Rivals in congress. We can see below picture is now what is happening inside the us congress. We know the president s motorcade has arrived at the capitol. State of the union is an annual event here in washington, when the president speaks direct to the nation. Vice president Kamala Harris and Kevin Mccarthy the republican Speaker Of The House, not quite chatting to one another. This is a divided government, president s first divided government state of the Union Address. The chance is for President Biden to celebrate the achievements of his administration over the last year and lay out his priorities for the and make the case here is the man for the job with the 2024 election looming on the horizon, though he has yet to confirm his candidacy. Throughout the evening ill bejoined by our in studio commentators, republican strategist ron christie, and democratic strategist amanda renteria. Before we go much further, just a quick word from you both. Amanda, what will you be looking for tonight . Im looking to be inspired, and im looking to be inspired, and i think inspired by the result is that this president has already gotten in the last two years, but also whats ahead. Everybody always wants to know whats ahead, what will you do in your leadership Going Forward . It is particularly important forjoe biden as he is about to launch a president ial campaign. Is about to launch a residential cam aiun. �. , president ial campaign. And ron, how about you. President ial campaign. And ron, how about you, we president ial campaign. And ron, how about you, we saw president ial campaign. And ron, how about you, we saw kevin how about you, we saw Kevin Mccarthy, the republican Speaker Of The House, he will be flanking President Biden when he speaks, this is divided government for President Biden. It is, good evening to you laura, it is, good evening to you laura, you will be the first time laura, you will be the first time the laura, you will be the first time the president of the united time the president of the United States will now have a republican Speaker Of The House behind republican Speaker Of The House behind his shoulder. I anticipate much like amanda does anticipate much like amanda does that we will see a president touting his achievements but at the same time achievements but at the same time outlining his vision for why time outlining his vision for why he time outlining his vision for why he should be re elected as president why he should be re elected as president of the United States, and he president of the United States, and he will use this very historic and he will use this very historic platform to lay out the case historic platform to lay out the case historic platform to lay out the case. ,, the case. Thank you, we will be with ou the case. Thank you, we will be with you throughout. The case. Thank you, we will be with you throughout. Lets the case. Thank you, we will be with you throughout. Lets go i with you throughout. Lets go to our correspondent on capitol hill. What do we know that President Biden will say tonight in his speech . Finish thejob, that is tonight in his speech . Finish the job, that is the theme of the job, that is the theme of the White House Briefing out, what does that mean . Absolutely, laura. He is going to really outline how the United States has come out of the covid pandemic. He is going to lay that out very clearly to the American People, saying that america is one of the only countries that comes out of crises stronger than it entered it, and he is going to say despite the covid pandemic, they have seen record job creation, the economy is back on track and the nation, though it is unbowed and broken. So he is going to lay that out, he will lay out his economic achievements and then really appeal to the republicans in this divided congress that they Work Together. For him, finishing thejob is making those same kind of commitments he has made since he ran for president throughout his last two terms, and trying to push through his policy proposals, but with a divided congress that of course is going to be a challenge. So we are going to hear him make the appeal to republicans that there are areas of mutual concern, whether it be on china, the opioid pandemic, cancer, where the two parties can Work Together, and he will say that americans are sick of fighting for the sake of fighting, but they want real results. So that is what we will hear from President Biden with very much the president ial election in 2024 on his mind. We the president ial election in 2024 on his mind. The president ial election in 2024 on his mind. We can see the scene 2024 on his mind. We can see the scene from 2024 on his mind. We can see the scene from inside 2024 on his mind. We can see the scene from inside the 2024 on his mind. We can see l the scene from inside the House Chamber with Kamala Harris, the Vice President. She is flanked by Kevin Mccarthy, the republican Speaker Of The House. Some of the excerpts from the president s speech, he will say there is no reason why we cant Work Together to