Text republicans, maybe just a reminder that i actually do no republicans. Is this an app . Text a republican. So i texted my republican friends and they are really saying the same thing, i asked the same question, what should or could biden say to win over the nikki haley supporters and theyve been very clear, they think that he should laser focus and they said that her base was, it was really women, who in some cases dont normally vote in republican primaries, thats her basis, they are light voting republicans, loosely attached to the party, except for in this case, they were driven to come out because of abortion and ivf and he should do a heavy emphasis on trying to win over republican women, not so much on the democracy stuff but on ivf and reproductive rights. One of the excerpts that they released, as you said in the beginning, he wont mentioned. I would be shocked by that but its clearly those dragging about Overturning Roe V Wade, he clearly has no idea about women. Hes speaking to the nikki haley voters, and the women who are outraged about ivf, maybe prochoice and feel like this is a bridge too far. We just saw President Biden walking through the halls and he said to reporters as he passed through, he said, im feeling great, that was the comment as he is approaching the room. Is just past 9 00 right now on the east coast which means that we are expecting shortly the House Sergeant at arms to announce the arrival of the president of the United States and what we will see is the Escort Committee, we heard all the Members Of Congress, all of the members of the senate, a big long list of members, who havent come into the chamber yet along with her colleagues who will walk in as the Escort Committee and then he will start the long process of shaking hands and interacting with people in more or less performative ways depending on the member as he makes his way down the center aisle. One other thing to keep theres the man. He did it. And we are done, thank you. One thing we will be watching for, when we covered State Of The Union last year, when President Biden finished, and last year was kind of like a highenergy, rock them sock them State Of The Union including the heckling and him going back at the hecklers, at the end of it, he stayed for 20 minutes, he was the last person, ive got more does anyone want to talk to me . If you were with biden on the Campaign Trail as a reporter or a staffer, you see him do these speeches and then he pivots, for a long time. This seems like a weirdly counterintuitive hot take although to most obvious thing you can say is that joe biden is good at politics. He is very good at politics. The man, really does know what he is doing. And you really see it in those situations. We discovered when i was still there at the white house that when we traveled with Members Of Congress, he was more elated, it energized him, which is so rare, thats not how president obama would have felt about traveling with Members Of Congress. In 2022 when he came back from the speech that was russia and ukraine heavy, we all waited to cheer for him in the palm room which is the room you walk back in and out and we were there for like an hour, i mean, he was there for so long that night for the same reasons. Part of being good at politics is enjoying it. You have to be the kind of person who enjoys that. Yeah, we shall see. There is a pageantry and a scripted nature which make all of these things seem familiar. Theres often a visual signifier in the crowd on an issue or two or three, there are Members Of Congress that are expected to be performative and heckling. Theres the speech being put on the podium. We see the Vice President , all of the stuff is familiar but there is a big wildcard vibe that looms over all of it because none of these is exactly the same especially in an Election Year when the stakes are so high, especially in this Election Year. And with a House Of Representatives that is divided by two, in terms of the partisan division between the parties, with the turmoil that the House Republicans have been through, for the first time in ufc history, chirping out their own speaker and replacing him with another who is now riding this majority like up bucking bronco, this guy is barely holding on and hes only been there five minutes, we are showing the man who more than anyone orchestrated the ousting of the previous speaker who not only left the speakership but Left Congress altogether. I mean, this is as they say, a very fluid situation. And that feeling, in the room, i think, can manifest in some ways as nervousness and jitters, tonight, so far its manifesting as one of the most chitchat starts that ive ever seen. I cant unseat it as the Scene Of The Crime on january 6th and to see it ordinary again and behaving and its traditional ways that we all have been watching for you know, decades of our lives and it has just changed the vibe of looking at that room. Theres something area about it to me that its this return to normalcy when, it was a space of such violence and fear and i think about those members and the staff hiding under their desk and terrified and running out and figuring out where the safe rooms were, where the Panic Buttons were, and it returns to such normalcy, we are doing a normal thing but we are doing a normal thing that perceives an election, its really eerie for me. I also think this is an opportunity for the president , as strange as that may be to say. That floor is so hallowed for him. He feels more comfortable than i think he does in the white house. I expect that he will talk about that, election denies and