there's been a buzz about expelled member of congress, george santos, sort of proudly returning and using his floor privileges to try to attend this evening. he has pled guilty to multiple felony charges, had he been convicted of any the felonies, you would not be allowed on the house floor but as a former member, even one that's been expelled, he technically can be there. so he can be there. lurking somewhere, and hoping desperately that we will talk about him and put his picture on television. while i have just talked about him now, maybe that will do it. >> nobody ever thinks of someone like him existing. >> i've been doing one of my favorite things to do, it's

text republicans, maybe just a reminder that i actually do no republicans. >> is this an app? text a republican. >> so i texted my republican friends and they are really saying the same thing, i asked the same question, what should or could biden say to win over the nikki haley supporters and they've been very clear, they think that he should laser focus and they said that her base was, it was really women, who in some cases don't normally vote in republican primaries, that's her basis, they are light voting republicans, loosely attached to the party, except for in this case, they were driven to come out because of abortion and ivf and he should do a heavy emphasis on trying to win over republican women, not so much on the democracy stuff but on ivf and reproductive rights. >> one of the excerpts that

they released, as you said in the beginning, he won't mentioned. i would be shocked by that but it's clearly those dragging about overturning roe v wade, he clearly has no idea about women. he's speaking to the nikki haley voters, and the women who are outraged about ivf, maybe pro-choice and feel like this is a bridge too far. >> we just saw president biden walking through the halls and he said to reporters as he passed through, he said, i'm feeling great, that was the comment as he is approaching the room. is just past 9:00 right now on the east coast which means that we are expecting shortly the house sergeant at arms to announce the arrival of the president of the united states and what we will see is the escort committee, we heard all the members of congress, all of the members of the senate, a big long list of members, who haven't come into the chamber yet along with her colleagues who will walk in as the escort

committee and then he will start the long process of shaking hands and interacting with people in more or less performative ways depending on the member as he makes his way down the center aisle. one other thing to keep -- there's the man. he did it. >> and we are done, thank you. one thing we will be watching for, when we covered state of the union last year, when president biden finished, and last year was kind of like a high-energy, rock them sock them state of the union including the heckling and him going back at the hecklers, at the end of it, he stayed for 20 minutes, he was the last person, -- >> i've got more! does anyone want to talk to me? >> if you were with biden on the campaign trail as a reporter or a staffer, you see

him do these speeches and then he pivots, for a long time. >> this seems like a weirdly counterintuitive hot take although to most obvious thing you can say is that joe biden is good at politics. he is very good at politics. the man, really does know what he is doing. and you really see it in those situations. >> we discovered when i was still there at the white house that when we traveled with members of congress, he was more elated, it energized him, which is so rare, that's not how president obama would have felt about traveling with members of congress. in 2022 when he came back from the speech that was russia and ukraine heavy, we all waited to cheer for him in the palm room which is the room you walk back in and out and we were there for like an hour, i mean, he was there for so long that night for the same reasons. >> part of being good at politics is enjoying it. you have to be the kind of

person who enjoys that. yeah, we shall see. there is a pageantry and a scripted nature which make all of these things seem familiar. there's often a visual signifier in the crowd on an issue or two or three, there are members of congress that are expected to be performative and heckling. there's the speech being put on the podium. we see the vice president, all of the stuff is familiar but there is a big wildcard vibe that looms over all of it because none of these is exactly the same especially in an election year when the stakes are so high, especially in this election year. and with a house of representatives that is divided

by two, in terms of the partisan division between the parties, with the turmoil that the house republicans have been through, for the first time in ufc history, chirping out their own speaker and replacing him with another who is now riding this majority like up bucking bronco, this guy is barely holding on and he's only been there five minutes, we are showing the man who more than anyone orchestrated the ousting of the previous speaker who not only left the speakership but left congress altogether. i mean, this is as they say, a very fluid situation. and that feeling, in the room, i think, can manifest in some ways as nervousness and jitters, tonight, so far it's manifesting as one of the most chitchat starts that i've ever seen. >> i can't unseat it as the scene of the crime on january

6th and to see it ordinary again and behaving and it's traditional ways that we all have been watching for you know, decades of our lives and it has just changed the vibe of looking at that room. there's something area about it to me that it's this return to normalcy when, it was a space of such violence and fear and i think about those members and the staff hiding under their desk and terrified and running out and figuring out where the safe rooms were, where the panic buttons were, and it returns to such normalcy, we are doing a normal thing but we are doing a normal thing that perceives an election, it's really eerie for me. >> i also think this is an opportunity for the president, as strange as that may be to say. that floor is so hallowed for him. he feels more comfortable than i think he does in the white

house. i expect that he will talk about that, election denies and who we are as a country. >> justice kennedy shot is reminding me as one of the things that hangs over the selection. i think we will hear about judges, but of course, justices get too well, unless fate intervenes, they get to retire when they want to retire, can be clearly waiting until he had a republican office to hand that seat over. >> specifically so it would be rhett kavanagh. his former clerk. there are two republican appointees on that court were over the age of 71 and 72. their fate rests in some ways, i think the future rests a lot, the decisions they may make about who wins. >> hugely important.

>> the court has been cosplaying unity. we can't tell much from body language in a moment like this but man, to be a fly on the wall the social dynamics, given how much they're trying to mask what clearly must be a serious cleave between the liberal justices and the conservative ones. >> there's the second gentleman, the husband of vice president harris, entering the chamber now it's almost 9 minutes past the hour, and we know president biden is on site, he's in the capital, we've seen him in there. we've had live images of him leaving the white house and being inside the capital building but i'm not sure.

>> have ever been on time for anything? >> i just want to say i think i would be a good second gentleman. >> that seems like a dope job. >> i would vote for kate shaw for anything. >> if that would be the side effect of getting kate in power, i would take it. i think a lot of people would, too, in terms of the guests that are in the room, this is fascinating to see all the people from different branches of government, chatting to each other for this extended period. >> who often don't have an opportunity to have this conversation. >> one of the reports we got is that when justice jackson, the newest member of the court walked into the chamber, there were loud cheers from democratic women members of congress. here's first lady jill biden entering the room and a sage

green, the showcase of the box seats where the first lady sits with her hand-picked guests, many of whom have been advanced notice to the press in terms of who sitting with her, a lot of them will be referenced in the speech this evening. this is getting close. >> mr. speaker, the president's cabinet. >> the cabinet led by the secretary of state blinkin. defense secretary lloyd austin, looking pale and hearty. attorney general merrick garland, you think of him as short, he is not. this is usually the last part

of the process that happens before we get the president himself introduced. but yeah, it is a, it is a boisterous and happy bunch in the room. am i right, this is by being different? >> it is. it's also interesting to see who is friends, i guess, and who decides to sit next to each other. mitt romney and joe manchin looked like they were in a best friend comedy there. sitting together, and who chooses to sit with each other is interesting, too. >> i think we have low in lauren boebert and matt gaetz sitting next to each other, a critical mass thing happening there. >> what could go wrong? >> claire mccaskill watching this with us, are we misreading the vibes here? >> it's always pretty much like a little gabfest, as you wait around and wait around and wait around that i will say, there's work being done here.

