Joe Biden State of the Union (SOTU) Address Highlights: US will act to protect if China threatens its sovereignty, says President Biden

President Joe Biden has admitted that he never had to talk to his children about how to conduct themselves with the police like many Black and Brown families have to have with their children and urged the US Congress to "do something" on police reforms, days after Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by Memphis police during a traffic stop.

Biden, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, asked lawmakers and top officials present at the primetime event to imagine how some parents feel, worrying their children may not come home. As he spoke, the president acknowledged the parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who was beaten to death by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.

The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols -- RowVaughn and Rodney Wells -- were among First Lady Jill Biden's guests at President Biden's second State of the Union address. They stood up during the State of the Union address and received a standing ovation. (PTI)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that America will stand with Ukraine 'as long as it takes'. Delivering his first major speech to a divided Congress after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, Biden said, "We're gonna stand with you -- as long as it takes," addressing the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, who was in attendance.

"Our nation is working for more freedom, more dignity, more peace -- not just in Europe, but everywhere," he said in his second State of the Union address at the US Capitol.

The US has pledged more than USD 29 billion dollars since the war began between Russia and Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, according to the Pentagon. Biden announced the latest package worth more than USD 2.17 billion on Friday that includes longer-range missiles for the first time.

Last month, the US committed to providing Ukraine with 31 advanced M-1 Abrams tanks, a decision made in concert with European countries providing German-made Leopard 2 tanks. (ANI)

President Joe Biden has delivered his second State of the Union Address to both chambers of the United States Congress on Tuesday (February 8 morning in India), the first with the Republicans in control of the House of Representatives since their narrower-than-expected victory in the midterms of November 2022 and, as POLITICO put it, on the “cusp of his expected (2024) re-election (campaign) launch”.

American media analyses of his speech underlined his thrust on bipartisanship and the focus on domestic concerns, rather than the world and US foreign policy, which has long been the President’s strong suit. Here are a few takeaways from Biden’s 73-minute-long Address. Read full Explainer here

America today is in a much better shape than it was two years ago when its economy was "reeling", President Joe Biden has asserted, touting his administration's economic accomplishments in his State of the Union address as he laid the groundwork for his 2024 White House run.

The economy is coming back, even if there's more to do on inflation, Biden told Americans on Tuesday in his primetime address to the nation, his second since assuming the presidency in 2021. The economy was reeling two years ago, he said, adding that today the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low.

“We've been sent here to finish the job,” Biden said, a phrase he used repeatedly as he laid out his agenda for the next two years. In his 72-minute speech, 80-year-old Biden, the oldest sitting US President, touted areas of bipartisan agreement, telling Republicans that “there's no reason we can't work together” after the Republican Party took control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.

His remarks amounted to the opening of a re-election campaign he plans to announce by this spring, The New York Times Newspaper reported. (PTI)

Republican Rep. George Santos positioned himself in a prime location for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address — an uncomfortably prominent place for the embattled new lawmaker who faces multiple investigations and has acknowledged embellishing and even lying about his life story.

Santos' presence at the center aisle to see and be seen with the arrivals was met with a stern rebuke from a fellow Republican, Sen. Mitt Romney. “You don't belong here," the Utah Republican scolded Santos as he entered the House chamber and spotted the New York Republican on the aisle.

Words were exchanged, it was reported, though Romney said later he did not hear it all.“He shouldn’t be in Congress, and they are going to go through the process and hopefully get him out,” Romney told reporters afterward, his office confirmed. "But he shouldn’t be there, and if he had any shame at all he wouldn’t be there.”The exchange was an unusual lashing by the more reserved Romney, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, but shows the discomfort Santos is bringing among traditional conservatives critical of the rightward drift of more extremist elements of the GOP.

Santos retorted with a tweet: “Hey @MittRomney just a reminder that you will NEVER be PRESIDENT!”

The arrival of Santos has been a problem for the Republicans since he won a New York congressional seat, which helped to deliver the party a slim majority, once his personal story began to unravel. (AP)

Rock star Bono, the family of Tyre Nichols and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month's Monterey Park, California, shooting were among the featured guests sitting alongside first lady Jill Biden at Tuesday's State of the Union address.

