[ cheers and applause ] this is a special edition of "nightline," america in focus. >> tonight, make his case. >> president obama's farewell state of the union. a look to the country's future. >> the united states of america is the most powerful nation on earth, period. and playing out on the campaign trail for the presidential hopefuls. bernie sanders coming out swinging. hillary clinton facing unexpected trouble in iowa. and another battle brewing for trump and senator ted cruz. >> i am activist. >> young #activists. >> everyone is listening to you. >> vocal about their beliefs. >> i'm an independent woman. >> push for change. from protests. >> we have nothing to lose but our chains. >> to something as simple as a hug. >> and from iowa to the white house.

evolved. >> god bless the united states of america. >> and what could be next for them in washington. but first, the "nightline 5." >> first, you can't put it in like that. you have to put it in first. >> the alfredo? >> yes. >> if it's baked on, it's never going to work. >> dish issues? cascade platinum. it powers through your toughest stuck-on food, better than finish. >> see, told you it would work. >> you guys heard me say that, right? >> cascade, the tougher tough food cleaner.

"nightline," america in focus. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. we begin with the president's final state of the union address. making the case that he honored the progress made on his watch, addressing key issues like curing cancer, climate change, education. but priority number one, protecting the american people against terror networks and turning an eye towards the future of the country and the future of the white house, here's abc's david wright. states. >> reporter: the next time we hear the sergeant in arms make that familiar announcement, a different president will be walking into the chamber and glad handing his way down the aisle. the night was barack obama's last state of the union, his parting shot, at this point he's playing for the history books.

that's reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet, our place in the world. >> reporter: that word "change" which served as mantra for candidate barack obama's election all those years ago, tonight took on a different meaning. shaded by. seven years of compromises, disappointments, and unintended consequences. the office and its responsibilities have changed demand, visibly as it always does. tonight as president barack obama framed it, change can be good or bad. >> it's change that can broaden opportunity or widen inequality. >> reporter: the white house billed this speech as different sort of state of the union, not so much a laundry list of proposals but a plea to fix america's broken politics. >> the future we want, all of us

for our families, a rising standard of living, a sustainable peaceful planet for reach. >> reporter: tonight there was one big ticket agenda item in the traditional sense, a vow to cure cancer, even nominating a new cancer czar. >> and because he's gone to the mat for all of us on so many issues over the past 40 years i control. >> reporter: but other obama absent. one week after he was in tears on the issue of gun violence -- >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. >> reporter: -- tonight obama sent a silent message, an empty chair in the first lady's box for the victims of gun violence. also not mentioned, the seizure of two u.s. navy patrol boats and their crews by iran. but overall, obama didn't rub salt in the republican wounds. he pleaded for unity.

together this year on some bipartisan priorities. >> reporter: tonight the president also highlighted the plight of refugees, especially the millions fleeing isis and the civil war in syria, insisting america is not embroiled in world war iii. >> that is the story isil wants to tell. that's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. we don't need to build them up to show that we're serious. >> reporter: obama insisted america oh is not in retreat. >> let me tell you something, the united states of america is the most powerful nation on earth. period. [ applause ] it's not even close. >> reporter: tonight the state of the union may be sound but the state of our politics is more like that capitol dome, shrouded in scaffolding, hard hat zone full of dangers. the open question, who will be

next year leading the debate moving forward. >> i'm going to try to make it a little shorter. i know some of you are anxious to get back to iowa. >> reporter: two of the hopefuls were there in the chambers tonight on the republican side, senator marco rubio, for the democrats, senator bernie sanders. their colleague senator ted cruz declined his invitation. too busy out campaigning in new hampshire. >> the state of washington, on the other hand, is a manifest disaster. >> reporter: donald trump wasn't invited tonight, but as he campaigned out in iowa that didn't seem to bother him. the tumultuous republican race is a worry not just for the democrats but also for the senior republican inside the chamber sitting beside the vice president for the first time. earlier today speaker paul ryan urged citizens to tune in for the republican response. >> if people want to hear from a leader who has brought people together, if people want to hear

things done, who has set an agenda, tune in and watch governor nikki haley deliver the address. >> reporter: tonight governor haley distanced herself from the president but also from some of the candidates in her own party. >> during anxious times it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. we must resist that temptation. no one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country. >> reporter: among the democrats, huge uncertainty. senator bernie sanders there in the chamber as new polls show him pulling ahead of hillary clinton. >> it could be that the inevitable candidate for the democratic nomination may not be so inevitable today. >> reporter: but less than a month to go before the first votes are cast, clinton once again finds herself on the defensive. tonight she was on cnn dismissing the polls. >> i don't pay any attention to this.

