good and incrementalism and it is tragic. it really is because these domestic disasters now have policy ramifications overseas for every existence and future. we got to correct it. >> tucker: victor davis hanson, thank you for that. joe biden's state of the union address right now. ♪ ♪ >> we are minutes away from president biden's first state of the union address. it is always a big moment here in washington. the president deals with major challenges from the war in ukraine to inflation and crime at home. good evening. i am read. >> the president is in the capitol building. he is ready to deliver the big speak -- speech that he hopes can be a reset for an administration that has faced challenges. over the course of the last

year. >> record lows, entering a crucial midterm election season. republicans are highly motivated to take control of the house and senate. imitating -- >> he is followed by the republican response as usual and it will be from the iowa governor, kim reynolds and the justices of the supreme court, and there's going to be another rebuttal this evening. a response from the congresswoman with her thoughts. >> we will be reminded of the nomination just made by this president to fill a seat. and the president's address comes as the war between russia and ukraine rages on. the state department correspondent benjamin is live in ukraine. good evening, benjamin. >> good evening. we -- putin intensified his attacks. the capital city, taking down

the main television tower. he hit the city and a second wave. one of u.s. officials that he is issue facing logistical and supply issues. he has barely moved at all in the past 24 hours pop up some people are saying he is shifting his focus and tactics for this type of bombardment. they reached out and they sent a message saying can't leave the city. we are going to start hitting it in a big way. a lot of people are going to be listening very closely to see if president biden offers some support for the people of ukraine. >> bret: benjamin hall live as we look at the first lady, dr. jill biden. and giving a hug tentative ukrainian investor as this war rages on in ukraine. let's bring in our panel. ben is the publisher.

and cohost of the five and harold ford junior, ceo of empowerment and inclusion capital. good to be in the same room. it is also good to see the option of know masks, which you can see the speaker at the vice president have taken. what about this? >> i believe the president is hoping this will be a reset. but i think that a few look at the polling numbers that martha reference, they are into high 30s in terms of the president's overall approval and in terms of economy, immigration, inflation in particular, energy issues across the board, he is really far down, including on covid and the reason they are not wearing masks is this is a decision that they could have done weeks ago and i said it before. they are going to way for the state of that union and i don't think a lot of people will forget that. that includes children. but i think jackson will provide

a great note for the president and ukraine provides an opportunity for him to talk about something different. i don't think have just formed an opinion about the president. they have formed a judgment. >> bret: you see the secretary of state. >> martha: a big round of applause. a lot of focus on these individuals as we have been trying to navigate the very unsettling situation that is unfolding in ukraine tonight. a lot of focus on these two individuals. >> it seems this is going to be a speech in which the president has to deal with a lot of issues. he did not think he would have to deal with these issues, peddling those issues, how he approaches them. it will be a real challenge. i think in the speech that could have been short, sweet and trying to reset, he will have to deal with many more complicated issues. >> martha: ten seconds. >> if we can come together and protect democracy, i would ask

congress, let's push reset together and figure out how we can compromise a whole range of things that we have talked about. >> bret: we will listen into the action as we've cost over the top of the hour. president biden minutes away. our special coverage of the state of the union address, his first continues in just a moment. ♪ ♪ >> bret: a live look at the u.s. capital. we are just moments await now from prison joe biden and his state of the union address. the first official day of the union address. good evening from washington. >> martha: good evening. it is a beautiful night. great to be around the table and together and you can see the atmosphere in the capital as well in the chamber. any moment, president biden will be announced with -- he will

make his way down the aisle. there are -- brett kavanaugh and the chief justice as they wait for the president to come in. we always watch the president come in. a long line of people. that is what we thought the last time run. this is expected to be a full house. everyone is invited and maskless. >> bret: the president will lay out his agenda and to you the american people. we have been wondering what is in the speech. we know that the war in ukraine is going to leave this speech and it may be significant. >> martha: let's bring in white house correspondent jackie. >> good evening. the president will start by calling out russia and pledging support for ukraine and then he will get to domestic issues. crime and inflation. he will pitch his agenda as a solution and try to strike a message of unity.

uniting his party and passing his agenda or uniting the country and disciplining his base. tonight, with a war raging on the doorstep of nato, it is not just the country's listening. the world is also watching. >> bret: jacqui heinrich, looking at senator lindsey graham at another look at that supreme court justices. let's bring in brit hume. good evening. your thoughts. we have been through a lot of this together. you have analyzed that moment. this moment is a lot of political headwinds for this administration. >> tucker: yeah, that is right. all of them, including the president's in his first year. i think this is my 46. it is not easy to remember any of them because they tend to be long and programmatic and tedious no matter who is giving them. there are a few moments we

remember,. the president will have a larger audience than you might otherwise have had had this invasion had not occurred. there will be a lot of attention on it. he is -- in the polling as you have pointed out. as much as any president as i have our seen. he has a lot to do or to try to do. i'm most interested in hearing what he has to say about ukraine. this is an opportunity for leadership on an american president where i think we have a look into the fact that perhaps our military alliances are not as strong as they need to be given putin's ambitions and also obviously our energy situation in this country but even more so in western europe, it is not what it should be and this is about the united states. it might be political space politically difficult. it will be interesting to see how he handles those challenges. >> bret: so obviously, there's so much to this story that has

not been told yet. i guess he could take some credit for bringing together the members and the coalition has come together in a more powerful way. >> brit: i think that he will try to take credit for that. it seems to me what has happen in ukraine has had an important impact on these western nato capitals and these nato countries are ready to act or at least enact some units. what they have done so. the president has encouraged that whether he has actually land it is probably not important in that long scheme of things. that has occurred. and what is even better news is they have -- particularly germany, which has been so hesitant on military matters, be prepared to beef up their security forces, to beef up their military and perhaps now to wean themselves off of russian energy which would be an

even more important contribution because doing so would be a peaceful expect what we connect russia and your make the west more secure and it would be good for the united states if the united states, help. >> bret: we are waiting on william walker to announce the president to walk into the chamber. brit, we are talking about ukraine and it is a chapter. oftentimes in america, we deal with chapters. the covid chapter let's listen in now. >> the president of the united states. [cheers and applause]

>> bret: every once in a while, you can catch a little bit of the conversation. brit, i went to anchor's lunch today. he was in a good mood but a serious mood about ukraine. the point i was making is we deal with chapters and the covid chapter as you look at all of these lawmakers, without a mask, that -- announced something for capitol hill and we think about all we have been through as a nation the past two years about following the science. the science has led us to the moment, the state of that union, ask list.

>> brit: i'm not sure if it has changed that much. but i think whatever the reason, i think americans will be glad to see this. they see one man there in a wheelchair who has a mask on. they seem to be in the category of those most vulnerable. i would say, bret, in terms of major national united actions, it is already over. >> martha: watching president biden. you talked about all of the state of the union addresses you have been to and covered. he was right up there. he was just hand tested a speech, which remind me of a moment when a speech got ripped up. now it is joe biden's term to give the state of the union address. >> speaker pelosi: it is my honor to present to you the president of the united states.

[cheers and applause] >> president biden: thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you all very much. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you all very, very much. thank you. thank you so much. madame speaker, madame vice president and our first lady,

stent those second gentlemen, members of congress and the cabinet, justice of the supreme court, my fellow americans, last year covid-19, us apart. this year, we are finally together again. tonight, we meet with democrats, republicans, independence, but most importantly as american. >> that duty to one another to america to the american people, to constitution. and unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny. [applause] thank you. six days ago, russia's vladimir

putin sought to shake the very foundation of the free world. thought he could make it bend to his menacing ways. but he badly miscalculated. he thought he could roll into ukraine at the world would roll over. instead, keep met with a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined. he met the ukrainian people. [applause] to every ukrainian the fearlessness, the courage and determination, it inspires the world. groups of citizens walking -- blocking tanks with their bodies. everyone from students to retirees and teachers, soldiers defending the homeland.

and in the struggle, president zelenskyy said in his speech, light will win over darkness. but ukrainian investor of the united states is here sitting with the first lady. let each of us if you are able to stand, stand and sent an unmistakable signal to the world, to ukraine. thank you. laws. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] strength is strong with resolve. [applause] yes. week of the united states of america, stand with the ukrainian people. throughout our history, we have

learned this lesson. not pay a price comfortable aggression, they cause more. tales they keep looking into cost for america and america to the world cup keeps rising. that is why the nato alliance was created to secure peace and stability in europe after world war ii. the united states is a member along with 29 other nations. it matters. american diplomacy matters. american resolve matters. putin's latest attack on ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked. he rejected repeated, repeated efforts at diplomacy. he thought that west and nato would not respond. he thought he could divide us at home in this chamber and this nation. he thought he could divide us in europe as well. but putin was wrong. we are ready.

