(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden delivers his second State of the Union address at 9 p.m. ET, marking a pivotal moment as he lays out not only his accomplishments and agenda, but makes the case for his leadership ahead of an expected announcement on whether he’ll run for reelection.
Unlike his first two years in office, Republicans now control the House of Representatives and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who will sit behind the president for the first time, has threatened to block Biden’s agenda.
ABC News will broadcast special coverage and stream the address on ABC News Live. Partners at FiveThirtyEight will provide analysis in the live blog below during Biden’s speech.
Please check back for updates. All times Eastern.
Feb 07, 4:00 PM EST
‘Finish the job,’ Biden expected to say
“Finish the job” will be a common refrain in the president’s State of the Union address, according to a White House official.
“This evening during the State of the Union, President Biden will speak directly to the American people and outline the historic progress we have made over the past two years and his agenda for the future,” the official said. “President Biden ran for office for three main reasons: to rebuild the backbone of the country, to unite the country and to restore the soul of the nation. In the State of the Union, he’ll say that we need to finish the job.”
This theme also plays into the groundwork that Biden is laying for a reelection bid.
Biden is also expected to specifically highlight the heroism of Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the Monterey Park shooter, and reference the parents of Tyre Nichols in the audience, as he calls for gun and policing reforms.
-ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Mary Bruce and Molly Nagle
While he’s technically been King Charles III since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year, Charles’ official coronation is taking place in May, and the British government has put together a helpful playlist of songs to help United Kingdom residents celebrate the big event.
The 27 songs, selected by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are by British and Commonwealth artists, which means singers who are Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English, Canadian and Jamaican are all included. Among the tracks are Harry Styles‘ “Treat People with Kindness,” Ed Sheeran‘s “Celestial,” Coldplay‘s “A Sky Full of Stars,” “Starry Eyed” by Ellie Goulding and Michael Bublé‘s “Higher.”
Older pop hits on the list include Rod Stewart‘s cover of “People Get Ready,” featuring the late Jeff Beck on guitar; Kate Bush‘s “Running Up that Hill”; Spice Girls‘ “Say You’ll Be There”; and The Proclaimers‘ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”
Also on the list: rock classics by legendary British artists like The Beatles, Queen, The Who, David Bowie, E.L.O. and The Kinks.
The coronation of King Charles and his wife, Camilla, the queen consort, will take place over the weekend of May 6-8. On Sunday, May 7, a “coronation concert” will take place at Windsor Castle, but so far we don’t know who’ll be performing.
Alec Baldwin’s attorney moved on Tuesday to disqualify the special prosecutor in New Mexico who investigated him over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust.”
The special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, is a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives. She was elected to her first term last year and assumed office on Jan. 1.
“Under Section 1 of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution, however, a sitting member of the Legislature may not ‘exercise any powers properly belonging’ to either the executive or judicial branch,” Baldwin’s defense attorney, Luke Nikas, wrote in a motion filed on Tuesday.
Baldwin has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Hutchins.
His defense attorney argued Reeb cannot simultaneously exercise legislative and judicial power.
“Were the arrangement here approved by the courts, future District Attorneys could seek to curry favor with legislators who control their budgets by appointing them to high-profile cases — distorting the legislative process,” Nikas said in the motion to disqualify.
“A prosecutor who also serves as a legislator could face pressure to make prosecutorial decisions that serve her legislative interests, such as by prosecuting a prominent defendant associated with an opposing faction within the Legislature even in the face of conflicting evidence or law,” the motion continued.
The filing cited a funding request from First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies of $635,500 from the New Mexico Board of Finance for the prosecution of individuals related to the Rust shooting. The proposed budget included $156,000 for Reeb’s salary.
“In short, there can be no question that Representative Reeb is violating both the plain text and the purpose of the New Mexico Constitution’s separation-of-powers provision by serving simultaneously as a legislator and a prosecutor. She must be removed,” Nikas said.
The district attorney’s office brushed off the motion, calling it a distraction.
“Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys can use whatever tactics they want to distract from the fact that Halyna Hutchins died because of more than mere negligence on the ‘Rust’ film set,” Heather Brewer, a spokesperson for the First Judicial District Attorney, said in a statement. “However, the district attorney and the special prosecutor will remain focused on the evidence and on trying this case so that justice is served.”
Hutchins was fatally shot on the Santa Fe set of the Western on Oct. 21, 2021. In addition to Baldwin, the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter over her death. They both are scheduled to make their first court appearance virtually on Feb. 24.
First assistant director David Halls has already agreed to plead no contest for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting. The plea agreement is pending a judge’s approval, prosecutors said last week. A plea conference has been scheduled for March 8.
Bette Midler has worn some outrageous costumes over the years, and now she’s being honored for it. Variety reports the singer/actress will receive the Distinguished Collaborator Award at this month’s 25th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards.
The award honors “individuals who demonstrate unwavering support of costume design and creative partnerships with costume designers.”
“In my very long career, I have been blessed to work with some of the greatest costume designers ever in the worlds of stage and film,” Bette shares. “It’s been a wild ride, and I am delighted that they have chosen me as their honoree this year; I truly owe them everything. I look forward to thanking each and every one of them; geniuses all.”
