The 'great American comeback'?

US President Donald Trump gave a polarizing State of the Union address Tuesday night, which started out on a partisan note when Trump declined to shake US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand and Pelosi omitted ceremonial greeting to welcome the president to the floor. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( US President Donald Trump touted a "great American comeback" in his State of the Union address. But the event was also a visual representation of American polarization. Quarantines are increasing in the effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The World offers a glimpse into life for residents of Wuhan. And Iowa caucus results continue to trickle in with former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders in the lead. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today 'Great American comeback' [US President Donald Trump makes his State of the Union address to a joint session of the Congress in Washington, DC, Feb. 4, 2020.] Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Trump gave a polarizing [State of the Union]( address Tuesday night, which started out on a partisan note when Trump declined to shake US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hand and Pelosi omitted ceremonial greeting to welcome the president to the floor. As expected, Trump [touted the economy]( in his address, as well as his [actions in the Middle East](. But many of the president's [claims are on shaky ground](. He also used the opportunity to award highly controversial conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh, recently diagnosed with lung cancer, the Medal of Freedom — America's highest civilian honor. One moment of bipartisan unity came in the form of [Juan Guaidó](. Guaidó is recognized as the legitimate leader of Venezuela by the US, and attended the speech as a guest of the president — to applause from both sides of the aisle. But political harmony was short lived. In the midst of the maelstrom in which he currently finds himself, Trump never mentioned the impeachment trial in his speech. Acquittal is almost guaranteed in a vote today — the only real question seems to be the final vote tally. And ending the event the way it started, Pelosi outdid her 2019 “[SOTU clapback](” this year, [demonstratively ripping up]( Trump's speech as he left the podium. Look back: [How Trump was impeached in the House]( Hong Kong implements quarantine against coronavirus Passengers on a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, are under a [14-day quarantine]( as 10 have tested positive for the virus. Another cruise ship docked in Hong Kong is also screening passengers. All arrivals to Hong Kong from mainland China will be subject to [mandatory quarantine](, while [medical workers are striking]( to demand a total border closure. Hong Kong's flagship airline, [Cathay Pacific](, is asking staff to take three weeks of unpaid leave to deal with the impact of the illness. From The World: [What's life like for residents of Wuhan?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a smart speaker? Listen to The World's new show called [The Number in the News](! We produce The Number in the News daily from our studio in Boston. Host Bianca Hillier will tell you one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. Add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. Buttigieg, Sanders lead as Iowa caucus results trickle in [Pete Buttigieg, Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor attends a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa, Feb. 2, 2020.] Credit: Eric Thayer/Reuters After a technological failure delayed reporting, [early results]( from the Iowa caucuses show former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders tied for delegates, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren trailing. What [impacts]( could Iowa have as the race progresses? Also: [The tragedy of the Iowa Caucus]( ['Between Two Fires' looks at the complexities of life in Putin's Russia]( Joshua Yaffa lives in Russia and is the Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker magazine. In his new book, “Between Two Fires," he writes about how complicated life is in President Vladimir Putin's Russia, and how — to some degree — he found the same in Ukraine. Yaffa [spoke with The World's Marco Werman]( this week. “People aren't so cleanly divided into the oppressor and the oppressed. In fact, most people live their lives somewhere in the middle,” Yaffa said. “People with understandable, even admirable ambitions, motives, things they want to accomplish in their lives — the way you act those out, the way you realize them is, is by engaging the state in one way or another and deciding where you bend and in the service of what goal.” Also: [Russia mulls over ban on priests blessing weapons of mass destruction]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme Earlier we brought you [emotional cows](. Today: verbose penguins. A recent study from the University of Torino indicates that [penguin speech patterns]( obey the same rules as human language. It's the first evidence of its kind in non-primate species. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Shanghai coronavirus impact]( - [How is coronavirus affecting the Chinese economy?]( - [Scientists and amateur sky watchers find new form of northern lights]( - [Kenya reckons with Moi’s legacy]( - [Tap payments]( - [Latino voter history]( - [Gay crimes in Nigeria]( - [99 iPhones and a red wagon]( - [SOTU guests]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX](, [WGBH](, and the [BBC](.