State of the Union

An NBA player who whose heart stopped for 30 seconds during an overdose, a daughter who discovered her father dead, a sister whose brother overdosed before she even knew he was taking drugs and a father whose son died after years in and out of rehab — these are the faces that lawmakers see as they work for passage of what could be this year's most bipartisan legislative push.  

On Tuesday night, South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley did what she was supposed to do in the Republican response to the State of the Union: Draw a contrast between President Barack Obama’s vision and what she said was America’s “chance to turn in a new direction.”

But most of her address was an implicit rebuke of GOP front-runner Donald Trump and some of the xenophobic rhetoric that’s animated the Republican presidential primary.

Gov. Nikki R. Haley, R-S.C., delivers the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address.

Coverage begins following the conclusion of Obama’s remarks.

Roll Call presents the 2016 State of the Union, the final State of the Union address of Barack Obama’s presidency.

Coverage begins at 8:45 p.m. EST.

When South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley ends her response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, hers will not be the last word for the Republican Party.  

After the rising star wraps up her remarks, at least two Republicans — and likely more, including some of the party's presidential aspirants — will deliver their own responses to Obama’s final speech of this kind. For starters, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a seventh-term Republican from Florida, will deliver a response in Spanish, and Nevada conservative activist Wayne Allyn Root will deliver a response on behalf of the Tea Party Express.

It was the high-speed chase that nearly crashed last year’s State of the Union address: Several Maryland police cruisers pursued a driver who came close to slamming right into officers at a barricade near the Capitol.  

The incident provoked a power struggle among local law enforcement agencies, heightened security concerns and eroded support for the already embattled chief of the Capitol Police, Kim C. Dine.  

The White House on Monday described President Barack Obama’s final address to Congress  as a non-political speech that will focus on the fate of future generations — but also on politics.

Obama’s primary focus will be on explaining to the American people “the opportunities  and challenges” facing the country over the next few years, Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. He wants the lawmakers he will address to understand the decisions they make in coming months will have ramifications for decades to come.

The White House on Sunday released the list of guests who will be seated with First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president, during President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday evening.  

"The guests personify President Obama’s time in office and most importantly, they represent who we are as Americans: inclusive and compassionate, innovative and courageous," the administration said in a release.  

Possible 2016 contender Sen. Rand Paul says that the foreign policy potion of his own response to Tuesday's State of the Union address will focus on an old adage from his medical career: "Do no harm."  

"I think one the biggest things about foreign policy is that you should think before you act, and that's one of the themes that I'll have tonight is: First, do no harm. As physicians, we're taught first to do no harm, which means think through," the Kentucky Republican said. "You have enormous power as a surgeon. Before you cut into someone, make sure you have the right diagnosis. Try not to make mistakes."