you saw schumer and pelosi, and schumer was doing his gesturing like going to win this point i'm going to make you give into what i, and i also noted, pelosi talking to mcconnell. so pelosi is working, and so are some of the other members, they are running around finding people. it's very unusual to have the house and senate members together like this and it's one of the only times where the senators feel outnumbered, because there are so many more house numbers but it's always a gabfest before it starts. this doesn't feel particularly more convivial than normal. it's kind of an uplifting time to be in the moment when you are there. although, an hour later when the president is still talking, there is a little toetapping that begins. >> you see the interior secretary, the attorney general, you see lloyd austin,

transportation secretary, energy secretary, un ambassador, thomas cream. i will mention, this is always sort of awkward because it's a little bit dark but because of the number and diversity of government leadership that is in this room with the principles of the executive and legislative and judicial branch, not to mention the united states military, each year at the state of the union, one person who's in the line of succession for the presidency is chosen as a designated survivor and the explicitly do not go to the room, just in case the worst happens and tonight, it is, ready? the secretary of education, dr. cardona, he will not be there

but pretty much everybody else well, and at this point, we are waiting for the president himself. >> one policy item to look for tonight that i've been thinking about is the trump tax cuts which i think will appear in the speech for a few reasons. one, they will expire in 2025 and the next president will decide if they are restored or not and number 2 they are the least popular agenda item of the last president. they are also a live and pressing issue and the democrats right now enjoy an advantage on taxes which i don't think i've ever seen in my life and i think that's due to that and i think we will expect to see the president make hay on that tonight. >> a number of the people who will be sitting in the first lady's box with dr. jill biden are people there to highlight the issue of healthcare and prescription drugs, insulin,

price cap including a man with blood cancer who has one of the drugs that senator klobuchar was talking about a few minutes ago, one of the drugs that's targeted for the first round of medicare being able to negotiate to bring down the price of prescription drugs, that's something that's been on the policy wish list in washington, for a generation and joe biden finally got it done. he's been wanting to expand the number of drugs that are included on the negotiation listen also to expand the benefits that he's been able to achieve, the $35 insulin price cap, the overall annual cap on the amount that you can spend on prescription drugs out-of- pocket. he wants to expand those things so they don't discover seniors on medicare, they apply to everybody. >> it's so popular, it's more popular than almost anything else that he's done. and this is why it's the perfect opportunity to talk about it.

this is when people are listening. healthcare is also a contrast we are drying -- drawing. the parents there of the wall street journal reporter, he's about a year now in russia, being held unjustly, and we expect that to be discussed. >> the president of the united states! [ applause ]

>> this could take a while. >> i want to keep the mic open here to see if we can hear anything. hear anything >> he's gone across like four inches.

>> we are used to seeing the president in the secure doing, this is the most secure place in the world but to see everybody just reaching out and hugging him, and touching him, it's an unusual thing. you don't see this. >> there's a lot of jockeying for the pole position to be as close as possible. >> remember congressman engel who used to show up first thing in the morning to always be on the aisle. >> biden loves it. it's christmas morning. >> the 153, that you see, i think it's pinned to their lapel, 153 is the 153 days that hostages have been held by hamas in gaza.

>> >> congressman barbara lee, isn't that her on the left side of her scream, she gave up her seat to pursue the senate seat in california but she and katie porter, giving up their seats in congress, to have competed for the senate seat. neither of those members will be going on to the general election in november. at such a loss. >> congressman lee is an icon. she's an og icon of the progressive wing. she was the squad before the squad. there's a lot of reference for her, friends in california, really hate to see her leave congress. she's a brave voice for the authentic left. >> and there is mpg. >> they have have these pole positions on the aisle, she and

boebert, you have to be there very early in the morning to get. >> she is clearly trying to do some confrontation thing. not sure if it works. >> you sought representative al green, and he's the one who came from his hospital bed to make sure he would cast an important vote. >> claire mccaskill is still with us. claire, i just have to ask you about the hat. isn't there a rule? >> i'm really surprised that she is not being asked to remove that hat. it makes me think that speaker johnson is really afraid of her. >> because there is a rule. there's a strict rule, no hats for any reason. >> especially a hat that is, you know, i'm not aware of any time a hat is allowed on the floor of the senate.

i'm not as familiar with the house rules but you could never wear a hat on the floor of the senate. so, i'm not sure, other than, if the speaker just doesn't want to have the sergeant at arms tell her to remove it, because if he did they would probably remove her from speaker, she filed a motion. >> the sergeant at arms is busy right now, basically trying to yank president biden a few more inches down the aisle. he's nowhere near the deus as far as i can tell. >> senator gillibrand there. >> he's going to talk to every person in that room and look, he's enjoying it. the hat is an incredibly tacky choice, by somebody who, it shouldn't be surprising at this point, there's nothing that she does that is surprising but it's open me for the dignity of the office that she holds,

regardless of you know, the qanon stuff, she's a member of the united states congress, at some point, one would think you would aspire to have a minimal amount of dignity in your presentation, and she has no such aspiration. >> and it's a trump 2020 hat. >> he is now taking the pictures for them. we moved from selfies. >> it's sometimes easier, because people get nervous when they see you and they fumble and it's like, i'll do it. >> he loves to call people's family members. >> i was thinking that might be next. >> nicole, you and jen are former staffers and having ptsd about the speed, getting the principal to where he needs to be, it's like molasses seems fast. >> almost there now.

speaking with the jet chairman of the joint tease -- chairman of the joint chiefs. up to the podium now. jen, you know the answer, i'm guessing this pumped him up. this pumped him up but if you are sitting in the white house right now, you are thrilled by this because we are all here watching it and talking about it. and this shows him, a person has been caricatured as nobody in the democratic party wants to run for president. but here they are, doing selfies with him. he seems joyful, he probably is having a good time. >> claire did you say tom parker? >> obviously they go way back. and tom is not running away.

