(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday joined Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, in a visit to a Ukrainian church in Washington, expressing vocal admiration for the Ukrainian people.
Blinken called Markarova “our new star,” in the wake of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night where he called attention to the ambassador who was seated next to first lady Jill Biden.
“It’s in the most difficult moments that our faith is tested,” Blinken said to the audience, including Ukrainian faith leaders and activists, at the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family.
He also said this is a moment for faith in democracy, peace, and “in the conviction that good will prevail over evil.”
Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “horrific, terrible mistake,” in his aggression against Ukraine.
“We stand with them, we stand with you, and we will prevail in this struggle,” Blinken said of the Ukrainian people. He praised the Ukrainians who he said have been inspiring the world with resilience, strength and faith.
The Ukrainian people are “insisting on their freedom, insisting on their independence, insisting on their right to go forward as a sovereign, independent country,” he said.
Inside the church, Blinken lit a candle and spoke with a group of Ukrainian leaders, including Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Ukrainian American activist Ulana Mazurkevich.
The meeting united leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which separated in 2018.
“We’re like one family,” said the pastor, Fr. Robert Hitchens, “In family, there are disagreements over things. But, when it comes down to matters of life and death, we pull together, we work together, we pray together and we set aside any differences.”
He said Blinken’s visit honored Ukrainians in the U.S. and overseas.
“They’re not forgotten,” Hitchens said about those in Ukraine. “The government of the United States and their sisters and brothers, fellow Ukrainians, and all peoples of goodwill, and this nation are standing with them.”
Like many other members of the church, Hitchens said his great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S., but kept their Catholic faith strong.
Hitchens said his biggest fear is the threat of extinction for Ukraine, and that the church will be forced underground under Russia’s rule.
“In my heart of hearts, I know somehow Ukraine will survive and its people will still survive,” said Hitchens. “But not before there’s a whole lot of senseless hurt.”
(WASHINGTON) — Opening statements got underway Wednesday in the case of a Texas man charged with participating in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol and later threatening his family members if they reported him to law enforcement.
Guy Reffitt, 49, a self-proclaimed member of the far-right anti-government “Three Percenter” militia group, is the first alleged participant in the Jan. 6 insurrection to bring his case to trial. He faces five felony charges that carry maximum sentences of between five and 20 years each.
“The evidence in this case will show that the defendant attacked the Capitol on the afternoon of January 6 precisely because Congress was meeting in a joint session,” assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler told the court. “At that time, he planned to light a match that would start the fire. He wanted to stop Congress from doing its job.”
“The defendant was the tip of this mob’s spear,” Nestler said.
Reffitt’s case presents a major test for the Justice Department, as the result could impact hundreds of other alleged rioters who are weighing whether to similarly take their cases to trial or enter into plea deals with the government.
Nestler said in his opening statement that the government plans to play audio recorded prior to the attack of Reffitt talking about what he planned to do to lawmakers upon storming the Capitol.
“We’re taking the Capitol before the day is over, ripping them out by their f***ing hair, every f***ing one of them,” Reffitt says in one of the audio clips. “I just want to see Pelosi’s head hitting every f****ing stair on the way out, and Mitch McConnell too … I’m packing heat and I’m going to get more heat and I am going to that building and I am dragging them out.”
In his brief opening statement, Reffitt’s attorney, William Welch III, said there was no evidence showing Reffitt assaulted anyone and that Reffitt’s statements to his family and others amounted to little more than hyperbole.
“Guy does brag, he exaggerates, and he rants — he uses a lot of hyperbole and that upsets people,” Welch said. “The evidence will show that this case was a rush to judgment.”
“Guy Reffitt did not enter the Capitol,” Welch said. “He did not break anything, he did not take anything.”
Following two days of jury selection and one-on-one question-and-answer sessions with more than four dozen Washington, D.C., residents, 12 jurors and four alternates were selected for the trial, including nine men and seven women. Their backgrounds range from a NASA employee and a natural-gas industry lobbyist to an analyst with the Pentagon and a wood crafter who works with the federal agency that maintains the Capitol complex.
Judge Dabney Friedrich acknowledged that “virtually every juror” would have some view of the assault on the Capitol, but said the goal of the jury selection was to find residents who could legitimately separate their personal feelings about the attack from the question of Reffitt’s guilt or innocence.
In a recent filing, prosecutors said they expect to call 13 witnesses in Reffitt’s trial, including representatives from Capitol Police, the FBI and the Secret Service, as well as a counsel to the Secretary of the Senate, Reffitt’s son and daughter, and a fellow member of the Three-Percenter militia who traveled with Reffitt to D.C. and has been granted immunity for his testimony.
