by the. third pillar and the visa lottery a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill merit or the safety of american people. it's time to begin moving toward a merit based immigration system one that it missed people who are skilled who want to work who will contribute to our society and who will love and respect our country. by the e.u. . the fourth and final pillar protects

the nuclear family by ending chain migration. under the current broken system a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives under our plan we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. either. this vital reform is necessary not just for our economy but for our security and for the future of america. in recent weeks two terrorist attacks in new york were

made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration in the age of terrorism these programs present risks we can just no longer afford. it's time to thank these outdated immigration rules and finally bring our immigration system into the twenty first century thank you for pillars represent a down the middle compromise and one that will create a safe modern and lawful immigration system. for over thirty years washington has tried and failed to solve this problem and this congress can be the one that finally makes it happen most importantly these four

pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts america first thanks so let's come together. set politics aside and finally get the job done. and. these reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction never before has it been like it is now it is terrible

we have to do something about it in twenty sixteen we lost sixty four thousand americans to drug overdoses one hundred seventy four deaths per day seven per hour we must get much tougher her on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping discords thanks . my administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need for those who have been so terribly hurt the struggle will be long and it will be difficult but as americans always do in the end we will

succeed we will prevail thank you. as we have seen tonight the most difficult challenges bring out the best in america. we see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of dalecki family of new mexico brian hall lets is twenty seven years old an officer with the albuquerque police department he's here tonight with his wife rebecca. thank.

you thank you. last year ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. when ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child she began to weep she told him she didn't know where to turn but badly wanted a safe home for her baby in that moment ryan said he felt god speak to him you will do it because you can he heard those words he took out a picture of his wife and their four kids then he went home to tell his wife we're back in an instant she agreed to adopt the whole let's name their new daughter hope. ryan and rebecca

you embody the goodness of our nation thank you thank you. thank . you thank you ryan and rebecca. as we rebuild america's strength and confidence at home we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad around the world we face rogue regimes terrorist groups and rivals like china and russia

that challenge our interests our economy and our values in confronting these horrible dangers we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defense. for this reason i am asking congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. as part of our defense we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal

hopefully never having two years it but making it so strong and so powerful that it will be terror any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else. perhaps someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons unfortunately we are now out there yet sadly. last year i also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish isis from the face of the earth.

one year later and i am proud to report that the coalition to defeat isis has liberated very close to one hundred percent of the territory. just recently held by these killers in iraq and in syria and in other locations as well thank you. but there is much more work to be done we will continue our fight until isis is defeated army staff sergeant justin peck is here tonight in iraq last november justin and

his comrade chief petty officer kenton stacey were on a mission to clear buildings that isis had rigged with explosive so that civilians could return to that city hopefully soon and hopefully safely clearing the second floor of a vital hospital ketan stacy was severely wounded by an explosion a media glee justin bounded into the booby trapped and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building and found kenton but in very very bad shape he applied pressure to the wound and inserted a two to reopen an airway he then performed c.p.r. for twenty straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial

respiration through two and a half hours and through emergency surgery kenton stacy would have died. if it were not for justin's selfless love for his fellow warrior tonight kenton is recovering in texas rocca is liberated and justin is wearing his new bronze star with a v. for valor staff sergeant heck thanks thanks thanks.

to terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil when possible we have no choice but to annihilate them when necessary we must be able to detain and question them. but we must be clear. terrorists are not merely criminals they are unlawful enemy combatants.

of. and when captured overseas they should be treated like the terrorists they are in the past we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists. only to meet them again on the battlefield including the isis leader al baghdadi who we captured who we had who we released so today i'm keeping another promise i just saw i. prior to walking in an order directing the secretary mad us who is doing

a great thank you thousand . thousand. to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in guantanamo bay and thousands congress to ensure that in the fight against isis and al qaida we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down wherever we find them. and in many cases for them it will now be one ten in

no way. iraq. at the same time as of a few months ago our warriors in afghanistan have new rules of engagement. along with their heroic afghan partners our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines and we no longer tell our enemies our plans. last month i also took an action indorsed unanimously by the u.s.

senate just months before i recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. shortly afterwards dozens of countries voted in the united nations general assembly against america's sovereign right to make this decision and twenty sixteen american taxpayers generously sent those same countries more than twenty billion dollars in aid. that is why tonight i am asking congress to pass legislation to help ensure american foreign assistance dollars always serve american interests and only go to friends of

a not enemy. of. strength and friendships all around the world we are also we storing clarity. about our adversaries when the people of iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship i did not stay silent america stands with the people of iran in their courageous struggle for freedom of.