he's been there an awfully long time. he's rounding the corner, he is now over in front of the senate section and once he gets another few paces he will be up on the dais. >> does this make you miss it, where these fun nights or were these work? >> the first time, the first couple of times, it was really interesting and i kept pinching myself that i was where i was, when barack obama was elected president while he was running, they were very interesting. we had an interesting vignette, about whether or not barack obama snubbed hillary clinton that night, but after you've gone to about six or seven or eight, then, you really think they take too long. >> it's like the junior prom was exciting but if you had to

go to postgrad prom -- postgrad prom is very sad. >> i don't know what that is. >> everybody has childhood issues. all right, let's settle in. president biden delivering the state of the union for 2024, as prescribed in our constitution. we do this every year and it's never the same and it's always important, and apex moment in american democracy. [ applause ] >> good evening good evening. if i were smart, i would go

home now. mr. speaker, madam vice president, members of covers, my fellow americans, in january, 1941, franklin roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation and he said, i address you in the moment, unprecedented, in the history of the union, hitler was on the march, war was raging in europe, president roosevelt was to wake up congress and the american people that this was no ordinary time. freedom and democracy were under assault in the world. tonight, i come to the same chamber to address the nation. now, it's we, who face an unprecedented moment and yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the congress and alert the

american people that this is no ordinary moment, either. not since president lincoln and the civil war have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today. what makes our moment rare is the freedom of democracy, under attack both at home and overseas. overseas, putin is on the march invading ukraine and selling chaos throughout europe and beyond. if anybody things putin will stop at ukraine, i assure you, he will not. [ applause ] but ukraine, ukraine can stop putin, ukraine can stop putin, if we stand with ukraine. and provide the weapons they

need to defend itself. that is all ukraine is asking. they're not asking for american soldiers, in fact, there are no american soldiers at war in ukraine and i'm determined to keep it that way. now, assistance to ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership. it wasn't long ago when the republican president named ronald reagan thundered mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. now, now my predecessor is, a former republican president tells putin, quote, do whatever

the hell you want. that's a quote. the former president said that bowing down to a russian leader. i think it's outrageous, dangerous, and unacceptable. america is a founding member of nato military alliance of nations created after world war ii to prevent war and keep the peace and today we made nato stronger than ever, we welcome fennel into the alliance last year. and just this morning, sweden officially joined and their minister is here tonight. stand up. [ applause ] welcome. welcome, welcome, welcome.

and they know how to fight. mr. prime minister, welcome to nato, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen. i say this to congress, we have to stand up to putin. send me a bipartisan national security bill. history is literally watching. history is watching. the united states walks away, it'll put ukraine at risk. europe is at risk, the four free world will be at risk, emboldening others to do what they wish, to do us harm. my message to putin who i've known for a long time is simple. we will not walk away. [ applause ] we will not bow down! i will not bow down.

in a literal sense, history is watching. history is watching. just like history watch three years ago on january 6th, when insurrectionists stormed this place. many of you were here on the darkest of days. we all saw with their own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots, they had come to stop the peaceful transfer of power, to overturn the will of the people, january 6th lies about the 2020 election and the plots to steal the election post the gravest threat to u.s. democracy since the civil war. but they failed. america stood! america stood strong, and

democracy prevailed. let's be honest, the threat to democracy must be defended. my predecessor and some of you here seek to carry the truth about january 6th. i will not do that. this is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. here's the simple truth. you can't love your country only when you win. [ applause ] as i've done, ever since being elected to office, i ask all of you without regard to party, to join together and defend democracy. member your oath of all -- office, respect free and fair

elections, restore trust in our institutions and make clear political violence has absolutely no place, no place in america, zero place. again it's not hyperbole to suggest history is watching. your children and grandchildren will read about this day and what we do. history is watching another assault on freedom, joining us tonight is latoya beasley, the social worker from alabama, 14 months ago, 14 months ago she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of ivf. she scheduled treatments to have a second child, alabama supreme court shutdown ivf treatment across the state, unleashed by a supreme court decision overturning roe v wade, she was told her dream would have to wait and what her family went through it

should've never have happened. tonight, let's stand up for families like her, don't keep this waiting any longer. guarantee the right to ivf! guarantee it, nationwide. [ applause ] like most americans, i believe roe v wade got it right. i think vice president harris for being an incredible leader defending reproductive freedom and so much more. thank you. my predecessor came to office determined to see roe v wade overturned. he is the reason it's

overturned and he brags about it. look at the chaos that has resulted. joining us tonight is cake -- kate cox, she's become pregnant again and had a fetus with a fatal condition. her doctor told kate that her own life and her ability to have children in the future were at risk if she didn't act because texas law banned her ability to act, kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed. what her family got through should have happened as well but it's happening to too many others, there are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need . many of you in this chamber and my predecessor, are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom, my god, what other freedom would you

take away? look, it's a decision to overturn roe v wade, they wrote the following and with all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral or political power, you are about to realize just how much. clearly, clearly, those bragging about overturning roe v wade have no clue about the power of women but they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, we won't in 2022 and we will win again in 2024! if you, the american

people send me to congress to support the right to choose i promise you, i will restore roe v wade as the law of the land again. folks, america cannot go back. i'm here tonight to show what i believe is the way forward, because i know how far we've come. four years ago next week, before i came to office, the country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century. remember the fear, record losses, remember the spikes in crime and the murder rate, raging violence, and it took more than 1 million american lives left once, millions left behind. the mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness. my predecessor, failed the most

basic presidential duty that he owes to the american people, the duty to care. i think that's unforgivable. i came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in the nation's history. we have, it doesn't make news in 1000 cities and towns, the american people are writing the greatest comeback story never told. let's tell the story here. tell it here and now. america's comeback is building the future of america possibilities, building economy from bottom up, middle out, investing in all america, all americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind. the pandemic no longer controls our lives, the vaccine that saved us from covid, it's being

used to beat cancer, turning set back into comeback. that's what america does. that's what america does. clap back -- [ applause ] folks i hear the economy is on the brink, now our economy is the envy of the world, 15 million new jobs in three years, a record. a record. unemployment a 50 year low. a record 16 million americans are starting small businesses, each one is a literal act of hope, the historic job growth and small business growth for blacks and hispanics and asian americans, 800 new manufacturing jobs in america and counting. >> where is it written we can be the manufacturing capital of the world, more people have

health insurance today than ever before the racial wealth gap is as small as it's been in 20 years. wages keep going up and inflation keeps going down. inflation has dropped from 9% to 3%, the lowest in the world and trending lower. now and stand -- we are exporting american products and creating american jobs. right here in america, where they belong. it takes time but the american people are beginning to feel it. consumer confidence is soaring, by america has been the law of

america since the 1930s, past administrations including my predecessor including democrats as well in the past failed to buy american, not anymore, federal products that you fund like helping build roads, bridges or highways will be made with american products and built by american workers. creating good paying american jobs. and thanks to her chips and science act, the united states is investigating test make investing more than ever before, chips that drove up the price of everything from cell phones to automobiles and by the way we invented those chips, but instead of having to

import them, private companies are investing billions of dollars to build new factories in america, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, many of the jobs paying $100,000 a year and don't require a college degree. in fact, my policies have attracted $650 billion in private sector investment, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, creating tens of thousands of jobs here in america. and things to her bipartisan infrastructure law, 46,000 products testing projects have been announced, and some of you strongly voted against it are there cheering on that money coming in. i'm with you. i'm with you.