Reffitt spoke to ABC News from jail in December, saying, “This has been disastrous for me and my family, especially for my girls, my son — actually, all of my family.”
He also said he believes he’ll be exonerated at trial.
“It’s not that hard to prove that I didn’t do anything,” Reffitt said. “It should be pretty easy.”
After nearly 14 months of evidence-gathering, more than 750 people have been arrested on federal charges connected to the riot, and investigators say they are continuing to seek hundreds more who are suspected of participating in the violence that occurred that day.
The mega-yacht “Dilbar” is completely shrouded while docked in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany. The 156-meter-long ship is said to belong to a Russian oligarch. – Markus Scholz/picture alliance via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced a task force to target the assets of Russian oligarchs after President Joe Biden previewed the move in his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
“The United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of the Russian oligarchs,” Biden said. “We are joining with European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We’re coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
The U.S. says the oligarchs have ties to President Vladimir Putin and he uses them to launder or hide hundreds of millions of dollars obtained through corruption.
Dubbed Task Force KleptoCapture, the group will investigate and prosecute new sanctions, combat unlawful efforts to undermine restrictions taken against Russian financial institutions by Russians who flout the restrictions, go after oligarchs who use cryptocurrency to evade U.S. sanctions and seize the assets of Russian oligarchs.
The department says it will bring “cutting edge” resources from the deputy attorney general’s office and will be led by a career prosecutor out of the Southern District of New York.
“The Justice Department will use all of its authorities to seize the assets of individuals and entities who violate these sanctions,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a press release. “We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue this unjust war. Let me be clear: if you violate our laws, we will hold you accountable.”
The Task Force is designed to ensure the “full effect” of sanctions leveled against the Russian government, “which have been designed to isolate Russia from global markets and impose serious costs for this unjustified act of war, by targeting the crimes of Russian officials, government-aligned elites, and those who aid or conceal their unlawful conduct,” the Department says.
Even if Russian oligarchs can’t be prosecuted in the United States, DOJ will still seize assets including personal real estate, financial and commercial assets. DOJ says they will work with their European counterparts around the world to ensure these objectives are met.
The move has bipartisan support.
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., floated the idea of a DOJ task force seizing Russian assets, calling it the “number one priority” of the supplemental funding bill.
“It is now time for that crowd to lose their yachts loose their luxury apartments, and to pay a price for being part of a thuggish group,” Graham said.
ABC News Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address looked very different Tuesday night than it would have a few weeks ago — before Russia invaded Ukraine, inflation kept rising and coronavirus guidance dramatically shifted.
From the war in Ukraine to rising prices at home, here’s a look at the key takeaways from Biden’s first State of the Union address to Congress:
Calling out Putin by name
The president kicked off his speech with strong words of support for the Ukrainian people and their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“From President Zelenskyy to every Ukrainian,” Biden said, “their fearlessness, their courage, their determination, literally inspires the world.”
The president praised his strategy of standing in lockstep with Europe and NATO allies in imposing harsh sanctions on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, arguing they solidified the NATO alliance and that the Russian president was now “more isolated from the world than he has ever been.”
“Putin’s latest attack on Ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked,” Biden said. “He rejected repeated — repeated efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. He thought he could divide us at home, in this chamber, in this nation. He thought he could divide us in Europe as well. But Putin was wrong. We are ready.”
The president also announced the U.S. would ban Russian airlines from American airspace, after Europe and Canada took similar steps Sunday.
“When dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said.
First lady Jill Biden hosted Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, as a guest in her box. She received a standing ovation from Democrats and Republicans, many of whom wore the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.
The president devoted about one-fifth of his speech to Ukraine — and received rare bipartisan applause for much of what he said — a significant chunk in an address typically focused on partisan domestic issues.
Heavy focus on countering inflation
With low approval ratings for his handling of the economy — and inflation top of mind for Americans — Biden proclaimed: “I get it.”
“Too many families are struggling to keep up with their bills,” he said. “Inflation is robbing them of gains they thought otherwise they would be able to feel.”
He said his “top priority is getting prices under control.”
But many of his proposals will rely on a Congress that has been reluctant to pass much of his social spending proposals.
Emphasizing the need to boost domestic manufacturing, Biden also called for some specific items that would have been part of his stalled “Build Back Better” plan: cutting the cost of prescription drugs, combating climate change in order to lower energy costs, lowering the cost of child care, and instituting free, universal pre-K, among other initiatives.
He touted the nation’s economic recovery but acknowledged that factories had closed, supply chains had been disrupted and prices had gone up.