reflection about who will actually come out on caucus night. >> reporter: tomorrow she'll be out on the campaign trail again. vice president biden may wish he were out there, too. his grief over his son cost him his chance to toss his hat in the ring one more time. tonight was his last state of the union with front row seats. for obama, too, a sense of wishfulness, a pang of sorrow of what might might have been. >> i believe in change because i believe in you. >> reporter: that soaring rhetoric got him there in the first place, but has he delivered on all that has promised, how will history judge him? that's still up for grabs. >> the president likes to use the metaphor that there's still a lot on the table. and he's playing the long game. and i think tonight the president showed that we still have oh of he still has a couple more innings left. >> he came in saying he wanted to dissolve the division in the country but he came away with the country more divided and in

>> reporter: president obama himself will spend the next year fighting for his bucket list. the rest of us will now be focused in earnest on where we go next. i'm david wright for "nightline" in new york. next, young activists from around the country come together to talk about the hot button issues firing up the nation. and later, the timeline of president obama's presidency and the american first family you've come to know. about a biologic, this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira helping me reach for more. doctors have been prescribing humira for more than 10 years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contrubutes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal

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controversial issues have dominated not only political

trends online. trending hashtags like back lives matter and issues of gun control all creating social conversation. young activists hoping to shape america's future and their attitudes, opinion shs even their political alignments, might surprise you. >> united we stand. >> reporter: on a busy street corner in southern california sergio is raising his arms in prayer for syria, iraq, and lebanon. a kind of public plea for peace. the 20-year-old quickly draws a crowd. >> good job, man. >> reporter: evoke surprisingly strong emotions from passersby. received thousands of messages of support in return. >> this video really touched my heart, made me cry. i wanted them to see my video. build up enough courage in them to do something similar. >> i'm an independent woman. >> reporter: just one of many young, savvy activists. >> good news, single ladies. for once everyone is listening to you.

>> reporter: now using social media to discuss issues they care about. >> we are the pro life generation. >> reporter: making the hashtag their new rallying cry. >> we cannot breathe. >> reporter: as the largest rising generation in u.s. history, their opinions matter. >> we used to follow the news on social media. now the social media is driving the news. >> reporter: so we invite addyi verse and rather vocal group of influence to come off line and chat face to face about this critical election year. >> hillary clinton. >> liar. >> not authentic at all. >> season politician. >> racist. >> reality tv. >> irresponsible. >> fearmongerer. >> he has the potential to up end the entire political system. >> reporter: the room got quiet when i asked who they plan to vote for. show of hands if you've decided. no one. okay. they may not have decided on a candidate but each activist was clear about what they think we

>> gun control. >> the first human right which is life. >> immigration. >> national security. >> criminalization and incarceration. >> reporter: come make part of black lives matter. >> we have nothing to lose but our -- >> reporter: one of the most successful social media campaigns in the last decade. >> the police are not getting involved, community people are breaking up the two guys who were fighting. >> reporter: i saw firsthand how they pulled off large-scale protests across the nation with results that packed real political punch. its success helped inspire people like touring the country islamophobia islamophobia. >> we will no longer sit addressly while others seek to define us. >> does one have to be a racist, a bigot to say because i perceive isis to be muslim therefore i'm concerned about muslims coming to the united states in mass? >> no, i think that's a fair

media portrayal with isis equals islam. >> and the white man comes into a movie theater and shoots up the place, we don't call it a terrorist act. >> how does this conversation link with the conversation that people you're connected with have? >> people are justifiably nervous about their safety. >> reporter: david is the president of one of the largest conservative online communities with almost 8 million followers. >> it really doesn't have anything to do with isis is muslim, muslim is isis and you can't go a christmas party without fear of being mutilated. >> reporter: and in the aftermath of that massacre and shootings in colorado springs in charleston, gun control was the hot button topic. >> if someone wants to cause you harm they're going to cause you harm whether they have a firearm or spoon. >> if someone comes into a classroom and kills a bunch of people with a spoon, then we'll talk about spoons.