if any of you don't want the money in your district, just let me know. modernizing's, removing poisonous lead pipes so every child can drink water without risk of brain damage. providing affordable, affordable high-speed internet for every american no matter where you live, urban, suburban, rural communities in red states and blue states. record and investments in communities because of my investment in -- we are better able to stay in the family, so they will have to leave home to make a living.

it's transformative. the great comeback story is belvidere, illinois. home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years. before i came to office the plant was on its way to shutting down. thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods. hope was fading, i was elected to office and we, the uaw works like hell to get these jobs back and together, we succeeded. instead of the auto factory shutting down, they reopened a new state of the art battery factory being built. folks, instead of your town being left behind, your community is moving forward again. instead of watching auto jobs of the future go overseas, 4000 union jobs with higher wages

are building the future in belvedere, right here in america here tonight, the uaw president sean fain, sean, where are you? stand up! and don and don sims, a third- generation worker, uaw worker at belvedere, sean, i was proud to be the first president to stand in the picket line and today, don has a good job in her hometown, providing stability for her family and pride and dignity as well, showing once again, wall street didn't build america, they are not bad guys, they didn't build

it no, the middle class built it and the union built the middle class! i say to the american people, when america gets knocked down, we get back up we keep going! that's america! that's you, the american people it's because of you, america's coming back and it's because of you are future is brighter it's because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. [ applause ] tonight,

tonight, i want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together. a future where the days of trickle-down economics are over and the biggest corporations no longer get all of the tax breaks and i understand corporations, i come from a state that has more corporations invested than everyone of the states of the united states combined and i represented for 36 years. i grew up in a home where trickle-down economics didn't put much at my dad's kitchen table. i want to turn things around so the middle class does well, they do well and we all do well. there's more to do to make sure you are feeling the benefits of all we are doing, americans pay

more for prescription drugs than anywhere in the world. it's wrong, and i am ending it. the law that i propose &, not one of you republican buddies voted for it. we finally beat big pharma. instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, with diabetes, it only cost 10 bucks to make, they only get paid 35 a month and still make a healthy profit. i want to capture the cost of insulin done and gave medicare the power to negotiate lower prices and just like the va does for

veterans. that is just not saving seniors money but saving taxpayers money and orweek cut the federa deficit by $160 million. because medicare no longer has to pay those exorbitant prices and this year they treat everything from heart disease to arthritis and it's now time to go further and given the power to negotiate prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade. and they are making a lot of money, guys. and they will still be extremely profitable and not only save lives but taxpayers another $200 billion. and starting next year it caps drug costs for seniors on

medicare $2000 a year and even for cancer drugs that cost $12,000 or $15,000 and i want to cap them at $2000 a year for everybody. and i will get in trouble for saying but flying to toronto, berlin, and even moscow probably. and bring your prescription with you and i promise you i will get it for 40% the cost you are paying now the same company and same drug and same o place. folks, the affordable care act, the old obamacare. it's still a very big deal.

over 100 million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of a previous condition while my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take those prescription drugs away by repealing affordable care act. i won't let that happen. we stopped you 50 times before,e and we will stop you 50 times again. i'm not only protecting it but expanding it and reducing healthcare costs for millions of working families and that expires next year. i want to make that savings permanent. and the state the obvious,

women are more than half a population but research and women's health has always been underfunded and we are launching the first ever white house initiative on women's health research led by jill doing an incredible job as first lady. and pass in my plan for $12 million for women's health research to billions of lives all across america and i know al the cost of housing is so important to you. inflation comes down and mortgage rates come down as well and the fed acknowledges that. i am not waiting. i went to provide a tax credit that will give americans money to put toward their mortgage when they buy their first home

or traded for little more space. and my administration is also eliminating title insurance on federally backed mortgages. and when you refinance your home, you can save $1000 or more as a consequence. and for many renters, we are cracking down on big landlords so breaking antitrust laws by driving up rents. we have cut red tape so builders can get federal financing which already helps build a record 1.7 million new housing units nationwide. and now building and renovate 2

million affordable homes and bringing those rents down. and to remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best education system in the world. and i, like i suspect all of you, want to give a child, every child, a good start by providing access to preschool for three-year-olds and four- year-olds. i think i pointed out last year. children coming from broken homes with no books and not spoke to or read to very often who start kindergarten or first grade hearing fewer than 1 million words spoken.

studies show the children to preschool are 50% more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a four-year degree the matter what their background is. and a year and a half ago with the leaders of the business roundtable and they were discussing why wanted to spend money on education. i pointed out to them as vice president i met with over 182 of those folks. and i asked them what they need most and you had the same experience and they say a better educated workforce. and i say i come from delaware and it used to be the eighth largest corporations in the world and every new enterprise

they educated the workforce to that enterprise but none of you do that anymore and why are your angry with me providing you the opportunity for the best educated workforce in the world and they all looked at me and said i think you are right. and i want to expand high- quality tutoring and summer learning to see that every child learns to read by third grade. and i am also connecting local n businesses in high school so students get hands-on experience in the path to a good paying job whether or not they go to college. and i want to make sure that nt college is so affordable. let's continue to increase the pell grant to work families and middle-class families and

invest and a minority serving institution and a hispanic serving institution. and i was told i couldn't universally change the way you deal with student loans and i fixed to programs that already existed to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 400 million americans with nurses and firemen and others in public service. and like the public educator of minnesota who -- where are you? thank you. he has educated hundreds of students so they can go u.to college and now he is able to help after getting his own daughter to college. folks, look. this is good for the economy because folks can now buy a

home and start a business, start a family. and while we are at it, i want to give public school teachers a raise. and by the way the first few years we cut the deficit. and now we speak to the question of fundamental fairness for all americans. i have obeen delivering real results in a fiscally responsible way and we already cut the federal deficit over $1 trillion. i signed a bipartisan bill and it is my gold effect -- cut the federal deficit by making big fi corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their own share.