Previous recipients of the Distinguished Collaborator Award include Meryl Streep, Quentin Tarantino, ShondaRhimes and Ryan Murphy.
The CDGAs are happening February 27 at The Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
(NEW YORK) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg responded for the first time since the release of a book Tuesday by former special assistant district attorney Mark Pomerantz, which accuses Bragg of making a mistake by failing to bring a criminal case against former President Donald Trump at the onset of his tenure.
“I bring hard cases when they are ready,” Bragg said Tuesday in response to a question from ABC News. “Mark Pomerantz’s case was not ready.”
Bragg called Pomerantz’s criticisms of the prosecutors in the district attorney’s office “appalling,” saying they’re committed to keeping the public safety “from the suites to the streets.”
The book, “People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account,” was released Tuesday.
Bragg said he has not read the book, but he has seen televised interviews with Pomerantz in which he criticizes Bragg for declining to bring a criminal case over Trump’s statements of financial condition.
A parallel civil case by New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged those statements were fraudulently completed to inflate Trump’s net worth so he could obtain better loan terms.
Bragg said he remained concerned the book could undermine his ongoing investigation.
Bragg’s office sent a letter in mid-January to both Simon & Schuster, the book’s publisher, and Pomerantz expressing concern that the book could interfere with the ongoing investigation.
“Based on the pre-publication descriptions of his book and the benefit of current knowledge of the matter, but without access to the manuscript, this Office believes there is a meaningful risk that the publication will materially prejudice ongoing criminal investigations and related adjudicative proceedings,” read the letter, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News.
A grand jury has started hearing evidence about Trump’s role in hush payments to Stormy Daniels, sources have told ABC News.
Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, is expected to appear before that grand jury this week, sources told ABC News.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Seven additional Memphis police officers could face discipline in connection with the Tyre Nichols incident, the city’s chief legal officer, Jennifer Sink, told ABC News Tuesday.
Those additional officers will be receiving a “statement of charges,” which notifies an officer about a policy violation prior to an administrative hearing and decision about discipline, officials said.
“The administrative investigation is still ongoing, and so this information is subject to change,” Sink said in a statement. “The administrative investigation is solely to determine if city policies were violated and what disciplinary action should be taken.”
These seven officers under investigation are in addition to the six Memphis police officers who were fired after Nichols died following a violent encounter with Memphis police caught on body camera.
Five of those six fired officers were charged with second-degree murder among several other felonies.
Graphic footage of the Jan. 7 traffic stop, which showed officers beating Nichols, was released to the public last month and sparked nationwide outrage.
Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 10, after spending three days in a hospital.
Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, who have been pushing for charges in their son’s case, will be attending Tuesday night’s State of the Union as guests of the first lady.
(WASHINGTON) — Amid national outrage after the release of the video showing the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police, Mona Hardin was reminded of the pain she felt after learning that her son Ronald Greene died after a struggle with Louisiana State Police in May 2019.
“My legs went out from under me,” Hardin said in an interview with ABC News, describing how she felt when she learned of her son’s death. “I felt that same weakness when I saw Tyre.”
“It was so gut wrenching … it was like seeing Ronnie all over and then seeing a lot of the other victims all over,” Hardin said.
Greene died in May 2019 after a struggle with Louisiana State Police officers following a high-speed chase near Monroe where Greene failed to stop for a traffic violation.
And now Hardin, along with other families of Black men who died after encounters with police, are bringing their call for police reform to the nation’s capital on Tuesday where they are set to attend President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address.
“There’s an ugliness and there’s a comfort at the same time because only these families know what’s in each other’s hearts,” Hardin said. “All these families know the excruciating, shattering pain. Our lives will never be the same. That is the common thread that binds all of us together.”
The White House announced on Tuesday that RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells – the mother and stepfather of Nichols – are set to attend Biden’s address as guests of First lady Jill Biden. Nichols died several days after a violent traffic stop on Jan. 7 captured in body camera and street surveillance footage, which shows officers repeatedly beating him. Five officers were fired and have been charged so far in connection with his death and a sixth police officer was also fired.
ABC News confirmed that Democratic lawmakers invited other family members of Black men who died after encounters with police, including Jayland Walker’s mother — Pamela Walker, Michael Brown’s father — Michael Brown, Sr., Eric Garner’s mother — Gwen Carr, and Amir Locke’s father, Andre Locke.
Hardin said when she got a call from Rep. Troy Carter, D-Louisiana, inviting her to attend the State of the Union she was “stunned” and “elated” because she says for years her son’s case had been “dormant.”
Hardin worked to raise awareness about her son’s case for three and a half years before the Union Parish district attorney John Belton convened a grand jury to examine the case in November 2022, resulting in charges against five Louisiana police officers in December 2022 in connection with Greene’s arrest.
Trooper Kory York was charged with one count of negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance. Union Parish Deputy Christopher Harpin was charged with three counts of malfeasance. Trooper John Clary faces one count of malfeasance and one count of obstruction of justice, while former Troop Commander John Peters and trooper Dakota Demoss each face one count of obstruction of justice.