we are united and that is what we did. we stayed united. we prepared extensively and carefully. we spent months building coalitions with other nations in europe and the americas. asia and african continent to confront putin. like many -- spent countless hours unifying our european allies. we shared with the world in advance what we knew. putin was planning. precisely how we would try to falsify and justify his aggression. we countered russia's lies with the truth. and now these -- he has acted. the free world is holding him accountable. along with 27 members of the european union including france, germany, italy, as well as countries like the united can -- united kingdom, korea, australia, new zealand, even switzerland are inflicting pain on russia and supporting the people of ukraine.

putin is now isolated from the world more then he has our been. together -- ever been. together -- [applause] together, along with our allies, we are right now enforcing powerful economic sanctions. we are quitting of russia's largest banks and international financial system. we russia's central bank making putin $630 billion war front worthless. we are choking russia's access. [cheers and applause] we are choking russia's access. it will weaken its military for years to come. tonight, i say to russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who build billions of dollars of this violent regime,

no more. the united states, i mean it. [applause] the united states department of justice has a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of the russian oligarchs. we are joining with european allies to find and seize the yachts, luxury apartments, private jets. we are coming for you, ill begotten gangs and tonight i'm announcing that we will join our allies and closing of american airspace to all russian flights further isolating russia and a freeze on their economy. [applause] he has no idea what is coming. the kruegel has already lost 30% of its value. the russian stock market has

lost its value and trading remains suspended. it russia economy is reeling and putting alone is the one to blame. together with our allies, we are providing support to ukrainians in the fight for freedom. military assistance, economic assistance, humanitarian assistance. we are giving more than a billion dollars in direct assistance to ukraine and we will continue to eight the ukrainian people as they defend their country and help ease their suffering. [applause] but let me be clear. our forces are not engaged and will not engage in a conflict with russian forces in ukraine. our forces are not going to your to fight ukraine. but to defend our nato allies in the event putin decides to keep moving west. for that purpose, we have mobilized american ground

forces, air squadron, ship deployments to protect nato countries including poland, romania, like, lippert -- lithuania, and estonia. as i have made crystal clear, the united states and our allies will defend every inch of territory that is nato territory with the full force of our collective power. every single inch. [applause] ukrainians are fighting back with pure courage. the next few days, weeks, and months will be hard on them. putin has unleashed violence and chaos. but while he made make gains on the battlefield, he will pay a continuing high-priced over the long run. and a count of ukrainian people, proud, proud people, pound for pound ready to fight with every inch of courage they have. they have known 30 years of

independence. ever -- have repeatedly shown they will not tolerate anyone who tries to take their country backwards. to all americans, i will be honest with you. as i always promised i would be. russian dictator invading a foreign country has cost around the world. and i'm taking robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at russian economy and we use every tool at our disposal to protect american businesses and consumers tonight. tonight i can announce the united states has worked with 30 other countries to release 60 million barrels of oil reserves around the world. america make that effort. we are making 30 million barrels. we will continue to land reserve and we stand ready to do more if necessary, united with our allies. these steps will help gas prices here at home but i know news of what is happening can seem

alarming to all americans. i want you to know we are going to be okay. we are going to be okay. when the history of this era is written because putin's wore into print will have left russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger. while it should not -- taking something so terrible for people around the world to see what is at stake, now everyone sees it clearly. we see that unity among leaders of nations, a more unified europe, a more unified? we see unity among the people who are gathering in the cities and large crowds around the world, even in russia. to demonstrate their support for the people of ukraine. in the battle between democracy and autocracies, democracies are rising to the moment and that

world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security. this is a real test. it is going to take time. so let's continue to draw inspiration from the iron will of the ukrainian people to our fellow ukraine and americans who forged a deep bond that connects our two nations. we stand with you. we stand with you. putin may circle kyiv with tanks but will never get the hearts and souls of the american people. and he will never never weaken the resolve of the free world. [applause] we meet tonight in an american that has lived through two of the hardest years at this nation has ever faced. the pandemic has been punishing

and so many families are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, gas, housing, and so much more. i understand like many of you did. my dad had to leave his home in scranton, pennsylvania, to find work so like many of you, i grew up in a family when the price of food went up, it was felt around the family. that is one of the first things i did as president. to passed the american rescue plan because people were hurting. we needed to act and we did. two pieces of legislation had a critical moment in our history to lift us out of a crisis. it fueled our efforts to vaccinate the nation and combat covid-19, delivered really to tens of millions of americans and help put food on the table. remember those long lines waiting for arizona to get a box of food -- hours to get a box of food. as my dad used to say, it gave

the people just a little bit of breathing room. unlike the 2 trillion-dollar tax cut past in the previous administration, that benefited the top 1% of americans, the american rescue plan helped working people and left no one behind. [cheers and applause] and it worked. it worked. it worked. we created jobs got lots of jobs. in fact, our economy created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year. more jobs in one-year than i were before in the history of united states of america.

the economy grew at a rate of 5.7 last year, the strongest growth rate in four years. the first step in bringing fundamental change to our economy that has not worked for working people in this nation for too long, pop up the past 40 years, we were told that technic breaks for those of the top would trickle down and everyone would benefit. trickle down theory led to a weaker economic growth and lower wages, and a widening gap between the top and everyone else and -- nearly a century. look, vice president harris and i ran for office and i realized we had fundamental disagreements on this. but rental faucets -- ran for office with the vision of investing in america, educating americans got build of the economy from the bottom up. not from the top down because we

know when the middle class grows, the poor will do very well. the best roads, bridges, and airports on earth. and now our infrastructure is ranked 13th in the world. we won't be able to compete for the jobs of the 21st century if we don't fix it. that why it is so important to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law. i thank my republican friends who joined to invest rebuild america. single biggest investment history and history. i want to thank that members of both parties who work to make it happen. we are done talking about infrastructure. we are talking about infrastructure decade. look, it is going to transform

america. put us in a path of economic competition of the 21st century we face with the rest of the world, particularly china. i have told xi jinping it is never a good bet to bet against the american people. we will create good jobs for millions of americans, airports, waterways, all across america. and we will do it to withstand the effects of climate change and environmental justice. we will build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicles and replace the poisonous lead pipes so every child, every american has clean water to drink at home and at school. we are going to provide affordable high-speed internet for every american, rural,

suburban, urban took tribal communities. 4,000 projects have already been announced pickup many of you have announce them in your district and tonight i'm announcing this year, we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair. [applause] folks, when we use taxpayers' dollars to rebuild america, we're going to do it by buying america. buy american products. support american jobs. the federal government spends about $600 billion a year to keep this country safe and secure. there's been a law in the books for almost a century make church taxpayers' dollars of support

american jobs and businesses. every american's newest, democrat and republican says they will do it. but we are actually doing it. we both buy america make sure every thing from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on a highway guardrail is made america from beginning to end, all of it, all of it. cosmic. -- [applause] folks got to compete for the jobs of the future, we also need to level the playing field. with china and other competitors. that is why it is so important to pass the bipartisan innovation act sitting in congress that will make record investments in emerging technologies and american manufacturing. to invest almost 2% of our gdp in research and development. we don't now. we can't. china is.

i will give you white at least one example why it is important to pass if you traveled 20 miles east of collabs, ohio can you find a thousand acres of land. it won't look like much. if you stop and look closely, you will see a field of dreams. the ground in which america's future will be built, that is where intel, the american company that helped build silken valley will build a 20 billion-dollar semiconductor microsite up to aid state-of-the-art tractors in one place. 10,000 new jobs. those directories average drop about $135.135000 a year. some of the most sophisticated manufacturing integral to make computer chips the size of a fingertip. the power of the world in everyday lives from smart phones, technology the internet, technology that is yet to be invented. that is just the beginning.

intel's ceo pat gelsinger who is here tonight. pet, there you go. pat. pat came to see me and he told me they are ready to increase their investment from 20 billion to 100 billion. that would be the biggest investment in manufacturing in american history. and all that rain forest free to pass this bill. let's not wait any longer. sent it to my despicable sign it and we will really take off in a big way. [applause] and folks, intel is not alone. something happening in america. just look around and you will see it.

the rebirth of pride that comes from stamping products made in america, that revitalization of american manufacturing. choosing to build new factories here. just a few years ago, they would have gone overseas. that is what is happening. ford is investing $11 billion in electric vehicles, creating 11,000 jobs across the country. gm is making the largest investment in its history, 7 billion to build electric vehicles, creating jobs in michigan. 369,000 new manufacturing jobs created in america last year alone. [applause] and folks, powered by people like jojo burgess from generations of unit steel workers in pittsburgh who are here tonight. where are you, jojo?