The guests were invited “because they personify issues or themes" Biden addressed in the speech or they embody administration policies that are working for the American people, the White House said. President Joe Biden referred to several of the invitees by name.

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, sat with the first lady and invited Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington area, to be his guest, his office said. Emhoff, who is Jewish, has taken a lead role in administration efforts to combat antisemitism.

The guests:

? Maurice and Kandice Barron of New York, the parents of a 3-year-old who has survived a rare pediatric cancer, meant to highlight Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

? Lynette Bonar of Tuba City, Arizona, a nurse and medical executive involved in bringing the first cancer center to a Native American reservation.

? Bono, the Irish lead singer of U2, for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.

? Deanna Branch of Milwaukee, whose son was diagnosed with lead poisoning from unsafe drinking water in their home, as Biden aims to replace all lead drinking water pipes in the coming decade.

? Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar of Seattle, a mother-daughter pair who are sharing their story about caring for their injured Navy veteran husband and father.

? Ruth Cohen of Rockville, Maryland, a Holocaust survivor and volunteer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who has warned against rising antisemitism.

? Mitzi Colin Lopez of West Chester, Pennsylvania, an advocate for people brought to the U.S. illegally as children who have received protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

? Maurice “Dion” Dykes of Knoxville, Tennessee, who is training to be a teacher after a 25-year graphic design career as part of a program funded by the 2020 COVID-19 relief law.

? Kate Foley of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a 10th grade student looking to use the skills from her school engineering classes to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer.

? Darlene Gaffney of North Charleston, South Carolina, a breast cancer survivor who has promoted the importance of early detection and timely cancer screenings.

? Doug Griffin of Newton, New Hampshire, who lost his daughter, Courtney, in 2014 to a fentanyl overdose, as the Biden administration works to strengthen federal efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

? Saria Gwin-Maye of Cincinnati, an ironworker who will work on the federally supported revitalization of the Brent Spence Bridge.

? Jacki Liszak of Fort Myers, Florida, who met with the president and first lady in the wake of Hurricane Ian and whose business stands to benefit from federal climate resiliency funding.

? Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. was a guest last year when Biden spoke days after the Russian invasion of her country. She returned to the first lady's box as Biden seeks to sustain U.S. and allied support for Ukraine.

? Harry Miller of Upper-Arlington, Ohio, a mechanical engineering student and a former football player for Ohio State University, who left football to prioritize his mental health.

? Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith of Northampton, Massachusetts, the plaintiffs in Goodridge vs. MA Dept. of Public Health, which cleared the way for their state legalizing same-sex marriage.

? Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was severely injured days before the midterm elections by a man with a hammer who allegedly sought to harm the California lawmaker.

? Paul Sarzoza of Phoenix, the owner of a cleaning and facilities services company that is benefitting from servicing companies investing in high-tech manufacturing in his area.

? Brandon Tsay of San Marino, California, who disarmed the shooter responsible for killing 11 people in Monterey Park, California, last month during celebrations of the Lunar New Year, preventing further deaths.

? RowVaughn and Rodney Wells of Memphis, Tennessee, the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols who died last month after being severely beaten by police in Memphis, sparking a renewed call for police reform legislation.

? Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Austin, Texas, who found doctors unable to intervene after her water prematurely broke at 18 weeks pregnant due to the Texas abortion ban. Amanda Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment, as the Biden administration looks to highlight the consequences of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.

(Associated Press)

Democratic President Joe Biden got into a spirited exchange with congressional Republicans on Tuesday, drawing boos by asserting that some hardline conservatives want to end Social Security and Medicare in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, and then taking their cheers as a sign of "unanimity" not to do so.

"Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage - I get it - unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what those plans are," Biden said in his State of the Union address while appearing to try to engage Republicans in conversation.

"Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset," the president said. The Democratic president and Republican-controlled House of Representatives are locked in a standoff over raising the nation's $31.4 trillion debt limit, which Republicans say they will allow only in exchange for spending cuts.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had previously said he would not consider cuts to the two programs, a position that members of his caucus loudly supported during Biden's speech. Sitting behind Biden, McCarthy shook his head as Biden raised the idea. (Reuters)

Following are reactions from analysts and investors to US President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, in which he challenged Republicans to lift the debt ceiling and support tax policies that are friendlier to middle-class Americans.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January, Biden hammered corporations for profiteering from the pandemic, and ran through a wish list of economic proposals, such as a minimum tax for billionaires, and a quadrupling of the tax on corporate stock buybacks.

