The PBS NewsHour is covering Biden’s March 1, 2022, State of the Union address in multiple ways:

• A Pre-show Preview: Digital correspondent Nicole Ellis hosts a look back at the overarching themes of Biden’s first year in office, including foreign policy goals, pandemic efforts, and the roadblocks he faced in Congress. Begins at 7 p.m. ET, immediately following our 6 p.m. broadcast, on streaming here.
• Prime-time Coverage: Judy Woodruff will anchor the NewsHour’s prime-time coverage of the address, starting at 8 p.m. ET. The special will begin with a deeper look at what’s happening in Ukraine and America’s role in the conflict, with an eye toward its timing at the end of Biden’s first year in office. Biden is scheduled to deliver his speech at 9 p.m. ET. Check your local listings or watch the special report online. After the address, NewsHour correspondents will give analysis from the Hill and the White House, and we’ll hear from political experts on the highlights.
• Progressive Response: Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib will deliver the progressive response to Biden’s address. Watch it here.
• Republican Response: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican Party's response. Watch it here.

Addressing a country in crisis
 
Once known as the “Annual Address,” the constitutionally mandated speech started as a way for presidents – beholden to the American people – to communicate their goals to the nation. (In Article II, Section 3, the U.S. Constitution requires that the president give a State of the Union address “from time to time.”)
 
George Washington set the tone for this in-person tradition. In the first State of the Union address given by a president in American history, Washington’s 1790 speech noted the work of the young nation’s first-ever Congress alongside an outline of goals. (At 1,089 words, it’s also the shortest SOTU speech in U.S. history.)
 
And while the in-person delivery shifted to written documents for much of the 19th century, Woodrow Wilson brought it back in 1913. From there, presidents kept the tradition of delivering the speech live to a joint session until today.
 
So, what can we expect from Biden’s speech?

For starters, Biden could use the one word that every president the past few decades has deployed: “strong.” As in, something akin to: “The state of the union is strong.” (Although, that may not be wise.)
 
The White House has kept mum on what ultimately will be in the president’s speech. Though, count on some adjustments that cover Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
 
And while Russia’s threats are a concern, there are a number of domestic issues Biden will want to cover, including “some things that some of the Democrats in Congress really want him to talk about because they believe that their jobs are on the line,” Lisa Desjardins told Nicole Ellis in a primer on what to expect from the speech.
 
This would include things that would be popular across the board, like lowering prescription drug prices.
 
And while Biden faced Republican obstinacy in Congress, it’s worth noting the few significant bills that were passed under his administration, such as the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Act.
 
Expect Biden to tout all the gains from those efforts, Desjardins said in her analysis.
 
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some guests or some acknowledgements to very specific bridges, specific stories of where that money has gone,” she added.
 
This would also divert attention away from the Build Back Better bill, which was in part tanked by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition.
 
What’s on voters’ minds?
 
Something else to consider: what we think.
 
According to the latest NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, U.S. adults are divided over what should be among Biden’s top priorities – from COVID and voting laws to foreign policy and violent crime – except for one clear No. 1: inflation.
 
What’s more, 58 percent of U.S. adults don’t approve of how Biden has handled the economy.
 

Image by Megan McGrew/PBS NewsHour
 
But public attitudes about the country’s economic outlook don't quite match other points. Unemployment rates, another common indicator for assessing the health of the economy, remain quite low.
 
And as Laura Santhanam noted in her story, 48 percent of U.S. adults said little has changed with their personal finances over the last year. For another 23 percent, their fortunes have improved.
 
That said, it bears repeating: Rising prices do affect people differently. And war can add to the worries over inflation.
 
With foreign policy concerns on the horizon regarding Russia, Biden has a “difficult needle to thread here,” Desjardins said.
 
This involves managing expectations – preparing the nation for gas prices to potentially keep going up, while supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian forces. Biden will have to lay the case that we’re doing so for a reason, she said.
 
“It is about value, it’s about freedom. He has to convince Americans at that price they’re personally feeling is worth it in the sense of American values,” she added.
 
Administration officials told reporters Monday to expect the president to lay out a plan that would lower costs for families -- also a core goal of the stalled Build Back Better.
 
 
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING A SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION
 

Photo by Tom Williams/Reuters
 

By Geoff Bennett, @GeoffRBennett
Chief Washington Correspondent & Weekend Anchor

 
The process to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer begins in earnest Wednesday, as Biden's nominee -- Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson -- meets with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at 10 a.m. ET.
 
The meeting marks the start of a confirmation "charm offensive," in which Jackson will participate in courtesy calls, as they're known, with key senators. The 30- to 45-minute get-to-know-you sessions allow senators to learn more about a nominee's background, judicial philosophy and legal rulings. Notably, Jackson has no record of rulings, speeches or writings on religious freedom, abortion or gun rights.
 
Early signs suggest the process should go smoothly. Jackson is a known entity on Capitol Hill. She's been confirmed three times by the Senate, which multiple sources say is among the reasons why Jackson was the frontrunner for the nomination from the start. 
 
Sources familiar told me Jackson first landed on Biden's radar in 2016 when former President Barack Obama interviewed her as part of the process to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. 
 
Early on, key Senate Democrats made clear to the White House their preference for a known and vetted nominee, as a means of speeding up the confirmation. A typical process takes two to three months, but Democrats see the lightning fast elevation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett as a new precedent. She was confirmed within a month of then-President Donald Trump announcing her nomination.  
 
The Senate Judiciary Committee has not yet set a date for Jackson's confirmation hearing, but committee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin said he wants to see the confirmation process completed by April 9 -- before the Senate starts its two-week Easter break. 
 
More on Biden’s SCOTUS nominee from our coverage:

 
#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage
Senior Editor, Digital
 
The NewsHour staff has a briefing book for tonight’s State of the Union address. It’s full of facts! Such as: George Washington’s 1790 address lasted roughly 10 minutes. More than two centuries later, Bill Clinton delivered the longest State of the Union address in history. His 2000 speech lasted 1 hour and 28 minutes.
 
Our question: Which president had the longest written address? Name the president and year the speech was given.
 
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.
 
Last week, we asked: Who was the first presidential candidate to run campaign ads in online video games?
 
The answer: Barack Obama. In 2008, the campaign for the then-Democratic senator from Illinois paid for internet ads in 18 games through Xbox Live. The ads targeted 10 battleground states.
 
Congratulations to our winners: Matthew Manobianco, Mary D. Noll and Jackie Austin!
 
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.