He has used Twitter on foes ranging from musician Jay-Z to Washington's top Democrat "Cryin' Chuck Schumer", but US president Donald Trump will use his first State of The Union speech on Tuesday to change tack, officials say.
One year since his populist inaugural address lamented "American carnage", Mr Trump will opt for a more positive and unifying tone, according to those briefed on the address.
It will be a speech "that resonates with our American values and unites us with patriotism", said one aide in a call with reporters. The header will be building "a safe, strong, and proud America."
Mr Trump was expected to rehearse the speech at the White House, with the help of his advisers Stephen Miller and Rob Porter who jointly wrote it.
It will tout the US president's accomplishments in office - most notably a major tax cut - and plans for ambitious economic growth, infrastructure projects, the renegotiation of trade deals and immigration reform.
The latter is one area that Mr Trump needs to build bridges, given his repeated pledge to build a wall with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.
In the nationally televised event the US president is expected to say that in return for Congress funding the wall he would be willing to grant 1.8 million undocumented young immigrants a path to citizenship.
"I'd say to Congress the tone will be one of bipartisanship... it will be very forward looking and certainly have a dimension which of course transcends party differences," said one official, two weeks after a partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill shut down the US government for three days.
But given Mr Trump's past record for saying he would bring people together, only to then lambast those who disagree with him, upbeat talk is one thing but reality is another, said Shibley Telhami, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The divisive mood of the 2016 presidential election remains. "We saw a polarisation across domestic and foreign policy issues that was among the deepest we had measured in our polls.” Mr Telhami, director of the "critical issues poll" at the University of Maryland, told The National.
"There were expectations that immediately after the elections this polarisation would diminish. It did not," he said, attributing that at least partly to Mr Trump's decision "to cater mostly to his base as was evidenced in his inaugural speech" last year.
A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center last October showed an unprecedented 36-percentage-point gap between Republicans and Democrats on a wide set of identity and values related questions. In 1994, the margin was only 15 points.
"I don't expect the president to be able to narrow that gap in his State of the Union Address," Mr Telhami said, anticipating that Mr Trump will continue to reach out to his core base and the majority of Republican politicians and voters who still support him despite an average approval rating of only 40 per cent.
The speech is also an opening gambit to America's midterm elections in November. Republicans and rival Democrats are starting to mark out their positions. Democrats are lining up to respond to the State of the Union. Congressman Joe Kennedy III will answer Mr Trump, while Congresswoman Maxine Waters will deliver another non-official response targeted at party followers.
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The sheer gap between the optimism for progress advanced by the White House and the reality of prevailing political discord is perhaps best evidenced, however, by splits over foreign policy.
Mr Trump is expected to draw "clarity between our friends and adversaries," said one US official, likely promoting his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognise it as capital of Israel, a step that was popular in Congress, though it sparked clashes in Gaza. The move has also led Palestinians to declare they will not treat the United States as an honest broker in any peace settlement, an initiative Mr Trump continues to raise while lacking any road map toward a negotiated solution.
He will also praise US military accomplishments against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
What will be left unsaid on Tuesday is the special inquiry into Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election won by Mr Trump.
The US president is not expected to walk into Richard Nixon’s trap in 1974 and make mention of the ongoing investigation, this time led by special counsel Robert Mueller. The Russia probe continues to cast a cloud over the White House, as Mr Trump’s lawyers negotiate with Mr Mueller a possible interview with the US president, another indication that the probe may be in its final stages.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
Royal wedding inspired menu
Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea
Avocado ranch dip with crudites
Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches
Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
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OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