look. i am a capitalist and you want to make millions of bucks, that is great. just pay your fair share in taxes. a fair tax code is how we invest in things and make this country great with healthcare and education and defense and so much more, but here's the deal. the last administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut . overwhelmingly benefiting the very wealthy and the biggest corporations. and exploded the federal deficit. they added more to the national debt then any presidential term in american history. check the numbers. the folks at home, this everybody ever think the tax code is fair? do you think the wealthy and do big corporations need another $2 trillion tax break? i sure don't. i will keep fighting like hell

to make it fair and under my plan nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny and federal taxes. nobody, not one penny. in fact, the child tax credit cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty and half. and restore that child tax credit and no child should go hungry in this country. the way to make it fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy pay their own share and remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in america made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income tax. not anymore. thanks to what we signed big

companies have to pay a minimumo of 50%, but that is still less than working people pay in federal taxes. it's time to raise corporate minimum tax to at least 21%. so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share and also and tax breaks for big pharma and big 12 in private jets and it could be deducted and they get paid be 20 million if they want but deduct the million. and end it now. there are 1000 billionaires in america. and you know is the average federal taxes for those billionaires are? they are making great sacrifices at 8.2% and that is far less than the vast majority that americans pay. now billionaires should pay lower federal tax rates than eight teacher or sanitation

worker. i propose 25% minimum and that would raise $500 billion over the next 10 years. imagine what that could do for america. imagine a future with affordable childcare and many families can get what they need to go to work and help build the economy and nobody should have to choose between working and taking care of a sick family member. imagine the future of healthcare and eldercare and people living with disabilities so they can stay in their homes and caregivers can finally get the pay they deserve. tonight, let's all agree once again to stand up for seniors. many of my friends on the other

side of the aisle wants to cut social security and if everybody here tries to do that or raise the retirement age, i r will stop you. and the wealthy people -- the working people who built this country paid more into social security than millionaires and billionaires do and it isn't fair. we have two ways to go, republicans can cut social re security and get more to the wealthy and that is the proposal and you guys don't want another $2 trillion tax cut and i kind of thought that is what your plan was. and that is good to hear. you won't cut another $2 trillion for the super wealthy. that is good here. so i will make the wealthy pay their fair share.

look. too many corporations raise prices to pad profits charging more and more for less and less. that is why it's cracking down on corporations engaged in price gouging and from food and healthcare to housing and in fact the snack companies think you won't notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot fewer chips in it. the same size and it's called shrinkflation. pass the bill and stop this. i mean it. and you probably also that

commercial on the snickers bars. and you get to charge the same amount and you have about, i don't know, 10% fewer snickers in it. look. i am getting rid of junk fees, those hidden fees at the end of your bill that are there without your knowledge. my administration announced we are cutting credit card late fees from $32 to eight dollars. and banks and credit card companies are allowed to charge what it costs them to instigate the collection. and that is a hell of a lot more than eight dollars. they don't like it in the credit card companies don't like it but i am saving american families $20 billion a year with those junk fees. the folks at home, that is why

the banks are so mad because $20 billion in profit and i am not stepping there. they propose to make cable and travel in utilities and online ticket sales tell you the total price up front so there are no surprises. and it does matter. it matters. and so does this. and in november, my team began negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators and the result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we have ever seen. you don't think so? you don't like that bill? and then conservatives got together and said it was a good bill? i will be done. that is amazing. that would hire 1500 more security agents and officers and 100 more immigration judges help tackle the back of 2

million cases with 4300 more asylum officers and new policy so they could resolve cases in six months instead of six years now. what you get? 100 more high-tech drug detection machines to increase the ability to screen and stop d vehicle smuggling drugs into america that is killing th thousands of citizens and it would help save lives and it would give me and any new president new emergency authority to temporarily shut down t the border when the numb is overwhelming. the border patrol union has endorsed this bill in the federal chamber of commerce has and look at the facts.

i know that you know how to read. i believe that given the opportunity for a majority of the house and senate, they would endorse the bill as well and the majority right now, but unfortunately, politics has derailed this so far and i am told my predecessor called members of congress and the senate to demand they block the bill. and ndhe feels it would be a political win for me in a political loss or him. it's not about him it's not about me. i would be a winner. not really. and lincoln riley -- laken

riley being killed by an illegal and how many thousands being killed by somebody legal? my parent -- my heart goes out being a parent myself but if we change the dynamic at the border, people pay people and people pay these smugglers $8000 to get across the border because they know if they get by and let into the country, it is six years to eight years before they have a hearing and worth you taking the chance. but if it is only six weeks the idea it is highly unlikely that people will pay this money going that way that they will be kicked out quickly. and i would respectfully suggest to the american people get this bill done and we need to act now.

and if my predecessor is watching, instead of playing politics, pressuring members of congress to block the bill, join me in urging congress to pass it. we can do it together but apparently here is what he will not do. i will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoning the blood of our country. i will not separate families and i will not ban people because of their faith and like my first day in office i introduced a bill to fix the immigration system and take a look at all of this and more in secure the border and provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers and more but unlike my predecessor and i know who we

are as americans. and we are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new and home the native americans and those who have been here for thousands of years and home to people of every place on earth. and they came freely and some came in chains and some came like my family from ireland and some to flee persecution and chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in america. that is america and we all comes from somewhere but we are all americans. look, folks. it's a simple choice. we can fight about fixing the we border, or we can fix it. i am ready to fix it and send me the border bill now.

and it's a transformational moment in history happening 59 years ago today in selma, alabama. hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the bridge named after the grand dragon in the ku klux klan to claim their fundamental right to vote and they were beaten and they were bloody and left for dead and our late friend and former colleague john lewis was on that march. and joining us tonight are other marches. including betty mae sykes known as the voice of selma and the

daughter of gospel singers and preachers she sing songs of prayer and protest on that bloody sunday to help shape the nation's conscience and five months later the voting rights act passed and was signed into law. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. 69 years later, there are forces taking us back in time fo with voter suppression, election subversion, unlimited dark money, extreme gerrymandering, and john lewis is a great friend to many of us, but if you truly want to honor him and those who march with them, there is time to do

more than just talk. pass the freedom to vote act and the john lewis voting rights record. and stop denying another core value of america, our diversity and across american life and banning books is wrong. instead of erasing history let's make it. i want to protect fundamental rights and pass the equality a and if i get a chance in america i have your back. and pass that act and raise the federal minimum wage and also

we are making this about confronting the climate crisis and not denying it and i don't think any of you think there is no longer a climate crisis or no at least i hope you don't. and i'm taking the most significant act ocean ever in history of the world on climate. and cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030 creating tens of thousands of clean energy jobs and 500,000 electric vehicles. and conserving 30% of americans by 2030. and taking action on communities smothered by the legacy of pollution. and pattern it after the peace corps and america core and launch the climate core to put 20,000 young people to work in the forefront of our clean

