SOTU

Tonight will mark the final State of the Union address from President Barack Obama. Guests that will join First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the box will include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, PhD and Syrian Refugee Refaai Hamo,Sue Ellen Allen, Earl Smith(TX), Cedric Rowland(Chicago, IL), Ryan Reyes(CA), Jim Obergefell to name a few. During an interview with Matt Lauer, the President expressed regret that he could not unite Washington behind a common purpose as he had pledged during his initial presidential campaign.

ISTANBUL EXPLOSION

The historic central district of Istanbul, a square in Sultanahmet’s tourist district, was the scene of a large explosion that killed at least 10 people and wounding 15 others Tuesday morning. A Syrian sucide bomber may have been responsible for the attack. The square is one of the most visited sites in the world and is steps from monuments commemorating the three empires — Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Turkey is battling Kurdish militants in its southeast and Islamic State insurgents just across its southern borders in Syria and Iraq. 

OIL

Oil prices continue to slide with crude dropping below $31 a barrel. Nigeria’s oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu hinted that OPEC, The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, may hold an emergency meeting before their next scheduled meeting in June to discuss a resolution to slump in oil prices which is hurting producers, including the world’s biggest exporter, Saudi Arabia

SNIPPETS

Alabama Crimson Tide are the 2016 College football National Championbeating Clemson 45-40 and making Nick Saban one of only two coaches to win five national championships…Microsoft will no longer support Internet Explorer versions 8, 9 and 10 though it will continue to support Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge; though one in five internet users were still using Internet Explorer 8, 9 or 10 as of December 2015, Microsoft warns that you will be more susceptible to viruses, malware and other malicious software that can steal your data or hijack your PC….Analysis of footage provided by Pyongyang of the submarine-launched ballistic missile test last week in North Korea is a fake according to a California based firm…German Chancellor Angela Merkel is moving to swiftly tighten asylum rules following the New Year’s eve sexual assaults in Cologne…Activist investor Carl Icahn is buying up shares of Time Warner Inc…GE Healthcare announced they are moving their corporate headquarters from the UK to Chicago with CEO John Flannery noting that only his “senior executive leadership team” is making the move. 

ENTERTAINMENT

After dating for four months, NewsCorp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall, model and ex of Mick Jagger, announced their engagementwhich took place in LA Golden Globes weekend, with a notice inside The Times, a News Corporation publication. Should they tie the knot, it will be Mr Murdoch’s fourth; he divorced Wendi Deng after 14 years of marriage in 2013 …The new season of The Bachelor is underway and last night’s episodefeatured guest appearance from Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, star of the upcoming movie Ride Along 2; LB voluntarily dropped out …The world of entertainment, fashion, music continues to mourn the loss of David Bowie and it was revealed he suffered from liver cancer; his final album ‘Blackstar’ has soared in sales and Spotify noted a 2,700% increase on Monday.  

FASHION

The City of Chicago’s budget cuts has hit and one of the casualties is the city backed “Fashion week.” WWD reports starting this year, it will no longer sponsor Fashion Focus Chicago and eliminating the position of Tonya Gross-Director for Fashion and Culinary Programs for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events…Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek Capital Partners announced a $300 million takeover bid for American Apparel yesterday on the condition that Dov Charney, the brands belaguered founder/former CEO… Britt Aboutaleb will start Feb. 1 as the new editor in chief for Racked.