there you go. thanks, buddy. ohio senator chair brown said -- as sharad brown said, it is time to bury away rust belt. it is time to see the -- but used to be called the rust belt become the home of significant resurgence of manufacturing and with all of the bright spots in our economy, record job growth, higher wages, too many families struggling to keep up with their bills. inflation. it is robbing them of gains they thought they were we able to view. i get it. that is why my top priority is getting prices under control. look at our economy road back better than anyone predicted.

the pandemic meant that businesses had a hard time hiring up people because of the pandemic and keep up production in factories. she did not have people making those beans that went into building because they were out. the factory was closed. the panic disrupted the global supply chain. factories closed. when that happens, takes longer to make goods and get them to the warehouses, to tough stores and prices go up. look at cars last year. one-third of all of the inflation was because of automobile sales. >> there were not enough semi conductors to make the cars that people wanted to buy. and prices of automobiles when way up. especially used vehicles as well. and so we have a choice. one way to fight inflation is to drag down wages and make america better idea to fight inflation. lower your cost, not your wages. [cheers and applause]

and folks, make more cars and semi conductors in america, more infrastructure in innovation in america. more goods moving faster and cheaper in america. more jobs where you can earn a good living in america. instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let's make it in america. [applause] look, economists -- [crowd chanting "usa"] economists call this increasing the penalty for our economy. i call it building a better america.

[applause] mike klan will lower your cost and lower the deficit. 17 -- economics. said my plan would ease long-term inflationary pressures. top business leaders and i believe most americans support the plan. here's the plan. first, cut the cost of prescription drugs. [cheers and applause] tom barclay we pay more for the same drug produced by the same company than any other country in the world. look at insulin. one in ten americans has diabetes. virginia, i met a 13-year-old boy, a handsome young main standing up there. joshua davis. [cheers and applause] he and his dad both have type one diabetes. they need insulin every single day.

insulin cost about ten dollars a bottle to make. that is the cost, the pharmaceutical company. drug companies charge families like joshua and his dad up to 30 times that amount. i spoke with joshua''s mom. imagine what it is like to look at your child who needs insulin to stay healthy and have no idea how in god's name you are name you are going to be able to pay pop it. but what it does to your dignity and the ability to look your child in the eye and be the parent who expects yourself to be, i mean and i think about that. that is what i think about. you know? yesterday -- was here tonight. yesterday was his birthday. happy birthday, buddy, by the way. [cheers and applause] for joshua, 200,000 other young people with type one diabetes, let's cap the cost of insulin $35 a month.

[cheers and applause] so everyone can afford it. and drug companies will do very, very well and profit margins. i know we have great disagreements on this. let's negotiate the price of prescription drugs. [applause] they already set the price for the va drugs. looked at the american rescue plan is helping millions of families to symptom $2,400 a year on their health agreements. let's close the coverage gaps and make these savings permanent. second, let's cut energy costs for families. average of $500 a year by combating climate change. let's provide an investment technic credit to weatherize your home and your business.

her to be energy efficient and get a tax credit for it. double americans' clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more. it saved under the $80 a month that you are not going to have to pay at the. . folks, third, the third think we can do to change the standard of living for hard-working folks, put the cost of childcare. the cost of childcare. -- cut the cost of childcare. you pay up to $14,000 a year pop up childcare per child. i was a single dead for 5 years raising two kids. i had a mom, a dad, they really helped. middle class and working folks should not have to pay more than

70% of their income to care for young children. my plan would cut the cost of childcare and half for those families. and help parents including millions of women who left the workforce during the pandemic because they cannot afford childcare. to be able to get back to work. generating economic growth. a plant does not stop there. it also includes home and long-term care, more affordable housing. all these will lower costs for families. under my plan, nobody, let me say this again, nobody earning less than 400,000-dollar a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes, not a single penny. [applause] i may be wrong, but my guess is if we took a secret ballot in

this floor that we would all agree that the present tax system ain't fair. we have to fix it. i'm not looking to punish anybody. let's make corporations and wealthy americans start paying their fair share. look, last year, like chris coons and tom carper and my distinguished congresswoman, we come from the land of corporate america. we are -- more corporations in america than any other state in america combined. i still want 36 years in a row. the point is even they understand they should. just their fair share. last year, 55 of the fortune 500 companies earned $40 billion in profit and paid zero in federal taxes. [audience reacts]

look, it is not fair. that is my up proposed 50% minimum tax break for operations. -- why i proposed 50% minimum tax break for operations. that is why we were able to put together, i was able to be somewhat helpful. 130 countries agree on a global minimum tax rate. so they can't get out of paying their taxes by shipping jobs in factories overseas. that is why i propose closing loopholes for the very wealthy who pay lower technic rate than a teacher or firefighter. that is my plan. i'm going to -- we will grow the economy lower the cost of families. so what are we waiting for? let's get this done. we all now we have got to make changes. [applause] folks, and while you are at it,

confirm my nomination for the federal reserve. playing a critical role in fighting inflation. my plan will not only lower costs and give families a shot, will lower the deficit. premus and restriction not only ballooned the deficit with those tax cuts for the very wealthy corporations, it undermines the want the -- watchdogs, that jobs of those who keep pandemic relief funds. remembered we have those debates about whether or not those watchdogs should be able to see every day at how much money was being spent, it was it going to the right place? under my administration, the watchdog's are back. [cheers and applause] and we are going to go up after them, the climate those criminals who stole billions of really money meant for small businesses. i'm announcing to -- the justice department will have a chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud. [applause]

look, i think we all agree -- thank you. by. by the end of this year of the debts will be down to less than half of what it was when i took office. the only president to cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion in a single year. lower your cost also meant demanding more competition. i'm a capitalist. of capitalism without competition is not capitalism it is exploitation. it drives up profits. corporations have to compete, the profits go up and your prices go up when they don't have to compete. small businesses and family farmers and ranchers -- i need to tell some of my republican friends in those states, guess what. you got four basic meatpacking facilities. that is in the public you play

with them, you don't get to play at all and you pay a helluva lot more. see what is happening with ocean carriers. moving it is good in and out of america. -- moving goods in and out of america. foreign owned companies raise prices by as much as 1000% and made record profits. tonight, i'm announcing a crackdown on those companies overcharging the american businesses and consumers. folks, when these wall street firms take over more nursing homes, quality in those homes have gone down and costs have gone up. that ends on my watch. medicare is going to set higher standards for nursing homes and make sure loved ones gets the care they deserve and that they. >> and that they will look at it

closely. we will. cost to keep the economy going strong and give workers a peer shot, provide more training and apprenticeship. hire them based on skills, not just their degrees. let's pass the paycheck fairness act and paid leave. race that minimum wage to $15 an hour. so no one has to raise a family and poverty. and increase our support for hb use and invest in what jill, our first lady who teaches full-time called america's best-kept secret, community colleges. look, we passed the pro at when majority workers want to form a union, they should not be able to be stopped. when we invest in our records and we build an economy that we can do something we have not done in a long time. build a better america. for more than two years covid

has impacted every decision in our lives and the light of this nation. and i know you are tired, frustrated and exhausted. that does not -- close to a million people who sit at the dining room table or kitchen table and look at an empty chair because they lost somebody. i also notice. because of the progress we have made, because of your resilience and the tools that we have been provided by this congress, tonight, i can say we are moving forward safely back to a more normal routine. we have reached a new moment in the fight against covid-19. her coat severe cases are down to a level not seen since july of last year. the centers for disease control and prevention issued a new mask guideline. under the new guidelines, most americans and most of the country can now go mask free and

based on projections, more of the country will reach a point across that across the next couple of weeks. thanks to the progress we have made in the past year, covid-19 no longer need control our lives. i know some are talking about living with covid-19. but tonight, i say that we never it will just accept living with covid-19. we will continue to the combat of the virus as we do every disease. and because of this virus mutates and spreads that we have to stay on guard. here are four commonsense steps as we move forward safely in my view. first, stay protected with vaccines and treatments. we now have incredibly effective vaccines. if your vaccinated and boosted you have the highest degree of protection and we will never give up on vaccinating more americans but i know parents of kids under 5 are eager to see their vaccines authorized for

their children. scientists are working hard to get that done. we will be ready with plenty of vaccines. we are already -- we are also ready with antiviral treatments. if you get covid-19 the pfizer pill reduces your chances of ending up in the hospital by 90%. i have ordered more pills than anyone in the world. pfizer is working overtime to get us million killed this month at more than double that next month. -- pills this month and more than doubled that next month. so people can get tested at a pharmacy if they prove positive caps received the antiviral pills on that spot at no cost. [applause] and folks, if they are immunocompromised or have some other vulnerability, we have treatments and free high-quality

masks, leaving no one behind or ignoring anyone. as neat as we move forward. on testing, we have made hundreds of millions of tests available and you can order them for free to at your doorstep. and we have already ordered pretests. already ordered pretests tonight. i'm announcing you can order another group of tests, covid -- go to covidtests.gov and you can get more tests. second, we must prepare for new variants. over the past, we have gotten much better at detecting detecting new variants. we will be able to develop new vaccines and 100 days instead of maybe months or years and if congress has the funds we need, we will have new stockpiles of tests, masks, pills get ready if needed. i can't promise a new variant mode come. but i can promise you we will do everything within our power to be ready if it does. third, we can end the shutdown

of schools and businesses with the tools we need. it is time for america to get back to work and fill out a great downtown second with people, people working from home can feel safe and begin to return to their offices. we are doing that here in the federal government. the vast majority of federal workers will once again were in person. our schools are open. let's keep it that way. our kids need to be in schools. [applause] 75% of adult americans fully vaccinated and hospitalizations down by 77%, most americans can remove their masks and stay in the classroom and move forward safely. we achieve this because we have provided free vaccines, treatments, tests, and masks.