Biden said his “plan to fight inflation” was, “Lower your costs, not your wages.”
A new phase in the coronavirus pandemic
Biden acknowledged Americans were “tired, frustrated and exhausted” from the coronavirus pandemic — but also signaled the U.S. was entering a new phase.
“We’ve reached a new moment in the fight against COVID-19, where severe cases are down to a level not seen since July of last year,” he said.
He announced his administration was launching a “test-to-treat” program where Americans who test positive for COVID at drugstores could then receive free antiviral pills to treat the virus.
The president also said Americans would be able to order even more free rapid tests from COVIDTests.gov starting next week.
He warned the U.S. must “prepare for new variants” — and noted that scientists could “deploy new vaccines within 100 days” if necessary.
“Thanks to the progress we have made this past year, COVID-19 no longer need control our lives,” Biden said.
“Last year, COVID-19 kept us apart. This year we’re finally together again.”
Transformed chamber
Few masks made appearances in the House of Representatives chamber where Biden spoke.
Under new protocols announced Sunday, attendees did not have to wear face coverings. Biden did not don one like he did last year; attendance was also much more restricted in 2021.
The president hobnobbed with members of Congress at close range in a scene reminiscent of pre-pandemic State of the Union events.
All attendees had to show a negative PCR coronavirus test to gain admittance, and several Republicans boycotted the speech by refusing to test.
But the testing did turn up at least four positive cases among lawmakers.
‘A unity agenda for the nation’
Biden has made a quest for bipartisanship a hallmark of his presidency, and during his speech he proposed what he called “a unity agenda for the nation.”
In addition to listing a variety of proposals that would have been part of a larger “Build Back Better” bill that passed the House but stalled in the Senate because of opposition from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va, he called for legislation to invest in cancer research, support veterans, combat domestic violence and more.
“We can do these things,” Biden said. “It’s within our power.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden tonight delivered his first State of the Union address with a main theme of how the U.S. is responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As he spoke, Russian strikes were killing civilians, forces were massing near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no sign of backing down.
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
Mar 01, 11:29 pm
Iowa Gov. Reynolds delivers GOP response
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized Biden for leading the country on the “wrong track” with his foreign and domestic agenda in her GOP response to his State of the Union address.
“Even before taking the oath of office, the president told us that he wanted to ‘make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home.’ He’s failed on both fronts,” she said.
Reynolds attacked Biden on his administration’s foreign affair policies, inflation and handling of the border. “They’ve refused to protect you,” she said.
Reynolds touted her conservative leadership in schools as a launch pad into Republican talking points on parental rights when it comes to children’s education.
“It was the right choice and keeping schools open is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country,” she said. “Republicans believe that parents matter. It was true before the pandemic and it has never been more important to say out loud, parents matter.”
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Mar 01, 11:13 pm
‘The state of the union is strong, because of you’: Biden concludes speech with optimistic outlook
Biden ended his State of the Union speech with an optimistic perspective.
“The State of the Union is strong, because you, the American people, are strong,” he said. “I know there is simply nothing beyond our capacity.”
Biden reiterated that America has turned every crisis it faced into an opportunity. He said he was confident the country would meet any new challenge that arises.
“We are stronger today than we were a year ago,” the president said. “And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”
Mar 01, 11:10 pm
Rep. Lauren Boebert booed after she yells out at moment Biden mentions his dead son
In an ill-timed moment, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., shouted at the president, blaming him for the deaths of the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed in an attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan last summer, as Biden spoke about veterans exposed to burn pits developing “cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin.”
“You put them in, 13 of them!” she yelled.
But her words came out just as the president was about to mention the death of his son, Beau Biden, an Iraq War veteran who died from brain cancer in 2015.
“I know,” Biden began, attempting to reference Beau. But before he could get the sentence out Boebert shouted.
The members in the chamber immediately booed her.
“One of those soldiers was my son, Major Beau Biden,” the president continued. “I don’t know for sure if the burn pit that he lived near, that his hooch was near in Iraq and earlier than that, in Kosovo is the cause of his brain cancer, the diseases of so many other troops. But I am committed to finding out everything we can.”
Boebert later addressed the moment on Twitter, saying, “When Biden said flag draped coffins I couldn’t stay silent. I told him directly he did it. He put 13 in there. Our heroic servicemen and women deserve so much better.”
ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Mar 01, 10:43 pm
Justice Breyer in spotlight
Biden took a few moments to thank retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer for his service on the bench and asked the justice to stand and be recognized.
