Obama seeks to jump-start stalled plans

President Barack Obama, seeking to restore confidence in his leadership, declared in his State of the Union address Tuesday that he would use executive power to try to narrow the gap between rich and poor and speed the nation's economic recovery, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"Corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged," Obama said. "Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled…Our job is to reverse these trends."

Among proposals was an increase of the minimum wage and changing the immigration system.

After the speech, Republican lawmakers warned of presidential overreach and said the president has given up on trying to compromise with Congress, the journal reports.

Read more from the Wall Street Journal.