06:33.what their constituents at home are thinking. The president will walk

:06:34. > :06:44.down the aisle. He's always treated warmly. People paused to get their

:06:45. > :06:51.photographs taken. It is like a high school prom outing. This is the

:06:52. > :06:58.scene behind the scene. When he starts talking about agenda, you can

:06:59. > :07:05.see what happens. - there is a manoeuvring to get into the aisle

:07:06. > :07:11.seats. There have been waiting for hours.

:07:12. > :07:26.They are patriotic. There is no discrimination. It will take a long

:07:27. > :07:33.time to get down there. He makes sure he shakes hands on both sides

:07:34. > :07:39.of the aisle. This is not a president he likes the... There is

:07:40. > :07:46.the chief of staff. Joe Biden is turning up next to John Boehner. Joe

:07:47. > :07:51.Biden and John Boehner will sit during the whole speech, in

:07:52. > :07:59.passively, looking at the back of the President's had. But Joe Biden

:08:00. > :08:01.is incapable of being impassive. And they should not not. The water would

:08:02. > :08:15.not forgive them. -- nod off. There is the ambassador for the UN.

:08:16. > :08:24.The lady with the long hair. A host of Washington dignitaries. The aisle

:08:25. > :08:29.looks blocked. The sergeant of arms will announce loudly the arrival of

:08:30. > :08:37.the President of the US. We will get fair warning. We will not miss that

:08:38. > :08:45.moment for you. We might see the partisan divide when the President

:08:46. > :08:58.speaks. When we look at some State of the Union address of the past,

:08:59. > :09:03.like from George W Bush, there was a rare moment of unity in the country.

:09:04. > :09:09.It is a different environment after 2001, not just in the ways the

:09:10. > :09:14.lawmakers were together but with the focus of the country. They were

:09:15. > :09:19.focused on the economy and get people back to work. You do not see

:09:20. > :09:26.the national security issue that pulls both sides together anymore.

:09:27. > :09:30.It is domestically focused. We are expecting a domestically focused

:09:31. > :09:35.speech. The world is still interested. We should make it

:09:36. > :09:40.absolutely clear that even if the speech does not address the classic

:09:41. > :09:45.issues of foreign policy, the world will be interested for the reasons

:09:46. > :09:50.we mentioned. I think we have the sergeant of arms. We should hear

:09:51. > :10:00.that in a second. John Boehner looks like he's getting ready to bang his

:10:01. > :10:16.double the amount arrival. -- gavel. Mr Speaker! The president of the

:10:17. > :10:18.United States. There he is. The president of the space being

:10:19. > :10:33.announced by the sergeant of arms. Behind him, members of Congress and

:10:34. > :10:40.dignitaries as well. Behind him is Harry Reid, the majority leader. The

:10:41. > :10:45.last division of him. There is the man of the moment, Obama. Saying

:10:46. > :10:54.hello to his particularly Democratic members of Congress at the moment.

:10:55. > :11:01.It is interesting. So much similarity. He looks different. The

:11:02. > :11:08.case at the Cabinet is different. Every year it feels like this is a

:11:09. > :11:16.presidency that is moving towards the end. It just feels different. It

:11:17. > :11:21.is moving towards the final stages. And the President is moving towards

:11:22. > :11:29.Graham Carey days as well. We should have the Senate majority leader

:11:30. > :11:34.soon. He should be there as well. -- grey hair days.

:11:35. > :11:51.For Obama, he has how many State of the Union addresses left? Two? Yes.

:11:52. > :11:57.The challenge is the context that he faces. His approval rating is under

:11:58. > :12:01.50%. Two thirds think the country is on the wrong track and think the

:12:02. > :12:08.economy is not doing well. The real problem is more people do not trust

:12:09. > :12:17.him. They do not think he is a competent leader. He does not fear

:12:18. > :12:22.problems the way they view problems. It is a reflection of what happened

:12:23. > :12:32.in 2013. He needs to use the speech to get his major back. He needs the

:12:33. > :12:36.people back behind him. This is the first time Obama has come to give a

:12:37. > :12:41.State of the Union address when he has not had personal popularity,

:12:42. > :12:49.approval ratings among the American people. That affects his agenda.

:12:50. > :12:59.Yes. His mantra is, I am not going to get what I want from Congress. So

:13:00. > :13:05.I will go to the people and city leaders and legislatures. That only

:13:06. > :13:13.works if you have the people behind you. In the American system, big

:13:14. > :13:20.things get done by passing laws. It'll things get done by executive

:13:21. > :13:27.order. -- little. We will hear Obama say you are the things over

:13:28. > :13:33.executive order. This is a realistic president with a smaller agenda.

:13:34. > :13:46.Obama saying hello to John Boehner and Joe Biden before he addresses

:13:47. > :13:47.members of Congress. Smaller numbers of American public are watching

:13:48. > :14:23.this. He still have a lot of people. Members of Congress, I have the high

:14:24. > :14:25.privilege and honour of presenting to you the president of the United

:14:26. > :15:00.States. Thank you so much. Thank you! Thank

:15:01. > :15:12.you. Thank you so much. Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President, members of

:15:13. > :15:15.Congress, my fellow Americans, today in America are teachers spend extra

:15:16. > :15:22.time with the student who needed it and did her part to lift America's

:15:23. > :15:30.graduation rate to its highest level in more than three decades. -- a

:15:31. > :15:34.teacher. An entrepreneur did her part to add to be more than 8

:15:35. > :15:44.million new jobs out businesses have created over the past four years.

:15:45. > :15:48.(APPLAUSE) And auto worker fine tuned some of

:15:49. > :15:57.the best, most fuel-efficient cars in the world and did his part to

:15:58. > :16:03.help America weaned itself off foreign imports. We had some of the

:16:04. > :16:06.strongest farm exports in history. The doctor gave a young child the

:16:07. > :16:08.first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could afford.

:16:09. > :16:22.(APPLAUSE) Unmanned took the bus home from the

:16:23. > :16:28.graveyard shift, bone tired, but dreaming big dreams for his son. In

:16:29. > :16:31.the tightknit communities all across America, fathers and mothers will

:16:32. > :16:38.cut in their kids, put an arm around their spouse, remember fallen

:16:39. > :16:42.comrades and give thanks for being home from a war that, after 12

:16:43. > :17:01.years, is finally coming to an end. (APPLAUSE)

:17:02. > :17:12.Tonight, this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we

:17:13. > :17:14.represent. It is you. Our citizens. Who make the state of our union

:17:15. > :17:21.strong. (APPLAUSE)

:17:22. > :17:28.And here are the results of your efforts. The lowest unemployment

:17:29. > :17:36.rate in over five years, housing market, -- eight rebounding

:17:37. > :17:42.manufacturing sector, more oil produced, more oil produced at home

:17:43. > :17:45.than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time that happened

:17:46. > :17:52.in nearly 20 years. (APPLAUSE)

:17:53. > :17:59.Our deficits cut by more than half. And, for the first time, for the

:18:00. > :18:04.first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world

:18:05. > :18:06.have declared that China is no longer the world's number one place

:18:07. > :18:24.to invest, America is. (APPLAUSE)

:18:25. > :18:31.That's why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America. That

:18:32. > :18:36.after five years of grid and determination, the United States is

:18:37. > :18:41.better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on

:18:42. > :18:45.earth. -- grit. The question for everyone in this chamber, running

:18:46. > :18:52.through every decision we make this year, is whether we are going to

:18:53. > :18:58.help or hinder this progress. For several years now, this town has

:18:59. > :19:00.been consumed by an argument over the proper size of the federal

:19:01. > :19:08.government. It's an important debate. One that dates back to our

:19:09. > :19:11.very founding. But when that debate prevents us from carrying out even

:19:12. > :19:18.the most basic functions of our democracy, when our differences shut

:19:19. > :19:21.down government, or threaten the full faith and credit of the United

:19:22. > :19:22.States, then we are not doing right by the American people.

:19:23. > :19:40.(APPLAUSE) Now, as President, I am committed to

:19:41. > :19:44.making Washington work better and rebuilding the trust for the people

:19:45. > :19:52.who sent us here. I believe most of them, I believe you are as well.

:19:53. > :19:55.Thanks to the work of Democrats and Republicans, last month Congress

:19:56. > :19:58.finally produced a budget that undid some of the severe cuts to things

:19:59. > :20:04.like education. Nobody got everything they wanted. We can still

:20:05. > :20:08.do more to invest in this country's future while bringing down alt

:20:09. > :20:12.deficit in a balanced way, but the budget compromise should leave us

:20:13. > :20:21.free to focus on creating new jobs, not new crises. -- our deficit. And

:20:22. > :20:25.in the coming months, let's see where else we can make progress

:20:26. > :20:31.together. Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans

:20:32. > :20:39.want. For all of us. To focus on their lives, their hopes, their

:20:40. > :20:43.aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of this nation,

:20:44. > :20:48.regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor,

:20:49. > :20:53.is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all. The notion

:20:54. > :20:57.that, if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead in

:20:58. > :21:03.America. (APPLAUSE)

:21:04. > :21:12.Let's face it, that belief has suffered some serious blows. Over

:21:13. > :21:17.more than three decades, even before the great recession hit, massive

:21:18. > :21:22.shift in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of

:21:23. > :21:25.good middle-class jobs. And it weakened the economic foundations

:21:26. > :21:31.that families depend on. Today, after four years of economic growth,

:21:32. > :21:37.corporate offence and stop rises have really been higher and those at

:21:38. > :21:45.the top of never done better. -- stock prices. But average wages have

:21:46. > :21:48.barely budged and equality has deepened. Other mobility has

:21:49. > :21:52.stalled. Even in the middle of recovery, to many Americans are

:21:53. > :21:58.working more than ever just to get right, it alone to get ahead. To

:21:59. > :22:06.many, they still aren't working at all. Our job is to reverse these

:22:07. > :22:11.trends. It won't happen right away and we won't agree on everything.