Breyer has been one of the most loyal attendees of State of the Union addresses over the past 20 years — and tonight he was clearly touched by the presidential tribute.
Biden then immediately pivoted to his nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill that seat.
“Since she’s been nominated, she’s received a broad range of support,” Biden said.
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer and Justin Gomez
Mar 01, 10:32 pm
Moving forward safely in the pandemic
On the pandemic, Biden outlined four “common-sense” steps the U.S. is taking to “move forward safely”:
1. Vaccines and treatments: “We will never give up on vaccinating more Americans,” Biden said. He also discussed progress on anti-viral treatments and announced a “test to treat” initiative for COVID-positive Americans to obtain Pfizer pills free of charge.
He also announced that starting next week Americans would be able to order even more free rapid tests at.
2. Preparing for new variants: Biden said instead of months or years, we’ll be able to deploy new vaccines “within 100 days.”
3. Ending shutdowns: Biden stressed the importance of people working in offices safely and keeping schools open. “The vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person. Our schools are open. Let’s keep it that way,” he said.
4. Vaccinating the world: Biden said the U.S. has so far sent 475 million vaccine doses worldwide, “and we won’t stop.”
(WASHINGTON) — The nation and the world will be watching tonight when President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET with a main focus expected to be on how he and the U.S. are responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As he is set to speak, Russian strikes are killing civilians, forces are massing near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of backing down.
Biden is expected to highlight his leadership in the allied response and call on Americans to deal with higher gasoline prices in order to help defend democracy.
On the domestic front, he will also address the inflation that is driving his job approval rating at just 37% and highlight progress in dealing with the pandemic that allows many mask mandates to be dropped, including, symbolically, in the House chamber as he makes his high-profile speech.
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
Mar 01, 9:38 pm
‘He has no idea what’s coming,’ Biden says of Putin
Biden addressed the severe sanctions the U.S. and its allies have imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, saying they have made Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “$630 billion war fund worthless.”
“Tonight I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime, no more,” Biden said.
The president further announced that the U.S. will be closing off its airspace to all Russian flights, “further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy.”
“He has no idea what’s coming,” Biden said of Putin.
Mar 01, 9:31 pm
Show of support for Ukraine on display
Members of Congress are showing solidarity with Ukraine during the State of the Union address, from their clothing to Ukrainian flags in the chamber.
Among those wearing blue are House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and First Lady Jill Biden, whose office confirmed to ABC News she was wearing blue tonight in support of Ukraine. In another sign of support for Ukraine, the first lady has an embroidered appliqué of a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, sewn to the sleeve of her dress near her wrist, according to the White House.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., sported traditional Ukrainian garb.
Mar 01, 9:24 pm
Ukraine at top of address
Biden kicked off his first State of the Union addressing the conflict in Ukraine.
“Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways,” Biden said. “But he badly miscalculated. He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met with a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined.”
He introduced the ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova, who received a standing ovation from the crowd. She was seated with First Lady Jill Biden, holding a small Ukrainian flag.
The Ukrainians’ “fearlessness, their courage, their determination, literally inspires the world,” Biden said to applause.
Mar 01, 8:44 pm
Biden departs White House
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden left the White House just a few moments ago for the short drive up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, where the president will deliver his first State of the Union address tonight.
Biden did not respond to a shouted question asking if Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes in Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Mar 01, 8:44 pm
Biden to call for more policing funding, not defunding the police
Biden tonight will touch on his plan to address crime and make the case for more community-based policing, rather than defunding the police, a White House official told ABC News.
“He’ll make clear that the answer is not to defund the police, it’s to put more police — with better training and more accountability — out to take back our streets and make our neighborhoods safer,” the White House official said. “And he’ll talk about the steps his administration has taken — and will continue to take — to advance that accountability and rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
Biden will also call on Congress to address gun violence, and pass “common-sense” gun violence legislation that will save lives, according to the official.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Mar 01, 8:27 pm
Heightened security on Capitol grounds
The nation’s capital has ramped up security ahead of Biden’s first State of the Union address tonight.
Up to 700 National Guard troops have been made available to assist local law enforcement, and a controversial inner-perimeter fence once again surrounds the U.S. Capitol.
The U.S. Capitol Police have also been working in tandem with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies on a “security plan to prevent any disruption to the important work of Congress,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement earlier this week.
-ABC News’ Noah Minnie
Mar 01, 7:56 pm
For more live coverage
For more live coverage of the State of the Union, head to FiveThirtyEight, which is providing updates on Biden’s address as well as the Texas primary election.