? TINA TENG, MARKETS ANALYST, CMC MARKETS, AUCKLAND

"President Biden faces multiple well-known issues that the economy is encountering, such as decades-high inflation, rising interest rates, the endless raising debt ceiling, a shortage of oil supply and deteriorated US-China relations."

"Obviously, he will not get Republicans to agree with all the above matters regarding his policy orientation. With a divided government, President Biden will face a big challenge in the election next year."

"Financial markets are usually pro a Republican government rather than a Democratic government regarding economic growth, monetary policy (though this is independent of the Fed), and diplomatic affairs."

? DAMIEN BOEY, CHIEF MACRO STRATEGIST, BARRENJOEY, SYDNEY

"The most important caveat is that you gotta pass this gridlock that is at the house and the senate."

"That is particularly topical because you're going to hit the debt ceiling when you get to August. Obviously Biden is clearly pitching to the Republicans is that they wanna work together. Most people anticipate that is not going to be an easy promise as you get there."

"There is also redistribution of things where you get the rich to pay more tax. That's not going to help with consumption a lot."

"So Biden's whole pitch is about inflation coming down, but it is not my problem because it is here before I got here. But the risk is that if you overstimulate, while you have a tight labor market, that is going to be a problem for short-term rates."

"Does this change the investment themes when the yield curve is still inverted? People are still arguing for hard landing risks, portfolio managers are concerned about everything moving up and down together? No it doesn't."

? NAKA MATSUZAWA, CHIEF STRATEGIST, NOMURA, TOKYO

"I expected some more hawkish comments on China. Biden should be clearer about how they are going to develop the supply chain away from China. Trade with China is still increasing, rather than decreasing, at this moment. In that sense, he wasn't hawkish enough."

(Reuters)

Republicans rejected Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden's call for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, and instead accused him of stoking culture wars in a nation they described as deeply divided.

A day after Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called on Biden to work together toward compromise on the debt and spending, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a partisan broadside during the party's official rebuttal to Biden's speech.

"In the radical left's America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire. But you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race," said Sanders, who was White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump.

"The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day," she said. (Reuters)

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dystopian portrait of the country in her rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, leaning heavily into Republican culture war issues and accusing Biden of pursuing “woke fantasies.”

Speaking from the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, Sanders sounded a lot like her former boss, Donald Trump, as she warned of a nation whose ideals are under attack and whose citizens are fighting for their freedoms.

“While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” said Sanders, the former White House press secretary. “Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”

Sanders, 40, delivered the speech less than a month after being sworn in as the first female governor of Arkansas. The daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, she is also the first Arkansan to deliver the response to a president’s State of the Union since Bill Clinton as governor in 1985. (AP)

President Joe Biden challenged the new House Republican majority Tuesday night to work together with him to “finish the job” of repairing America’s unsettled economy and fragile democracy even as the emboldened opposition geared up to try to force him to change course.

In his first State of the Union address in this new era of divided government, Biden prepared to call on lawmakers to embrace his proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy and extend more social aid to the needy, citing the example of bipartisan legislation passed in his first two years in office when Democrats were in charge on Capitol Hill. 

“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this new Congress as well,” Biden said, boasting that he had signed more than 300 bipartisan laws. “The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere. Read more

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday renewed his call for police reform, saying officers who "violate the public trust" should be held accountable and law enforcement officials should be given the necessary training and be held to higher standards.

"I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people ... And they risk their lives every time they put that shield on," Biden said in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.

"But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better," Biden added, referring to the death of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers in January.

"Public safety depends on public trust but too often that trust is violated .... Most of us in here have never had to have the talk, the talk that Brown and Black parents have had to have with their children," Biden said. "When police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable." (Reuters)

RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died after being beaten by Memphis police following a traffic stop, and Tyre's stepfather Rodney Wells were present at the Chamber while US President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union Address. Paul Pelosi was also present.

US President Joe Biden has said that “Made in America” is the top priority of his administration and announced that bridges, roads and highways in the country will be made with American construction materials.