the course continuing to cost money. it will not surprise you, i will be back to see you all. i'm going to send a request of the congress, the vast majority of americans have used these tools and may want again -- we may need them again. i. >> congress and i hope you will pass it quickly. fourth we will continue exiting the world. we send 475 million vaccine doses to 112 countries more than any nation on earth. we won't stop because we can't build a wall or high enough keep out a vaccine, the vaccine can stop the spread of these diseases. we have lost so much to covid-19. time with one another, worst of all, the loss of life. let's use this moment to reset. to stop looking at covid as a

partisan dividing line see it for what it is, a god-awful disease. let's stop seeing each other as enemies. start seeing each other for who we are, fellow americans. look, we can't change how divided we have been. it is a long time coming. but we can change how to move forward on covid-19 and other issues, we must face together. i recently visited newark city police department days after the officer wilbur and his officer jason rivera. they were responding to a 911 called when a main shot and killed him with a stolen gun. officer moore was 27 years old

break officer rivera was 22 years old. both the man can americans who grew up in the same streets that they later chose to patrol as police officers. i spoke with their families. i told them they were in ever -- we are forever in debt comfortable sacrifice and we will carry on a mission to restore the trust and safety in the community. like some of you that have been around for a wild, i have worked with you on these issues of a long time. i know it works. investigating crime prevention and community policing, cops, know that neighborhood and who can restore trust and safety. let's not abandon our state work choose between 50 and equal justice. let's come together and protect our communities and restore trust and hold on enforcement accountable. that is why the justice department has required body cameras band chokehold and restricted no knock warrants.

the american rescue plan that you all provided $350 billion to cities, states and counties to hire more police, invest in more criminal strategy. [cheers and applause] proven strategies like community violence interruption, with trusted messengers, breaking the cycle of violence and trauma and giving young people some hope. we should the answer is not to defund the police. it is to fund the police. fund them. [cheers and applause] fund them. fund them with resources and training. resources and training they need to protect our communities. i asked democrats and

republicans alike to pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe. i will do everything in my power to the crackdown on gun trafficking of -- that you can buy online, no serial numbers, can't be traced. i asked congress to pass measures to reduce gun violence, passed universal background checks. why would anyone be able to purchase a weapon who is on the terrorist list? why? why? banning assault weapons, 100 rounds. you think the deer are wearing kevlar vest? making gun manufacturers the only industry in america that can't be sued. the only one. imagine that with the tobacco manufacturers.

these laws don't infringe on the second amendment. they save lives. ups most fundamental right in america is the right to vote. and have it counted. here at look to it is under assault. state after state, new laws have been passed. not only to present the vote that we have been there before. but to subvert the entire election. we can't let this happen. tonight, a call on the senate to pass the freedom to vote at. pass the lewis act voting rights act. and while you're at it, pass the act -- look, tonight, someone who has dedicated himself to serve this country, an army veteran, a constitutional scholar, retiring justice of the united states supreme court. justice breyer got thank you for your service. thank you, thank you, thank you.

stand up. extent up. thank you. -- stand up. thank you. and we all know no matter what your ideology, one of the most serious constitutional responsibility as a president has his nominating someone to serve on the united states supreme court. as i did four days ago, i have nominated circuit court of appeals ketanji brown jackson. one of the nation's top legal minds who will continue in judge judge. >> brit: legacy and excellence. -- breyer's legacy and excellence. from a family of public school educators and police officers to

consensus builder. since she has been nominated, she has received a broad range of support including the fraternal order of police and former judges afforded by democrats and republicans. folks, if we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure our border and fix the immigration system. [cheers and applause] and as you might guess, i think we get to do both. at our border, we install new technology like cutting edge scanners, and to better detect drug smuggling. set up joint patrols to catch more human traffickers. we are putting in place dedicated immigration judges and significant larger numbers of family fleeing persecution of violence can have their cases heard faster and those who don't

legitimately hear it can be setback. and for screening, securing commitments and supporting partners in south and central america to host more refugees to secure their own borders. we can do all this will keeping lit the torch of liberty which has led a generation of immigrants to this land. my forebears and many of yours. provide a pathway to citizen for dreamers. those with temporary status. farmworkers. essential workers. revise our laws so businesses have workers they need and families don't make foul wait decades to reunite. it's the economically smart thing to do. that is why the immigration reform is supported by everyone from labor unions to religious leaders to the u.s. chamber of commerce. let's get it done once and for all. folks, advancing liberty and

justice also requires protecting the rights of women. the constitutional right affirmed by roe v. wade is under attack as never before. you want to go forward, not backward, you must protect that access to health care. preserve a woman's right to choose. and continue to advance maternal health care for all america. and folks, for our lg bt q plus, let's get the bipartisan quality act to my desk. the onslaught of state laws targeting transgendered americans and families are simply wrong. i said last year, especially to our younger transgendered americans, i will always have your back as your president so you can be yourself and reach your god-given potential. [applause]

folks, as i just demonstrated, while it often appears we do not agree, and we do agree on a lot more things and we acknowledge, i signed 80 bipartisan bills into law last year. from presenting government shutdowns to protecting asian americans from still to common hate crimes to reforming military justice and will soon be strengthening an act that i first wrote three decades ago. it is important it is important for us to show the nation that we can come together and do big things. tonight i am offering a unity agenda for the nation. four big things we can do together in my view. first, beat the opioid epidemic. there is so much we can do. increase funding for prevention

or treatment, harm reduction and recovery. get rid of outdated rules that stop doctors from prescribing treatments. stop the flow of illicit drugs by working with state and local law enforcement to go after the traffickers. and if you are suffering from addiction, you should know if you not alone. i believe in recovery, and i celebrate the 23 million, 23 million americans in recovery. second, let's take on mental health. especially among our children whose lives and education have been turned upside down. the american rescue plan give schools money to hire teachers and help students make up for lost learning. i urge every parent to make sure your school does just that. have the money. we can all play a part. sign up to be a tutor or a mentor. children are also struggling before the pandemic. bullying, violence, trauma, and

the harms of social media. as francis haugen who is here tonight with us has shown, we must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they are conducting on our children for profit. [applause] folks, -- thank you. thank you for the courage you show. it is time to strengthen privacy protections. and targeted advertising to children. command they stop collecting personal data on our own children. let's get all americans the mental health services they need. more people can turn for help in full parity between physical and mental health care if we treated that way in our insurance.

