State of the Union: Obama promises action on inequality

US President Barack Obama has promised "with or without Congress" to tackle economic inequality, in his annual State of the Union address.
He pledged to take steps without legislation wherever possible, announcing a rise in the minimum wage for new federal contract staff. On Iran, he said he would veto any new sanctions that risked derailing talks.
The Democratic president is facing some of his lowest approval ratings since taking office in 2009.
"Let's make this a year of action," Mr Obama said in Tuesday night's speech.
Noting that inequality has deepened and upward mobility stalled, he would offer "a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class".