:22:12. > :22:17.But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, tactical proposals, to

:22:18. > :22:22.speed up growth, strength in the middle class and build new

:22:23. > :22:25.opportunities into the middle class. Some require Congressional action

:22:26. > :22:31.and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand

:22:32. > :22:35.still and neither will I. So, wherever and whenever I can take

:22:36. > :22:37.steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American

:22:38. > :22:39.families that's what I'm going to do.

:22:40. > :22:59.(APPLAUSE) As usual, our first lady sets a good

:23:00. > :23:19.example. (APPLAUSE)

:23:20. > :23:26.She has partnerships with schools, this is, local leaders and has

:23:27. > :23:30.helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in 30

:23:31. > :23:33.years. That's an achievement that will improve lives and reduce

:23:34. > :23:39.health-care costs for decades. The joining forces aligned that she and

:23:40. > :23:42.Joe Biden launched has encouraged employers to hire or train nearly

:23:43. > :23:53.400,000 veterans and military spouses. -- Joining Forces Alliance.

:23:54. > :23:56.Taking a page from there, the White House just organised a college

:23:57. > :24:02.opportunity summit at where 150 universities, businesses and

:24:03. > :24:06.nonprofits have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality and

:24:07. > :24:09.access to higher education and to help every hard-working kid go to

:24:10. > :24:17.college and succeed when they get to campus. And across the country, we

:24:18. > :24:19.are partnering with mayors, governors and state legislatures on

:24:20. > :24:26.issues from homelessness to marriage equality. The point is, there are

:24:27. > :24:29.millions of Americans outside of Washington who are tired of stale

:24:30. > :24:36.political arguments and are moving this country forward. They believe

:24:37. > :24:42.and I believe that, here in America, our success should depend not on

:24:43. > :24:46.accident of birth but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of

:24:47. > :24:53.our dreams. That's what drew out for berries here. That's how the

:24:54. > :25:00.daughter of the factory worker is the CEO of America's largest

:25:01. > :25:10.automaker. -- drew our forebearers here. How the son of the Speaker of

:25:11. > :25:12.the house -- how the son of a barkeeper is Speaker of the house.

:25:13. > :25:27.(APPLAUSE) How the son of a single mum can be

:25:28. > :25:27.president of the greatest nation on Earth.

:25:28. > :25:49.(APPLAUSE) Opportunity is who we are.

:25:50. > :25:56.The defining project of our generation must be to restore that

:25:57. > :26:02.promise. We know where to start. The best measure of opportunity is

:26:03. > :26:05.access to a good job. With the economy picking up speed, companies

:26:06. > :26:09.say they intend to hire more people this year and over half of big

:26:10. > :26:15.manufacturers say they are thinking of in sourcing jobs from abroad.

:26:16. > :26:23.Let's make that decision easier for more companies. Both Democrats and

:26:24. > :26:27.Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful,

:26:28. > :26:32.compensated loopholes that punish businesses investing here and reward

:26:33. > :26:37.companies that keep profits abroad. Let's flip that equation. Let's work

:26:38. > :26:40.together to close the loopholes and those incentives to ship jobs

:26:41. > :26:41.overseas and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here at

:26:42. > :26:57.home. (APPLAUSE)

:26:58. > :27:05.Moreover, we can take the money we save from this transition to create

:27:06. > :27:10.jobs, rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, un-clogging

:27:11. > :27:17.Alchemy it's. Because in today's economy, first-class jobs gravitate

:27:18. > :27:20.to first-class infrastructure. We need Congress to protect more than 3

:27:21. > :27:28.million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways this

:27:29. > :27:33.summer. That can happen. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy

:27:34. > :27:36.and streamline the process for key projects, so we can get more

:27:37. > :27:44.construction workers on the job as fast as possible.

:27:45. > :27:50.We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race

:27:51. > :27:57.for the next wave of high-tech and factory jobs. My administration has

:27:58. > :28:00.launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in North Carolina and

:28:01. > :28:06.Ohio, where we have conducted this is to research university that --

:28:07. > :28:09.that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies. Tonight,

:28:10. > :28:14.I'm announcing we will launch six more this year. Bipartisan bills in

:28:15. > :28:19.both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they

:28:20. > :28:20.create, so get those bills to my desk! Put more Americans back to

:28:21. > :28:33.work! (APPLAUSE)

:28:34. > :28:44.Let's do more to help entrepreneurs and small business owners create

:28:45. > :28:46.more jobs. Over the past five years, my administration has made more

:28:47. > :28:51.loans to small business owners than any other. When 98% of our exporters

:28:52. > :28:56.are small businesses, new trade partnerships with Europe,

:28:57. > :29:02.Asia-Pacific, will help them create even more jobs. -- the Asia-Pacific.

:29:03. > :29:05.We need to work together on things like the bipartisan trade authority

:29:06. > :29:07.to protect our workers, the environment and open new markets to

:29:08. > :29:31.new goods, stamped made in the USA. China and Europe aren't standing on

:29:32. > :29:34.the sidelines. Neither should we. We know that the nation that goes all

:29:35. > :29:41.in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an

:29:42. > :29:47.edge America cannot surrender. Federally funded research helped

:29:48. > :29:51.lead to the ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones.

:29:52. > :29:56.That's why Congress should I do the damage done by last year's cuts to

:29:57. > :30:01.basic research, so we can unleash the next great American discovery.

:30:02. > :30:16.-- Congress should undo. There are entire industries to be

:30:17. > :30:20.built, based vaccines that stay ahead of the resistant bacteria.

:30:21. > :30:27.Paperthin material stronger than steel. Let us make businesses focus

:30:28. > :30:40.on innovation as not on costly litigation. One of the biggest

:30:41. > :30:46.factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to the American

:30:47. > :30:53.energy. The energy strategy are announced is working. We are closer

:30:54. > :31:05.to American independence then we have been in decades. One of the

:31:06. > :31:11.reasons why is natural gas. It extracted safely, it can power the

:31:12. > :31:15.economy with less carbon pollution. This is planned to invest almost

:31:16. > :31:22.$100 billion in new factories that is natural gas. We are helping to

:31:23. > :31:31.have the factories built. This Congress can put people to work by

:31:32. > :31:38.building filling stations to ship more cars and trucks. My

:31:39. > :31:44.Administration will keep working with the industry to sustain

:31:45. > :31:47.production while strengthening the protection of our air, water and

:31:48. > :32:02.communities. I will use the authority to protect our federal

:32:03. > :32:10.leader for future generations. -- federal lands. It is not just idle

:32:11. > :32:18.or natural gas production that is booming, we will come a global

:32:19. > :32:24.leader in solar energy. American homes and businesses are becoming

:32:25. > :32:31.solar. These jobs cannot be outsourced. Let's continue that

:32:32. > :32:33.progress with a better tax policy. We can invest more in heels of the

:32:34. > :32:55.future. -- fuels. Even as we increase energy

:32:56. > :32:59.production, we have partners with local communities to reduce the

:33:00. > :33:03.energy we can seem. When we rescued car makers, we worked with them to

:33:04. > :33:10.set higher fuel efficiency standards for cars. We build on the success by

:33:11. > :33:20.setting new standards for trucks so we can keep driving down oil

:33:21. > :33:24.imports. Take that together, our energy policies are creating jobs

:33:25. > :33:29.and leading to a favour planet. The US has reduced the total carbon

:33:30. > :33:38.pollution more than any other nation on earth.

:33:39. > :33:45.We have to act with more urgency. A changing climate is harming western

:33:46. > :33:51.communities struggling with drought and coastal cities dealing with

:33:52. > :33:56.floods. My Administration will work with states and utilities to set the

:33:57. > :34:03.standards on the amount of pollution the power plants can go into the ad.

