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GEORGE H.W. BUSH: And let us remember that the state of the union depends on each and everyone of us.
BILL CLINTON: My fellow Americans, the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been.
GEORGE W. BUSH: And the state of our union will remain strong.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And the state of our union is strong.
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CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: "He shall, from time to time give to the Congress information on the state of the Union". Those words from the U.S. Constitution are the reason why President Obama visited Capitol Hill last night. We asked ahead of time what you wanted to hear the president talk about in his State of the Union speech. Several of you brought up guns. We had some people who said they want to hear about education issues, health care, immigration laws and of course, the economy.
Some folks like Brian and Shira (ph) were hoping to hear the president talk about bringing troops home from Afghanistan. That was part of the president`s plan. Yesterday afternoon, CNN reported that the State of the Union would include an announcement about 34,000 U.S. troops coming home from Afghanistan by next February.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States.
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AZUZ: When a president gives the State of the Union speech, the room is packed. Members of the U.S. House and Senate are there, members of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, special guests. Here are some of what President Obama said during his speech last night.
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OBAMA: The American people don`t expect government to solve every problem. They don`t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue. But they do expect us to put the nation`s interest before party.
(APPLAUSE)
They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can. For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together. And the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.
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AZUZ: We`ve got a video on our home page that talks about some of the traditions surrounding the State of the Union. One of them is the response from the opposition party. Last night, the Republican response was made by Marco Rubio. He is U.S. Senator from Florida, and he`s seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. A CNN political analyst who`s also one of Senator Rubio`s friends, said following the State of the Union is the toughest gig in politics. Here`s part of Senator Rubio`s speech from last night.
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SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R ), FLORIDA: The idea that more taxes and more government spending is the best way to help hardworking middle class taxpayers? That`s an old idea that`s failed every time it`s been tried. More government isn`t going to help you get ahead. It`s going to hold you back. More government isn`t going to create more opportunities, it`s going to limit them. And more government isn`t going to inspire new ideas, new businesses and new private sector jobs. It`s going to create uncertainty.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today "Shoutout" goes out to Mr. Michie`s civics class at Emerald Coast Middle School in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Which of these words relates to vibrations in the earth? Here we go. Is it barometric, seismic, orthopedic or antediluvian? You`ve got three seconds, go!
A seismic event like an earthquake has to do with earth vibrations. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."
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AZUZ: There were reports of seismic activity in North Korea on Tuesday, but no one was talking about an earthquake. These vibrations were caused by an underground nuclear test, one that sent shock waves around the world. Leaders from all over the globe spoke out against North Korea. Even China, North Korea`s closest ally, said it was opposed to this test.
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting after North Korea announced this test. What happened yesterday, breaks rules that the Security Council has for North Korea`s controversial nuclear program. Last month, the council promised to take significant action, if there was another test. This is North Korea`s first nuclear test since Kim-Jong Un took over as the country`s leader. The North Korean government said the test was designed to "defend the country`s security and sovereignty".
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no lights, no water, we can`t flush. Some people were able to shower. No one was injured. Most of us are camping out on the top deck.
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AZUZ: Not a dream vacation. Three days into a four-day Caribbean cruise, there was a fire in the engine room of the Carnival Triumph cruise ship. That left more than 4200 passengers and crew drifting for days in the Gulf of Mexico. You can see some of them in this Facebook photo. Rooms flooded, sewage leaked in some areas. Two tug boats were needed to tow the ship, and Carnival sent in meals from other crews ships. The Triumph could arrive in Mobile, Alabama today or tomorrow, passengers have been promised a full refund, a free flight home and credit for another cruise. So, the day`s question on our Facebook site is, would you take it? If you are on Facebook, you can find us at Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews. And tell us if you`d been in a cruise ship situation like this, if you`d be willing to take another one.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? A cancer patient who`s in remission doesn`t show signs of the disease. It`s true! The cancer could come back, but complete remission means the signs and symptoms have disappeared.
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AZUZ: Earlier this month, we talked about World Cancer Day. The goal this year was to tackle some myths, like that cancer is an automatic death sentence. It`s not. In the U.S. one out of every two men and one out of every three women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. But finding it earlier and better treatments may mean those cancer patients can and will go into remission. For some people, that`s when a whole new kind of stress starts.
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JAMES CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER: My name is James Curry, I`m a producer at CNN International. I`m 27 years old. And two years ago, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma. Cancer in most people`s mind is what affects older people. When I was being treated, I`d go to the Cancer Center, people would ask me - oh, are you waiting with somebody or whatever? And I`d be like no, I`m actually getting treated for cancer.
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CURRY: I went to the doctor for a simple sore throat. Less than a week later, I was told that I had cancer, and went immediately into chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy was the worst experience of my life. Hands down. Your worst hangover ever times a hundred, and then drink a bottle of bleach - I mean that`s what chemo was like for four days. I went through chemotherapy and then did eight weeks of radiation, and close to my birthday I was told that OK, you`re finally in remission. Although you`re relieved that you`re in remission, there is that whole anxiety that goes with it. Every doctor`s appointment, wondering, if you`re going to be rediagnosed with cancer.
Every month I go to the doctor. I go get blood test, I get scans. And then I wait seven days. And I think it`s the worst seven days of my life every month. They take my vital signs, and I try to act all cool, but the vital signs always give you away.
They hand me the test results, and it`s - I treat it like a trophy or a diploma. It`s a kind of big deal, even though it`s really just a crinkled piece of paper. But I save all of them.
There`s relief, but then I go make that appointment again, and it starts the whole process all over again.
You definitely learn to value things more, and I thought I learned that in the Marine Corps. Almost was killed in Iraq, and now I come back and there`s a possibility I can die again from cancer.
Ten year later, 70 people -- 70 percent of people are not alive after their remission.
You start thinking about death, you start thinking about whether or not you want to go through treatment again.
You have a pretty strong support system with your friends and family, but really, I think it`s just something each person deals with individually. You take one day at a time and try not to let it dominate your life. You`re just trying to be normal.
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AZUZ: Fascinating story from my colleague at CNN International. Before we go today, we have for you a little mascot mayhem. The Bakersfield Condors, minor league hockey team, decided to bring out a real condor for the national anthem recently. The bird seemed to draw inspiration from that "Land of the Free" line. It escaped from its handler twice. Even though recovery didn`t go as planned -- ouch -- remember, ice is slippery. The bird flocked to the Condors bench and eventually made its way out of the arena. You know how it left? Through the condoor (ph). Sure, it`s sort of bird brain story, but at least it has an ice ending.
Teacher feedback. You, teachers have it, we want it. Find the link on our home page, and then find us again tomorrow for more CNN STUDENT NEWS.
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