“Given the current state of affairs, both foreign and domestic, tonight is a big night for the president,” writes FiveThirtyEight politics reporter Alex Samuels.
Mar 01, 7:54 pm
US to announce ban on Russian carriers from its airspace
Biden is expected to announce tonight that the U.S. will ban Russian carriers from its airspace, a person familiar with his remarks told ABC News.
Canada and the European Union have also issued similar bans following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Mar 01, 7:23 pm
GOP shares response ahead of Biden’s remarks
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to hit Biden on inflation, foreign policy and school reopenings in the GOP response to tonight’s State of the Union, according to an excerpt of her speech released by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“Instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ’70s and early ’80s. When runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map,” she said in the prepared remarks.
Keeping schools open “is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country,” she said.
“Republicans believe that parents matter. It was true before the pandemic and has never been more important to say out loud: Parents Matter,” she continued. “They have a right to know, and to have a say in, what their kids are being taught.”
Mar 01, 7:17 pm
Biden to announce new ‘test-to-treat’ program for COVID-19 pills
The president will announce a new “test-to-treat program” for COVID-19 during his State of the Union address tonight, his chief of staff said during an interview on CNN.
“Because we’re getting millions of these new Pfizer pills, we’ll be able to test people in drugstores, and if they test positive, immediately give them medicine that prevents hospitalization, free of charge,” Ron Klain said.
“And so we’re taking the next steps to make sure that COVID does not control our lives, that we can get this country closer to being back to normal,” he added.
Klain did not give any more details on how the program would work, such as if people would need a prescription.
The Biden administration has purchased 20 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral therapy, Paxlovid, although the pill is not expected to be widely available until later this spring. The current plan calls for gradually ramping up to 10 million doses by the end of June and another 10 million by the end of September.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Anne Flaherty
Mar 01, 7:15 pm
Biden seen in Ukrainian colors ahead of address
Hours before delivering his first State of the Union address, Biden was photographed sporting a blue and yellow tie, the colors of Ukraine.
Biden was wearing the tie while on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “to discuss our continued support for Ukraine” amid Russian aggression, he said in a Twitter post.
It is unclear what the president will ultimately wear during his address, though several members of Congress have announced plans to wear blue and yellow ribbons in support of Ukraine.
Mar 01, 5:57 pm
House Republicans: ‘The State of the Union is in crisis’
Ahead Biden’s first State of the Union address, House Republicans claimed the “state of our union is in a crisis,” which they say is directly caused by Biden and House Democrats’ “failed far-left socialist agenda.”
“Tonight, President Biden will try to rewrite history of the past year and pass the buck instead of taking responsibility for the failures of his radical far-left Democrat agenda,” the third-ranking House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Republicans are holding Biden personally responsible for several issues, from inflation to high gas prices to supply chain issues to the invasion of Ukraine.
“The war on Ukraine represents one of the greatest foreign policy failures in modern history,” Stefanik said. “For months, President Biden failed to engage in meaningful deterrence against Russian aggression.”
Ukrainian-American Rep. Victoria Spartz gave an emotional plea calling for the Biden administration to do more to help Ukraine.
“This is not a war, this is a genocide of the Ukrainian people,” Spartz, who represents Indiana, told reporters. “They want to be free people. They want to be with the West.”
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Mar 01, 5:52 pm
Biden on his plan to fight inflation
Biden will discuss his plan to fight inflation, which he says will aim to lower both costs and the deficit, according to an excerpt of his State of the Union address released by the White House.
“We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation,” he said in the prepared remarks.
“Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains — let’s make it in America,” the speech continues.
“Economists call it ‘increasing the productive capacity of our economy,'” the president said in the prepared remarks. “I call it building a better America.”
Mar 01, 5:45 pm
Biden to say war in Ukraine was ‘premeditated and unprovoked,’ highlight strong NATO alliance
Biden will call out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name in his State of the Union address, saying that Putin’s actions in Ukraine have solidified the NATO alliance, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks released by the White House.
“Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden is expected to say. “Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Mar 01, 5:39 pm
Biden to signal new phase in pandemic
President Joe Biden tonight will shy away from any suggestion of “mission accomplished” when it comes to the pandemic, or even that the virus had morphed into an “endemic” state — a term reserved to describe a virus that persists but is mostly predictable — a White House official told ABC News.
Instead, the official described the president’s speech as noting the nation is now able to “move forward safely in a way in which COVID no longer disrupts our lives the way it has previously.”