:34:04. > :34:07.The shift into a cleaner energy economy will not happen overnight

:34:08. > :34:14.and will need tougher toys along the way. The debate is settled. Climate

:34:15. > :34:20.change is a fact. When our children's children ask if we did

:34:21. > :34:40.all we could have delivered a world with new sources of energy, I want

:34:41. > :34:46.them to say, yes, we did. If WoW serious about economic growth, it is

:34:47. > :34:50.time to cause business leaders, faith leaders, law enforcement and

:34:51. > :35:15.fix the broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the

:35:16. > :35:19.Senate and both members of the house want to do the same. Immigration

:35:20. > :35:24.will shrink deficit by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades and

:35:25. > :35:30.for good reason. When people come here to fulfil dreams and study,

:35:31. > :35:34.they contribute to the culture. They make our country more attractive for

:35:35. > :35:43.businesses and create jobs for everybody. Let's get immigration

:35:44. > :35:58.reform done. Let's get it done. It is time. The ideas outlined so far

:35:59. > :36:03.can speed up growth and create jobs. In this rapidly changing economy, we

:36:04. > :36:10.have to make sure everyone has the skills to fill those jobs. The good

:36:11. > :36:16.news is, we are going to do it. Two years ago, the car industry came

:36:17. > :36:23.back. A person opened up a company in Detroit. She needed the best part

:36:24. > :36:28.is in America. She knew how to make those parts. She just needed the

:36:29. > :36:33.workforce. She dialled up an American job centre. Places where

:36:34. > :36:36.folks could walk in to get the training to find a new or better

:36:37. > :36:47.job. She was flooded with new workers. Today, the company has more

:36:48. > :36:50.than 700 employees. What she and her employees experienced was how it

:36:51. > :36:59.should be for every employer and every jobseeker. Tonight, I have

:37:00. > :37:05.asked Joe Biden to bleed across the board to make sure they have a

:37:06. > :37:10.mission, train Americans with the skills employers need and mention

:37:11. > :37:17.them to good jobs admitted the field right now. -- that need to be

:37:18. > :37:32.filled. That means more training and

:37:33. > :37:36.apprenticeships to set a worker in an upward trajectory for life. It

:37:37. > :37:45.means connecting companies to community colleges. If Congress

:37:46. > :37:54.wants to help, connect will reach work Americans with ready to be

:37:55. > :37:58.fuelled jobs. I am convinced Americans can return to the

:37:59. > :38:06.workforce faster by reforming and implement insurance is more

:38:07. > :38:10.effective in today's economy. We have to restore the insurance that

:38:11. > :38:25.you let expire for millions of people.

:38:26. > :38:35.Let me tell you why. This woman is a mother of two young boys. She was

:38:36. > :38:40.steadily employed since she was a teenager. She put herself through

:38:41. > :38:45.college. She never collected unemployment benefit but she has

:38:46. > :38:50.been paying taxes. In May, she and her husband is their life savings to

:38:51. > :38:55.buy their first home. One week later, budget cuts claimed the job

:38:56. > :39:07.she loved. Unemployment insurance was cut off. She sent me a letter.

:39:08. > :39:11.We are the face of the unemployment crisis, she wrote. I am not depended

:39:12. > :39:15.on the government. Our country depends on people like us to build

:39:16. > :39:21.careers and contribute to society, caring for our neighbours. I am

:39:22. > :39:25.confident that I will find a job and pay my taxes and we will raise

:39:26. > :39:33.children in the communities we love in their own homes. Please give us

:39:34. > :39:34.this chance. Congress, give these hard-working responsible Americans

:39:35. > :39:56.that chance. Give them the chance. They need our help right now. This

:39:57. > :40:02.country need them in the game. I have been asking CEOs to give more

:40:03. > :40:11.long-term unemployed workers a fair shot at new jobs, and a new chance

:40:12. > :40:16.to support families. Tonight, I ask every business leader in America to

:40:17. > :40:27.join us and do the same as we are stronger when America has a full

:40:28. > :40:33.team. Of course, it is not enough to train today's workforce. We have to

:40:34. > :40:47.prepare tomorrow's workforce by guaranteeing every child access to

:40:48. > :40:50.world-class education. One person could not speak a word of English

:40:51. > :40:56.when he moved to New York City at nine years old. Last month, thanks

:40:57. > :41:04.to the support of great teachers and an innovative tutoring programme, he

:41:05. > :41:11.led a march of classmates. From classical to the post office, they

:41:12. > :41:14.meld of their college applications. -- high school. Now he found out he

:41:15. > :41:28.is going to college this fall. Five years a go, we wanted to change

:41:29. > :41:35.the odds for all of our children. We work with lenders to change student

:41:36. > :41:39.loans. Now more people are earning college degrees than ever before.

:41:40. > :41:44.With the help of governors in both parties, we have raised expectations

:41:45. > :41:49.and performance. Teachers and principals from schools are making

:41:50. > :41:56.big strides in preparing students with the skills of Robyn Sullivan,

:41:57. > :42:05.critical thinking, science and technology. -- problem-solving. Some

:42:06. > :42:12.of this change is hard. It requires more challenging curricular, better

:42:13. > :42:17.support for teachers, new ways to measure how well kids think, not how

:42:18. > :42:24.well they can fill in a bubble on a test. It is worth it. It is working.

:42:25. > :42:28.The problem is, we are still not reaching enough kids. We are not

:42:29. > :42:34.reaching them in time. They have to change. Research shows that one of

:42:35. > :42:36.the best investments we can make in a child's life is high-quality early

:42:37. > :43:00.education. Last year, I asked Congress to make

:43:01. > :43:05.high-quality preschool available to every format year-old. I repeat that

:43:06. > :43:13.request the night. In the meantime, many states have raised funding

:43:14. > :43:19.under own. They we cannot wait. This year, we will invest new

:43:20. > :43:22.partnerships with state and communities are crossed the country

:43:23. > :43:26.in a race to the top for our youngest children. As Congress

:43:27. > :43:41.decides what it will do, I will pull together a coalition willing to help

:43:42. > :43:49.ball kids access high-quality preschool programmes.

:43:50. > :43:59.Last year, I pledged to connect 99% of students to high-speed

:44:00. > :44:05.broadband. Tonight, with the support of the FCC and with Apple and

:44:06. > :44:11.Microsoft and Verizon, we got a down payment to connect more than 15,000

:44:12. > :44:21.schools and 20 million students over the next two years without adding a

:44:22. > :44:32.dime to the deficit. We are working to redesign high schools and partner

:44:33. > :44:38.them with colleges and in employers. We are taking up our system of

:44:39. > :44:46.higher education to give colleges or incentive to offer better value. No

:44:47. > :44:54.milk -- middle class kid is left out. I want to work with Congress to

:44:55. > :45:04.see how can help more who feel trapped by student loans.

:45:05. > :45:10.I'm reaching out to some of America's leading foundations and

:45:11. > :45:15.corporations on a new initiative to help more young men, of colour, to

:45:16. > :45:23.reach their full potential. The bottom line is, Michelle and I want

:45:24. > :45:30.every child to have the same chance this country gave us. We know our

:45:31. > :45:34.opportunity agenda won't be complete and too many young people entering

:45:35. > :45:39.the workforce today will see the American dream as an empty promise,

:45:40. > :45:44.unless we do more to make sure the economy on is the dignity of work.

:45:45. > :45:52.And hard work pays off for every single American. Today, women make

:45:53. > :45:57.up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every

:45:58. > :46:03.dollar a man earns. That's wrong. In 2014, it an embarrassment. Women

:46:04. > :46:26.deserve equal pay for equal work! (APPLAUSE)

:46:27. > :46:33.She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. Other deserves

:46:34. > :46:39.day off to care for a sick child or a sick parent, without running into

:46:40. > :46:47.hardship. And a father does as well. It's time to do away with workplace

:46:48. > :46:54.policies that belong in a Madmen episode. Less all come together,

:46:55. > :46:57.Congress, White House, this is, to give every woman the opportunity she

:46:58. > :47:03.deserves because I believe when women succeed America succeeds. --

:47:04. > :47:27.let's all come together. Women hold a majority of low-wage

:47:28. > :47:31.jobs. But they are not the only ones stifled by stagnant wages. Americans

:47:32. > :47:34.understand that some people will earn more money than others and we

:47:35. > :47:39.don't resent those, who by virtue of their efforts, achieved incredible

:47:40. > :47:45.success. That's what America is about. But Americans overwhelmingly

:47:46. > :47:47.agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a

:47:48. > :48:11.family in poverty. In the years since I ask the

:48:12. > :48:14.Congress to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to

:48:15. > :48:24.raise fares. Many businesses have done it on their own. Nick is here

:48:25. > :48:27.today with his boss. John is an owner of a pizza shop in

:48:28. > :48:35.Minneapolis. Nick helps to make the dough. Only now he makes more of it.

:48:36. > :48:39.John just gave his employees are raised to $10 an hour and that's a

:48:40. > :48:46.decision that has eased their financial stress and their morale.

:48:47. > :48:51.Tonight, I ask more of America's business leaders to follow John's

:48:52. > :48:59.lead. Do what you can to raise your employee's wagers. -- emploees'

:49:00. > :49:07.wages. It's good for the economy, it's good for America. To every

:49:08. > :49:12.mayor, governor, state legislator in America, I say, you don't have to

:49:13. > :49:18.wait for Congress to act. Americans will support you if you take this

:49:19. > :49:23.on. And, as the chief executive, I intend to lead by example.

:49:24. > :49:26.Profitable corporations see higher wages as the smart way to boost

:49:27. > :49:34.productivity and reduced turnover. We should too. In the coming weeks,

:49:35. > :49:37.I will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay

:49:38. > :49:47.their federally funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an

:49:48. > :49:57.hour. If you cook food or wash dishes, you should not have too big

:49:58. > :50:05.in poverty! -- have to live. Of course, to reach millions more,

:50:06. > :50:10.Congress does need to get onboard. Today, the federal minimum wage is

:50:11. > :50:17.worth about 20% less and it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here.

