State of the Union: Biden rebukes Putin, offers 'unity agenda'

"We are stronger today than we were a year ago," the president said.

ByMeredith Deliso and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: April 6, 2022, 10:13 AM EDT

President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address as Russian strikes were killing civilians, forces were massing near Ukraine's capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no sign of backing down.

Latest headlines:

Here is how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Check back for updates.
Mar 01, 2022, 3:52 PM EST

Biden to call on Congress to pass 'unity agenda'

Biden will call on Congress to pass a "unity agenda," comprising several initiatives that have been historically popular on both sides of the aisle, an administration official said on a call with reporters Tuesday morning.

While the call went on to highlight one example of the unity agenda -- mental health care -- the term is notable. The "unity agenda" could be the reframing of his stalled Build Back Better proposal -- Biden picking and choosing portions of that package his administration believes could pass with bipartisan support.

Biden will call for mental health initiatives, in the context of worsening mental health due to the pressures of the pandemic. One especially notable one: Due to mounting evidence that social media plays a major role in mental health challenges for young people, Biden will call on Congress to strengthen social media privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to kids and demand technology companies stop collecting personal data on children, an administration official said.
-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

Mar 01, 2022, 3:42 PM EST

Some House members to wear blue and yellow in support of Ukraine

Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, on Capitol Hill this morning for interviews with local TV stations, told reporters that many members will wear blue and yellow colors tonight in support of Ukraine.

Members of Congress will be wearing blue and yellow ribbons with their pins to show solidarity with Ukraine, at the State of The Union address at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 1, 2022.
Devin Dwyer/ABC News

During President Donald Trump's address in 2020, dozens of female members of Congress wore "suffragist white" -- intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granting American women the right to vote.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Mar 01, 2022, 3:14 PM EST

Biden to stress leadership on Ukraine

President Joe Biden's 9 p.m. ET speech, to be carried live on national television and seen around the world, will be delivered just days after Russia invaded Ukraine -- and days after he nominated the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

But he'll also be speaking to Americans suffering from historic inflation as the nation continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

President Joe Biden speaks as he announces Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Cross Hall of the White House, Feb. 25, 2022.
Carolyn Kaster/AP, FILE

With his job approval at an all-time low of 37%, Biden faces the difficult task of balancing their pain with his desire to reap the political benefits of his legislative wins so far -- a massive COVID relief package and a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation's infrastructure -- while also demonstrating his leadership on one of the greatest threats to European stability since World War II.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson