Obama to Call for New Investment

President Obama will take a stand against budget-cutting Republicans in his State of the Union address, people familiar with the speech say. He’s expected to call for new investment in education, research, and infrastructure, particularly in building a renewable-energy sector and restructuring No Child Left Behind. He’ll also use the speech to acknowledge the need for spending cuts. Meanwhile, the leadup to the speech is feeling like prom, according to one Democrat, as lawmakers venture across the aisle to ask their opponents in the opposite party to sit with them in a sign of bipartisanship and civility. So far, 60 lawmakers have signed Sen. Mark Udall’s (D-CO) petition to sit with the opposing party.