The State of the Union address will be delivered tonight as we all wait to see if the president can get through it. No doubt there will be the usual smh moments when Biden says something very Biden-ish and everyone is asking, “What did he say?” One distraction will be checking out the guests sitting with Jill Biden. The first lady traditionally invites a mix of guests to join her in her prime location seating and this year is no different.

The headline of this post is a reference to the guest list. Jill is hosting both Bono and Paul Pelosi, among others in the first lady’s box. Guests of the first lady serve to compliment the State of the Union address. As the president moves from one topic to another, he will recognize the guests sitting with his wife and they will receive applause. The second gentleman, Kamala’s husband Doug Emhoff, is also a guest.

If Jill’s guest list is any indication, it looks like all the progressive hot topics will be covered. One topic, abortion, will be spotlighted by the story of an Austin couple. They have been sharing their story with the press since the wife lost their baby because they blame the Texas abortion law for her scary experience. We know that abortion will be featured prominently in Biden’s re-election campaign.

Here is how the White House press release describes their story:

Amanda and Josh Zurawski (Austin, Texas)
Amanda was 18 weeks pregnant when her water broke. She and her husband Josh were devastated, as they had been trying for a baby for over a year. Her doctors were unable to intervene to help her because they were concerned that providing the treatment she needed would violate the Texas abortion ban, which prohibits abortion care unless a woman’s life is in danger. She was sent home with instructions to come back if she developed signs of a life-threatening infection, which she did, three days later. Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment. She continues to suffer from medical complications due to the delay.

I’m not an OB-GYN but something doesn’t sound right. Was it truly the new abortion law at play or was it poor decision-making on the part of the medical professionals? Did the medical center send a woman home who was losing her baby and expect her to know when to get help for a life-threatening infection? Why didn’t the medical center admit her and monitor her condition if they were worried about ending the pregnancy? My heart breaks for her and her husband, but something just doesn’t sound right here. Amanda and Josh have told their story many times, including on the Today Show. I’m a little skeptical that it is just the abortion law at fault here. Either way, I’m sorry for her experience and suffering.

Bono is a guest because he will represent the topic of HIV/AIDS and relief programs. PEPFAR is a program started by George W. Bush but it looks like Biden will try to take credit for it, on the basis of his support of it during his days as a senator. Bono is co-founder of the ONE Campaign which works with governments to fight poverty and preventable disease. Democrats love to have an entertainment celebrity or two turn up for their events.

Look at how the White House frames Paul Pelosi’s attack in connection to the January 6 riot:

Paul Pelosi (San Francisco, California)
Pelosi is a businessman, father, and husband of Speaker Emerita of the House Nancy Pelosi. Mr. Pelosi was violently attacked by an intruder in their California home in the fall of 2022. The attack reportedly was politically motivated, with the intruder’s alleged intent to harm and kidnap the former Speaker. According to court filings, the intruder confronted Mr. Pelosi, asking “Where’s Nancy?,” a similar chant of those responsible for the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

Never mind that the lunatic that tried to kill Pelosi with a hammer had nothing to do with conservative politics. He’s a mentally ill progressive.

One interesting tidbit is that Jill poached a guest from Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, who is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He invited RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the mother, and stepfather of Tyre Nichols. Then Jill issued an invitation so they went with hers. Who would blame them? Much better seats.

The Tennessee couple is the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old unarmed black man who was severely beaten by multiple police officers during an alleged traffic stop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols died after the beating.

President Biden called for peaceful protests after the graphic video of the beating was released. He’s also spoken with Nichol’s parents. He is expected to use his State of the Union address to call on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. One year ago, Biden used his annual address to call for more police funding.

As she was last year, the Ambassador Oksana Markarova of Ukraine is a guest. The invitation comes at about the one-year mark of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and is meant to show American support for Ukraine.

We’ll be covering the State of the Union address tonight here at HotAir. Join us for some lively conversation, if you are up for it!