State of the Union: New Biden action against Putin
[White House / Adam Schultz]
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is announcing that the U.S. is banning Russian aircraft from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. Biden is to make the announcement in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, according to people familiar with the decision. Biden is delivering his first State of the Union address at a precipitous moment for the nation. In excerpts released in advance, he declares that dictators such as Russian President Vladimir Putin must "pay a price" or dangers to the U.S. and the world will only grow. The U.S. president is aiming to lead the country out of the pandemic and reboot his stalled domestic agenda as well as confront Russia’s aggression.
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WASHINGTON (AP/WHEC) — Facing disquiet at home and danger abroad, President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address. He’s expected to address the path out of the COVID-19 pandemic, his domestic agenda and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
A Rush Henrietta teacher will be a virtual guest at the State of the Union address. Rep. Joe Morelle has invited Karen Baker, who teaches 5th grade at Vollmer Elementary.
Baker has taught entirely remote for the past two years for families who have chosen to have their children attend virtually. She’ll be at the State of the Union virtually because of ongoing safety protocols.
The speech is scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday. You can watch it in the video in the player below when it begins:
Biden will speak to “the importance of the United States as a leader in the world, standing up for values, standing up for global norms,” according to Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone a few hours before his speech at the Capitol.
Rising energy prices and inflation in the U.S., which is already at the highest level in 40 years are eating into people’s earnings and threatening economic recovery from the pandemic.
Biden is speaking to an American public that is frustrated with his performance. A February AP-NORC poll found that more people disapproved than approved of how Biden is handling his job, 55% to 44%. That’s down from a 60% favorable rating last July.
Biden aides say they believe the national psyche is a “trailing indicator” that will improve with time. But time is running short for the president, who needs to salvage his first-term agenda to revive the political fortunes of his party before November’s midterm elections.
House Republicans say the word “crisis” describes the state of the union under Biden and Democrats—from an energy policy that lets Russia sell oil abroad to challenges at home over jobs and immigration.
“We’re going to push the president to do the right thing,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Where his speech to Congress last year saw the rollout of a massive social spending package, Biden plans this year to repackage past proposals in search of achievable measures he hopes can win bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress before the elections.
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