45.6m saw the “State of Union” speech

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday drew 45.6 million viewers, according to estimate by the Nielsen Company.

The president’s speech to a joint session of the Congress drew fewer than the 47 million who watched President Barack Obama’s 2017 address, but still garnered more watchers than the broadcast of the Jan. 21 NFC championship game pitting the Philadelphia Vikings against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tuesday’s speech by Trump, focusing on “our new American moment,” touted the improving economy and the recently-passed changes in the federal income tax code.

In making the Democratic response, Rep. Joseph Kennedy replied that the Trump administration is dividing the country “with false choices.”

1 killed when train hits trash truck

One person was killed when a train carrying several dozen Republican members of Congress crashed into a trash truck in Virginia on Wednesday.

The dead man was the driver of the truck. No one in the train was seriously injured, according to the Associated Press. Several people in the truck were also injured, and they were treated by lawmakers who are also members of Congress.

The representatives were headed to an annual policy retreat. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are scheduled to speak at the three-day event.

FBI pushes back on controversial memo

The Federal Bureau of Investigation took objection Wednesday to plans by Republicans in the House of Representatives to release a secret memo that criticizes the bureau and the Justice Department.

“The FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” according to a statement, referring to the House Intelligence Committee. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

At odds is a request for a surveillance warrant for Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump. Authorities are investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.