i am asking congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible iran nuclear deal my administration has also impose tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in cuba and venezuela i've. but no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally. then the cruel dictatorship in north korea. north korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland we are waging a campaign of maximum pressure. to prevent that from ever happening

hasta experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation i will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position we need only look at the deprived character of the north korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to america and to our allies i don't warm here was a hardworking student at the university of virginia and a great student he was on his way to study abroad in asia otto joined a tour to north korea at its conclusion this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state after

a shameful trial the dictatorship sentenced. to fifteen years of hard labor before returning him to america last june horribly engineered and on the verge of death. he passed away just days after his return. otto's. wonderful parents fred and cindy warm dear are here with us tonight along with autos brother and sister austin. and gretta please thank

you. thank you. thank. god of all people. you are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world and your strength truly inspires us all thank you very much thank you thank. you. tonight we pledge to honor our those memory with. total

american resolve thank you. finally thank. you we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of this regime his name is mr g. sung ho in one nine hundred ninety six song ho was a starving boy in north korea one day he tried to steal coal. from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food which were very hard to get in the process he passed out on the train tracks exhausted from hunger he woke up as a train ran over his limbs he then endured multiple amputations

without anything to dull the pain or the hurt his brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves permanently stunting their own growth later he was tortured by north korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to china his tormentors wanted to know if he'd met any christians he had and he resolved after that to be free song hoed travel thousands of miles on crutches all across china and southeast asia to freedom most of his family followed his father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death today he lives in seoul where he rescues other defectors and broadcasts into north

korea what the regime fears most the truth today he has a new leg but some ho i understand you still keep those old crutches as a reminder of how far you've come your great sacrifice is an inspiration. to us all please thank you. thank. you was directly to.

the. whole story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom. it was that same yearning for freedom that nearly two hundred fifty years ago gave birth to a special place called america it was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness it was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea that they could rule themselves that they could chart their own destiny and that together they could light up the entire world that is what our country has always been about

that is what americans have always stood for always strive for and always done atop the dome of this capitol stands the statue of freedom. she stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect. monuments to washington and jefferson and lincoln and king memorials to the heroes of yorktown and saratoga. to young americans who shed their blood on the shores of normandy and the fields beyond and others who went down in the waters of the pacific and the skies

all over asia and freedom stands tall. over one more monument this one. is capital this living monument this is the monument to the american people. have it was was it was. we're a people whose heroes live not only in the past but all around us defending hope pride. and defending the american way. they work in every tray they sacrifice to raise

a family they care for our children at home they defend our flag abroad and they are strong moms and brave kids. they are firefighters and police officers and border agents medics and marines but above all else they are americans and this capital this city this nation belongs entirely to them. thank . our task is to respect them to listen to them to serve there to protect them and to always be worthy of them americans

so fill the world with art and music they push the balance of science and discovery and they forever remind us of what we should never ever forget the people dreamed this country the people built this country and it's the people who are making america great again. as long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for there is

nothing we cannot achieve. as long as we have confidence in our values faith in our citizens and trust in our god we will never fail. our families will thrive our people will prosper and our nation. well for ever be safe and strong and proud and mighty entry thank you and god bless america good thank you. we will never fail our families will thrive our people prosper. much more optimistic tone from donald trump the u.s.

president as he delivers his first state of the nation union address compared to his first speech at his inauguration a much more rosier picture of the country and what he would say what he has achieved in his first year in office he made the case for achievements on a number of fronts when it comes to jobs and wages regulation as well as on the international scene as what he saw as america resetting the state of trade relations saying the era of economic surrender is over america has turned the page on unfair trade deals in international politics he held what he saw as his country's achievements when it came to ice all saying the coalition that liberated almost one hundred percent of territory i still held he hailed his policy his new policy new rules of engagement on afghanistan so it will be no more artificial time lines made a veiled threat when it came to those countries opposing the u.s.

in the u.n. on jerusalem saying he's calling on congress to ensure american dollars only go to friends of american ever to enemies of america repeated his stance on iran cuba and north korea to act against. those governments. bring in our white house correspondent kimberly howth is at camps although she's been following this is i said there. a dog trumpet much more positive tone a call to action when it came to immigration and his comments there prompting both booze as well as cheers from the chamber i guess that shows just how tough a challenge that issue remains going forward kimberly. you heard the president talking there about some of the american heroes and how in times of tragedy americans come together and unify and he tried to use that as sort

of an example of how members of congress need to unite.