In his annual State of the Union Address Tuesday, President Donald Trump said “the state of our union is strong.” But the current political state of the union appears uncertain and fraying. In the wake of Trump’s speech, members of both U.S. political parties are trying to assess how to move forward under divided government in Washington.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On February 7, 1964, the Beatles arrive in the United States for the first time. The British band, which had just scored their first number one hit in the U.S., “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” was met by over 3,000 screaming fans at New York’s Kennedy Airport. On Feb. 9, Paul McCartney, age 21, Ringo Starr, 23, John Lennon, 23, and George Harrison, 20, made their debut appearance on the popular Ed Sullivan Show , adding to what many called “Beatlemania.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expected to formally declare victory over the Islamic State terror group’s self-declared caliphate in the next week.

VIDEO: Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian was held for 544 days by the Iranian government before his release after the Iran Nuclear Deal was signed. In an interview with VOA Contributor Greta Van Susteren, Rezaian recounts some of his experiences in prison and what drove him to write about it in a new book “Prisoner.”

At sunset every day, an almost deafening sound from the sky can be heard in a community just east of Los Angeles. It is the sound of parrots that have become a familiar part of life here.

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission recently recommended Congress officially recognize Native Hawaiians, making them eligible for the same government-to-government relationship and benefits given to hundreds of Native American tribes. But many Native Hawaiians reject that idea.