:50:18. > :50:24.There's a bill to fix that, to lift the minimum wage to $10.10. It easy

:50:25. > :50:28.to remember. This will help families, it will give businesses

:50:29. > :50:32.customers with more money to spend, it does not involve any new

:50:33. > :50:36.bureaucratic programme. So, join the rest of the country. Say yes. Give

:50:37. > :51:00.America a raise. Give them a raise! There are other steps we can take to

:51:01. > :51:02.help families make ends meet and few are more effective in reducing

:51:03. > :51:08.inequality and helping families pull themselves up to hard work than the

:51:09. > :51:11.earned income tax credit. Right now, it helps about half of all parents

:51:12. > :51:16.at some point. Think about that. It helps about half of all parents in

:51:17. > :51:20.America at some point in their lives. That I agree with some

:51:21. > :51:25.Republicans, it doesn't do enough for single workers who don't have

:51:26. > :51:31.kids. -- but I agree. Let's work together to strengthen the credit,

:51:32. > :51:35.help more Americans get ahead. Let's do more to help Americans save for

:51:36. > :51:40.retirement. Today, most workers don't have a pension. The Social

:51:41. > :51:45.Security cheque often isn't enough on its own. While the stock market

:51:46. > :51:54.has doubled over the past five years, that doesn't help all folks.

:51:55. > :51:57.Tomorrow, I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working

:51:58. > :52:04.Americans to start their own retirement savings. It's a new

:52:05. > :52:13.saving that encourages folks to build a nest in. It guarantees a

:52:14. > :52:17.decent return, with no risk of losing what you put in. If this

:52:18. > :52:21.Congress wants to help, work with me to help upside down tax code that

:52:22. > :52:25.gives the tax breaks to help the wealthy save but does little or

:52:26. > :52:32.nothing for middle-class Americans. Offer every American access to an

:52:33. > :52:36.automatic IRA on the job, so they can say that works just like

:52:37. > :52:39.everybody else. Since the most important investment many families

:52:40. > :52:44.make it their home, send me a legislation that protects taxpayers

:52:45. > :52:49.from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again and keep the dream

:52:50. > :53:02.of homeownership alive for future generations.

:53:03. > :53:11.One last point on financial security. For decades, few things

:53:12. > :53:15.exposed hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken

:53:16. > :53:26.healthcare system. In case you haven't heard, we are in the process

:53:27. > :53:31.of fixing that. A pre-existing condition used to mean that someone

:53:32. > :53:35.like Amanda, a physician's assistant and single mum from Arizona,

:53:36. > :53:43.couldn't get help insurance. But on the 1st of January, she got cover.

:53:44. > :53:48.(APPLAUSE) On January the 3rd, she fell to

:53:49. > :53:53.sharp pain. On January the 6th, she had

:53:54. > :54:00.emergency surgery. Just one week early, that surgery would have meant

:54:01. > :54:04.bankruptcy. That's what health insurance reform is all about. The

:54:05. > :54:12.peace of mind that if misfortune strikes, you don't have to lose

:54:13. > :54:15.everything. Already, because of the affordable care act, more than 3

:54:16. > :54:25.million Americans under age 26 have gained coverage. More than 9 million

:54:26. > :54:32.Americans have signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid

:54:33. > :54:40.coverage. 9 million! And here is another number. Zero. Because of

:54:41. > :54:43.this law, no American, none, zero, can ever be dropped or denied

:54:44. > :55:00.coverage for a pre-existing condition like asthma or cancer.

:55:01. > :55:16.No woman can ever be charged more just because she is a woman. And we

:55:17. > :55:23.did all this while adding years to Medicaid's finances, keeping

:55:24. > :55:30.Medicare premiums flat and lowering prescription costs for millions. --

:55:31. > :55:38.Medicare's finances. I don't expect to convince my Republican friends on

:55:39. > :55:42.the merits of this law. But, I note that the American people are not

:55:43. > :55:47.interested in refighting all battles. Again, if you have specific

:55:48. > :55:50.plans to cut costs, cover more people, increased choice, tell

:55:51. > :55:57.America what you would do differently. Let's see if the

:55:58. > :56:00.numbers add up. But let's not have another fortysomething votes to

:56:01. > :56:02.repeal the law that is already helping millions of people are

:56:03. > :56:42.America. -- 40 something. The first 40 were plenty. We all owe

:56:43. > :56:46.it to the American people to say what we are for. Not what we are

:56:47. > :56:50.against. If you want to know the real impact, just talk to the

:56:51. > :56:55.governor of Kentucky, who is here tonight. Kentucky is not the most

:56:56. > :57:01.liberal part of the country. That's not where I got my vote totals. But

:57:02. > :57:05.he is like a man possessed when it comes to covering his

:57:06. > :57:12.Commonwealth's families. Our neighbours and our friends, he

:57:13. > :57:16.said. The people we shop and go to church with. Farmers out of the

:57:17. > :57:21.tractor. Grocery quirks. The people who go to work every morning,

:57:22. > :57:28.claiming they do get sick. -- grocery clerks. Nobody deserves to

:57:29. > :57:33.live that way. He is right. That's why, tonight, I ask every American

:57:34. > :57:42.who knows someone without health insurance to help them get covered

:57:43. > :57:48.by March 31. Help them get covered. Mothers, get on your kids to sign

:57:49. > :57:52.up. Kids, walk your mums through the application. That will give them

:57:53. > :58:04.peace of mind. After all, that's the spirit that

:58:05. > :58:10.has always moved this nation forward. The spirit of citizenship.

:58:11. > :58:15.The recognition that, through hard work and responsibility, we can

:58:16. > :58:19.pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American

:58:20. > :58:24.family, to make sure the next generation can pursue it streams as

:58:25. > :58:27.well. Citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote.

:58:28. > :58:50.(APPLAUSE) Last year, part of the voting rights

:58:51. > :58:53.act was weakened but conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats

:58:54. > :58:59.are working together to strengthen it. The bipartisan commission I

:59:00. > :59:03.appointed, chaired by my campaign lawyer and Mitt Romney's campaign

:59:04. > :59:06.lawyer, came together and offered reforms so that no one has to wait

:59:07. > :59:11.more than half an hour to vote. Let's support these efforts. It

:59:12. > :59:12.should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank accounts, that

:59:13. > :59:30.drives our democracy. Citizenship means standing up for

:59:31. > :59:39.the lives that can violence steals from us each day. I have seen the

:59:40. > :59:42.courage of parents, students, pastors, police officers all over

:59:43. > :59:47.this country, who say, we are not afraid. And I intend to keep trying,

:59:48. > :59:52.with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting

:59:53. > :59:59.innocent Americans in our movie theatres, and shopping mauls, or our

:00:00. > :00:10.schools like Sandy Hook Elementary. -- shopping malls.

:00:11. > :00:19.Citizenship commands a sense of common purpose. Participation in the

:00:20. > :00:25.hard work of self-government, an obligation to serve our communities.

:00:26. > :00:29.I know this chamber agrees that few Americans give more to their country

:00:30. > :01:09.than our diplomats and the men and women of the US armed forces.

:01:10. > :01:19.Tonight, because the extraordinary troops and civilians lay down their

:01:20. > :01:24.lives to keep us free, the US is more secure. When I took office,

:01:25. > :01:30.180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, all our

:01:31. > :01:36.troops are out of Iraq, more than 60,000 of our troops have come home

:01:37. > :01:40.from Afghanistan, with Afghan forces now in the league for their own

:01:41. > :01:45.security, our troops have moved to a support role. We will complete our

:01:46. > :01:47.mission there by the end of this year, and America's longest war will

:01:48. > :02:08.finally be over. After 2014, we will support a

:02:09. > :02:13.unified Afghanistan, as it takes responsibility for its own future.

:02:14. > :02:17.If the Afghan government signs a security agreement that we have

:02:18. > :02:20.negotiated, a small force of Americans could remain in

:02:21. > :02:28.Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two missions. Training

:02:29. > :02:33.Afghan forces, and counter-terrorism forces to pursue remnants of Al

:02:34. > :02:39.Qaeda. While our relationship with Afghanistan will change, one thing

:02:40. > :03:01.will not. Our resolve that terrorists do not launch attacks

:03:02. > :03:09.against our country. The fact is, that danger remains. While we have

:03:10. > :03:18.put Al Qaeda's leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has

:03:19. > :03:23.dissolved, as other terrorist groups take root in other parts of the

:03:24. > :03:27.world. We have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable

:03:28. > :03:34.those networks. Syria will support the opposition that reject the

:03:35. > :03:38.agenda of terrorist networks. Here at home, we will keep strengthening

:03:39. > :03:44.our defences and combat new threats like cyber attacks. As we reform our

:03:45. > :03:47.defence budget, we will have to keep faith with our men and women in

:03:48. > :03:48.uniform and invest in the capabilities they need to succeed in

:03:49. > :04:15.future missions. We have to remain vigilant. I

:04:16. > :04:22.strongly believe our leadership and our security cannot depend on our

:04:23. > :04:24.outstanding military alone. As Commander-in-Chief, I have used

:04:25. > :04:29.force when needed to protect the American people, and I will never

:04:30. > :04:34.hesitate to do so as long as I hold this office. But I will not send our

:04:35. > :04:38.troops into harms way unless it is truly necessary, nor will I allow

:04:39. > :04:43.our sons and daughters to be mired in open-ended conflict. We must

:04:44. > :04:49.fight the battles that need to be fought, not those that terrorists

:04:50. > :04:51.prefer from us. Large-scale deployments that drain our

:04:52. > :04:59.strength, and may ultimately feed extremism. So, even as we actively

:05:00. > :05:02.and aggressively pursue terrorist networks through more targeted

:05:03. > :05:07.efforts and through building the capacity of our foreign partners,

:05:08. > :05:19.America must move off a permanent war footing. That is why I have

:05:20. > :05:24.imposed limits on the use of drones, because we will not be safer if

:05:25. > :05:29.people abroad believe we strike within their countries without

:05:30. > :05:32.regard from their consequence. -- regard for the consequence. I will

:05:33. > :05:35.reform our surveillance programmes, because the vital work of the

:05:36. > :05:39.intelligence community depends on public confidence, here and abroad.

