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Dina Rickman
Jan 21, 2015
US president Barack Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union (SOTU) address last night. This is what you need to know:
What did Obama actually say?
Obama unveiled a series of tax-and-spend policies including raising taxes on the rich in a pitch aimed at middle class Americans. He also said the "shadow" of economic crisis had passed. Many of the changes he set out are unlikely to become law, as The Independent's US editor David Usborne notes:
While even the White House knows that there is zero chance of Republicans in Congress approving his taxation changes, it is also confident that the pitch for relief for the poor and middle class will resonate with many Americans.
Obama also condemned the persecution of LGBT individuals and discussed closing Guantanamo Bay, expanding access to higher education and defeating Isis terrorists.
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