US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address last year to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol. EPA
US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address last year to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol. EPA
US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address last year to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol. EPA
US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address last year to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol. EPA

State of the Union 2024: Biden to pitch a sceptical America that he deserves a second term


Jihan Abdalla
  • English
  • Arabic

President Joe Biden is set to deliver a crucial speech on Thursday night as he tries to convince a sceptical America that the country is on the right track and that he deserves a second term in the White House.

During the annual State of the Union address, presidents give a primetime address to the US Congress to outline priorities and tout achievements.

With the presidential election looming in November, an unpopular Mr Biden will try to shift public opinion on his presidency and address domestic and global issues, as well as lay out what his second term might look like.

“It's a major address, it's an important speech,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.

“He's going to be delivering it to millions of Americans who are going to be tuning in and we appreciate that. And the President takes that very, very seriously.”

Mr Biden, 81, is already the oldest president in US history. He faces low approval ratings and questions about his age as well as his cognitive acuity.

His agenda on Russia's war on Ukraine has faced significant pushback from Republicans, and he has drawn criticism – even within his own Democratic Party – over his handling of the Israel-Gaza war and immigration along the US-Mexico border.

A new poll by the Associated Press-Norc Centre for Public Affairs Research showed that only 38 per cent of Americans approve of Mr Biden's handling of his job and 63 per cent say they are not very or not at all confident in the President’s mental capability to serve effectively.

The White House said Mr Biden spent the weekend at Camp David, where he prepared for the speech with the help of senior aides.

“He's going to continue to fine tune the speech – this is something that he was personally involved in,” Ms Jean-Pierre said.

“This is something that comes straight from having conversations with the American people that he's had over the past year leading to the process.”

One of the top issues for US voters this year is the economy, which a majority of Americans are unhappy with even though unemployment is down and inflation is under control.

A CBS poll released on Sunday found that 57 per cent of voters believe that the US economy is currently either bad or fairly bad.

While Mr Biden has credited his administration's economic revival plan – Bidenomics – for dampening inflation, Republican officials have still blamed the White House for high prices faced by consumers.

Voters also say they are increasingly concerned over the growing number of migrants arriving at the US border with Mexico, with many citing it as their number one issue.

Donald Trump, who has essentially locked in the Republican nomination, has seized on this issue to make a case that he will do a better job of securing the border.

Most polls in recent weeks have shown Mr Biden trailing Mr Trump by a small margin in a head-to-head contest.

While the speech is typically focused on domestic issues, Mr Biden will take the podium on Thursday, for the third time as president, amid stalled efforts to get a ceasefire in Gaza and get much-needed humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.

His unequivocal military, political and diplomatic support for Israel since October 7, as well as his refusal to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza has sparked widespread criticism among Arab and Muslim-American communities as well as progressive and young voters.

Not only have his policies caused disenchantment among those voting blocs that were critical in his 2020 victory, they have also led to campaigns aimed at ensuring he is not re-elected.

A poll by Data for Progress found that 67 per cent of Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza.

The discontent came into sharp focus in recent weeks when hundreds of thousands of voters in Michigan and Minnesota – states that are home to sizeable Arab and Muslim populations – and elsewhere cast “uncommitted” protest votes in their primary elections, citing their disapproval of Mr Biden's handling of the war.

Mr Biden has also sought to continue to support the Ukrainian military's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion.

But his efforts have been challenged by Trump-aligned Republican officials who question the continued US involvement in that conflict.

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

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Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Defending champions

World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

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TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK 

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

Updated: March 07, 2024, 3:55 AM