President Biden's lay of the land
 
After reaching the halfway point of his first term in office, President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday.
 
In last year’s speech, the 46th president addressed worries at home and abroad while also laying out a “unity agenda,” emphasizing policies that have historically received support from both sides of the aisle.

Now Biden is expected to tout the achievements from his first two years in office and make his case for reelection to a national audience before the 2024 campaign begins in earnest.
 
But he faces a new reality: There’s a split Congress. Since taking over the House, the GOP has ramped up efforts to investigate the Biden administration, including a probe into the handling of classified documents during his time as vice president. These efforts, along with Republicans’ plans to thwart Biden’s legislative goals, are likely to test the president’s commitment to bipartisanship.
 
Here’s a short guide on how to watch this year’s State of the Union address.
 
This newsletter was compiled by Joshua Barajas.

Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congress will begin Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. EST.
 
PBS NewsHour co-anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett will host our special coverage. Ahead of the address, digital anchor Nicole Ellis will host a series of conversations around issues that may be covered in the State of the Union.

Check your local listings to find the PBS station near you, or watch online here or in the player above.

You can also follow the PBS NewsHour’s live coverage on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, and see highlights on our Instagram.
 
The speech will take place in the House chamber, where Republicans assumed the majority after winning a slim victory in November’s midterm elections.
 
Who is delivering the Republican response?

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to Biden’s speech.
 
The governor said in a statement that she was “grateful for this opportunity,” adding that there is a “new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all.”
 
Sanders, 40, is the youngest governor in the nation and the first woman elected to the office in Arkansas. On her first day in office last month, she signed a slate of executive orders that banned the word “Latinx” from official use in state government and prohibited schools from teaching critical race theory, among other measures.
 
She served as former President Donald Trump’s White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019.
 
Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona will deliver the GOP response in Spanish. “My message is simple: The American Dream is a dream worth fighting for,” the freshman politician said.
 
Who is delivering the progressive response?
 
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., will deliver a progressive response to Biden’s speech, on behalf of the Working Families Party.
 
In recent years, Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., have been tapped to deliver the response.