:05:40. > :05:54.The privacy of ordinary people is not being violated. With the Afghan

:05:55. > :06:10.war ending, this needs to be the yield Congress lifts... And closes

:06:11. > :06:19.Guantanamo Bay. We must set an example for the rest of the world.

:06:20. > :06:26.In a world of complex threats, our security, our leadership, depends on

:06:27. > :06:31.all elements of our power. Including strong and principled diplomacy.

:06:32. > :06:35.American diplomacy has rallied more than 50 countries to prevent nuclear

:06:36. > :06:40.materials from falling into the wrong hands, and allowed us to

:06:41. > :06:45.reduce our own reliance on Cold War stockpiles. American diplomacy,

:06:46. > :06:55.backed by the threat of force, is why Syria's chemical weapons are

:06:56. > :06:57.being eliminated. And we will continue to work with the

:06:58. > :07:01.international community to usher in the future that the Syrian people

:07:02. > :07:07.deserve, one free of dictatorship, terror and fear. As we speak,

:07:08. > :07:12.American diplomacy is supporting Israelis and Palestinians as they

:07:13. > :07:18.engage in the difficult but necessary talks to end the conflict

:07:19. > :07:20.there. To achieve dignity, and an independent state for Palestinians,

:07:21. > :07:25.and lasting peace and security for the state of Israel, a Jewish state

:07:26. > :07:41.that knows America will always be at their side.

:07:42. > :07:49.It is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the

:07:50. > :07:53.progress of Iran's nuclear programme, and rolled back parts of

:07:54. > :08:02.that programme, for the very first time in a decade. As we gather here

:08:03. > :08:07.tonight, Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of

:08:08. > :08:13.enriched uranium. It is not installing advanced centrifuges.

:08:14. > :08:21.Unprecedented inspections help the world verify every day that Iran is

:08:22. > :08:26.not a linear bomb -- -- building a bomb. We are trying to peacefully

:08:27. > :08:29.achieve their goal with all share, preventing Iran from obtaining a

:08:30. > :08:51.nuclear weapon. These negotiations will be

:08:52. > :08:56.difficult. They may not succeed. We are clear eyed about Iran's support

:08:57. > :09:00.for organisations like Hezbollah, which threatens our allies, and we

:09:01. > :09:06.are clear about the mistrust between our nations. Mistrust that cannot be

:09:07. > :09:14.wished away. These negotiations don't rely on trust. Any long-term

:09:15. > :09:17.deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action that convinces us,

:09:18. > :09:23.and the international community, that Iran is not building a nuclear

:09:24. > :09:28.bomb. If John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the

:09:29. > :09:37.Soviet Union, then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate

:09:38. > :09:45.with less powerful adverse -- adversaries today. The sanctions

:09:46. > :09:59.that we put in place help make this opportunity possible. Let me be

:10:00. > :10:06.clear. In -- if this Congress since the 80 bill today that threatens

:10:07. > :10:15.these conclusions, I will veto it. We must give diplomacy a chance to

:10:16. > :10:19.succeed. If Iran's leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will

:10:20. > :10:22.be the first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to

:10:23. > :10:26.exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear

:10:27. > :10:34.weapon. But, if Iran's leaders to seize the chance, then we will know

:10:35. > :10:38.soon enough, Iran could take an important step to join the community

:10:39. > :10:41.of nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security

:10:42. > :10:51.challenges of our time without the risk of war. Finally, let's remember

:10:52. > :10:56.that our leadership is defined not just by our defence against threats,

:10:57. > :11:01.but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding

:11:02. > :11:06.around the globe. To forge greater co-operation, to expand new

:11:07. > :11:13.markets, to free people from fear and want. And no one is in a better

:11:14. > :11:18.position to take advantage of those opportunities than America. Our

:11:19. > :11:24.alliance with Europe remains the strongest world has ever known. From

:11:25. > :11:29.Tunisia to Burma, we are supporting those who were willing to do the

:11:30. > :11:32.hard work of supporting democracy. In Ukraine, we stand for the

:11:33. > :11:36.principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely

:11:37. > :11:44.and peacefully, and to have a say in the country's future. Across

:11:45. > :11:47.Africa, we are bringing together businesses and governments to double

:11:48. > :11:53.access to electricity and help and extreme poverty. In the Americas we

:11:54. > :11:55.are building new ties of commerce, but we are also expanding cultural

:11:56. > :12:00.and educational exchanges between young people. We will continue to

:12:01. > :12:04.focus on the Asia-Pacific, where we support our allies, shape the future

:12:05. > :12:11.of greater security and prosperity, and extend a hand to those

:12:12. > :12:14.devastated by disaster. As we did in the Philippines, when our Marines

:12:15. > :12:19.and civilians rushed to aid those battered by the typhoon, and who

:12:20. > :12:25.were greeted with words like, we will never forget your kindness, and

:12:26. > :12:31.God bless America. We do these things because they help promote our

:12:32. > :12:37.long-term security. And we do them because we believe in the inherent

:12:38. > :12:43.dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or

:12:44. > :12:47.religion, creed or sexual orientation. Next week, the world

:12:48. > :12:51.will see one expression of that permit and, when teen USA March as

:12:52. > :12:52.the red white and blue into the Olympic Stadium and brings home the

:12:53. > :13:16.goal. -- team USA. -- gold. My fellow Americans, no other

:13:17. > :13:24.country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns

:13:25. > :13:30.to us. Not simply because the size of our economy Ora military might,

:13:31. > :13:37.but because the ideals we stand for and the burdens we bear to advance

:13:38. > :13:43.them -- or our. No one knows this better than those who served in

:13:44. > :13:48.uniform. As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of

:13:49. > :13:52.heroes returns to civilian life. We will keep slashing that backlog so

:13:53. > :13:56.our veterans receive the benefits they have earned, and our wounded

:13:57. > :13:58.warriors receive their healthcare, including the mental healthcare,

:13:59. > :14:20.that they need. We will keep working to help all our

:14:21. > :14:28.veterans translate their skills and leadership into jobs here at home,

:14:29. > :14:33.and we will continue to join forces to honour and respect our remarkable

:14:34. > :14:46.military families. Let me tell you about one of those families have

:14:47. > :14:50.come to know. I first met Corey at Omaha Beach on the 56th anniversary

:14:51. > :14:55.of D-Day, along with some of fellow ranges. He walked me through the

:14:56. > :15:01.programme and the ceremony. He was a strong, impressive young man, with

:15:02. > :15:07.an easy manner sharp as a tack. I told them to stay in touch. A few

:15:08. > :15:12.months later, on his 10th deployment, he was nearly killed by

:15:13. > :15:21.a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His comrades found him

:15:22. > :15:29.in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his brain. For months,

:15:30. > :15:32.he lay in a coma. The next time I met him, in the hospital, he

:15:33. > :15:42.couldn't speak. He could barely move. Over the years, he has endured

:15:43. > :15:49.dozens of surgeries and procedures. Hours of gruelling rehab everyday.

:15:50. > :15:56.Even now, he still blind in eye. He still struggles on his left side,

:15:57. > :16:03.but slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his

:16:04. > :16:08.father and the community around him, he has grown stronger. Day by day he

:16:09. > :16:14.has learned to speak again, and stand again, and walk again, and

:16:15. > :16:23.he's walking towards the day where he can serve his country again. My

:16:24. > :16:32.recovery has not been easy, he says. Nothing in life that is worth

:16:33. > :16:36.anything is easy. Glory is here tonight. Like the army

:16:37. > :16:41.he loves, like the American he serves, he never gives up and he

:16:42. > :18:33.does not quit. -- Corey. My fellow Americans, men and women

:18:34. > :18:42.like Corey remind us that America has never come easy. Our freedom,

:18:43. > :18:48.our democracy, it has never been easy. Sometimes we stumble. We make

:18:49. > :18:56.mistakes. We get frustrated, we get discouraged. But for more than 200

:18:57. > :19:02.years we have put those things aside and placed our collective shoulder

:19:03. > :19:05.to the wheel of progress, to create and build and expand the

:19:06. > :19:11.possibilities of individual achievement, to free other nations

:19:12. > :19:19.from tyranny and fear, to promote justice and fairness and equality

:19:20. > :19:29.under the law, so that the words set to paper by our founders are real.