energy future and i will triple that number in a decade. and state the obvious. all americans deserve the freedom to be safe and america is safer today than when i took office. and the year before i took office murder rates were up 30% they went up. and the biggest increase in history. it was then through my american rescue plan which every american voted against we made the large investment in last year the murder rates saw the biggest drop in history and violent crime fell the one of the lowest levels in more than 50 years but we have more to do. we have to help cities invest

in more community police officers and more mental health workers and more community violence and those who crackdown on omgun crime and regional crime and carjacking and doing this i taking executive action. and calling for to be the law of the land. and to do the federal reclassification of marijuana expunging convictions for the mere possession because nobody should be jailed for simply using it for having it on the record. taking on crimes of domestic violence. and ramping up the federal enforcement on violence against women act that i proudly wrote o as a senator so we can finally end the scourge against women in america. and other kinds of violence i want to stop and with us tonight is jasmine and whose

nine-year-old sister jackie was murdered with 21 classmates andw teachers in texas and very soon after that happened, jill and i went there for a few days and spent hours and hours with each of the families and we heard their message. so everybody in this room and in this chamber could hear the same message. the constant refrain and i won't say again but for hours meeting every family they said do something. do something. i did do something by having the office of gun violence prevention in the white house with the vice president leading the charge. and meanwhile, my predecessor told the nra that he is proud

he did nothing on guns when he was president. and after another shooting in iowa recently, he said when asked what to do about it he said just get over it. that was his quote. just get over it. i say stop it. stop it. stop it. stop it. i am proud we begin with the most significant job safety law because of this congress and we now must begin again and i demand a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. universal background checks and i taught the second amendment for 12 years and none of this violates the second amendment or vilifies responsible gun

owners. and we are managing crises abroad including in the middle east and i know the last five months have been gut wrenching for so many people and the israeli people and the palestinian people and so many here in america. this crisis began on october 7 a with the massacre by the terrorist group hamas as you well know and 1200 innocent people, women and girls in men and boys slaughtered after enduring sexual violence and the deadliest day for the jewish people since the holocaust and 250 hostages taken. and in this chamber tonight our families whose loved ones are still being held by hamas i pledge to all the families that we won't rest until we bring your loved ones home.

and we will also work around the clock to bring home evan and paul, americans being unjustly detained by russians and others around the world. israel has the right to go after hamas and hamas can end this conflict and it could end it by releasing the hostages laying down and surrendering those responsible but israel has an added burden as hamas hides in operates like cowards under civilian populations and also they have a responsibility, opisrael does, protect innocent civilians in

gaza. and the war has taken a toll more than any other war there combined with more than 30,000 palestinians killed, most of whom are 00not hamas and thousands and thousands of innocent women and children, girls and boys also orphaned and nearly 2 million were palestinians under bombardment or displacement and homes distorted -- destroyed in homes and ruin without food or medicine. it is heartbreaking and i have been working nonstop to establish cease-fires and to get all hostages released and to get the hostages home and ease the intolerable and have this humanitarian crisis stop and build toward a more enduring situation and we need

to get more humanitarian assistance to gaza. tonight, i am directing u.s. military to lead a mercy e mission to establish a temporary period -- peer on the coast of gaza that will receive large shipments covering food water and now u.s. boots will be on the ground and a temporary pier will massively increase the assistance getting into gaza every day. and israel must do its part. they must allow more aid into gaza to make sure workers are caught in the crossfire and they are announcing they will cross into northern gaza and to israel i say this, humanitarian assistance can't be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip in protecting innocent

lives has to be a priority. as you look toward the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two state solution. and i say this. is a lifelong supporter of israel, my entire career, nobody has a stronger word our record and i am the only american president to visit israel wartime, but there is no other path that guarantees the security and democracy or path that guarantees palestinians can live in peace with the dignity and there is no other path that guarantees peace between israel and all of its neighbors including saudi arabia with whom i am talking. and creating stability in the middle east means containing the threat posed by iran. that is why i ngbuilt a coalitih

of more than a dozen countries f to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the red sea and i have ordered strikes to degrade the capability in the region and as commander-in-chief i won't hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people in military personnel. for years i have heard many of my republican and democratic friends say that china is on the rise in america is falling behind and you got it backwards. i have been saying it for over four years even when i was in wh president. america is rising and we have the best economy in the world. and since i have come to office our gdp is up in our trade deficit is down for the lowest point in over a decade and we are standing up against unfair economic prices and practices in standing up for peace and

stability in the taiwan straits and revitalized our lines in the pacific, india, australia, japan, south korea, pacific islands. i have made sure that the most advanced american technology can't be used in china and not allowing to trade them there. frankly, all of this tough talk on china it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that. i want competition not conflict with china and i want a stronger position than anyone th else for that matter than any time as well. here at home, i have signed over 400 bipartisan bills and there is more to pass my unity agenda and strengthen penalties on trafficking of the fentanyl. you don't want to do that ? pass bipartisan law to protect her children online and harness

the promise of ai and vin ai voice impersonations and more and keep our sacred obligation to train and equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. that is why with the support of the va i signed the pact a -- act. and now more than 100 different -- and many who don't come home but we do owe their family support. we owe it to ourselves to keep supporting the new health work

agency and remind us that we can do big things like and cancer as we know it and we will. and let me close with this. and i know you don't want to ow hear anymore, lindsay, but i have to say a few things. i know it may not look like it, but i have been around a while. and when you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. i know the american story. again and again i see the contest between competing forces and the battle for the fo soul of our nation and between those who want to pull america back to the past and those who

want to move america into the future. my lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. in a future based on core values that defined america, honesty, decency, dignity and equality. and to respect everyone and give everybody a fair shot and no safe harbor. and other people my age see it differently. the american story of resentment, revenge and retribution and that isn't me. i was born amid world war ii when america stood for the freedom of the world. and i grew up in scranton, pennsylvania and among working- class people who built this country. and i watched in horror as two of my heroes like many of you did, dr. king and bobby kennedy were assassinated and their legacies inspired me to pursue a career in service.

and i left the law firm and became a public defender because my city was the only one to call out the national guard after dr. king was assassinated after the riot and it became -- i became a councilman almost by accident and i got elected to the senate and i had no intention of running at age 29. and then vice president with our first black president and now president of the first woman vice president. and in my career, i have been told i was too young. they wouldn't let me out of the elevator to vote sometime. not a joke. i have been told now i am too old. and whether young or old, i

have always been known -- i have always known what endures. the very idea of america that we are all created equal he deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives and we have never fully lived up to iv that idea and we have never walked away from it either. i won't walk away from it now. i am optimistic. i really am. i am optimistic. my fellow americans, the issue facing our nation is not how old we are. hate anger retribution are the oldest of ideas, but you can't lead america with ancient ideas and it will only take us back

and america, the land the possibilities you need a vision for the future of what can and should be done in tonight you have heard mine. i see a future where defending democracy, you don't diminish it and i see a future well -- where we restore freedoms and not take them away. i see a future for the middle class who finally has a fair shot in the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes. i see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence. above all i see a future for all americans. i see a country for all americans. i will always be president for all americans. because i believe in america.

i believe in you the american people. you are the reason we have never been more optimistic about her future than i am now. so let's build the future together and let's remember who we are and we are the united states of america. and there is nothing, nothing, beyond her capacity when we act together. god bless you all and may god protect our troops. thank you. thank you. thank you.