The attorneys representing York and Harpin told ABC News on Monday that their clients will plead not guilty during the arraignment hearing on Feb. 22.
ABC News has reached out to the attorneys of the three other officers but requests for comment were not returned.
The initial police report said Greene died due to a car crash. But in May 2021, two years after Greene’s death, Louisiana State Police released hours of body camera video that showed a violent struggle between Greene and police. State troopers are seen punching and using a stun gun on Greene after he crashed his car following a pursuit in northern Louisiana on May 10, 2019.
“What happened to Ronnie was a cover up,” Hardin said, vowing to continue her fight for justice.
An autopsy report by the Union Parish Coroner’s Office found blunt force injury to Greene’s head, neck and torso. The cause of death was listed as “cocaine-induced agitated delirium complicated by motor vehicle collision, physical struggle, inflicted head injury and restraint.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are also investigating Greene’s deadly arrest. Meanwhile, Greene’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the troopers involved in the incident, as well as their supervisors.
The death of Nichols in January renewed calls for accountability and intensified a push for police reform as legislation stalls in Congress. The president, who met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the wake of Nichols’ death, is expected to address police reform as he urges lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which initially passed in the House in May 2021 but languished in the Senate.
Asked what she would like to hear from Biden, Hardin said, “please don’t look through me, look at me.”
“Look into my heart, see my pain. See the pain of all our families. Because if changes aren’t made, you’re looking right through us,” she added.
We won’t have to wait much longer to hear Dolly Parton and Dionne Warwick sing together. The pair’s previously announced gospel collaboration, “Peace Like A River,” is set to drop February 24, along with a video the singing icons are shooting in Nashville on Tuesday.
“I was honored to get to sing with one of my idols, Dionne Warwick,” Dolly, who wrote the song, shares. “I have loved her since we were younger and getting to sing with her was one of the highlights of my career. I loved that she loved my song, and I loved singing it with her.”
Dionne adds, “I so admire Dolly Parton’s talent and work ethic. I am thrilled to have this opportunity for us to work together.”
(WASHINGTON) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank’s fight against inflation has “a long way to go,” citing a blockbuster jobs report last week that showed the labor market remains hot despite the Fed’s efforts to cool the economy.
“This process is likely to take quite a bit of time,” Powell said. “It’s not likely to be smooth.”
Consumer prices rose 6.5% over the yearlong period ending in December, which amounts to a significant slowdown from a summer peak but is more than triple the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
Speaking at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Powell said the “extraordinarily strong” job figures took the Fed by surprise.
The economy added 517,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in 53 years.
“It’s certainly stronger than anyone I know expected,” Powell said. “We didn’t expect it to be this strong.”
“It kind of shows you why we think this will be a process that takes a significant period of time,” he added.
The Fed recently imposed the latest in an aggressive string of borrowing cost increases as it tries to slash price hikes by slowing the economy and choking off demand. The approach, however, risks tipping the U.S. economy into a recession and putting millions out of work.
Powell has repeatedly said that the Fed will keep its benchmark interest rate elevated until inflation reaches the central bank’s 2% target. That means borrowers face higher costs for everything from car loans to credit card debt to mortgages.
While Powell said the strong jobs report indicates that the fight against inflation remains in its “very early stages,” he considered the labor boom a positive sign.
“It’s a good thing that inflation has started to come down without cost to the labor market,” he said.
The remarks from Powell arrive a day after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen rejected recession fears in an interview with “Good Morning America” on Monday, saying the economy remains “strong and resilient.”
“You don’t have a recession when you have 500,000 jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years,” Yellen said.
Government data last month showed that the U.S. economy grew robustly at the end of last year.
Still, most economists expect a recession later this year, as interest rate hikes weigh on the economy, according to a survey released by Bloomberg last month. Forecasters expect gross domestic product to fall over the second and third quarters of this year, the survey found.
Since some areas of the economy have defied an expected slowdown, more rate hikes are likely forthcoming, Powell said.
“We think we’re going to need to do further rate increases,” he said. “And we think we’re going to need to hold policy at a restrictive level for a period of time.”
If you think your boss is bad, wait until you get a load of two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz in the official trailer for the Prime Video series The Consultant.
Based on Bentley Little‘s 2015 novel of the same name, the Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds Academy Award winner plays the titular role: Regus Patoff is a mysterious consultant called in after the murder of a gaming company’s CEO and quickly turns employees’ lives upside down.
Officially, Patoff is there to “observe, streamline, and improve” the company, but instead he manages to freak out his charges in increasingly creepy ways. “For those who work remotely, you have one hour to get here, or you’ll be terminated,” he tells his new employees moments after meeting them.
He fires another worker because he doesn’t like the way he smells. Then there’s his shadowy background: His last job was working for another CEO who was also murdered weeks after he hired the consultant.
Prime teases the “comedic-thriller series … explores the sinister relationship between boss and employee,” as Patoff’s demands and challenges to the company’s workers “put everything into question — including their lives.”
The eight-episode series, which also stars Nat Wolff, Brittany O’Grady and Aimee Carrero, premieres February 24 on Prime Video.