republicans but what exactly can he hope to work with republicans on . Can he hope to work with republicans on . Thats right, and i republicans on . Thats right, and i think republicans on . Thats right, and i think being republicans on . Thats right, and i think being here republicans on . Thats right, and i think being here on republicans on . Thats right, and i think being here on the| and i think being here on the hill, we have to remember that for republicans, while this is a big night for President Biden to speak directly to the American People, this is a nation deeply divided, and we have heard senators coming, doing interviews, giving their perspective on how the nation is doing, touting the fact they still think there is a big immigration problem, a large drug problem, disagreeing with President Biden � s energy policies, but there are areas that they have to work on. If you take for example the debt ceiling. We have had that is an area that the treasury warns by june the government could default on its Debt Obligations if an agreement is not reached between President Biden and the new speaker Kevin Mccarthy. So this is a key area. There are others i have mentioned of mutual concern when it comes to Foreign Policy when it comes to china, so President Biden will say lets try to come together, put our differences aside on behalf of the American People and see what we can negotiate. That was his whole pitch to the American People that he was all about working together in a bipartisan fashion. That is what he talked about when he said restoring the soul of the nation. That is kind of a promise he hopes to be able to build on. Now the Republican Party itself it has to be said is very divided. They within their own party have differences on key policy issues, so i think there will also be a challenge, as they go from the party in opposition to the party that has to govern. Netted trophic for us on capitol hill. You can see the live pictures of the House Chamber. Ten minutes to go until President Biden delivers a state of the Union Address. We are awaiting the arrival of the second gentleman, the husband of Vice PresidentKamala Harris. 0ur north american Correspondentjoins Us american correspondent joins us from american Correspondentjoins Us from the washington newsroom and you have been doing a lot of writing about this, focusing on the shadow with the chinese spy on the shadow with the chinese Spy Balloon Story has cast on to make � s proceedings. That was shot down at the weekend by the white house, after it had been drifting over montana and other points for a few days. So we may actually see, we are told, a small white balloon in the House Chamber tonight, because Marjorie Taylor green, one of the republican members of congress, has said she may bring one on. Of congress, has said she may bring one om bring one on. She has been parading bring one on. She has been parading around bring one on. She has been parading around the bring one on. She has been parading around the holes. Bring one on. She has been. Parading around the holes of the house of buildings with a white balloon. She says she wants to bring it into the chamber, i dont think that will get by security, but it does represent a lot of the criticism republicans have been lobbying atjoe biden for his handling of the chinese surveillance balloon, his decision not to shoot it down until after it had already cleared off american territory and onto the ocean. Joe biden i think will have to address this one way or the other and the reason is because, as you mentioned, this was a huge story. It broke through and caught the American Public � s attention, and Politic Stories dont always do that, so Whateverjoe Biden says about this, and he draws it into a larger discussion of us china policy and a growing kind of conflict between the two nations, i think that is going to get significant coverage and i think the public will be interested to hear what he has to say. Interested to hear what he has to sa. ~ u, interested to hear what he has tosa. , to say. We can see the second gentleman. To say. We can see the second gentleman, doug to say. We can see the second gentleman, doug m to say. We can see the second gentleman, doug m half, to say. We can see the second gentleman, doug m half, the | gentleman, doug m half, the husband of Kamala Harris, the Vice President. Lets talk about the brutal reality of a divided washington, we will not see nancy pelosi but republican Kevin Mccarthy, he is now the Speaker Of The House. What will that mean for the tenor of the president s speech . This that mean for the tenor of the president s speech . President s speech . As nowto mentioned. President s speech . As nowto mentioned, he president s speech . As nowto mentioned, he will president s speech . As nowto mentioned, he will try president s speech . As nowto mentioned, he will try to president s speech . As nowto mentioned, he will try to cast| mentioned, he will try to cast himself as someone who can work in a bipartisan method with the republicans and he will cite