:19:30. > :19:39.The American we want for our kids, and America where honest work is

:19:40. > :19:42.plentiful, where prosperity is widely shared, and opportunity for

:19:43. > :19:48.all that's as far as our dreams and toil will take us, none of it is

:19:49. > :19:54.easy. But if we work together, if we summon what is best in us, in the

:19:55. > :19:58.way that Corey summoned what was best in him, without feet planted

:19:59. > :20:03.firmly in today but with our eyes cast towards tomorrow, I know it is

:20:04. > :20:13.within our reach. Leave it. God bless you. And God bless of the

:20:14. > :20:19.United States of America. President Obama at the end of his

:20:20. > :20:27.fifth state of the union address. He spoke about an hour. A largely

:20:28. > :20:31.domestic economy focused state of the union address in which he

:20:32. > :20:36.promised to do what he can, with or without Congress, to improve the

:20:37. > :20:41.welfare of middle-class Americans through executive orders. In

:20:42. > :20:46.addressing foreign policy, a shorter section at the end of the state of

:20:47. > :20:51.the union address, he defied Congress to send him any new

:20:52. > :20:58.sanctions bills on Iran while diplomacy is ongoing and said he

:20:59. > :21:06.would veto them if he got them. It was a largely economy focused

:21:07. > :21:08.speech. I have the BBC's chief business correspondent and the White

:21:09. > :21:14.House correspondent who were listening to the speech with me. It

:21:15. > :21:18.is always interesting to ask for instant reactions. You get your

:21:19. > :21:24.clearest impressions before we have gone through the press's reaction to

:21:25. > :21:32.it. What you make of it? I am struck by how much he talked past Congress

:21:33. > :21:37.and address the people. He did it diplomatically. He tried to stay

:21:38. > :21:41.optimistic. It was an attempt to go to the American people and say that

:21:42. > :21:44.his relationship to Congress is not working, so he will work with the

:21:45. > :21:53.people and try to get things that they care about working. The

:21:54. > :21:57.real-life concerns of America. He is not going to have much help on that

:21:58. > :22:03.from Congress. He will have to do it on his own. That leads up to his

:22:04. > :22:08.overarching legacy thing, it is a country on the rebound, you can make

:22:09. > :22:13.it if you try. You had to look for the big idea. It was lacking that

:22:14. > :22:17.big moment. It came at the end with the army ranger who was injured.

:22:18. > :22:20.That was the moving moment that the speech is a country on the rebound,

:22:21. > :22:23.you can make it if you try. You had to look for the big idea. It was

:22:24. > :22:26.lacking that big moment. It came at the end with the army ranger who was

:22:27. > :22:37.injured. That was the moving moment that the speeches sometimes

:22:38. > :22:43.sometimes hard. What did he suggest in terms of policy that might affect

:22:44. > :22:50.the growth trajectory of the US economy? One was the minimum wage,

:22:51. > :22:55.we had expected that. He is unilaterally going to raise the

:22:56. > :23:00.minimum wage for federal workers new contracts and it renegotiated

:23:01. > :23:06.contracts. It is a hefty rise. It echoes the theme that he is saying

:23:07. > :23:10.to the Congress, the economy is picking up and becoming robust, if

:23:11. > :23:16.you will not help, I will distance myself from you and I am going to

:23:17. > :23:22.act. I will make sure that the janitors are not in poverty. The

:23:23. > :23:26.second thing that is interesting is a new savings bond that will be

:23:27. > :23:32.federally that for those who do not have access to pensions. There is

:23:33. > :23:38.not a lot of detail behind this. It could make a difference. Obviously

:23:39. > :23:43.pensions and savings is a huge part of the security that all the

:23:44. > :23:53.Americans need. Thirdly, the only concrete number I saw was on

:23:54. > :24:01.immigration, where he said that immigration reform could help cut

:24:02. > :24:10.the deficit over the next 20 years. That is a very long time. He has

:24:11. > :24:14.been adding to the deficit by about $1 trillion each year for the last

:24:15. > :24:18.four years. He wants to raise wages, improve standards of living, and

:24:19. > :24:25.reform immigration, which could be one of the legacy centrepieces of

:24:26. > :24:29.his tenure. Those are some of the pragmatic things. One thing I

:24:30. > :24:35.noticed watching, to your member Hillary Clinton ran against him in

:24:36. > :24:41.the primary 's and she quoted a format New York Governor who said

:24:42. > :24:52.that when you campaign utility and poetry, but in government you pros.

:24:53. > :24:59.I thought this was very much in prose. He leaves Congress saying

:25:00. > :25:11.that he will work with or without them. He will pick up the phone to

:25:12. > :25:16.perhaps, work with companies. To help get kids access to broadband on

:25:17. > :25:22.the Internet. He will use his pen to sign the executive orders. The

:25:23. > :25:28.reality is, as he leaves Capitol Hill now to go back to the White

:25:29. > :25:32.House, what he can do without Congress, without passing

:25:33. > :25:47.legislation, is pretty small. Even the minimum wage, the estimates are

:25:48. > :25:49.that the hike he has proposed is going to affect less than half a

:25:50. > :25:51.million American workers. We are tinkering around the edges. Isn't it

:25:52. > :25:54.interesting, the sloganeering here. He will use his pen and his phone.

:25:55. > :26:03.We are long way from the audacity of Hope. Presumably the president of

:26:04. > :26:10.the United States had a pen and a phone in the first five years. He

:26:11. > :26:14.has used executive action before. It is not just an attempt to be in the

:26:15. > :26:18.face of Congress when he says he is time to send a message to the

:26:19. > :26:22.American people, he is saying he is relevant and has three years left.

:26:23. > :26:26.The opposition in the house is not going away and may get strengthened

:26:27. > :26:30.in mid-term elections. He is still president and he will do the

:26:31. > :26:35.things. The issue about connecting schools to the Internet. If Bill

:26:36. > :26:46.Clinton gave a speech, that is the quintessential small bolving. He

:26:47. > :26:50.mentioned long-term savings. An equal days work for women. All of

:26:51. > :26:54.these things matter to the American people. Car efficiency and

:26:55. > :27:00.transportation projects... The president leaving Congress to go

:27:01. > :27:04.back to the White House. These matter to the American people. He

:27:05. > :27:08.needs to be selective. When I speak to business people around America

:27:09. > :27:15.what they say is they want tax reform and reform. They may get some

:27:16. > :27:20.immigration reform, the Republicans have a vested interest. He raised

:27:21. > :27:23.tax reform tonight. Those presumably would be the big things that the

:27:24. > :27:28.American economy could do to boost growth not just here but globally as

:27:29. > :27:32.well. It is hard to see how you can do that without Congress. Those are

:27:33. > :27:43.some of the reasons why he is putting those issues out there. It

:27:44. > :27:53.is almost a challenge to Congress. That if they do not help with

:27:54. > :28:00.reforms and restoring unemployment insurance, that has just expired

:28:01. > :28:04.fall 1 million people, he cannot do that without Congress, cap student

:28:05. > :28:08.loans... Those are the kinds of things he needs Congress to work

:28:09. > :28:13.with him on. It is almost like a checklist. If Congress does not do

:28:14. > :28:17.this he can point to it and say that he put out practical proposals and

:28:18. > :28:22.they did not come on board. And during the midterms, please American

:28:23. > :28:26.public, remember that. The interesting subtext is that there is

:28:27. > :28:30.a small glimmer of hope within the White House that there is an element

:28:31. > :28:37.of change within the Republican Party. The government shutdown was a

:28:38. > :28:41.debacle. The rankings of Congress are shabby clothes. They have to go

:28:42. > :28:53.to constituents and show some action. There might be a window for

:28:54. > :28:58.immigration reform. That is their big lift for this year. They do not

:28:59. > :29:05.want to talk about it yet. That is the background glimmer. It will be

:29:06. > :29:11.interesting to see when we get the Republican response. There will be

:29:12. > :29:15.three responses, from a rather divided party. It will be

:29:16. > :29:18.interesting to see what she says about working with the president of

:29:19. > :29:24.some of these issues. Foreign policy was not a large part of the speech.

:29:25. > :29:29.It is a interesting things on a run. That was the part that stood out to

:29:30. > :29:34.me. A vocal veto threat. He is trying to keep together this peace

:29:35. > :29:38.process with Iran. If you slow down enrichment of uranium, we are trying

:29:39. > :29:44.to keep you from building a nuclear bomb, we, the international

:29:45. > :29:49.community, will ease sanctions. There is a deep sentiment that they

:29:50. > :29:55.are going to far and Congress wants to add sanctions. He is said that he

:29:56. > :30:02.will veto it if it is put on his desk. It led to an uneven murmur of

:30:03. > :30:06.a response during the speech. There were elements of the speech that

:30:07. > :30:10.stood out because they got slight mention. Syria was one of those. It

:30:11. > :30:15.was only a few months ago we were on the brink of strikes there. That got

:30:16. > :30:32.very little mention. He said he wanted to" on a pay. -- to close

:30:33. > :30:37.Guantanamo Bay. He said let this be the year that it is done. There is

:30:38. > :30:41.no sign that Congress is relenting. The overarching message to the world

:30:42. > :30:54.is that we are building up our economy We had the words, American

:30:55. > :30:57.diplomacy, and the message of the speech is that if you are expecting

:30:58. > :31:03.American intervention anywhere in the world, don't hold your breath.

:31:04. > :31:11.Imagine the partnership with Europe, and at one with Asia, of a

:31:12. > :31:16.multi- lateral nature. He was saying, let's not derail something

:31:17. > :31:21.which has taken a very long time to get to, which is the first murmurs

:31:22. > :31:26.of an agreement with Iran. There have been times, and I'm thinking of

:31:27. > :31:33.the moment during his pledge of the union speech a couple of years ago,

:31:34. > :31:44.when he mentioned China, it was known as the Sputnik moment. China

:31:45. > :31:49.hardly mentioned in this speech. We are going to go to Capitol Hill,

:31:50. > :31:54.where we are joined by congressman Luke Messer from Indiana. What is

:31:55. > :32:00.your reaction to the address tonight? The president always gives

:32:01. > :32:09.a great speech, that is one of his biggest talents. I am terribly

:32:10. > :32:13.sorry, I'm going to be rude, and I will happily corruptive, because

:32:14. > :32:18.your colleague has just started with the Republican response.

