U.S. President Joe Biden steps to State of the Union lectern at fraught moment

Facing disquiet at home and danger abroad, U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address at a precipitous moment for the nation, aiming to navigate the country out of a pandemic, reboot his stalled domestic agenda and confront Russia's aggression.

The speech Tuesday night had initially been conceived by the White House as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook and rebrand Biden's domestic policy priorities as a way to lower costs for families grappling with soaring inflation. But it has taken on new significance with last week's Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear sabre-rattling by Vladimir Putin.

Biden, in his remarks, planned to highlight the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and the resolve of a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and impose sanctions on Russia to cripple its economy.

Biden would speak to "the importance of the United States as a leader in the world, standing up for values, standing up for global norms, but also the efforts that he has undertaken to mitigate how it will impact people here," press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

Biden will address a mostly full and mask-optional crowd in the House chamber, one sign of the easing coronavirus threat. But he'll also speak from within a newly fenced Capitol due to renewed security concerns after last year's insurrection.