[applause] the third base of that agenda is support our veterans. veterans are the backbone and the spine of this country. they are the best of us. i have always believed that we have a sacred obligation to put those we send to war and care for their family when they come home. providing assistant and job training and housing an out helping low income veterans get va care debt-free. our troops in iraq and afghanistan had faced many dangers paid one being stationed in phases breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits. many of you have been there. i've been in and out of iraq and afghanistan over 40 times. these burn pits that incinerate waste, the waste of war, medical

and hazardous material, jet fuel and so much more, and they come home. many of the world's biggest and best trained warriors in the world are never the same. headaches, numbness, dizziness, a cancer that would put them in a flag draped coffin. i know. one of those soldiers was my son. major bo biden. i don't know for sure if the burn pit that he lived there in iraq and earlier than that in kosovo. was the cause of his brain cancer, the disease of so many other troops. but i am committed to find out everything we can, committed to military families like daniel robbins from ohio, the widow of sergeant first class keith robinson. she was born a soldier.

army national guard. combat medic in kosovo and iraq. stationed near baghdad just yards from burn pits the size of football fields. danielle is here with us tonight. they love going to ohio state football games. [applause] and they love building legos with their daughter. with cancer from prolonged exposure to burn pits ravaged the lungs and body. danielle says he was a fighter until the very end. he did not know how to stop fighting. and neither did she. through her pain, she found purpose to demand that we do better. tonight, danielle, we are going to do better. the va is -- already helping war

veterans get benefits. and tonight, i am announcing we are spending eligibility to veterans subject to nine respiratory cancers. i'm also calling on congress to pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposure in iraq and afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve. [cheers and applause] and fourth and last, wets and cancer as we know it. this is personal. [applause]

this is personal to me and to jill and to kamala and so many of you. so many of you who have lost someone you love, husband, wife, son, daughter, dad, mom. cancer is the number two cause of death in america, second only to heart disease. last month, i announced a plan to supercharge a plan president obama asked me to lead. our goal is to cut cancer death rates by at least 50% in the next 25 years. i think we can do better than that. turn cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases. more support for patients and their families. together a: congress to fund what i call our pet age. advanced research projects agency for health. patterned after darpa.

that led to gps and made our forces so much safer and wage war with more clarity. it will have a singular purpose. this drive breakthroughs in cancer, alzheimer's, and diabetes and more. a unity agenda for the nation. we can do these things. it is within our power. and i don't want to see a partisan edge to any one of those four things. my fellow americans, tonight we have gathered in this sacred space. a citadel of democracy. in this capital. generation after generation of americans have debated great questions and made great strife and have done great things. we fought for freedom, expanded liberty, debated totalitarianism and terror. we built the strongest, freest, and most prosperous nation the world has ever known.

now is the hour, or moment of responsibility, or test to resolve and conscience, of history itself. it is in this moment that our character this generation is formed. our purpose is found. our future is forged. well, i know this nation. we will meet the test. protect freedom and liberty. expand fairness and opportunity and we will save democracy. as hard as those times have been, i am more optimistic about america today than i've been my whole life because i see the future that is within our grasp. because i know there is simply beyond our capacity. we are the only nation on earth does always turned every crisis we faced into an opportunity. the only nation that can be defined by a single word -- possibilities. so on this night.

on her 245th year as a nation, i've come to report on the state of the nation, the stay of the union. and my report is this. the state of the union is strong is because you, the american people, or strong. we are stronger today than we were a year ago. and we will be stronger a year from now and we are today. this is our moment. to meet and overcome the challenges of our time. and we will. as one people, one america. the united states of america. god bless you all, and may god protect our troops. thank you. go get them. >> okay. the speech was about an hour and 2 minutes give or take.

president biden giving his first day of the union address. there's a lot of talk this week that may be would have to rip up the speech, rewrite it if and what was happening, that the west wing would be pouring over rewrites. earthquake changes that have happened. vladimir putin invading ukraine. using cluster bombs, threatening to use nuclear weapons. might have merited a significant rewrite, shift in the speech. the purpose of tonight's speech and focus on foreign policy. but it really did feel as though there was sort of a piece of the speech that was put at the top and then it launched into the speech that had probably been written over the last several weeks and probably a month. so he did say the reader that our forces would not engage with russia and that was pretty much off to the races with build back better and lower health care costs. prescription drugs. corporations should pay more. all of that. would work to correct two big issues that have plagued the democrat party.

one is giving everybody back to school. obviously that is been a very difficult subject for democrats and led to glenn youngkin's jury in virginia. tried to fix the plea situation by saying fund them, saying fund them several times. >> the first section of the speech on ukraine, that emotional moment with the present recognize the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s., seated with the first lady. an investor who has been asking for more help from the u.s. and nato partners. the present reiterating that u.s. forces are not going to go to europe to fight on the ground in ukraine but to shore up nato allies. if vladimir putin expands his invasion. he talked of unity and trying to squeeze before with sanctions together with these countries. if you took the over on the use of the word "focus" or was quote look was quote you had a pretty good night tonight. covid restrictions being pulled off across the country. been a lot of skepticism about

the timing of all of that days before the speech grady mentioned law enforcement. funding. this is by the way the chairman of the joint chiefs. let's listen and hear. just having conversations with lawmakers. funding the police. a big applause line. here's the thing. the president has very low approval rating on every major issue he talked about tonight and so there were a lot a different topics. illegal immigration surge at the border, inflation at a 40 year high, surging crime in big cities, energy costs on the rise even now work with ukraine. it was a choice this white house had. some big new policy initiatives or a big shift in policy or a new sales pitch for the same policy. there were some new projects in there. i didn't hear a big policy shift. and arguably the sales page is roughly the same minus the three words, build back better. legislation stalled on

capitol hill. did not say the three words together but talked about the same policy. this president as he is walking out of this hall is politically in a vulnerable place but he is dealing on a big stage in foreign policy and a big moment for the world. let's bring in senior political analyst brit hume. good evening, britt. your thoughts on the speech. >> reminded me of a lot of other state of the union address as i've heard any note that you have heard as well. it was very much once he got past the ukraine piece of it at the beginning of the speech, he was very much the kind of water a list of initiatives and achievements and so forth that we are accustomed to hearing. in some sense, that is what a president has to do in that state of the union address. i get that. all presidents do and both parties. but i do think that you are onto something when he suggested that he had a chance here had he chosen it to do a kind of reset or his administration of growing out of the current crisis in

europe. and i think he is basically chosen not to do that. because he didn't want to or he was afraid the party wouldn't agree or wouldn't work or whatever. but you look at the issues that he is in trouble on. he's in trouble on inflation. he didn't really tell us anything and i knew about inflation that he was going to do it would afford any kind of near-term relief. he didn't tell us anything about the border that made it clear that this continuing flood of illegal immigrants across the border every day, he stated some things i would do but there is no promise that that was going to get better. the law assistance in the cities he talked as much about police reform as he did about crime. so that gives you a sample of the things that is confronting him that the public is addressed about that he had dressed some way but mostly in government program style without the promise of immediate relief. >> let's bring back in our panel. publisher of the federalist. dana perino, coanchor of america's new room, and --

let's take it around the group and see what you thought. dana, let's start with you. >> let me be generous and say there is 91 applause lines but i have to say i thought the speech was uninspired. i agreed that it sounded like he did not actually change anything. it's almost as if they had the speech. it fell on the floor. all the pages got shuffled around and they just put it back together and they didn't actually reorder it. there were no transitions. there is no rhetorical list for the strongest part of the speech was definitely the beginning and the very end. that is good because that is what people mostly remember. but i have to say, it goes from ukraine straight into something that has artie been given three pinocchio's by "the washington post" which is a lie about the 2017 tax cuts. that it only went to help 1% of americans. that is not me saying that. that is "the washington post" with the three pinocchio's. he also didn't say the words

build back better but everything about the build back better was in there. didn't hear a lot about energy independence. the state of the union addresses are supposed to be about your accomplishments. but many of their accomplishments are what they consider vulnerabilities. while what i would say the american rescue plan. they know that more spending has led to inflation. energy policies. we see what has happened in europe when you get too dependent on foreign sources of energy don't produce your own even while you're trying to transition to cleaner energy. i also think i have to give negative points for the mention in the same sentence of the killings of the police officers, rivera and mora with this line, that he wants to hold law enforcement accountable. that is not what happened there and there is nothing about prosecution and making sure that career criminal are held in prison and not let out. i tried to be generous. i actually really did and they went into the speech thinking that maybe we'll figure out a way to find some unity but i

truly don't think that you will see anything here. i don't think there's going to be any big legislative push out of the speech and in the meantime ukrainians are fighting for their lives and we talked a lot about how we can send some things but he also didn't end on a high note on that point and i wish that he would have. >> speaking of ukraine, we have oil prices now. this is from beijing and alert. surging more than $5 per barrel after the release of supplies fails to call markets. so they had $107 per barrel yesterday at one point and now from the asian markets they are up $5 per barrel which will affect everybody. you talk about 60 million barrels being release from strategic reserves including 30 million in the u.s. about the situation and ukraine is dire. big cities under attack shelling and civilians being killed by russian aggression. >> to put it in context when we talk about oil and barrels of oil, we consumed