:32:19. > :32:24.A girl who worked at the McDonald's drive-through to pay for college can

:32:25. > :32:30.be with you in the US capital. The most important moments right now and

:32:31. > :32:33.happening here. They are not in the Oval Office, or in the house

:32:34. > :32:38.chamber. They are in your homes, kissing your kids good night,

:32:39. > :32:42.figuring out how to pay the bills, getting ready for tomorrow's doctors

:32:43. > :32:47.visit. Waiting to hear from those you love serving in Afghanistan or

:32:48. > :32:52.searching for that the job interview. After all, we the people

:32:53. > :32:56.have been the foundation of America since her release days, people from

:32:57. > :33:01.all walks of life, and from all corners of the world. People who

:33:02. > :33:06.come to America because here, no challenges to great, and no dream

:33:07. > :33:14.too big. That is the genius of America. Tonight, the president made

:33:15. > :33:17.more promises that sound good, but they won't actually solve the

:33:18. > :33:22.problems facing Americans. We want you to have a better life, the

:33:23. > :33:27.President wants that as well. But we part ways when it comes to how to

:33:28. > :33:31.make that happen. So, tonight, I would like to share a more hopeful

:33:32. > :33:36.republican vision, one that empowers you, not the government. One that

:33:37. > :33:39.champions free markets and trust people to make their own decisions,

:33:40. > :33:45.not a government that decides for you. It helps working families rise

:33:46. > :33:50.above the limits of poverty, and protects our most vulnerable. It is

:33:51. > :33:54.one where Washington plays by the same rules that you do. It is a

:33:55. > :34:00.vision that is fair and offers the promise of a better future for every

:34:01. > :34:04.American. If you have told me it's a little girl but I would one day put

:34:05. > :34:07.my hand on the Bible and be sworn in as the 200th woman to serve in the

:34:08. > :34:13.House of Representatives, I wouldn't have thought it possible. I grew up

:34:14. > :34:17.working on my family's orchard and fruit stand in a small town in

:34:18. > :34:24.eastern Washington, getting up before dawn with my brother to pick

:34:25. > :34:28.apples. My father drove 80 school bus, and my mother worked as a

:34:29. > :34:34.bookkeeper. They taught me to work hard, help others and will we stream

:34:35. > :34:38.for more. When I showed my animals at the County fair, my parents would

:34:39. > :34:44.say to me, you need to save this money so you can go to college one

:34:45. > :34:51.day. And so I did. I saved, I worked hard, and I became the first in my

:34:52. > :34:58.family to graduate from college. The chance to go from my Washington to

:34:59. > :35:00.this one was unexpected. I came to Congress to help empower people, not

:35:01. > :35:06.politicians. The working middle class, not the government. And, to

:35:07. > :35:14.ensure that everyone in this country can find a job. Because, a job is so

:35:15. > :35:18.much more than a pay cheque. It gives us purpose and dignity, and

:35:19. > :35:24.the foundation to build the future. I was single when I was elected, but

:35:25. > :35:28.it wasn't long before I met Ryan, a retired navy commander, and now we

:35:29. > :35:36.have three beautiful children. One, who was born just eight weeks ago.

:35:37. > :35:41.Like all parents, we have high hopes and dreams are children, but we know

:35:42. > :35:46.what it is like to face challenges for our children. Three days after

:35:47. > :35:51.our son was born, we got news no parent expects. He was diagnosed

:35:52. > :35:54.with down syndrome. The doctors told us he could have endless

:35:55. > :36:00.convocations, heart defects, even early Alzheimer's. They told us all

:36:01. > :36:08.the problems. But we looked at our son, and we saw only possibilities.

:36:09. > :36:12.We saw a gift from God. And today, we see a six-year-old boy who dances

:36:13. > :36:15.to Bruce Springsteen, who the region above grade level, and who is the

:36:16. > :36:23.best league brother in the world. We see all the things he can do, not

:36:24. > :36:27.the things he can't. And he and his sisters have made me more determined

:36:28. > :36:31.to see the potential in every human life, but whether we are born with

:36:32. > :36:36.an extra 21st chromosome, or without a dollar to our name, we are not

:36:37. > :36:42.defined by our limits, but by our potential. Because our mission, not

:36:43. > :36:47.only as Republicans, but as Americans, is to once again ensure

:36:48. > :36:52.that we are not bound by where we come from, but empowered by what we

:36:53. > :36:59.can become. That is the gap Republicans are working to close. It

:37:00. > :37:03.is a gap we all face, between where you are and where you want to be.

:37:04. > :37:10.The President talks a lot about income inequality. The real gap we

:37:11. > :37:16.face today is 1-off opportunity inequality, and with this

:37:17. > :37:21.administration's policies that gap has become far too wide. We see it

:37:22. > :37:25.growing every single day. We see it in our neighbours who are struggling

:37:26. > :37:29.to find jobs, a husband who is now working just part-time. The child

:37:30. > :37:37.who drops out of college because she can't afford tuition, or a parent

:37:38. > :37:41.who is outliving their life savings. Last month, more Americans stopped

:37:42. > :37:47.looking for a job then found one. Too many people are falling further

:37:48. > :37:53.and further behind, because right now the President's policies are

:37:54. > :37:57.making people's lives harder. Republicans have plans to close the

:37:58. > :38:02.gap. Plans that will focus on jobs first, without more spending,

:38:03. > :38:11.government bailouts, and red tape. Everyday we are working expand our

:38:12. > :38:15.economy. We have plans to improve our education and training systems

:38:16. > :38:19.so you have the choice to determine where your kids go to school. So

:38:20. > :38:27.college is affordable and skills training is modernised. Yes, it is

:38:28. > :38:31.time to honour our history of legal immigration. We are working in a

:38:32. > :38:35.step-by-step solution to immigration reform, by first securing our

:38:36. > :38:38.borders and making sure America will always attract the best, brightest

:38:39. > :38:45.and hardest working from around the world. And with too many Americans

:38:46. > :38:49.living pay cheque to pay cheque, we have solutions to help you take home

:38:50. > :38:55.more shall pay through lower taxes, cheaper energy costs, and affordable

:38:56. > :39:04.healthcare. Not long ago I got a letter from Bedi in Spokane -- 80.

:39:05. > :39:07.She hoped the healthcare law would save her money, but she found that

:39:08. > :39:12.her premiums were going up nearly $700 a month. We have all talked to

:39:13. > :39:15.too many people who have received cancellation notices they didn't

:39:16. > :39:21.expect. They can no longer see the doctors they always have. No. We

:39:22. > :39:28.shouldn't go back to the way things were, but this law is not working.

:39:29. > :39:34.Republicans believe healthcare choices should be yours, not the

:39:35. > :39:38.government's. Whether you are a boy with down syndrome or a woman with

:39:39. > :39:44.breast cancer you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you. We

:39:45. > :39:47.have the President will join us in a year off real action, by empowering

:39:48. > :39:54.people, not by making their lives harder with unprecedented spending,

:39:55. > :39:57.higher taxes and fewer jobs, as Republicans weird sense these plans

:39:58. > :40:04.every day. We believe in a government that trust people and

:40:05. > :40:08.doesn't limit where you finish because of where you started. That

:40:09. > :40:13.is what we stand for. For an America that is every bit as compassionate

:40:14. > :40:21.as it is exceptional. If we are successful, years from now our

:40:22. > :40:30.children will say that we rebuilt the American dream, we built are

:40:31. > :40:40.working America that could take on the world. Our children should be

:40:41. > :40:44.able to say that we closed the gap. Our plan is one that dream speak for

:40:45. > :40:51.everyone, and turns its back on the one. The President said many things

:40:52. > :40:57.tonight, but now I ask him to listen to you. For the true state of the

:40:58. > :41:04.union lies in your heart and in your home. Tomorrow, I will watch my son

:41:05. > :41:09.get on the school bus. Others will wait in the doctors office or

:41:10. > :41:12.interview for that first job. Some of us will celebrate new beginnings,

:41:13. > :41:20.and others will face great challenges. All of us will wake up

:41:21. > :41:25.and do what is uniquely American. We will look forward to the potential

:41:26. > :41:32.that lies ahead. We will give thanks to the brave men and women who have

:41:33. > :41:37.answered America's called freedom, like a sergeant from Spokane who

:41:38. > :41:51.recently gave his life to protect all of ours. Tonight, simply offer a

:41:52. > :41:54.prayer. A prayer for his family, for your family, and free larger

:41:55. > :41:58.American family, that with the guidance of God we may prove

:41:59. > :42:05.ourselves worthy of his blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of

:42:06. > :42:12.happiness. We are each doing our part to form a more perfect union.

:42:13. > :42:24.May god guide you and our president, and may he continue to bless the

:42:25. > :42:28.US. That was the Republican party's response to the President's address.

:42:29. > :42:35.We are going to go back to Capitol Hill, and to Luke Messer.

:42:36. > :42:45.Your colleague was saying that she hopes the President will work with

:42:46. > :42:48.Republicans to improve the state of the economy. Are you prepared to

:42:49. > :42:52.work with President Obama to get any of the things done that he said

:42:53. > :42:56.tonight? I think there are opportunities for common ground.