The president also will “emphasize the need for the U.S. to remain vigilant in the face of an unpredictable virus, including by preparing for future variants,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details in advance of the speech.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Mar 01, 4:56 pm
Manchin, hours before, reiterates ‘There is no Build Back Better,’ wants Biden to address inflation
In advance of tonight’s speech, Sen. Joe Manchin reiterated his long-held view that has blocked Biden’s domestic agenda, saying, “There is no Build Back Better.”
“What we should be looking at is what we can do and what we have done,” the West Virginia Democrat said.
He told reporters he wants Biden to talk about inflation and about energy independence instead.
“Inflation is basically destroying the country as we know it from the standpoint of making it harder on the people they were trying to help — so we have to get energy under control,” Manchin said. “And next of all, be energy independent. Putin has weaponized energy, so shouldn’t we be using energy to counter what he’s been doing?”
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Mar 01, 3:14 pm
Biden to stress leadership on Ukraine
President Joe Biden’s 9 p.m. ET speech, to be carried live on national television and seen around the world, will be delivered just days after Russia invaded Ukraine — and days after he nominated the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.
But he’ll also be speaking to Americans suffering from historic inflation as the nation continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
With his job approval at an all-time low of 37%, Biden faces the difficult task of balancing their pain with his desire to reap the political benefits of his legislative wins so far — a massive COVID relief package and a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s infrastructure — while also demonstrating his leadership on one of the greatest threats to European stability since World War II.
(WASHINGTON) — The nation and the world will be watching tonight when President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET with a main focus expected to be on how he and the U.S. are responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As he is set to speak, Russian strikes are killing civilians, forces are massing near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no sign of backing down.
Biden is expected to highlight his leadership in the allied response and call on Americans to deal with higher gasoline prices in order to help defend democracy.
On the domestic front, he will also address the inflation that is driving his job approval rating at just 37% and highlight progress in dealing with the pandemic that allows many mask mandates to be dropped, including, symbolically, in the House chamber as he makes his high-profile speech.
Latest headlines:
Biden on his plan to fight inflation
Biden to say war in Ukraine was ‘premeditated and unprovoked,’ highlight strong NATO alliance
Biden to signal new phase in pandemic
Iowa Gov. Reynolds to deliver GOP response
Biden says he’ll discuss ‘determination’ to keep allies on same page over Russian sanctions
Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
Mar 01, 7:17 pm
Biden to announce new ‘test-to-treat’ program for COVID-19 pills
The president will announce a new “test-to-treat program” for COVID-19 during his State of the Union address tonight, his chief of staff said during an interview on CNN.
“Because we’re getting millions of these new Pfizer pills, we’ll be able to test people in drugstores, and if they test positive, immediately give them medicine that prevents hospitalization, free of charge,” Ron Klain said.
“And so we’re taking the next steps to make sure that COVID does not control our lives, that we can get this country closer to being back to normal,” he added.
Klain did not give any more details on how the program would work, such as if people would need a prescription.
The Biden administration has purchased 20 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral therapy, Paxlovid, although the pill is not expected to be widely available until later this spring. The current plan calls for gradually ramping up to 10 million doses by the end of June and another 10 million by the end of September.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Anne Flaherty
Mar 01, 7:15 pm
Biden seen in Ukrainian colors ahead of address
Hours before delivering his first State of the Union address, Biden was photographed sporting a blue and yellow tie, the colors of Ukraine.
Biden was wearing the tie while on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “to discuss our continued support for Ukraine” amid Russian aggression, he said in a Twitter post.
It is unclear what the president will ultimately wear during his address, though several members of Congress have announced plans to wear blue and yellow ribbons in support of Ukraine.
Mar 01, 5:57 pm
House Republicans: ‘The State of the Union is in crisis’
Ahead Biden’s first State of the Union address, House Republicans claimed the “state of our union is in a crisis,” which they say is directly caused by Biden and House Democrats’ “failed far-left socialist agenda.”
“Tonight, President Biden will try to rewrite history of the past year and pass the buck instead of taking responsibility for the failures of his radical far-left Democrat agenda,” the third-ranking House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Republicans are holding Biden personally responsible for several issues, from inflation to high gas prices to supply chain issues to the invasion of Ukraine.
“The war on Ukraine represents one of the greatest foreign policy failures in modern history,” Stefanik said. “For months, President Biden failed to engage in meaningful deterrence against Russian aggression.”
Ukrainian-American Rep. Victoria Spartz gave an emotional plea calling for the Biden administration to do more to help Ukraine.
“This is not a war, this is a genocide of the Ukrainian people,” Spartz, who represents Indiana, told reporters. “They want to be free people. They want to be with the West.”
