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4 takeaways from Trump's first State of the Union address
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President Donald Trump zeroed in on many of the nation's top political discussions, weaving in stories from various U.S. citizens seated in the gallery of the House Chamber, as he delivered his first State of the Union address Tuesday evening. - photo by Carter Williams
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump zeroed in on many of the nation's top political discussions, weaving in stories from various U.S. citizens seated in the gallery of the House Chamber, as he delivered his first State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Trump talked about the U.S. economy, immigration, infrastructure and the countrys frosty relationship with North Korea. He also pointed toward some of the nation's current success and offered an optimistic look at the future.

This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream, he said, regarding the hopeful ramifications of the recently passed $1.5 trillion tax overhaul bill.

While he pointed to that optimism, Trump also brought up issues that will likely be addressed in upcoming legislative discussions. Here are four of the main takeaways from his address:

Immigration reform

Perhaps the most talked-about aspect from Trumps speech was his four pillar plan for immigration reform, which brings together some ideas from both Republicans and Democrats.

My administration has met extensively with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform, Trump said. Based on these discussions, we presented the Congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs.

The plan calls for a 12-year pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants living in America illegally, but who were brought into the country by their parents at a young age. Many of these immigrants are a part of the U.S. DACA program.

It also calls for building a wall on Americas southern border, hiring more security agents and ending the U.S. visa lottery. In addition, Trump called for ending chain migration," which NPR explains as a process in which green card holders, or citizens, sponsor a family member, such as a spouse or a child, for immigration to the U.S.

That last part of Trumps proposal drew some boos from the Democratic side of the crowd.

Infrastructure

Trump called for at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spendings during Tuesdays speech. The money the federal government spends should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and looking at the private sector for investments as well, he said.

We built the Empire State Building in just one year is it not a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a permit approved for a simple road? Trump said. I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe, fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people deserve.

He added that any bill on the topic should adjust permitting and approval processes for projects to cut time on what projects are completed.

On a similar note, Trump also claimed the country has ended the war on American energy and we have ended the war on clean coal. He said the country is now an exporter of energy to the world.

North Korea

While the president spent some time speaking of the United States' war on ISIS and the nation's nuclear deal with Iran, more time was spent on the country's frosty relationship with North Korea.

In fact, the parents and siblings of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died last year after his imprisonment in North Korea, were in the crowd and received an ovation from the audience during the speech, as did Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean escapee now living in South Korea. He was also in the gallery.

Trump said no regime has oppressed its citizens more brutally than North Korea and vowed to place more pressure on the country.

North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland, the president said. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening.

Bipartisanship

Throughout his speech Tuesday, Trump brought up the idea of unity. While this is a topic that wont be voted on, it will be interesting to see if Republicans and Democrats will work more closely after the brief government shutdown earlier this month.

Trump noted a couple of times that the obligation of public office is to serve those who elected you to represent them.

I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties Democrats and Republicans to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed, he said. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans to protect their safety, their families, their communities and their right to the American dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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