Biden in his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday said to maintain the strongest economy in the world, the US also needs the best infrastructure in the world. The US used to be number 1 in the world in infrastructure, but then it fell to number 13th, he said.

“Now we're coming back because we came together to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System,” he said. 

He said 'Buy American' has been the law of the land since 1933. "But for too long, past administrations have found ways to get around it. Not anymore,” Biden said in his joint address to the US Congress. (PTI)

President Joe Biden on Tuesday harshly criticized U.S. airlines saying they were charging families unfair fees and vowing to implement new consumer protections.

"We'll prohibit airlines from charging $50 round trip for families just to be able sit together," Biden said at his State of the Union address. "Baggage fees are bad enough – airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage."

Airlines for America (A4A), a group representing Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines , Southwest Airlines and others said Tuesday its member carriers do not charge fees to sit together.

A spokeswoman said airlines "make every effort to accommodate customers traveling together — especially those traveling with children."

Biden touted regulations the Transportation Department is drafting to make "airlines show you the full ticket price upfront and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed." Refunds would only apply if passengers opted not to take flights. (Reuters)

While delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address, US president Joe Biden said: "Before I came to office, the story was about how China was increasing its power and America was falling in the world. Not anymore. I’ve made clear to Chinese President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict."

"We are investing to make America strong and investing in our alliances and working with our allies to protect our advanced technologies so they’re not used against us. We’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world," he added. (ANI)

"US will act to protect if China threatens its sovereignty," President Biden says in his State of the Union Address. (PTI)

President Joe Biden exhorted Republicans over and over Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address meant to reassure to a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.

The backdrop for the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting expressionless behind Biden and GOP lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies.

But Biden sought to portray a nation dramatically different in positive ways from the one he took charge of two years ago: from a reeling economy to one prosperous with new jobs; from a crippled, pandemic-weary nation to one that has now opened up and a democracy that has survived its biggest test since the Civil War. (AP)

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been a test for the ages, and a test for the world, US President Joe Biden has said as he slammed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for his military aggression.

"I spoke from this chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal war against Ukraine. A murderous assault, evoking images of the death and destruction Europe suffered in World War II," Biden said in his address to a Joint Session of the US Congress on Tuesday night. President Putin launched a 'special military operation' in eastern Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

"Putin's invasion has been a test for the ages. A test for America. A test for the world. Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? Would we stand for the right of people to live free from tyranny? Would we stand for the defence of democracy?” Biden posed a series of questions in his second State of the Union Address.

"For such a defence matters to us because it keeps the peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity. One year later, we know the answer. Yes, we would. And yes, we did. Together, we did what America always does at our best,” he said amidst applause from the Congressmen.

The United States, he said, united NATO and built a global coalition. “We stood against Putin's aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people,” Biden said. (PTI)

Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the accused gunman in a mass shooting last month in California, at the Chamber as US President delivers his State of the Union speech.

Republicans got riled up when President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech touched on Medicare and Social Security.

Biden suggested Republicans had fallen in line behind a proposal to put the continued existence of those two program to a vote every five years.

In response, Republicans in the House chamber hollered, booed and shouted “liar!” Some Republicans even jumped to their feet to object. The proposal comes from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, but it hasn’t been endorsed by the majority of the Republican Party.

In response, Biden said: “Anybody who doubts it, contact my office.”And he told his audience, "So we all agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the table.” That drew a standing ovation from members of both parties. (AP)

"The Inflation Reduction Act is also the most significant investment ever to tackle the climate crisis. Lowering utility bills, creating American jobs, and leading the world to a clean energy future," US president Joe Biden said.

While delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address, US president Joe Biden said: "If anyone tries to cut Social Security, I will stop them. And if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I will stop them."

The toll of police brutality in America was on painful display Tuesday night as family members of Black men and women killed in custody sat among lawmakers in the House to hear the president's State of the Union address.

Mothers, fathers and loved ones of victims of police violence were invited as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first lady to put pressure on Washington to address the issue of policing.

“It may have been Tyre Nichols yesterday, but it could be any one of us today and tomorrow,” Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., the chairman of the Black Caucus, said of the most recent victim during a news conference Tuesday morning.