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Mar 01, 5:52 pm
Biden on his plan to fight inflation
Biden will discuss his plan to fight inflation, which he says will aim to lower both costs and the deficit, according to an excerpt of his State of the Union address released by the White House.
“We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation,” he said in the prepared remarks.
“Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains — let’s make it in America,” the speech continues.
“Economists call it ‘increasing the productive capacity of our economy,'” the president said in the prepared remarks. “I call it building a better America.”
Mar 01, 5:45 pm
Biden to say war in Ukraine was ‘premeditated and unprovoked,’ highlight strong NATO alliance
Biden will call out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name in his State of the Union address, saying that Putin’s actions in Ukraine have solidified the NATO alliance, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks released by the White House.
“Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden is expected to say. “Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Mar 01, 5:39 pm
Biden to signal new phase in pandemic
President Joe Biden tonight will shy away from any suggestion of “mission accomplished” when it comes to the pandemic, or even that the virus had morphed into an “endemic” state — a term reserved to describe a virus that persists but is mostly predictable — a White House official told ABC News.
Instead, the official described the president’s speech as noting the nation is now able to “move forward safely in a way in which COVID no longer disrupts our lives the way it has previously.”
The president also will “emphasize the need for the U.S. to remain vigilant in the face of an unpredictable virus, including by preparing for future variants,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details in advance of the speech.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Mar 01, 4:56 pm
Manchin, hours before, reiterates ‘There is no Build Back Better,’ wants Biden to address inflation
In advance of tonight’s speech, Sen. Joe Manchin reiterated his long-held view that has blocked Biden’s domestic agenda, saying, “There is no Build Back Better.”
“What we should be looking at is what we can do and what we have done,” the West Virginia Democrat said.
He told reporters he wants Biden to talk about inflation and about energy independence instead.
“Inflation is basically destroying the country as we know it from the standpoint of making it harder on the people they were trying to help — so we have to get energy under control,” Manchin said. “And next of all, be energy independent. Putin has weaponized energy, so shouldn’t we be using energy to counter what he’s been doing?”
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Mar 01, 3:14 pm
Biden to stress leadership on Ukraine
President Joe Biden’s 9 p.m. ET speech, to be carried live on national television and seen around the world, will be delivered just days after Russia invaded Ukraine — and days after he nominated the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.
But he’ll also be speaking to Americans suffering from historic inflation as the nation continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
With his job approval at an all-time low of 37%, Biden faces the difficult task of balancing their pain with his desire to reap the political benefits of his legislative wins so far — a massive COVID relief package and a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s infrastructure — while also demonstrating his leadership on one of the greatest threats to European stability since World War II.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department for Family and Protective Services and Governor Greg Abbott for implementing a directive to investigate parents that provide gender-affirming care to transgender children.
In a Feb. 22 letter, Abbott ordered the DFPS to investigate gender-affirming care among youths in the state following an official declaration from state Attorney General Ken Paxton who also called it “child abuse.”
The DFPS promptly announced that it would comply with Paxton and Abbott’s directive. The department told ABC affiliate KVUE there were no investigations into such alleged “child abuse” before Abbott’s directive.
DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters is also listed as a defendant in the complaint.
Representatives for DFPS, Masters and Abbott did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
The lawsuit, led by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, calls the move “lawless and dangerous.”
According to the complaint, Jane Doe, a DFPS employee, allegedly “was placed on leave from her employment because she has a transgender daughter with a medical need for treatment of gender dysphoria.”
Following the issuance of the gender-affirming care directive, Jane Doe had allegedly asked for clarification from her supervisor about how the Abbott letter would affect DFPS policy, the complaint read.
Jane and John Doe are the parents of 16-year-old Mary Doe, who is transgender.
According to the ACLU’s complaint, “some doctors and other providers have discontinued prescribing medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria to transgender youth” as a result of Abbott’s directive.
“The actions taken by Defendants have already caused severe and irreparable harm to families across the state of Texas, including the Doe family, and have put medical and mental health providers in the impossible position of either following their legal and ethical professional responsibilities or facing criminal prosecution or civil and professional repercussions under Texas law,” the complaint reads.
The Texas legislature has previously tried to limit gender-affirming care and legally declare it “child abuse” but it has failed to pass any of its bills into law.
“There is no doubt that these procedures are ‘abuse’ under Texas law, and thus must be halted,” Paxton said previously in a statement.
He added, “The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has a responsibility to act accordingly. I’ll do everything I can to protect against those who take advantage of and harm young Texans.”
Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, Texas Pediatric Society, National Association of Social Workers and more have denounced the governor’s directive.
