New York, United States - US President Barack Obama will deliver his last State of the Union address on Tuesday night, a speech about the progress made during his seven years in office and what to expect from his final lap and during the handover to his presidential successor.
The annual report to Congress is a set piece on Washington's political calendar in which presidents typically lay out legislative plans. However, with a general election looming, Obama will likely focus on his legacy and try to pave the way for a Democrat to replace him.
While he talks about the road ahead, campaigners are pressing the president to fulfill long-standing goals, such as making life better for black Americans, closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and stabilizing the fractious Middle East.
In a video about the upcoming speech, Obama, perched on his desk in the Oval Office, spoke casually about the US' economic rebound and how he felt "more optimistic" about 2016 than at any other time in his presidency.
Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton (Right) and Bernie Sanders could benefit from an upbeat State of Union report by Obama [Jim Young/Reuters]
He will cover "not just what I want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come - the big things that will guarantee an even stronger, better, more prosperous America for our kids," he said.
It comes three weeks before voters in the state of Iowa choose their favorites for the presidential race. Democratic wannabes include Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders; the Republican field is wide open and features the bullish property tycoon Donald Trump.
Obama's approval ratings have been stuck in the mid-40s for months. An upbeat State of the Union report could boost his standing, cement his legacy and help Democrats keep the White House.
That will be a struggle, with such right-wing populists as Trump declaring: "Right now, the state of our union is a mess."
Analysts are speculating about what "big things" Obama will mention at the start of his final year, during which he will struggle to avoid becoming a 'lame duck' president who is rendered impotent by a Republican-dominated Congress.
He is widely seen as having two chances to break through the US' political gridlock - there may be cross-party support for approving his big Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal and on reforming the criminal justice system.

Who will attend the State of the Union? 

Pundits are drawn to first lady Michelle Obama's guest list, which typically reflects the president's political agenda. This year's line-up nods towards Obama's expansion of healthcare, gay marriage, clean energy, Latino immigrants and homeless veterans.
It also features a vacant chair to mark the victims of gun violence.
After the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, and other bloodbaths, Obama issued an executive order this month to expand federal background checks for online and gun show sales, as well as to beef up the enforcement of firearm regulation.
Other guests include reformers of the justice system, which Obama criticises for costing $80bn a year and seeing inmate numbers growfrom 500,000 in 1980 to 2.2 million now, often blacks and Latinos for nonviolent drug offences.
Black protesters rally in December 2015. After a series of incidents of police brutality against African Americans, many blacks wonder if their situation has improved at all during Obama's seven-year presidency [Shawn Thew/EPA]

Are African Americans better off under Obama?

Khury Petersen-Smith, from the Black Lives Matter campaign, said it was time Obama came good on pledges to make life better for ordinary black people, who often get a raw deal from police, prosecutors and judges.
"For a long time in the civil rights movement, we said we needed a black face in a high place.
"Now we've had seven years of Obama, and we have to ask whether black people are better off. The answer has got to be no. Very little from Obama's stay in the White House has advanced the lives of black people in a positive and progressive way.