COVID A Wildcard As Biden Prepares State Of The Union

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is hoping to use his upcoming State of the Union address as a chance to nudge the pandemic into the nation’s rear-view mirror. But there are risks the event could turn out to be yet another disruptive display of national tensions and frustration over how to move past COVID-19. Biden’s March 1 address to Congress will play out in one of the most significantly disrupted workplaces in the country – something of a ground zero for the culture war over lingering pandemic restrictions. It comes as federal officials are racing to develop looser national guidance that Biden aims to highlight as part of a return to normalcy in his address.