some bipartisan agreement for the past two years on things like gun control and infrastructure. But once again, the debt ceiling will be the pressing issue facing congress in the months ahead, and in that particular issue, it is not a source where they are agreeing to Work Together, and they are engaged in a game of chicken, where they are facing off and someone has to blink, but doesnt really lend itself to conciliation, it lends itself to conflict. To conciliation, it lends itself to conflict. Lets ust look itself to conflict. Lets ust rook mi itself to conflict. Lets ust look now at i itself to conflict. Lets ust look now at some i itself to conflict. Letsjust look now at some pictures itself to conflict. Lets just look now at some pictures from inside the House Chamber. You can see this as the Supreme Court justices who are can see this as the Supreme Courtjustices who are going to be coming in now. Applause you can see the chiefjustice, john roberts, justice cavanagh, of course the Supreme Court right at the centre of us politics, because they had that huge decision on roe versus wade, overturning the federal rate to an abortion, and another big case coming up this year on Affirmative Action in education, isnt there, anthony, butjust tell us about their set piece occasion, the state of the union, the president s biggest tv audience of the year. It president s biggest tv audience of the year of the year. It is, it is an audience of the year. It is, it is an audience that of the year. It is, it is an audience that numbers i of the year. It is, it is an. Audience that numbers tens of the year. It is, it is an audience that numbers tens of millions of americans. That is a rare opportunity for a politician, even for a president to have, which is why american president s love all the pageantry around this, they relished the moment, even if the state of the Union Addresses dont typically move public opinion, even if they dont really lead to any substantive legislative changes, it is a chance to frame the president s policy priorities, it is a chance for him to make his or her case to the American Public and injoe bidens case, as you pointed out, this is a chance to kind of define the train for an upcoming re election bid, to point out what he thinks he did well over the past two years, and then to link that to what he hopes to accomplish if say the American Public decides to re elect him. The American Public decides to reelect him. Reelect him. Thank you for oininr reelect him. Thank you for joining us reelect him. Thank you for joining us. Back reelect him. Thank you for joining us. Back to reelect him. Thank you for joining us. Back to our joining us. Back to our panellists, we are looking again at the live pictures of the House Chamber. You can see a smiling john roberts, the chiefjustice of the Supreme Court, and were on, what you think about the pageantry of this occasion . We see doug emhoff, the second gentleman, joe biden, a spectacular address, amanda, we have to be girly for a moment, that is a great purple it girly for a moment, that is a great purple great purple it sure is, and its purple great purple it sure is, and its purple sorry, great purple it sure is, and its purple sorry, ron, its purple sorry, ron, amanda. Its purple sorry, ron, amanda, tell its purple sorry, ron, amanda, tell us its purple sorry, ron, amanda, tell us about | its purple sorry, ron, amanda, tell us about who the first lady has as a Guest Tonight and the political signalling through her choices. It is was fully important who she has around her, you see bono, just sort of see a group of folks, from policing, a list of folks, from policing, a list of the conversation today is about how are we really going to tackle cancer, paediatric cancer, parents who have faced opioid crises in their own families, and so what i would say is this is a group of quite a few empathetic, personifying some empathy that we need to have in this country. One of the things joe have in this country. One of the Thingsjoe Biden does really well as bring people into those moments that are really important in people � s lives. Really important in people s lives. ~. , really important in people s lives. , lives. We are seeing the cabinet lives. We are seeing the cabinet entering. Lives. We are seeing the i cabinet entering. Actually, lives. We are seeing the cabinet entering. Actually, the president is losing somebody from his cabinet, his Labor Secretary going off to work for the National Hockey league. Hat the National Hockey league. Not such a bad the National Hockey league. Not such a bad job if you can get it. Such a bad ob if you can get it. , such a bad ob if you can get it. , , such a bad ob if you can get it. That was the us Secretary Of State anthony it. That was the us Secretary Of StateAnthony Blinken of state Anthony Blinken leading the walk down. Just a reminder, he was supposed to go to china at the weekend and i had to be cancelled. There he is, the Secretary Of State, followed by the treasury secretary, janet yellen. A reminder of the geopolit