President Biden Delivers His 1st State Of The Union Address (CBS News)
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/CBS News) -- President Biden is delivering the State of the Union address before both houses of Congress on Tuesday amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and less than a week after he announced his nominee for the Supreme Court.
WCCO's Esme Murphy says you can expect Biden to touch on three main topics -- Ukraine, inflation, and the fight against COVID-19.
How To Watch The State Of The Union Address
The State of the Union will begin Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CST). Prime-time coverage will begin on CBS News at 7 p.m., and a Special Report will air on CBS News streaming and the CBS television network from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can watch the entire address online by clicking here.
Biden is expected to give an update on how U.S. and international support is impacting Ukraine's defenses against Russia. Also expect an update on how the drastic international sanctions are affecting the Russian economy, as well as President Vladimir Putin personally. Also expect Biden to address the growing refugee crisis, with the United Nations reporting that already 660,000 Ukrainians have fled the country and that number is expected to grow exponentially.
"(Biden's) a leader of the free world and he has used the power of his presidency in a very strong way to bring the international community to bear in support of Ukraine," Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to Biden, said, "and basically understands this as a fight between democracy and autonomy."
The second major issue Biden has to address is inflation and the economy. Murphy says you could call this the war at home. American consumers are being hit with the biggest price increases in 40 years. These are price hikes a weary American public can't afford and they expect Biden to offer solutions.
Finally, yes, COVID-19 numbers are dropping. But the prevention efforts continue, with mask mandates in schools and vaccination mandates by the federal government and many employers. There are still concerns about new variants that could emerge.
But as pressing as these problems are at home, the war in Ukraine, with its overarching threat of a larger-scale war possibly involving the U.S. and its allies, is expected to be topic number one. Something to watch for at home -- who is standing and applauding. When Biden speaks about Ukraine, will he get applause from both Republicans and Democrats? Historically, in times of war, the country has stood united, but it remains to be seen if will we see that unity Tuesday evening.
One of the first things Biden will do after delivering the State of the Union address is head to Wisconsin. He is scheduled to travel to Superior Wednesday along with first lady Jill Biden. They will be in the port city neighboring Duluth to discuss how the the federal infrastructure bill is rebuilding roads and bridges, and creating well-paying union jobs.