It’s that time of year when elected officials, political junkies and the national press corps tune their antennae toward Capitol Hill for the State of the Union Address and opposition-party response. The Constitution requires the President to tell Congress where the country stands; more than 40 years of political tradition empower the party-not-in-the-White-House to offer an alternate point of view (sometimes, more than one).
Join some of the brightest minds in journalism for live coverage of both speeches starting at 8:30 p.m. ET until it’s all wrapped up sometime after 11 p.m. ET. TIME Senior Political Director Mark Halperin will lead the discussion with TIME editors Rana Foroohar, Bobby Ghosh, Michael Shearer, Callie Schweitzer and Paul Moakley. They’ll discuss the political, economic, global and media context in which the event takes place, as well as offer insights on the speeches themselves and what they mean for nation in the weeks and months ahead.
You can also send your own questions and comments via Twitter using hashtag #TIMESOTU, or on TIME’s Facebook page.