US president Obama gives annual state of the union address

U.S. President Barack Obama addressed both chambers of Congress and the American people Tuesday night for his annual State of the Union address, striking a bipartisan tone while threatening to use executive powers where lawmakers do not act. Obama unveiled an array of modest executive actions to increase the minimum wage for federal contract workers and make it easier for millions of low-income Americans to save for retirement.“America does not stand still and neither do I,” Obama said.The president’s hour-long speech focused primarily on domestic issues, such as jobs, education, climate change, and healthcare. He briefly touched on the nuclear negotiations with Iran, the civil war in Syria, and the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan.“After 2014, we will support a unified Afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future. If the Afghan government signs a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of Americans could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two narrow missions: training and assisting Afghan forces, and counterterrorism operations to pursue any remnants of al Qaeda,” Obama said.The United States will continue to support the opposition in Syria that “rejects the agenda of terrorist networks,” Obama said.