:42:57. > :43:01.Before Cathy came on, you asked for my reaction, and I was telling you

:43:02. > :43:05.the President gives a great speech, and I welcome his celebration of the

:43:06. > :43:10.American dream. It is something we take as a given in America. I was

:43:11. > :43:14.raised by a single parent, and my mother still works in a factory in

:43:15. > :43:19.my small town where I grew up. I think the President highlighted a

:43:20. > :43:22.very real issue. No one in America should work full-time job and live

:43:23. > :43:26.in poverty, and we need to work on the policies will help make that

:43:27. > :43:32.true in our country. The problem when you take the President's

:43:33. > :43:36.speech, is it is a lot of the same old ideas from the President. More

:43:37. > :43:41.government, more taxes, more spending, more debt. Those are the

:43:42. > :43:46.keys for an American future. We need a growing economy that helps create

:43:47. > :43:49.jobs and grow opportunity. What about this issue of income

:43:50. > :43:54.inequality, and the plea to Congress to help him work to raise the

:43:55. > :43:58.minimum wage in America. It is something for which there is

:43:59. > :44:03.bipartisan support in this country. Is it something that you would

:44:04. > :44:14.support? Raising the minimum wage? I think the details matter, but I

:44:15. > :44:18.think there are plans where we could raise the minimum wage. And,

:44:19. > :44:25.allowing people to earn income tax credits to help those in poverty. We

:44:26. > :44:29.need to be careful we don't end up hurting immigrants, and graduates,

:44:30. > :44:36.Pike unnecessarily inflating the wait. I think the problem in America

:44:37. > :44:39.is not so much inequality, but as Margaret Thatcher once said, someone

:44:40. > :44:45.on the left would rather that the poor before as long as the rich were

:44:46. > :44:51.less rich as well. The real problem is America is that we have wage

:44:52. > :44:55.stagnation. The purchasing power of the average American has declined by

:44:56. > :44:59.thousands of dollars. We need to work on making sure Americans have

:45:00. > :45:04.more purchasing power with their dollar. Thank you for joining me,

:45:05. > :45:09.and thank you for bearing with me as we so rudely had to break away from

:45:10. > :45:19.you. We are going to break away from Washington for a moment. I would

:45:20. > :45:24.like to thank my guests. Linda who has been joining asks, over here

:45:25. > :45:32.from Asia. It has been a pleasure having it in the studio. Thank you

:45:33. > :45:37.very much. For the moment, we will take a break from Washington, after

:45:38. > :45:40.the President has given his state of the union address. I will be back

:45:41. > :45:46.with you shortly. Thank you very much indeed.

:45:47. > :45:52.Letters gets more reaction. Let us get another perspective. -- let us

:45:53. > :45:56.get some more. The director of the San Francisco

:45:57. > :46:00.foodbank. You're watching the speech. The President was trying to

:46:01. > :46:07.talk past Congress to the American people. Did he speak to you? He did.

:46:08. > :46:11.Especially when he talked about prosperity widely shared. That

:46:12. > :46:18.embodies the idea of income equality. He talked about a country

:46:19. > :46:26.which is on the rebound, we can make it if we try, was the sensible out.

:46:27. > :46:32.There was a lot that is rebounding. -- the sense of that. Unfortunately,

:46:33. > :46:36.people at the bottom of the income earning scale do not prosper. They

:46:37. > :46:40.do not have savings that go up when the stock market goes up. They do

:46:41. > :46:46.not have a home that appreciates in value. Social mobility is worse in

:46:47. > :46:51.the US than in many comparable economies. The gap between rich and

:46:52. > :46:58.poor is still widening. It is way out of line with economies that we

:46:59. > :47:02.would probably like to compare ourselves with. In San Francisco, I

:47:03. > :47:10.run an organisation that provides food for food pantries. We routinely

:47:11. > :47:16.see families who have working individuals come to get food

:47:17. > :47:23.assistance. The President does tend to conflate income inequality with

:47:24. > :47:30.mobility. There was nothing in that speech about reining in tax breaks

:47:31. > :47:34.or entitlements that benefit wealthy people most. Probably too little

:47:35. > :47:38.about how to help people at the bottom of the income scale have

:47:39. > :47:42.enough money to save, have enough to put food on the table that we call

:47:43. > :47:51.that month. The people coming into your food bank, will they feel any

:47:52. > :47:57.better? Everybody feels better when you talk about raising the minimum

:47:58. > :48:02.wage and making people prosper. Talk needs to translate into action.

:48:03. > :48:06.Increasing the minimum wage is terrific. We need to remember that

:48:07. > :48:10.minimum weight is not equal everywhere. We have significantly

:48:11. > :48:19.different costs of living around the States. We need some sort of index,

:48:20. > :48:23.so that somebody earning a minimum weight in one place has the same

:48:24. > :48:31.buying power as someone earning minimum wage in another place. There

:48:32. > :48:39.was much talk of eight President trying to gain momentum with this

:48:40. > :48:45.speech. -- a president. Signs are that the whole country is fed up

:48:46. > :48:53.with everybody in Washington. IPhone the President's speech is uplifting

:48:54. > :48:57.and empowering. -- I find. He wants people to succeed. It needs to

:48:58. > :49:01.translate into policies. It needs more people than the President in

:49:02. > :49:07.Washington to make those policies work and put them into place. Paul,

:49:08. > :49:12.thank you very much indeed for talking to us.

:49:13. > :49:17.In case you just joined us, even if you have just watched the whole

:49:18. > :49:25.speech. Letters remind you of the important parts. -- let us. Our job

:49:26. > :49:31.is to reverse the strands. It will not happen right away and we will

:49:32. > :49:35.not agree on everything. What I offer is a set of concrete,

:49:36. > :49:38.practical proposals to speed up growth, strength in the middle

:49:39. > :49:53.class, and build ladders of opportunity into the middle class.

:49:54. > :49:56.Some require Congressional action. I am eager to work with all of you.

:49:57. > :49:58.America does not stand still, neither will live. Wherever and

:49:59. > :50:00.whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunities

:50:01. > :50:06.for American families, that is what I will do. As analysts have been

:50:07. > :50:11.pointing out, there is only a certain amount the President can do

:50:12. > :50:16.without Congress. He cannot pass laws without Congress. He cannot do

:50:17. > :50:22.the things he is hoping to do on immigration reform. He had this to

:50:23. > :50:31.say on Obamacare. I do not expect to convince my Republican friends on

:50:32. > :50:35.the merits of this law. But I know that the American people are not

:50:36. > :50:40.interested in refighting old battles. Again, if you have specific

:50:41. > :50:45.plans to cut costs, cover more people, increased choice, tell a

:50:46. > :50:51.America what you would do differently. Let us see if the

:50:52. > :50:56.numbers add up. Let us not have another fortysomething votes to

:50:57. > :51:14.repeal a law that is already helping millions of Americans. The first 40

:51:15. > :51:19.were plenty. We all owe it to the American people to say what we are

:51:20. > :51:23.for, not just what we are against. We have heard something in that

:51:24. > :51:28.already with the Republican response to that particular passage. It looks

:51:29. > :51:33.like that fight on Obamacare will go on. The President was also keen to

:51:34. > :51:38.stress opportunity for all and social mobility. He used himself and

:51:39. > :51:47.John Boehner as examples of the American dream. They believe, and I

:51:48. > :51:50.believe, that here in America our success should depend not on an

:51:51. > :51:55.accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of

:51:56. > :52:03.our dreams. That is what drew our fore bearers here. That is why the

:52:04. > :52:13.daughter of a factory worker is CEO of America's largest automaker. How

:52:14. > :52:35.the son of a barkeep is the Speaker of the House. How the son of a

:52:36. > :52:40.single mother can be president of the greatest nation on earth.

:52:41. > :52:45.President Obama had this to say on Iran. It is interesting because

:52:46. > :52:52.negotiations have had some success. He is making it plain that if

:52:53. > :52:57.Congress are to put forward a bill for further sanctions against Iran,

:52:58. > :53:04.he made it clear that he will veto that Bill unless Iran does not do

:53:05. > :53:08.what it has promised to do. With our allies and partners we are engaged

:53:09. > :53:12.in negotiations to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all

:53:13. > :53:27.share, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. These

:53:28. > :53:37.negotiations will be difficult, they may not succeed. We are clear ride

:53:38. > :53:42.about runs a support for terrorist organisations like his beloved. --

:53:43. > :53:49.we are clear ride. We know there is mistrust between our nations. These

:53:50. > :53:55.negotiations do not rely on trust. Any long-term deal we agreed to must

:53:56. > :53:59.be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international

:54:00. > :54:08.community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. He had this to say

:54:09. > :54:14.on gun violence. Citizenship means standing up for the lies that gun

:54:15. > :54:20.violence is still from us each day. I have seen the courage parents,

:54:21. > :54:28.students, pastors, officers, people all over this country who say we are

:54:29. > :54:31.not afraid. I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help

:54:32. > :54:35.stop more tragedies for visiting innocent Americans in our moving

:54:36. > :54:47.theatres and a shopping mall is all schools like Sandy Hook. -- shopping

:54:48. > :54:53.malls. In state of the union last year, the president promised action

:54:54. > :54:58.on guns, immigration, and climate. He asked Congress to do 41 different

:54:59. > :55:02.things with him. Just two of those have been accomplished. We will see

:55:03. > :55:04.what happens this time. What is crucial about executive orders is

:55:05. > :55:06.that they are generally just tinkering around the edges. This is

:55:07. > :55:16.BBC News. We continued with very uncertain

:55:17. > :55:19.look to the weather with heavy showers still continuing through

:55:20. > :55:25.today. It will feel increasingly cold as we start to pick up more of

:55:26. > :55:26.an easterly breeze. Those showers will keep going through the