A video released earlier this month showed the violent Jan. 7 encounter between Nichols and the Memphis, Tennessee, police officers who savagely beat the 29-year-old Black FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him. Nichols was hospitalized and died days later. (AP)

Members of Congress rose to their feet and briefly chanted “not anymore” as President Joe Biden cited Democratic-led efforts to cap the cost of insulin to $35 per month for older Americans who use Medicare.

In his State of the Union address, the president urged Congress to extend that price limit to millions of people on private insurance. That idea was scratched in Congress last year and is unlikely to gain traction now. Roughly 8.4 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association. About 1 million of those people, who have type 1 diabetes, can die without access to insulin. (AP)

Soon after urging his Republican 'friends' to work together with him, President Biden slammed the members of the GOP who voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law when it was being considered by Congress, CNN reported.

The President took a jibe at Republicans who voted against the bill by saying, they, however, still continue to ask to have their projects funded through the law's provisions, the CNN report added.

US President Joe Biden says he will veto attempts to repeal the inflation act by a section Republican party.

Joe Biden's offer to sit down together and discuss the economic plan gets a rare joint standing ovation by Republicans and Democrats.

President Joe Biden called US democracy "unbowed" and pledged to work with the opposition party on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that served as an olive branch to skeptical Republicans and a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January, Biden cited progress in a post-pandemic economy and stressed that a bitterly divided Congress could overcome its differences.

"We're often told that Democrats and Republicans can't work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and the naysayers wrong," said Biden, a Democrat. "To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can't work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well." 

Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, sat behind Biden for the address for the first time. “Mr. Speaker, I don't want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you," Biden said, drawing laughs. (Reuters)

While delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address, US president Joe Biden announced a new standard that would require all construction material used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America, CNN reported.

"Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cable. And on my watch, American roads, bridges, and American highways are going to be made with American products as well," CNN quoted the US President as saying.

"We all want the same thing. Neighborhoods free of violence. Law enforcement who earn the community's trust. Our children to come home safely," US President Joe Biden said Tuesday.

"Equal protection under the law; that's the covenant we have with each other in America...I know most cops are good, decent people. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better."

He further said: "We united NATO and built a global coalition. We stood against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people. Tonight, we are once again joined by Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States. She represents not just her nation, but the courage of her people. Ambassador, America is united in our support for your country. We will stand with you as long as it takes." (Reuters)

While delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address, US president Joe Biden said: "Every day, millions need insulin to control their diabetes so they can stay alive. Insulin has been around for 100 years. It costs drug companies just $10 a vial to make. But, Big Pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars – and making record profits. Not anymore... Let's cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it."

"Big corporations aren't just taking advantage of the tax code. They're taking advantage of you, the American consumer." (Reuters)

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can't work together in this new Congress. The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere," US President Joe Biden said Tuesday.

"And that's always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America: the middle class, to unite the country. We've been sent here to finish the job," he added.

"Already, we've funded over 20,000 projects, including at major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland...I sincerely thank my Republican friends who voted for the law. And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don't worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans," the President further said. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said: "Two years ago our economy was reeling. As I stand here tonight, we have created a record 12 million new jobs – more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years. Two years ago, Covid had shut down our businesses, closed our schools, and robbed us of so much." "My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they're invisible."

"That's why we're building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives." (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday hailed the recovery of the US economy and creation of a record 12 million jobs in his State of the Union address, while urging Republicans to stop "fighting for the sake of fighting."

"The story of America is a story of progress and resilience…We are the only country that has emerged from every crisis stronger than when we entered it. That is what we are doing again," he said. 

"Today, Covid no longer controls our lives. And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War. Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken." (Reuters) 

President Joe Biden called on Republicans in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he sought to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate political divisions in Washington.

The backdrop of the annual address was markedly different from the previous two years, with a Republican speaker sitting expressionless behind Biden and GOP lawmakers in the audience preparing to scrutinize both his administration and his policies. Biden sought to reassure the nation that his stewardship of the country has delivered results both at home and abroad, as he also set out to prove his fitness for a likely re-election bid.

