[The President] shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. -- Article II, Section 3 U.S. Constitution

George Washington set the precedent that the president should deliver a speech to both houses of Congress annually, yet history also shows a rich and varied approach to the SOTU -- a time honored tradition that really isn't set into stone.

The Centrist Project today released the results of an online survey of 1200 likely Missouri voters in the United States Senate election in 2016 that shows 34.5% of voters would support an unnamed independent candidate, while 19.1% would support the Republican candidate and 19.9% would support the Democratic candidate.

Gallup released the results of a new survey Monday which shows that the number of self-identifying Republicans and Democrats is stuck near historic lows. According to the results, over 4 in 10 Americans continue to self-identify as independent of the Republican and Democratic parties, leaving Democrats at 29 percent and Republicans at 26 percent of the voting population.

Hillary Clinton's support among Democrats nationwide may be taking a serious hit, according to a recent IBD/TIPP poll. While Clinton's support hovered at around 50 percent going into December, it has dropped to 43 percent, while Sanders' support has climbed to 39 percent.

"As a result, Clinton's lead over Sanders, which had been 18 points, is now just four points," IBD reports.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Activists at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System are calling for congressional oversight into the operation of the system charged with caring for our nation's veterans in the Bay Area. Chronic short staffing in direct patient care roles and staff support have led to a demoralized environment that undoubtedly impacts the veterans being served, says AFGE Local 1216.

After introducing legislation to audit the Federal Reserve System, one lawmaker looks to be finally getting a vote this week.

Over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul announced on Facebook that when the Senate returns this week, there will be a vote on his legislation, commonly called Audit the Fed. The vote will likely come on Tuesday. The Kentucky senator said:

Last week amid considerable speculation, former New Mexico governor and 2012 Libertarian Party presidential candidate, Gary Johnson, formally announced his bid for the 2016 Libertarian Party nomination. In an exclusive interview for IVN, he clarified his announcement and ambitions for his 2016 campaign.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Washington is abound with proposals to "regulate the regulators," namely placing procedural constraints on the writing of regulations.

However basic structural changes in the regulatory system which would obviate the need for many of these procedural requirements by instituting new institutional changes in the regulate state are rare.

Sioux Falls, SD...South Dakotans for a Nonpartisan Democracy committee chair, Rick Knobe, a registered Independent and regional radio talk show host, said that he was elated that the proposed constitutional amendment to establish a nonpartisan primary was given a ‘green light’ by the South Dakota secretary of state's Office.

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In response to the proposal by presidential candidate Jeb Bush to eliminate the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formally known as food stamps) and replace it with block grants to the states to pay for programs that assist lower-income residents, Bread for the World president Rev. David Beckmann released the following statement: