In Today’s Times
- The Congressional Budget Office said a surprising slowdown in the growth of health care costs has erased hundreds of billions of dollars in projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid, a development that could have major ramifications for the overall economy, Annie Lowrey reports.
- While many will be watching the president on Tuesday to hear the State of the Union address, others will be watching for signs of the state of Barack Obama, Jackie Calmes writes. Based on reports from White House advisers and associates close to the president, he has an assertiveness, confidence, even cockiness that contrast with the caution, compromise and reserve that he showed for much of his first term.
- Strong, stronger, strongest - one of those words has been used to describe the union in each of the last 17 State of the Union addresses, even when things were not going so well, Binyamin Appelbaum writes.
- President Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor on Clinton Romesha, a 31-year-old retired Army staff sergeant, in the East Room of the White House on Monday. He is the fourth living American soldier from the Afghanistan war to receive the honor, Mark Landler reports.
Around the Web
- The auto industry is back and ready to lobby, Politico reports.
- Desiline Victor, a 102-year-old woman who stood in line for three hours to vote for the president last year, will be another one of Michelle Obama’s guests at the State of the Union address, The Washington Post reports.
- The deadline to submit a question for President Obama’s Google Plus Hangout is Wednesday afternoon, The Hill reports. He will answer questions about his State of the Union address in the Thursday Hangout.
Happenings in Washington
- Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will present the Republican response to the president’s speech, followed by a separate Tea Party response, to be delivered by Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.
- One day afer the anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death, Madame Tussauds will introduce its wax figure of the singer.