But the challenges for Biden are many: economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more. And signs of the past trauma at the Capitol, most notably the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, was unavoidable, with a large fence encircling the complex as lawmakers and those in attendance faced tighter-than-usual security measures. From the start, the partisan divisions were clear. (AP)

While delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address, US president Joe Biden said: "Today, Covid no longer controls our lives. And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War. Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken." (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden is likely to call for the passage of LGBT Bill, known as Equality Act, and to renew call on Congress to restore Roe V Wade rights. (Reuters)

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress. The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere," US president Joe Biden said while delivering his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address. (Reuters)

"I am announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America," US President Joe Biden said. (Reuters)

The formal basis of the Address lies in the US Constitution itself, says a historical note on the website of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress.

Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution says the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”.

Read our Explainer to know more about the State of the Union Address

President Joe Biden will deliver his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address to a Joint Session of Congress at the United States Capitol in Washington DC at 7.30 am (IST) on Wednesday.

The speech will be likely dominated by ideas and themes that the President has long subscribed to — those of working together, asserting US leadership in the world, and giving the American working and middle classes a leg up, The New York Times has reported.

It will be among the biggest speeches of his presidency so far, coming at a time of deep divisions in Congress and the country, and with the US facing complex foreign policy challenges especially with regard to Russia and China. Read full Explainer here

President Joe Biden will deliver his second State of the Union (SOTU) Address to a Joint Session of Congress at the United States Capitol in Washington DC on Tuesday (February 7) at 9 pm ET (7.30 am in India on Wednesday). The speech will be live-streamed by the White House at https://wh.gov/sotu

US President Joe Biden has left the White House and is currently headed to Capitol Hill to deliver the 2023 State of the Union address, CNN reported early on Wednesday morning. 

US President Joe Biden will declare US democracy is bruised but "unbowed and unbroken" on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that will serve as an olive branch to sceptical Republicans and a blueprint for his 2024 re-election bid.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January, Biden plans to cite progress in a post-pandemic economy, highlight massive infrastructure and inflation bills passed in 2022, and stress that a bitterly divided Congress can still make laws in the year ahead.

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can't work together in this new Congress," Biden, a Democrat, will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House before the speech scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (0200 GMT on Wednesday).

"The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere ... We've been sent here to finish the job!"

One test of that challenge will be the White House push to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, which must be lifted in the coming months to avoid a default. The White House has said Biden will not negotiate over that necessity; Republicans want spending cuts in exchange for their support.

Seeking to project optimism ahead of a 2024 presidential campaign, Biden will say the economy is benefiting from 12 million new jobs, Covid-19 no longer controls American lives, and U.S. democracy remains intact. "Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken," he will say, according to the excerpts. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden will likely put taxes and corporate stock buybacks squarely in investors’ focus during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address as part of his push to restructure the world’s largest economy to be less favorable to the very wealthy.

Biden, who earlier last year signed into law a 1% tax on corporate stock buybacks, is expected to use his speech to call for that to be quadrupled, as well as renew his calls for higher taxes on billionaires, the White House said on Monday.

While investors said the chances of such a proposal passing in Congress – where Republicans control the House of Representatives – were low, it could have some bearing on investor behavior. While there remains a gulf between talk and actual laws, if companies sense such a tax is imminent, it might spur them to speed up buybacks and eventually shift toward paying dividends instead, reports Reuters. The address comes at a time when the S&P 500, which had rallied 6.2% in January, has come under some pressure as investors weigh the U.S. Federal Reserve’s encouraging words on some progress on controlling inflation against a robust labor market that hints at a longer period of policy tightening. Read Full Report

US President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday will feature a guest list that includes a man who disarmed a gunman who killed 11 people, a former Afghan ambassador, and the family of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police, reports Reuters. Biden is expected to use the speech, which is delivered during a joint session of Congress, as an unofficial beginning of the 2024 presidential campaign season, laying out his policy priorities.

Following are some of the guests expected to attend:

* Brandon Tsay: Tsay was called a hero by authorities for disarming a gunman who shot dead 11 people during a celebration of the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California. His actions were praised for preventing further bloodshed.

He was invited by U.S. Representative Judy Chu, a Democrat from California.

* The mother of Tyre Nichols, RowVaughn Wells, and his stepfather, Rodney Wells. Nichols, a Black motorist, died after being beaten by police following a Jan. 7 traffic stop. Five Memphis police officers have been charged with his murder.