who we are as a country. Justice kennedy shot is reminding me as one of the things that hangs over the selection. I think we will hear about judges, but of course, justices get too well, unless fate intervenes, they get to retire when they want to retire, can be clearly waiting until he had a Republican Office to hand that seat over. Specifically so it would be rhett kavanagh. His former clerk. There are two republican appointees on that court were over the age of 71 and 72. Their fate rests in some ways, i think the future rests a lot, the decisions they may make about who wins. Hugely important. The court has been cosplaying unity. We cant tell much from Body Language in a moment like this but man, to be a Fly On The Wall the social dynamics, given how much theyre trying to mask what clearly must be a Serious Cleave between the liberal justices and the conservative ones. Theres the second gentleman, the husband of Vice President harris, entering the chamber now its almost 9 minutes past the hour, and we know President Biden is on site, hes in the capital, weve seen him in there. Weve had live images of him leaving the white house and being inside the Capital Building but im not sure. Have ever been on time for anything . I just want to say i think i would be a good second gentleman. That seems like a dope job. I would vote for kate shaw for anything. If that would be the side effect of getting kate in power, i would take it. I think a lot of people would, too, in terms of the guests that are in the room, this is fascinating to see all the people from different branches of government, chatting to each other for this extended period. Who often dont have an opportunity to have this conversation. One of the reports we got is that when justice jackson, the newest member of the court walked into the chamber, there were loud cheers from Democratic WomenMembers Of Congress. Heres First Lady Jill Biden entering the room and a sage green, the showcase of the box seats where the first lady sits with her handpicked guests, many of whom have been advanced notice to the press in terms of who sitting with her, a lot of them will be referenced in the speech this evening. This is getting close. Mr. Speaker, the president s cabinet. The cabinet led by the secretary of state blinkin. Defense secretary lloyd austin, looking pale and hearty. Attorney general merrick garland, you think of him as short, he is not. This is usually the last part of the process that happens before we get the president himself introduced. But yeah, it is a, it is a boisterous and happy bunch in the room. Am i right, this is by being different . It is. Its also interesting to see who is friends, i guess, and who decides to sit next to each other. Mitt romney and joe manchin looked like they were in a Best Friend Comedy there. Sitting together, and who chooses to sit with each other is interesting, too. I think we have low in Lauren Boebert and matt gaetz sitting next to each other, a Critical Mass thing happening there. What could go wrong . Claire mccaskill watching this with us, are we misreading the vibes here . Its always pretty much like a little gabfest, as you wait around and wait around and wait around that i will say, theres work being done here. You saw schumer and pelosi, and schumer was doing his gesturing like going to win this point im going to make you give into what i, and i also noted, pelosi talking to mcconnell. So pelosi is working, and so are some of the other members, they are running around finding people. Its very unusual to have the house and Senate Members together like this and its one of the only times where the senators feel outnumbered, because there are so many more House Numbers but its always a gabfest before it starts. This doesnt feel particularly more convivial than normal. Its kind of an uplifting time to be in the moment when you are there. Although, an hour later when the president is still talking, there is a little toetapping that begins. You see the interior secretary, the attorney general, you see lloyd austin, transportation secretary, energy secretary, un ambassador, thomas cream. I will mention, this is always sort of awkward because its a little bit dark but because of the number and diversity of government leadership that is in this room with the principles of the executive and legislative and judicial branch, not to mention the United States military, each year at the State Of The Union, one person whos in the line of succession for the presidency is chosen as a designated survivor and the explicitly do not go to the room, just in case the worst happens and tonight, it is, ready . The secretary of education, dr. Cardona, he will not be there but pretty much everybody else well, and at this point, we are waiting for the president himself. One policy item to look for tonight that ive been thinking about is the trump tax cuts which i think will appear in the speech for a few reasons. One, they will expire in 2025 and the next president will decide if they are restored or not and number 2 they are the least popular agenda item of the last president. They are also a live and pressing issue and the democrats right now enjoy an advantage on taxes which i dont think ive ever seen in my life and i think thats due to that and i think we will expect to see the president make hay on that tonight. A number of the people who will be sitting in the first ladys box with dr. Jill biden are people there to highlight the issue of healthcare and Prescription Drugs, insulin, price cap including a man with blood cancer who has one of the drugs that senator klobuchar