While the theory that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is lying intact on the floor of the Indian Ocean has been tossed around for awhile now, the piece of wing's flaperon found in July on Réunion Island more or less confirms it, at least in the eyes of one expert involved in the investigation. Zaaim Redha Abdul Rahman, who helped analyze flight data and was involved in the initial search for the aircraft, told Malaysia's Bernama news agency that the Réunion flaperon "was only slightly damaged and was just encrusted with barnacles. Its appearance indicates that it was not violently torn off the aircraft's main body."

Studying other aviation disasters can lend clues, too — the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps in March, for example, resulted in a smattering of debris all less than a foot long. "If MH370 had crashed with a really hard impact, we would have seen small pieces of debris floating on the sea immediately after that," Zaaim Redha said.

The likeliest scenario, then, is that the flaperon rested at the bottom of the sea for some time before it detached and was pulled to Réunion's shore by currents. That would mean MH370 would have "glided down" onto the ocean — a scenario that could have resulted from the plane running out of fuel. Zaaim Redha told Bernama he firmly believes the plane must have then "floated for a while" before it sank into the deep sea "in one piece," not unlike US Airways Flight 1549, which executed an emergency landing on the Hudson River in 2009. Jeva Lange

The NFL is returning to the Los Angeles area after a 21-year absence. On Tuesday night, the NFL owners voted, 30-2, to approve the request by the Rams to move to Inglewood, a suburb near LAX, from St. Louis. That vote disregarded a recommendation from an NFL committee to approve an alternate joint venture in another L.A. suburb, Carson, for the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers. In a compromise, the Chargers were given a one-year option to join the Rams in Inglewood, and if they can't reach agreement with Rams owner Stan Kroenke in that time, the Raiders will get a shot.

"The excitement that we feel about being able to return the Rams to Los Angeles is balanced with a disappointment that we weren't able to get it done in St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the vote. All three teams are unhappy with the stadiums in their home market, but the NFL doesn't want three teams in Los Angeles. The NFL will give the team that doesn't move to L.A. $100 million toward a new stadium. The Inglewood stadium, near the airport, is expected to cost about $2 billion and will be privately financed. Peter Weber

For her final State of the Union as First Lady, Michelle Obama wore a bold marigold Narciso Rodriguez crepe dress that sold out online before the address was over.

It's not the first time she's donned the designer — Rodriguez was also behind the frock Obama wore on Election Night in 2008. The Neiman Marcus website had the dress (described as a "sleeveless banded-bodice midi dress") on sale for $628 (down from the original price of $2,095) before it sold out. Catherine Garcia

President Obama said during his State of the Union address that he has "incredible confidence" in the future of the United States because of the everyday Americans he meets across the country, adding: "I believe in change because I believe in you."

"Our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligations as a citizen," he said. "To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us." The president said Americans don't have to "agree on everything," as the U.S. is a "big country, with different regions and attitudes and interests," but it is important to come together for "rational, constructive debates" and for there to be "basic bonds of trust between" citizens. "It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us."

Too many Americans feel that "their voice doesn't matter," he said, and that "the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest." That is one of "the few regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." To make changes in the political process, "it will depend on you," Obama said. "That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people." Catherine Garcia

In the Republican response to the State of the Union, Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) said that while "Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they do not bear it alone," and said Republicans need to "recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership."

Haley said that Obama's record "has fallen far short of his soaring words," but added that Republicans "need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken. And then we need to fix it." If a Republican was in the White House, she said, taxes would be lower, innovation would be encouraged, and "good jobs would be available across the country."

In what was a likely swipe against presidential candidate Donald Trump, Haley also said "there's a tendency to falsely equate noise with results. Some think you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That's just not true. The best thing can be to turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter you can actually hear what someone else is saying, and that can make a world of difference." Catherine Garcia

President Obama announced during his State of the Union that he will "keep working to shut down the prison at Guantanamo," saying it is "expensive," "unnecessary," and "only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies."

Obama said it's important to "reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion," not as a matter of "political correctness," but a "matter of understanding what makes us strong." The world respects the United States "not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and openness and the way we respect every faith."

Americans are not made safer when "politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied." That's not "telling it like it is," the president said. "It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country." Catherine Garcia

In his State of the Union address, President Obama declared that if "Congress is serious about winning this war," it needs to "finally authorize the use of military force" against the Islamic State.

"Take a vote," the president said. "But, the American people should know that with or without Congressional action, [ISIS] will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America's commitment — or mine — to see that justice is done, ask Osama bin Laden. Ask the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you."

Obama said that while it may take some time to fight terrorists, "we have long memories, and our reach has no limit." What the United States can't do is "try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for a quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately weakens us. It's the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq — and we should have learned it by now." The smarter approach, he said, is to have a "patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power." The U.S. will "act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and allies," but on matter of global concern, "we will mobilize the world to work us, and make sure other countries pull their own weight." Catherine Garcia

In his last State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama told more than a few jokes — but one of his most pointed was implicitly directed at those who deny climate change:

Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn't deny Sputnik was up there. We didn't argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and 12 years later, we were walking on the moon. [Obama]

The applause on the left side of the aisle was wild. On the right? Not so much. Nico Lauricella