The parents accepted an invitation this week from the Congressional Black Caucus chairman, U.S. Representative Steven Horsford, who is a Democrat and the White House. Click To Know The Complete List

On foreign policy, Biden is expected to highlight the US-led response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the strength of the NATO alliance and tensions between the United States and China, recently spotlighted by a Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the U.S. military this week.

The president sees good prospects for continued bipartisan efforts on his “unity agenda” to advance cancer research, support veterans and reduce their high rates of suicide, expand mental health services overall, and beat the “opioid and overdose epidemic,” the White House said.

Biden aides describe the speech, which will draw millions of viewers and perhaps the president’s largest television audience of the year, as a milestone ahead of the second presidential campaign he is expected to launch in coming weeks, reports Reuters.

Biden turned 80 in November and, if re-elected, would be 82 at the start of a second term, a fact that concerns many Democratic voters, recent polls show.

Another area he will ask Congress to work together on is to toughen regulation of the technology sector – including what the administration sees as a need for stronger privacy protections, one aide said. Read Full Report

US President Joe Biden will face Republicans who question his legitimacy and a public concerned about the country’s direction in Tuesday’s State of the Union speech that is expected to serve as a blueprint for a 2024 re-election bid.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, Biden is expected to explain how he is trying to reshape the post-pandemic economy, highlight massive infrastructure and inflation bills passed in 2022, and stress that a bitterly-divided Congress can still make laws in the year ahead, reports Reuters.

“I want to talk to the American people and let them know the state of affairs … what I’m looking forward to working on from this point on, what we’ve done,” Biden told reporters on Monday after returning from presidential retreat Camp David, where he spent the weekend working on the prime-time speech.

Biden’s public approval rating edged one percentage point higher to 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Sunday. That is close to the lowest level of his presidency, with 65% of Americans saying they believe the country is on the wrong track, compared to 58% a year earlier.

In the speech, Biden will hail the resilience and strength of the US economy, which saw unemployment drop to a nearly 54-year low in January, while pledging continued efforts to lower inflation and protect Social Security and other benefits. Read Full Report

State of the Union: How did the tradition originate?

According to a historical note on the website of the House of Representatives, the formal basis of the State of the Union Address lies in the US Constitution. According to Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution, the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient”.

President George Washington delivered the first of these messages in 1790. From then up to 1946, the address was formally known as the Annual Message. Thereafter, until 1946, it was informally called the “state of the Union” message/address. From President Harry S Truman’s message to Congress on January 6, 1947, it has been officially known as the State of the Union Address.

What does the address contain?

Annual Messages by earlier Presidents included agency budget requests and general reports on the health of the US economy. Subsequently, as Congress required more in-depth reports on these aspects, separate from the Annual Message, the Budget Message was instituted by a 1921 law, and the Economic Report by an Act of 1946.

The practice of speaking to Congress in person was revived by Woodrow Wilson in 1913, after a gap of 113 years. Ever since, SOTU has served as a platform for the President to rally support for his agenda. Read Full Report

The setting for Biden’s speech will look markedly different from a year ago, when it was Democratic stalwart Nancy Pelosi seated behind him as House speaker. She’s been replaced by Republican Kevin McCarthy, and it’s unclear what kind of reception restive Republicans in the chamber will give the Democratic president.McCarthy on Monday vowed to be “respectful” during the address and in turn asked Biden to refrain from using the phrase “extreme MAGA Republicans,” which the president deployed on the campaign trail in 2022.

With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators from both parties invited guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The parents of Tyre Nichols, who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, are among those expected to be seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests include the rock star/humanitarian Bono and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting. Read Full Report

President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, seeking to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership.

His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles to make sense of confounding cross-currents at home and abroad — economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China among them — and warily sizes up Biden’s fitness for a likely reelection bid.

The president will stand at the House rostrum at a time when just a quarter of U.S. adults say things in the country are headed in the right direction, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About three-quarters say things are on the wrong track. And a majority of Democrats don’t want Biden to seek another term. He will confront those sentiments head on, aides say, while at the same time trying to avoid sounding insensitive to Americans’ concerns. Read Full Report