Biden's first address to Congress is invite-only
CBSN
Only invited members of Congress will be allowed to attend President Biden's address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, and the event "will be invitation-only for a limited number of members of Congress," according to a memo from acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett.
Any members who have not received an invite from their congressional leadership "will not be permitted in the Capitol after 5 p.m.," according to the memo obtained by CBS News. The sergeant at arms noted the event is restricted due to COVID-19, although it's unclear exactly how many members, and which ones, will be allowed in the Capitol. Unlike a typical address before a joint session, invited members will not be permitted to bring a guest. First lady Jill Biden will also attend, but will not bring any guests. Mr. Biden is set to deliver his first address to Congress on Wednesday at 9 p.m.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.
The knock at the door came at nighttime on Mother's Day 2008 in Oregon, where Jessica Ellis' parents lived. It was around 9:20 p.m. and his wife, Linda, was already in bed; her father Steve Ellis told CBS News, that he thought someone let their animals out — but two soldiers in Class A uniforms were standing at the door.