“This harmful directive leaves families seeking gender-affirming care in Texas with nowhere to turn,” Moira Szilagyi, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement following Abbott’s announcement. “Pediatricians could be investigated for child abuse by simply providing evidence-based, medically necessary services. Gender affirming care is not abuse. Politics has no place in the exam room. All children deserve access to the care they need.”
Five Texas district attorneys also pushed back on Abbott’s directive in a signed letter, saying they “will not irrationally and unjustifiably interfere with medical decisions made between children, their parents, and their medical physicians.”
The White House has also slammed Abbott’s decisions.
“The Texas Attorney General’s attack on loving parents who seek medical care for their transgender children is dangerous to the health of kids in Texas and part of much larger trend of conservative officials cynically attacking LGBTQI+ youth to score political points,” a White House spokesperson told ABC News last week.
(WASHINGTON) — While President Joe Biden is laying out his agenda for the U.S., he and some members of Congress will be sending a message of support to Ukraine as it fights back invading Russian forces.
Several House and Senate members will be wearing a ribbon in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag on their congressional pins during the speech.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be wearing a pin with a combination of the Ukrainian and U.S. flag.
Some of those in Congress will demonstrate their support beyond their lapels.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., sported a blue suit and yellow blouse on Tuesday. She told reporters that more members will be wearing those colors during the president’s speech.
“We must do everything we can to preserve our democracies from those that wish to hurt them,” Bustos tweeted.
Earlier in the day, the White House tweeted a photo of Biden on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Biden wore a blue and yellow tie.
There will be at least one Ukrainian official on hand during the president’s remarks, according to the White House.
First lady Jill Biden invited Oksana Markarova, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, as a guest. She will be sitting in the viewing box with the first lady; the second gentleman, Douglas Emhoff; the president’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens; and eight other VIPs.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Devin Dwyer contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address will be a remarkable scene: A maskless president speaking to more than 500 invited lawmakers packed cheek-to-jowl in the historic House chamber, also allowed to go without masks so long as they got tested first.
Case numbers and hospitalization levels have plummeted. Three-fourths of U.S. adults are now fully vaccinated with a growing number of people getting boosted. Rapid tests are finally widely available. And life-saving therapeutics including new anti-viral pills are growing in supply.
With such optimism on public display, Biden’s address will signal a new phase in the pandemic. It also will be a tacit acknowledgement that the virus, at any moment, could come roaring back to life.
Officials told ABC News that Biden on Tuesday would shy away from any suggestion of “mission accomplished” or even that the virus had morphed into an “endemic” state — a term reserved to describe a virus that persists but is mostly predictable.
Instead, a White House official described the president’s speech as noting the nation is now able to “move forward safely in a way in which COVID no longer disrupts our lives the way it has previously.”
The president also will “emphasize the need for the U.S. to remain vigilant in the face of an unpredictable virus, including by preparing for future variants,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details in advance of the speech.
That the nation is “moving forward safely” probably isn’t the bumper sticker slogan Democrats were hoping for in a midterm election year. But it’s also a much more honest assessment of a virus that’s still widely circulating globally and which has killed at least 945,688 Americans despite aggressive efforts to contain its spread.
Biden’s speech will be in juxtaposition to last year’s Fourth of July speech in which he declared the nation was close to its “independence” from the virus. But pockets of the country refused to get vaccinated last summer, giving rise to fresh waves of COVID hospitalizations in the fall and winter, eventually shuttering classrooms and workplaces.
Accordingly, the White House has been revising its COVID strategy and meeting privately with some of the nation’s top pandemic experts to consider paths the virus might take. Instead of counting primarily on getting more Americans vaccinated and moving past the virus, Biden’s new strategy would acknowledge that Americans might experience COVID in waves in the year to come and that the federal government’s role would be to blunt its impact by shoring up supplies of booster shots, rapid tests and effective therapeutics.
Details of that strategy were expected as early as this week. Biden was expected to touch on that new strategy only broadly Tuesday night.
Also, last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance for masks that factors in hospitalization capacity as much as it looks at new COVID case numbers and new COVID hospitalizations. The result is that based on current data more than 70% of Americans forgo masking indoors, including in schools, according to CDC guidance.
As if to remind the public of COVID’s reach, just hours before Biden’s speech Tuesday night, three Democrats — Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Alex Padilla of California and Suzan DelBene of Washington — announced they had tested positive. Several Republicans said they wouldn’t attend because they objected to having to take the PCR tests in the first place.
“We’ve seen things come down before only to be surprised,” one person said, describing the meetings as helping the administration to prepare for next steps.
ABC News reporter Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
