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

In advance of tonight's speech, Sen. Joe Manchin reiterated his long-held view that has blocked Biden's domestic agenda, saying, "There is no Build Back Better."

"What we should be looking at is what we can do and what we have done," the West Virginia Democrat said.

He told reporters he wants Biden to talk about inflation and about energy independence instead.

"Inflation is basically destroying the country as we know it from the standpoint of making it harder on the people they were trying to help -- so we have to get energy under control," Manchin said. "And next of all, be energy independent. Putin has weaponized energy, so shouldn't we be using energy to counter what he's been doing?"
-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

ABC News Live will stream from Capitol Hill throughout the day, with live coverage of the State of the Union address beginning at 8 p.m. ET and a roundtable with Houston voters on what they hope to hear from the president’s speech. At 11 p.m. ET, ABC News Live will feature lawmakers from both sides of the aisle reacting to the speeches.

ABC News Digital will have an up-to-the-minute live blog, key takeaways focusing on main themes, an analysis of the speeches’ political implications and full transcripts of and reaction to the remarks.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Fox News that Biden will not be wearing a mask when he enters the House chamber, following new guidance, she said, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When he spoke to a joint session of Congress last year, all were required to wear masks, but on Sunday the U.S. Capitol physician said masks were now optional because Washington, D.C., was at a low-risk level.

The move to remove the mask mandate at the Capitol ahead of Biden's speech highlights the quickly evolving conditions of the pandemic and how eager some Democrats, including the president himself, are about projecting a "return to normalcy."
-ABC News' Mariam Khan

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