>> president joe biden wrapping up the state of the union address and we will stick with this for a moment and i think we may be able to hear a little bit of what he says as he makes his way out of the room and he sometimes takes quite some time doing this. let us watch.

>> good job. great job.

>> what we are doing here is technically called eavesdropping and it's not easy to hear what is being exchanged between president biden and mostly members of congress and some senators and we are catching a few words here and there other than mostly of what i have been able to see has been some complements and that was a sermon. >> by the way, rafael warner said you were preaching tonight and you get that from dr. king's church in atlanta, you may have been a good job. we have seen her there with the president tonight and crack bernie sanders up to the point where he doubled over and she appears to be the first senator who has been kissed by the president so she is having a

singular night as she often does in washington. let's talk about this speech. structurally, it was about the first link than his previous speeches. he was of little bit late and he took just as much time is not more getting down the aisle as he went to the podium as he left the podium getting back to the door. i think that at least my first impression was that it was an incredibly pugnacious speech where he came out with both proverbial barrels blazing right at the top talking about democracy being threatened at home and abroad and talking about needing to stand up for ukraine, talking about needing to never let lies take over the truth when it comes to what happened in january 6 and the threat for own democracy and talking about reproductive rights very early on and really not shying away from talking about the former president and then his opponent in the general election campaign and a

lot of policy like you always get from presidents in the state of the union and that was sort of maybe the second or third of the speech but that whole thing in a riproaring finish and he was yelled at a few different times in first from republicans and i don't think any of that will be substantively memorable but the president handled them and he seemed almost looking forward to them. and what are your impressions? >> there are so many things in this speech we have never seen before in a state of the union address and one of them is the 13 times he referred to the candidate that he will be running against her president. that is normally impossible to do in the state of union address. but this time when you get to say my predecessor, that makes it a presidential issue and now you are comparing your governing to what came before you and what you are

correcting. he said my predecessor 13 times beginning very early on every single subject and it was extraordinary. it was at that moment that i think we all remember of the way he attacked i guess is the word for it the supreme court and to their faces. and then where the camera goes to this shot of the six supreme court justices, three of whom he was very specifically attacking. that is never been done before. to the extent of the president has an agreement with the supreme court expressed in the state of the union address, they find the most possible polite language. this wasn't the night for that. that was astonishing. this enthusiasm that you see after the fact by my reading is real because the thing that isn't really known about this, and it doesn't seem obvious is, it is a tough crowd. if you have actually sat among the senators and house members as i have many times when i was

working there, the general feeling is boredom and it's very very hard to ignite them and capture them. he had them every step of the way in a very well-written speech that really flowed in a very smooth way and was everything they wanted to hear and had surprises in it and an energy level that i think -- i have never brought that much energy to the 10:00 p.m. our. i am just -- our -- hour. we have watched this before . i think that grabbing the room. he started with world war ii and the civil war and the threat facing our country from my predecessor in those two epic battles and he quoted

ronald reagan and nicholas a punch in the face and this is how it started and this was the first 120 seconds and he routed the address in that and then he quoted reagan and that was a punch in the nose and in the end lindsey graham was chuckling like it was john mccain over there. it was sort of the waiving of the white flag and mike johnson's face i think told the whole story. they will be attacking him, and i am sure they will right now or they will be by 11:15 on fox news but everybody knows this is a great stage and everybody knows this is the message going into the next eight months but the polls will soon reflect that in this will be a real fight. i think taking on his own age 3 times in the end shows not just republicans but democrats he is not afraid of defending himself. >> i have been called too old and too young he said. >> i think the abortion debate

has already been one. i do agree by taking on the supreme court he is ready to take it to the next level and i thought this was a remarkable state of the union. >> i think it surpassed my expectations and transcended them. i didn't think this would be as aggressive, as sharp as a full campaign speech. like we know what is happening here. i am running against the last guy and everybody knows in the room and there was no sort of false, i don't know, papering that over. there was kind of this bracing electricity of naming that fact so openly from such a beginning standing point. the second thing i would say is the caricature of the president of the united states has gotten so over-the-top in the conservative media and i even think out in the public in the

outer perimeter and the largest circles of americans who don't pay attention to politics. but this guy is ludicrously doddering or incapable. you don't want to set super low expectations to your opponent on a political matter. we see this before debate. going around saying he can't even tie his own shoes or get up or do anything and then you see this and say wait a second, wait a second, that is not what i was told. >> maybe this age thing is not correct. >> that is not what i have been told about this individual. that was striking. >> i think the speech was high caffeine and joe biden woke up this morning and had a couple coffee and his wheaties and he was definitely there to fight in this is somebody who i was talking about earlier about whether or not he is constitutionally capable of essentially being nasty or being aggressive or being harsh and he came in there tonight

ready to fight for the presidency and fight for the white house in a way that i didn't expect in the speech was incredibly aggressive and he opened, as nicole said, with world war ii, hitler, appeasement, and he went right for the people in front of him. he said my predecessor and some of you, some of you, have sought to bury the truth about january 6 and he accused a member sitting right in front of him of the seeking to barry that and then he kept on punching. >> some of you seek to bury the truth and then he said, i won't do that. he was trying to point that out. >> you can't love your country only when you win. and he kept referring to my

predecessor and he said my predecessor came into office to see reproductive freedom overturned and he was the reason it was overturned and he vowed if you give me a congress, i think this is something is a rhetorical flourish in campaigns and is very smart to do when you are an executive because you actually can't pass laws then and people say this president past xyz and it is the congress who does that. he went out and asked for the senate and asked for the house to come back to the democrats. he said if you give me a congress that allows reproductive freedom to come back, i promise you i will give you roe versus wade back is the law of the land. i thought the aggressiveness of it was important, particularly when it got to the part when we knew he would be attacked on the border and we saw this ridiculous stunt that marjorie taylor greene pulled when he walked in the room and she had a campaign hat in violation of the rules of the chamber and she handed him this button to try to play him on the border. but he went off script and had his own moment, which i think a lot of people in the progressive world may question the language. but you can't question the