20.5 million barrels of oil per day. there are 42 gallons in a barrel. that's 860 million gallons. yet to put it all in context. a little less than three days. i don't necessarily disagree with the contract you drew and i think dana probably drew it perhaps a little more harsh than i would have but substantively she is right. performance art is not the president's strength. this is a laundry list but there is no coherence for the coherence wasn't there. i'll give him credit and three regards. three areas where he got bipartisan applause. one was the border. ted cruz stood up. crime. i did think he -- to defund the police he made democrats work for funding the police. and three, ukraine. if he is able to grab something around that perhaps they can get some momentum but i would have made this a shorter speech. i would've been to fear. i would've laid out what we

accomplished and ask the entire congress in the country all give each other a break here and push the reset button. he didn't do that. he gave us a laundry list. >> in that, there is no acceptance of these approval numbers. there is no acceptance that he is underwater on all the things he discussed whether was inflation or covid or even foreign policy. if you'll once again that the president is talking past where the country happens to be at this moment. >> it didn't feel to me like a meandering speech without a lot of coherence to it. i was thinking what charles would have thought of the speech and i was reminded of the line from cicero that the engine of money is the sinews of war. in this case, he had an opportunity i think when it came to the energy agenda to offer an olive branch as he was saying earlier when it came to pushing

back against the left fringe of his own party on a lot of these green new dealesque policies. opening up america's energy engine and putting roughnecks back to work here in america in order to really push that back into the marketplace, lower prices for people. instead we get this band-aid of an oil barrel release that as he said is only going to cover less than three days. it is not something that actually addresses the real problem. and i think the president had an opportunity here to give a speech that could've been a reset. could have been a readjustment. instead, we end up with a senatorial laundry list. no real run through line. and i think in the end it's not going to really change anything in terms of his political fortune. >> he talked about made in america. but not when it comes to energy apparently. >> in the beginning of the speech, a lot of it dealt with ukraine. why? there is part environment happening right now on the ground in ukraine. let's check back in with

state department correspondent benjamin hall. he is in lviv tonight. what is the latest? >> as you said, the bombardment have really picked up today. there is a sense vladimir putin is shifting his tactic. he is hitting these urban centers and an ever-increasing way. and some people said -- one u.s. official said is becoming he was suffering from logistical and supply issues between hitting those hippies. both kyiv as well as kharkiv they are red sirens keeping you up with the bombs dropping it sounded like a victory speech. told about the sanctions hitting russian banks. about the airspace being close to russian planes. talk about putin feeling isolated and had the u.s. was predicting this. none of that changes the situation on the ground and he said it with such force that it was after they had achieved victory here. vladimir putin is doubling down on this war. i just felt too early and i think people of ukraine, the

people i spoke to earlier, they wanted more. they wanted concrete. an idea of how this can be stopped. i don't think they felt that tonight. >> we will check in a little bit. thank you. >> it's a great point. at the top of the speech or did sound like a lot had been accomplished and yet this is really just beginning for the people of ukraine. let's bring in retired general jack keane. great to have you with us tonight. what was your reaction to the kyiv part of the speech or their ukraine bar i should say? >> i thought the front part of the speech was pretty direct. his tone was certainly more aggressive. i think it was somewhat forced, to be frank. i'm not surprised he wrapped himself in the cloak of ukrainian courage but i thought he missed a real opportunity. squandered it. to talk to putin and also talk to the ukrainian people. given putin's invasion of ukraine, what he should instead unequivocally we are not going to let this stand.

we intend to assist the ukrainians resist this invasion with everything that we can. and we are also going to assist them to drive all the russian troops off their land for as long as it takes. let the ukrainians know that we stand with them. i thought there was another opportunity. we are going to have likely a humanitarian catastrophe on our hands as they bomb the cities and encircle them in the amount of death and hardship that is going to take place inside of them. he should have said a stage for that and said the humanitarian crisis is possibly coming. i'm going to ask the united stations and our allies and partners to support the united nations in leading an effort to relieve the human suffering that is going to take place. those are two essential points that i think needed to be made here. particularly the first one. going right to the ukrainian

people and going right to putin to let them know this is much more than about sanctions and we are going to stay there and help these people for as long as it takes. >> it is important to point out that we are coming to a crucial time in this war where russian forces or it looks like trying to encircle these big cities and we could be seeing some edges that we haven't seen on the world stage with civilians getting killed and a lot of it happening on camera. we are preparing for what could be very ugly on the ground in ukraine. speak out there is no doubt about that. this encirclement is going to take place in kyiv. they are beginning it right now from the west. they will put in their area bombs and artillery here they will not use precision weapons because they want to topple and crumble the city. that is also going to take place in kharkiv. and the people will be trapped in their and it will not be able

to get the medical assistance they need. they likely may not be able to get water pier the power will be shut off. this is a significant humanitarian crisis that will take place. you are right. we have not seen that since 2015 plus and aleppo and also -- but the media was not there. so we never got to see russia's carpet bombing destroying entire neighborhoods, entire towns and villages using penetration bombs to bomb underground hospitals. all of what i just said described as an international crime. and that is what we are going to see unfold here in front of our eyes rather regrettably and tragically. >> general, there is still a feeling in this country and with this administration that there is not going to be additional u.s. involvement. the president was very clear about u.s. forces not being in ukraine. but as those pictures come out and as that emotion stirs about what is happening on the ground,

do you assess there is a different thing that is going to happen in this country? >> i think there's much we can do. first of all, he didn't even make a commitment to give them all the arms and an admission that they need. that is what i'm talking about. he didn't make a commitment to assist them. if this government gets toppled like it is likely going to do in the ukrainian military is defeated, you know full well what is going to happen here. ukrainian people are going to rise up. we should have made a commitment to them to assist them in that. i wouldn't expect him to say publicly that there are some things that we can do covertly to assist the ukrainian people. i am not suggesting he would do that. but i was hoping that he is talking to his central intelligence agencies and title 50 in terms of what we can do actually now to assist. there is risk associated with that. i'm not suggesting there is not. but there are things that we can do and we've done them in the past and we have the people to help.

>> general, thank you very much. >> we're going to take a quick break. we will be back with a republican sponsor right after this. stay right there. i was a varsity soccer player in high school and now i get winded just from walking. i can't remember things. it's just unbearable. i am telling my long covid story so that you won't have one to tell. getting vaccinated against covid-19 is the best way to prevent long covid. i may be close to retirement, but i'm as busy as ever. careful now. nice! you got it. and thanks to voya, i'm confident about my future. oh dad, the twins are now... ...vegan. i know, i got 'em some of those plant burgers. - nice! - yeah. voya provides guidance for the right investments and helps me be prepared for unexpected events. they make me feel like i've got it all under control.

[crowd] yeah! because i do. ok, that was awesome. voya. be confident to and through retirement. >> awaiting on the iowa governor, kim reynolds, to give you republican response. we are back with the panel. harold, do you think this white house is trying to move the needle with the speech? or what you think think the goal was with what he delivered? >> i think they thought they would throughout a laundry list of things. couch some of them in terms of accomplishments and present many of them as challenges and call on congress to be a part and help out with most of them. i think the speech sounded like it meandered a bit as we said. didn't sound like the segues and traditions were as smooth as they could have been.

but the real work starts again tomorrow and i thought general keane -- curious to see what he things about the no fly zone and what may trigger that. but i think the president will have his handful tomorrow. i think they think they made great headway with ukraine in ukraine because of the nato partnerships and the fact that we have been together and tighten our response on ukraine and hopefully some of that will allow the president to enjoy some bipartisan support on the domestic issues. >> i can tell you there is no appetite for a no-fly zone at the pentagon, the administration, because they were dealing with a nuclear power and you'd be dealing with potentially starting something -- >> we see visuals and images we'd never seen before. pupils moms and children being killed. >> the implication of wanting a no-fly zone may come from sampling that that. but you have step one no-fly zone. step two, blanket shutdown. step three, what happens? and i just don't think that is

the reason why -- >> two weeks ago a friend of our said nord stream2 wouldn't happen. germany would be willing to cut off its energy. so i hear you. but we are dealing with real world stuff and real-world things will continue to happen. >> i think there were a few elephants in the room tonight and part of that is the republicans were on the march. this is a midterm election year. he talked about the retirement of justice breyer. that was a sweet moment. he didn't talk about the fact that there were 31 democrats have decided to retire. it will not be running again and that means that the republicans of opportunities and many of the sources will be picked up. i thought that tonight speech was very much based focused and not about independence. independence and the moms are the ones he has lost. so what mom is going to go to the store tomorrow and say well not come i feel so much better. i think also really going to come down because at lower costs tee times in the speech. i don't think that that did anything for independent or suburban moms. >> that's the problem.