was talking about a few minutes ago, one of the drugs thats targeted for the first round of medicare being able to negotiate to bring down the price of Prescription Drugs, thats something thats been on the Policy Wish List in washington, for a generation and joe biden finally got it done. Hes been wanting to expand the number of drugs that are included on the negotiation listen also to expand the benefits that hes been able to achieve, the 35 insulin price cap, the overall annual cap on the amount that you can spend on Prescription Drugs outof pocket. He wants to expand those things so they dont discover seniors on medicare, they apply to everybody. Its so popular, its more popular than almost anything else that hes done. And this is why its the perfect opportunity to talk about it. This is when people are listening. Healthcare is also a contrast we are drying drawing. The parents there of the Wall Street Journal reporter, hes about a year now in russia, being held unjustly, and we expect that to be discussed. The president of the United States [ applause ] this could take a while. I want to keep the mic open here to see if we can hear anything. Hear anything hes gone across like four inches. We are used to seeing the president in the secure doing, this is the most secure place in the world but to see everybody just reaching out and hugging him, and touching him, its an unusual thing. You dont see this. Theres a lot of jockeying for the Pole Position to be as close as possible. Remember Congressman Engel who used to show up first thing in the morning to always be on the aisle. Biden loves it. Its christmas morning. The 153, that you see, i think its pinned to their lapel, 153 is the 153 days that hostages have been held by hamas in gaza. Congressman barbara lee, isnt that her on the left side of her scream, she gave up her seat to pursue the senate seat in california but she and katie porter, giving up their seats in congress, to have competed for the senate seat. Neither of those members will be going on to the general election in november. At such a loss. Congressman lee is an icon. Shes an og icon of the progressive wing. She was the squad before the squad. Theres a lot of reference for her, friends in california, really hate to see her leave congress. Shes a brave voice for the authentic left. And there is mpg. They have have these Pole Positions on the aisle, she and boebert, you have to be there very early in the morning to get. She is clearly trying to do some confrontation thing. Not sure if it works. You sought representative al green, and hes the one who came from his hospital bed to make sure he would cast an important vote. Claire mccaskill is still with us. Claire, i just have to ask you about the hat. Isnt there a rule . Im really surprised that she is not being asked to remove that hat. It makes me think that speaker johnson is really afraid of her. Because there is a rule. Theres a strict rule, no hats for any reason. Especially a hat that is, you know, im not aware of any time a hat is allowed on the floor of the senate. Im not as familiar with the house rules but you could never wear a hat on the floor of the senate. So, im not sure, other than, if the speaker just doesnt want to have the sergeant at arms tell her to remove it, because if he did they would probably remove her from speaker, she filed a motion. The sergeant at arms is busy right now, basically trying to yank President Biden a few more inches down the aisle. Hes nowhere near the deus as far as i can tell. Senator gillibrand there. Hes going to talk to every person in that room and look, hes enjoying it. The hat is an incredibly tacky choice, by somebody who, it shouldnt be surprising at this point, theres nothing that she does that is surprising but its open me for the dignity of the office that she holds, regardless of you know, the qanon stuff, shes a member of the United States congress, at some point, one would think you would aspire to have a minimal amount of dignity in your presentation, and she has no such aspiration. And its a trump 2020 hat. He is now taking the pictures for them. We moved from selfies. Its sometimes easier, because people get nervous when they see you and they fumble and its like, ill do it. He loves to call peoples family members. I was thinking that might be next. Nicole, you and jen are former staffers and having ptsd about the speed, getting the principal to where he needs to be, its like molasses seems fast. Almost there now. Speaking with the jet chairman of the joint tease chairman of the joint chiefs. Up to the podium now. Jen, you know the answer, im guessing this pumped him up. This pumped him up but if you are sitting in the white house right now, you are thrilled by this because we are all here watching it and talking about it. And this shows him, a person has been caricatured as nobody in the Democratic Party wants to run for president. But here they are, doing selfies with him. He seems joyful, he probably is having a good time. Claire did you say tom parker . Obviously they go way back. And tom is not running away. Hes been there an awfully long time. Hes rounding the corner, he is now over in front of the Senate Section and once he gets another few paces he will be up on the dais. Does this make you miss it, where these fun nights or were these work . The first time, the first couple of times, it was really interesting and i kept pinching myself that i was where i was, when barack obama was elected president while he was running, they were very interesting. We had an interesting vignette, about whether or not barack obama snubbed