aggressiveness of his willingness to lean into that attack and say you handed me this button about a woman killed by a migrant. i will throw that back at you and say let's solve this problem . i also have concerns about the border, but i am not afraid of your attack and he meant marjorie taylor greene. it wasn't at her level but as president in a way that embarrassed her from the start. i thought the aggressiveness was smart. he also had to deal with the issue of the middle east end of israel. i think he did a good job and actually using the compassion he has in the language of compassion when it came to the issue of people starving and suffering and also of talking about his fiduciary duty to bring home those hostages and some of them are dual citizen americans and he does have a duty to do that as well. he balanced that really well. overall, i say surprisingly aggressive and it was smart in the way he set it up with foreign policy and we were

googling how often foreign- policy was the lead. it was smart and he closed with that as well and with that rousing talk. within a few minutes of the speech he said my message to president putin is simple and we won't walk away. and the crowd went wild and i won't bow down. the coming-out of his corner throwing around house from the very beginning was on trump and on january 6 and democracy and putin and on abortion. >> he intertwined it as we talked about before. i was struck and i the economy because that's what you're trying to speak to your audience about. people who are sitting at home. it's rare for it to start on something else. this was intertwined democracy, intertwined with kind of the power and speaking guns, authoritarian dictators like putin. that's a choice and that is a

choice the president makes. it's not like they give him a speech and says it sounds great. i'll deliver this. he made the choice to bookend this on democracy. >> lawrence may know or someone may know historically when democracy has been a prevalent part of this. >> after 9/11. >> yes. and the supreme court moment. i mean joe biden is an institutionalist. and the fact that he ad libbed because we have the interpret with all due respect justices tells you -- >> tells you what? >> what chris was saying. it tells you that this is bothering him. he's mad at the supreme court. that was not written into the speech. he saw them in front of them and said with all due respect, justices because he's mad about what they have been doing. and that is not the joe biden the chairman of the judiciary committee not that long ago. so that was a shaking moment. the third thing i would say is

his evolution on how he talks about abortion. this is an important thing to remember. i mean after roe, a lot of the women's rights groups and pro-choice groups were upset that he wasn't being as vocal. he was kind of awkward in how he talked about it. he has a pro-choice record, but somebody who is very catholic, not super comfortable talking about it. others in the administration were worried about it. he really made some strides. i mean he had a pretty bold message here on abortion rights and abortion access and all of the issues around it, which i think is striking. if you look back at the language two years ago, it was not as bold as this. >> yes. it is also really striking when you look at the first four issues he starts with. out of the gates these are 60-40, 70-30 issues. and should we bow down to putin? was january 6 a good or bad thing? was it good to overturn roe v. wade? should we protect ivf?

>> and the first version. >> just like taking things that your side believes in that you personally believe in, that your coalition believes in. that most people outside your collision even, but they can't agree to because there is a sociopath waiting in the wings who doesn't abide by these things that 80% to 90% of americans do abide, which is political violence is bad and putin is bad, and january 6 is bad. >> and nato is good. >> i ask all of you to join together and defend democracy, remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic, respect free and fair elections, restore trust in our institutions. make clear political violence has absolutely no place in america. zero place. it is not to suggest history is watching. he is calling on republicans in that moment. >> correct. >> you're suppose to applaud for no political violence. in fact perhaps you should stand up and applaud for no political violence.

can you do that? he is calling to question that is a very easy question for everybody in normal politics, knowing that it is a crisis for any republican to do so. all right, we are about 20 seconds out from the republican response to president's state of the union. again as we were addressing earlier, this republican response will be given by alabama freshman senator cay e tee brich, speaking from montgomery, alabama. >> reporter: good evening, america. my name is katie britt, and i have the honor of serving the great people of alabama and the united states senate. however, that's not the job that matters most. i am a proud wife and mom of two school aged kids. my daughter, bennett and my son, ridgeway, are why i ran for the senate. i'm worried about their future and the future of children in every corner of our nation. and that is why i invited you

into our home tonight. like so many families across america, my husband, wesley and i, just watched president biden's state of the union address from our living room. and what we saw was the performance of a permanent politician, who has actually been in office for longer than i've been alive. one thing was quite clear though. president biden just doesn't get it. he's out of touch. under his administration, families are worse off. our communities are less safe, and our country is less secure. i just wish he understood what real families are facing around kitchen tables just like this one. you know, this is where our family has tough conversations. it's where we make hard decisions. it's where we share the good, the bad, and the ugly of our days.

it's where we laugh together, and it's where we hold each others hands and pray for god's guidance. and many nights, to be honest, it's where wesley and i worry. i know we're not alone. and so tonight the american family needs to have a tough conversation. because the truth is we're all worried about the future of our nation. the country we know and love seems to be slipping away, and it feels like the next generation will have fewer opportunities and les freedoms than we did. i worry my own children may not even get a shot at living their american dreams. my american dream allowed me, the daughter of two small business owners from rural enterprise, alabama, to be elected to the united states senate at age of 40. growing up, sweeping the floor at my dad's hardware store and cleaning the bathrooms at my

mom's dance studio, i never could have imagined what my story would entail. to think at what the american dream can do across just one generation and in just one lifetime. it's truly breathtaking. but right now the american dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. the true unvarnished state of our union begins and ends with this. our families are hurting. our country can do better. and you don't have to look any further than the crisis at our southern border to see it. president biden inherited the most secure border of all time. but minutes after taking office,

he suspended all deportations, he halted construction of the border wall, and he announced a plan to give amnesty to millions. we know that president biden didn't just create this border crisis, he invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days. when i took office, i took a different approach. i traveled to the del rios sector of texas. that's where i spoke to a woman who shared her story with me. she had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12. she told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped. the cartels put her on a mattress in a shoe box of a

room, and they sent men through that door over and over again for hours and hours on end. we wouldn't be okay with this happening in a third world country. this is the united states of america, and it is past time in my opinion that we start acting like it. president biden's border policies are a disgrace. this crisis is despicable. and the truth is it's almost entirely preventable. from fentanyl poisonings to horrific murders, there are empty chairs tonight at kitchen tables just like this one. because of president biden's

senseless border policies. just think about laken riley. in my neighboring state of georgia, this beautiful 22-year-old nursing student went out on a jog one morning. she never got the opportunity to return home. she was brutally murdered by one of the millions of illegal border crossers. president biden chose to release into our homeland. as a mom, i can't quit thinking about this. i mean this could have been my daughter. this could have been yours. and tonight president biden finally said her name. but he refused to take responsibility for his