David Leonhardt, Washington bureau chief for the New York Times and author of the new e-book Here's the Deal, previews tonight's State of the Union address, and discusses his take on deficits, taxes, and growth. Plus, what the North Korean nuclear test means for Obama diplomacy.

→ Tonight: SOTU Watch and Live-Chat with Brian, plus Emily Bazelon and David Plotz of Slate's Politics Gabfest! Starts here at 9pm.

"Republicans are right about the importance of growth, but wrong about the ways to achieve it. Democrats are the opposite." -- @dleonhardt

— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) February 12, 2013

On the Brian Lehrer Show, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills talks about his book Why Priests and asks if Christianity would be better off without them.

Senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Elliott Abrams supervised US policy in the Middle East during the Bush administration, discusses his new book Tested by Zion: The Bush Administration and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 

Producer Amy Ziering and  Kirby Dick, director of "Invisible War", discuss their film about sexual assault in the United States military.  

Florida Senator Marco Rubio released a Spotify playlist of some of his favorite songs, including music from Tupac and the song "Pumped Up Kicks" -- about a school shooting. This got us thinking: How much do the lyrics matter when it comes to the music you love? Do you listen to the lyrics right away, or does it take a while? Is it possible to love a song and never really know the lyrics? Let us know! Call 212-433-9692 or post here. Soundcheck's John Schaefer helps field your calls.

President Barack Obama delivered the first State of the Union speech tonight of his 2nd term tonight. Brian Lehrer special guests Emily Bazelon and David Plotz of Slate's "Politics Gabfest" live-chatted during the address.