everyone is afraid. >> i'm not scared. >> i'm not scared. >> the answer is very clear. we need to allow refugees, people who are speaking asylum period. >> planned parenthood. country. >> biggest health care provider. >> reporter: businesslet plank is a self described feminist, record series pulls in millions of viewers. >> if you shut down planned parenthood, you can bet dollars overdo nuts that the rate of abortion is going to go up in this country and the rate of dangerous abortions that puts risk. >> reporter: linda rose is one of the new faces of the anti-abortion movement. her organization, live action, has over 1 million facebook followering. >> we are identified with pro life because we have technology,

it's not just rhetoric and political division but reality in is a human life. >> as you're saying, it is the defining issue i think of our generation. in a lot of ways. >> defining issue. >> in a lot of ways. >> it cuts to the -- >> it is like -- it is life and death. >> that makes me so nervous that men are telling women what to do with their bodies. >> reporter: this freedom to exchange ideas, express themselves, they all hold in the highest esteem. they all believe what will help them shape their version of the american dream. >> the american dream. >> i'm living it, i think. >> most cliche and basic sense, it's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. >> you come to this country, work hard, and make something of yourself. >> the american dream isn't owning a house with a white picket fence. the american dream is the ability to go out and define your life the way you want it.

person in america is free. >> without the government on your case. >> where people can have the confidence that they know that their communications are private. >> i think we've hidden behind the american dream to excuse a lot of the policies and laziness. >> i think we're further away from any type of american dream today than we have ever been before in this country. it's almost nonexistent. >> i think it can be revived. >> the resources are there. >> the american dream to me means addressing all of those problems head-on. >> we want to hear from you. head to our "nightline" facebook beige page and tell us the issues you think are most important. next, we're traveling back in time, before president obama took office. what he thought would best prepare him for the job. this special edition of "nightline" brought to you by pfizer. i'm billy, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had a lot of doubts going in. i was a smoker. hands down, it was... that's who i was. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support,

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it's been a historic presidency for mr. obama. his first address to congress, his final address on the state of the union. tonight we're looking back at this president's evolution. here's abc's terry moran. >> the president of the united states. >> reporter: for the last time barack obama heard that famous shouted announcement as he strode into the house chamber to give his state of the union address. it's startling now to think back. i first met the then senator obama in cleveland all of the way back in 2006. back then, they were naming babies after him in iowa. >> how are you? >> he's so cute.

roll. obama mania, they call it. the rock star. >> this has been an interesting ride, 2 1/2 years ago nobody knew my name. >> reporter: then came 2008, a long shot first term senator challenging the clinton machine. the campaign became a mass movement. a wave of hope. >> what's the one thing in your life that you think prepares you best for that moment? >> in difficult or stressful moments, i don't get rattled. >> reporter: and obama himself turned out to be a highly polarizing president. polls show he's never become either hugely popular like ronald reagan or bill clinton, or hugely unpopular like jimmy carter or george w. bush. his favorability hovers under 50%. his presidency a time of turmoil and division and bitter angry politics. the opposite of what he promised and hoped when he burst on to

ignited the 2004 democratic convention. >> we are one people, all of us plenling allegiance to the stars and stripes. all of us defending the united states of america. >> reporter: after tonight, no more of these presidential moments are left to him. america has come to know this couple, this historic first family, and watched as their girls grew up and watched as their dad grew gray. >> thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm terry moran. >> on this night of politics we're reminded of the words of one of our former presidents, there's nothing wrong with america that cannot be cured by what is right with america. thank you for watching. tune in to "good morning america" first thing in the morning. as always, online 24/7,

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