that's where it comes back to not being where people are. not recognizing he is still under water and all of these points. then he got to the point where he wanted to talk about unifying country, he talked about opioid addiction, about cancer. those are things that everybody is going to be on board with but is not going to bring the country together in the way that it needs to be brought together. >> cut out a lot of the filler and then ended up with something that was tighter, that was focused, and actually represented a benefit on a certain number of policies and of that i think would've made a difference. >> there is no indication he wants that pivot. >> this is a tough job coming out. des moines, iowa. governor kim reynolds is ready to give the republican response to the state of the union. let's listen. >> like you, i just watched the president's address. i listened as the governor or state, as a mom, and is a grandmother of 11 he was worried our country is on the wrong track. we are now one year into his presidency and instead of moving

america forward, it feels like president biden and his party had sent us back in time for the late '70s and early '80s. when runaway inflation was hammering families. a violent crime when was scratching our city. in the soviet army was trying to redraw the world map. even before taking the oath of office, the president told us he wanted to, "make america respected around the world again and to unite us here at home." he has failed on both fronts. the disastrous afghanistan withdrawal did more than cost american lives. it betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies. north korea is testing missiles again at an alarming rate. the speaker of the house recently warned our olympic athletes not to speak out against china. and now russia has launched an

unprovoked, full-scale military invasion of ukraine. an attack on democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. all americans must stand united in solidarity with the brave people of ukraine as they courageously defend their country against putin's tyranny and fight for their freedom. but we shouldn't ignore what happened in the run-up to putin's invasion. waving sanctions on russian pipelines while eliminating oil production here at home. focusing on political correctness rather than military readiness. reacting to world events instead of driving them. weakness on the world stage as a cost, and the president's approach to foreign consistently been too little, too late. it is time for america once again to project confidence. it is time to be decisive.

it is time to read it. but we can't project strength abroad if we are weak at home. and that is what i want to discuss with you tonight. the presidents and democrats in congress have spent the last year either ignoring issues facing americans or making them worse. they were warned that spending trillions would lead to soaring inflation. they were told that their anti-energy policies would sends prices to new heights but they plowed ahead anyway. raising the price at the pump by 50% and pushing inflation to a 40 year high. four decades ago when our nation was last reeling from inflation, i was a young working mom just starting out. my husband kevin worked days why i'll know mike while i watched our girls and we would switch. we would pass on the yard as he was coming home and i was leaving to work evenings at the local grocery store.

from across the checkout counter, i saw the pain of inflation on my neighbors' faces. i so what happened those prices rise faster than wages. the biden administration believes inflation is a "high-class problem." i can tell you it is an everybody problem. i saw moms and dads paychecks buy them less and less. i washed working people choose which essentials to take home and which ones to leave behind. and now president biden's decisions have a whole new generation feeling that same pain. when i took the oath of office five years ago, i promised iowans that i would never lose sight of who i was working for. that i would not become detached from the problems they were facing. from the problems that i faced myself. but you don't have to check groceries to see what high inflation does to people. you just need to step outside

the d.c. bubble. talk to americans about what is on their mind. asked them what are your concerns. what keeps you up at night and they will tell you. and i can tell you what is not on that list. they won't tell you that spending trillions more in bankrupting their children is the answer to their problems. they won't tell you that we should be paying people not to work. they certainly won't tell you that we should give billions in tax giveaways to millionaires and billionaires and democrat-controlled states like california, new york, and new jersey. but that is what the biden administration has been pushing for over the last year. and that is all part of build back better. thankfully, the president's agenda didn't pass because even members of his own party said enough is enough. well, the american people share that view.

and that is enough. and it's not just from d.c. spending. americans are tired of a political class trying to remake this country into a place where an elite few tell everyone else what they can and cannot say, what they can and cannot believe. they are tired of people pretending the way to end racism is by categorizing everybody by their race. they are tired of politicians who tell parents they should set down, be silent, and let government control their kids education and future. frankly, they are tired of the theater where politicians do one thing when the cameras are rolling and another when they believe you cannot see them. where governors and mayors and force mandates but don't follow them. where elected leaders tell their citizens to stay home while they sneak off to florida for sun and

fun. where they demand that your child wear a mask but they go mask list. so you have heard the excuses. they were just holding their breath. but it is the american people who are waiting to exhale, waiting for the insanity to stop. we now live in a country where violent crime is out of control. liberal prosecutors are letting criminals off easy and many prominent democrats still want to defund the police. it seems like everything is backwards. the biden administration requires vaccines for americans who want to go to work or protect this country but not for migrants who illegally cross the border. the department of justice treats parents like domestic terrorists but leaders and shoplifters room free. the american people are left to

feel like they are the enemy. this is not the same country it was a year ago. the president tried to paint a different picture tonight but his actions over the last 12 months don't match the rhetoric. it is not what he promised when he took office. but it doesn't have to be that way. there is an alternative. across the nation, republican governors and legislators are showing americans what conservative leadership looks like. what it means to respect the people we serve. to hear them out. just a heads up for them and walk alongside them. we know that our problems require bold action but we also know that bold action doesn't have to mean government action. it is americans making their own decisions for their own families and future. republican governors faced the same covid-19 virus had on.

but we honored your freedom and saw it right away that lockdowns and school closures came with their own significant costs. that mandates were the answer. and we actually listened to the science. especially with the kids in masks and kids in schools. what happened and is still happening to our children over the last two years is unconscionable. learning laws, isolation, anxiety, depression. in so many states, our kids have been left behind and so many will never catch up. that's why iowa was the first state in the nation to require that schools open their doors. i was attacked by the left, i was attacked by the media, but it was not a hard choice. it was the right choice. and keeping schools open is only the start of the probe parent, pro-family revolution that republicans are leading in iowa

and states across this country. republicans believe that parents matter. it was true before the pandemic and it has never been more important to say out loud. parents matter. they have a right to know and they have a say and what their kids are being taught. families also have every right to live in a safe and secure community and that begins with a safe and secure country. but the biden administration has refused to secure our borders. they refused to provide the resources to stop human trafficking. to stop the staggering influx of deadly drugs coming into our neighborhoods. they refuse to protect you. what texas and arizona leading the way, i'll, along with republican governors from several states, have sent

resources to the border. and we have actually gone to the border. something that our president and vice president have yet to do since taking office. on the economy, the contrast couldn't start. while democrats in d.c. are spending trillions, sending inflation soaring, republican leaders around the country are balancing budgets and cutting taxes. because we know that money spent on main street is better than money spent on bureaucracy. today i signed legislation that eliminates iowa's tax on retirement income and sets are attacked foul tax rate at 3.9%. that is less than half of what it was just four years ago. and it shouldn't come as a prize that out of the top 20 states with the lowest unemployment rates, 17 have republican governors. republicans may not have the

white house, but we are doing what we can to fill the leadership vacuum. and on the issues that are affecting americans, republicans are leading. we are standing up for parents and kids. we are standing up for life. we are keeping our communities safe and thanking uniform. we are fighting to restore america's energy independence and that includes biofuel. we are getting people back to work, not paying them to stay home. most of all, we are respecting your freedom. behind me stands iowa's capital where we display our state capital. our liberties -- and both aren't just empty words. it is a belief that the greatness of this state and this country lies in our people, not government.

he shouldn't have to wake up every morning and worry about the next thing the government is going to do to you, your business, or your children. if we as elected leaders are doing our job, then the government is working well but operating in the background. is supporting the ingenuity and spirit of our people, not drowning them out. it is keeping them safe, not restricting their freedom. that is what i believe, that is what republicans believe, and that is what republicans are doing. i am so blessed to be the governor of iowa. where people are humble, hardworking, and patriotic. we take care of each other. and yes, we are as they say, iowa nice. but you have to be from iowa to see that those are the values of america at its best. all of america.

over the last few years, i put my faith in iowa. and they have not let me down. i encourage this president to be the same. to put his faith in you, the american people, who have never wavered in your belief in this country regardless of who leads to because you know you have shown that the soul of america is not about who lives in the white house. it is men and women like you in every corner of this nation who are willing to step up and take responsibility for your community, for your neighbors, and ultimately, for yourself. the state of our union -- thank you. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america.

