The White House - 1600 Daily: State of the Union

President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence with newly sworn-in U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and members of his family | January 29, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Previewing tonight’s State of the Union
Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, President Donald J. Trump will deliver his first State of the Union Address before Congress. The speech will outline the record-setting accomplishments of his first year and lay out the Administration’s vision for the next 12 months: building a safe, strong, and proud America.
A few important issues that you’ll certainly hear about tonight:

• Tax cuts and the economy: The biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in at least three decades is already fueling an economic boom.
• Infrastructure: President Trump will outline a $1 trillion investment for a large-scale, fast rebuild of America’s depleted infrastructure.
• Immigration: The President will explain his framework on immigration reform, including border security, DACA legalization, protecting the nuclear family, and replacing the visa lottery with a skills-based approach.
• Trade: Building on the President’s address at Davos last week, America will insist on trade deals that are fair and reciprocal.
• National security: America is returning to “peace through strength” in world affairs, making our stances clear to friends and enemies alike.

Watch the State of the Union Address live at 9 p.m. ET.
Bonus: See who President Trump and the First Lady invited to be tonight’s special guests.
The ‘denuking’ of North Korea
President Trump joined members of the United Nations Security Council for a lunch meeting yesterday, discussing “a range of security challenges, including the denuking of North Korea.” He was accompanied by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly, and National Security Adviser Gen. H. R. McMaster.
“We’re leading on the global stage to renew this founding principle of sovereignty,” the President told reporters before lunch. “I think we’re taking the world along with us.”
The meeting also covered how to counter Iran’s destabilization efforts across the Middle East, put an end to the conflict in Syria, and confront terrorism the world over.
Read more from President Trump’s lunch with the UN Security Council.

Alex Azar sworn in as HHS secretary
Alex Azar, former Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush, was sworn in yesterday as the newest official member of President Trump’s Cabinet.
“It’s a very special day for me, because we’ve been looking for this day for a long time,” the President said. “I’m thrilled to be here to administer the Oath of Office to America’s new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr. Alex Azar.”
“As you heard from the President today,” Secretary Azar said, the solemn charge of this office “includes his personal direction to me that we have to tackle the scourge of the opiate crisis, and we will bring down prescription drug prices.”
Read more of what President Trump and Secretary Azar told Americans yesterday.