Midday Roundup: Obama's agenda drives State of the Union guest list

Party mascots. President Barack Obama will deliver his last State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, and aides say he’ll use the opportunity to convince Americans of the need for more gun control and taking in more Syrian refugees. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told Fox News Sunday the president also will focus on what he considers the achievements of his administration. The White House guest list for the event includes a Syrian refugee, one of the first female graduates of the Army Ranger School, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage, and an empty seat to represent victims of mass shooters.

Back behind bars. Mexican police arrested escaped drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán on Friday and are preparing to extradite him to the United States. Guzmán, head of the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, escaped a maximum-security prison in Mexico six months ago through a mile-long tunnel. The story of Guzmán’s recapture is filled with bizarre, Hollywood-esque details, including his meeting with actor Sean Penn to talk about making a movie about his life. Authorities say the meeting helped them find Guzmán’s hideout on the west coast of Mexico. They apprehended him after a gun battle that killed five of his henchmen. Guzmán slipped through a secret passage into a storm drain to escape the property but was caught on the street. Mexican officials say extradition to the U.S. could take a year.

Oscar prequel. Last night’s Golden Globe Awards recognized The Revenant and The Martian as the year’s best drama and comedy films, respectively, with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon winning best actor awards. The Academy Award nominations will be announced Thursday, and critics expect both films and actors to be included in the nominees. The movie Spotlight, the fact-based drama about The Boston Globe’s investigation into sex abuses in the Catholic Church, is considered a lock for a Best Picture nomination on Thursday, but it didn’t win any Golden Globes. Jennifer Lawrence won her third Golden Globe for Joy in the best actress in a drama category, and Brie Larson won best actress in a comedy for Room.

Tigers versus Tide. Clemson University and the University of Alabama compete for the college football national championship tonight, with the underdog Clemson Tigers hoping to upset the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide. Clemson hasn’t won a national championship since 1981 with its surprise defeat of the University of Nebraska, while Alabama is competing for its fourth title since 2009. The teams face off at 8:30 p.m. EST from the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report.