>> republican governor from iowa, kim reynolds, who is really sailing to reelection in 2022. an approval rating above 80% among republicans in iowa. iowa of course the first in the nation caucus state standing in front of the state capital with the sound of a train going by in the midwest way that she presented it. basically this presentation very humble but kind of a blueprint for republicans both on foreign policy mentioning afghanistan and what she called the horrible troll there. as well as going into how republicans see every major issue and how they line up against democrats. this is a tough job for any response whether it is democrat or -- if you are not in front of a crowd, it is never going to be the same as the house chamber so you are never on the same playing field. however, effective speeches are effective speeches, and she did in a way. >> i think a lot of people had

never heard her speak before and she came across very well. when he came to education, i think she probably because the ears of a lot of those moms, the covid moms that we talked about. she said exactly what they wanted to hear and we didn't hear that from the present except that he said it was time to go back to school but she talked about the unconscionable impact on our nation's children and the learning loss they have suffered and i couldn't help but think of the president had offered as part of his idea to unify the nation to make sure that the learning loss is repaired, that kids have summer school opportunities to catch up, that we test and make sure they are at the level but they should be at. i think a program like that would have so much traction across the country but she talked about fixing that problem and how she is going about it in her stay. >> and education factored big virginia governor's race which was a big win for glenn youngkin. we will bring back our panel. your thoughts? >> i think this was a good speech from the perspective of

how republicans are going to approach these midterms. it hit all of the different marks in terms of the different areas of policy they want to emphasize. and it also serves as a reminder of the difficulty that president biden has come of the tension that exists within his own coalition on dealing with the problem of covid because of the differences between blue state governors and the administration and the cdc and the health authorities. he wasn't really in a position to take the win that he could have claimed in this speech from getting the country started again, getting kids back to school and delivering on the things a parent across the country really need it instead, he put in a difficult position where governor reynolds and other red state governors can say we did what you wanted as parents. we are getting your kids back to school. we didn't have to go through this rigmarole and that is one of the reasons why republicans are so bullish headed into these midterms.

>> one, a kind of targets the elite hypocrisy. she did that a couple of time throughout the speech which is a sweet spot for republicans. let's go back to the state of the union speech if you wanted to comment on governor reynolds. >> she is now introduced to america. this is what usually happens pair they tried to chew somebody that is an up-and-coming person in the party. not only does she have an ability to articulate all of the sinks you just said, she's getting getting real results. she is talking about the actual economic impact of what she is done in terms of lowering taxes in iowa and her state is thriving. that is why she has an 88% approval rating. contrast that with the president speech which i mentioned that he needs to recapture independence and suburban women in particular and what he did was insufficient, was uncreative, it was unmemorable, it was uninspiring. he talked about this agenda that joe manchin has basically decapitated. not said this is not happening -- they have this opportunity and

to me they blew it. >> is this a doubling down on base politics? maybe there is not an outreach to independence? tonight you have another response from rashida tlaib, democrat from michigan. and also another response from the colorado representative. there are targeted democratic responses to a democratic president's state of the union address. i think that is a first. but is this speech by the president more about we are going to double down on what we are doing? >> it sounds like they may have had some disagreement in the oval office about what the speech was going to accomplish. i thought you had remnants were elements, intel ceo and the audience talk about building chips, semiconductor chips in america and the challenges that we had. you had the young fella and the young kid up there who really kind of stole the show in some ways and i thought there going to sing happy birthday to the

kid. missed a moment. daniel was a one they suggested would do that. sometimes people writing speeches for presidents forget that the whole country is built on a canyon of compromise. you can't pass significant things or do significant things. brought others to the table with no child left behind. if you want to do something big, biden's whole life, his life and politics, has been about bipartisanship and bringing democrats and republicans together. i thought they missed a moment to do a little bit of that tonight and hopefully they are able to get back. realize tomorrow is a new day. >> could've called out specific individuals in the crowd and said let's work together on this. >> ted cruz on border patrol. tim scott on crime. i would've called that -- >> a democrats filibuster tim scott's crime bill. >> that's why i said i would have pushed the reset for everybody. i would've said ukraine is

showing if we come together what we can do. if we can advance democracy and freedom in another country we can do it here. i'm willing to push the reset if all of you are willing. >> and to challenge his own party. he is a present of the united states. we said during one of the debates now i am the democratic party. i am the leader of the party. it looks like there are times when he was reluctant to embrace that role and said this is where we will take the country could you have your vote. but this is what i think we need to do. >> let's bring in charles payne of fox business. charles, that will spike from asia got everybody's eyeballs to this alert on the wire. $5 per barrel. how do you see this? >> you know, the announcement of the they are releasing more oil from the strategic petroleum reserve backfired big-time. i think they tried to do it in time the state of the union, but those reserves are emergency reserves. and when you do this a couple of times, goes beyond being a gimmick to people wondering if you have a concrete plan. that backfired miserably ended up tailed and all the things you

guys are talking about with the biggest disconnect and i economically was president biden insisting that whatever he has done has worked. he bragged about the american rescue plan. it was passed on march the 11th 21. that was the last month that americans sought real wage gains. every single month since then have been negative numbers. negative, negative, negative. consequently, 7 of 10 people and one paul maxey that they are suffering, that they are living paycheck to paycheck. 56% of americans that if they had a thousand dollar emergency bill they could not cover it with what they have in savings. and finally in this most recent poll, you have folks saying what is the state of the economy. 19% say we are in recovery. only 90%. 24% say inflation. 34% think wherein inflation. 24% think wherein -- a chance not only to reset his conversation with americans in both political parties but this

agenda it which is hurting the american public that he professes to love so much. >> charles a lot of the things that he talked about were in the build back better planned and also goes to sort of finding ways to spend money. that if we help people with childhood education, if we help them with child care, we help them with drug prices, then they will have more money in their pockets to deal with the inflation problem. that has been their approach. >> that has been their approach but the problem is when you start to flood the zone, you actually send prices up. when you give everybody money and they go out and there's a handful of tutors, those tutors doubled their costs. she don't get more tutors, you get higher prices. you don't get more solutions, you get more problems. one thing -- as we are running up to president biden trying to push through additional bills including build back better that poll after poll including a lot of liberal polls, people asked do you want to see more largess, more spending.

more physical money, free money, spending checks. so many people said no. that it would harm me, that it would harm my family. so there is a realization that you can go too far with all of this. i think americans want organic growth, and the ability to do this on the run, to grow organically, take advantage of of what we have. this is what i am concerned about is are there any lessons learned. bill clinton learned a lesson. he made up of it. are there any lessons learned. do you have to wait for a shellacking in the middle terms or you can you may be make some adjustments before then? >> is what we talked about earlier, not a policy shift we can see at all. as you look at the markets here, they have had obviously a roller coaster ride with all that is happening in ukraine and questions about what the fed is going to do, whether they dial it back. where do you see this and how ukraine fits into what is happening here? >> ukraine is right now more emotional than financial, certainly taking a toll not on

my call on market. but last week we see the markets make some strong rallies, particularly into close. earnings coming in better than expected issue is how this in fact the fed. jerome powell speaks tomorrow and capitol hill. right now the bedding is 25 basis point hike. there are even some author might not be any hike from the federal reserve. i doubt that happens but it completely changes the tenor of the federal reserve which even if they wanted to be aggressive they can't now. >> thank you so much. >> let's bring back in our senior strategic analysts retire general jack keane. good to have you here. when you look at what the president laid out here and what we are still in the middle of as we were talking about earlier only day six at this point in this war, what is happening overnight right now and what are you anticipating in terms of the path to kyiv. we have seen that stalled convoy. where are we now?

>> that stalled convoy has been about logistics problems and refreshing and getting supplies for the troops in it. it is fundamentally disorganized. normally the convoy like that has two-way traffic. traffic control points. you want fuel to come forward, anti-fuel trucks to go back. and think with trucks. same things with casualties. there is something fundamentally wrong with the logistical support for these four axes of advance. all that said, what is happening right now is they have reached to the western part -- northwestern part of kyiv and they are starting to make the encirclement in and out a ring of about 30 miles out. they will probably close that in and encircle on the east side as well. likely pummel the city with the area attack weapons we have discussed and create a level of chaos to be sure. and then move combat operation forces into the city. this will take some time because

circling that city even in itself is not going to be a free lunch for them. the ukrainians will resist it. the same thing is happening in kharkiv as well. there is been some progress in the south certainly and they will continue to make some progress as they move closer to odessa having -- a lot of this pain and front of us and we are going to witness this tragic suffering from the ukrainian people unfortunately with our own eyes. >> i live ten second-tier basil resident was leaving he said god bless our troops and at the very end he said go get 'em. all kinds of stuff on social media as you can imagine. you think? go get 'em? >> me neither. >> he kind of yells go get 'em and we are trying to figure it out. speak of genera as always

thanks. made continuing coverage of the situation on the ground in ukraine and every hour means big things they are on the ground. thank you for watching our fox news coverage of the state of the union address and the republican response. >> if the general doesn't know the answer, i give up. >> just go get them. >> a special edition of sean hannity is next. good night from washington. ♪ ♪ >> sean: welcome to the "hannity." joe biden's big speech is officially over and despite his claims, the state of our great union is not strong, not even close. in fact, in 2 minutes we can fact-check all of joe biden's lies and things he admitted. let's just call them this truth that he spoke but first we turn to ukraine where putin's bloody invasion now continues and we have now learned he is targeting civilian areas tonight. joining us now with the very latest on the ground kyi