President Joe Biden has given a sweeping State of the Union address, setting out the key issues likely to feature in his re-election campaign
He took repeated swipes at Donald Trump - his likely opponent in November's election - criticising his recent comments about Russia and Nato
He defended abortion rights and said he would work to restore them nationwide if re-elected
Biden also pitched his record on the economy, telling the crowded House chamber that "America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities"
Trump said his rival was to blame for the border crisis, and called the speech an "embarrassment" in a series of social media posts
Alabama Senator Katie Britt, delivering the formal Republican rebuttal, said the "American Dream turned into the American nightmare" under Biden
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Biden is making his way through the chamber, talking to Democrats. They look thrilled with his performance, with plenty of hugs and smiles going around.
Ever the glad-handed politician, Biden is lapping it up and he’s barely made it past the front row of the chamber several minutes after his speech wrapped up.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was an aggressive affair that was clearly aimed at convincing nervous Democrats that their presumptive nominee is ready to go toe-to-toe with Donald Trump.
By that metric, it was a success. The president jabbed, parried and, at times, expressed quizzical outrage.
“You were on fire,“ a Democratic congressman told the president after his speech concluded.
For an 81-year-old president facing questions about his age and energy, “fire” is exactly what the White House wanted to convey.
Much of the Republican reaction to the Biden speech has focused on immigration, a potential political vulnerability for the president.
Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin was among several lawmakers who posted that Biden had "dismantled President Trump’s border security with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days".
Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee posted: "Reminder: under Biden’s open border, fentanyl overdose became the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18-45."
Many of the Republican posts referred to the alleged murder last month of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student, by an illegal immigrant.
Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said in a post addressed to Biden: "Laken Riley would be alive today if it wasn’t for your abuse of the [immigration] parole system."
After Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly challenged Biden to say Laken Riley's name, the president went off script during his speech to acknowledge the tragedy.
But he appeared to mispronounce the victim's name as "Lincoln Riley", a verbal slip-up quickly picked up by his conservative critics.
Biden has just wrapped up his State of the Union address, closing with a promise that he sees a "future for all Americans".
"I believe in you, the American people," he said. "You're the reason I've never been more optimistic about our future".
Biden called on Americans to "build that future together."
"Let's remember who we are," he said. "We are the United States of America. There is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together."
Image source, Getty ImagesJoe Biden has finally mentioned his age - a subject of much scrutiny and a source of concern for some voters, according to recent polls.
"Let me close with this. I know I may not look like it – but I've been around a while. And when you get to my age – certain things become clearer than ever before," the 81-year-old says.
His expected opponent in November, Donald Trump, is 77.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
We've just heard President Biden take another swipe at his predecessor in the White House.
In his remarks, Biden said that his life has taught him to "embrace freedom and democracy" and a "future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, equality."
"Now, some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge and retribution."
"That's not me," Biden said.
Image source, Getty ImagesBiden has also briefly touched on US competition with China, arguing that the US trade deficit with China is down to "the lowest point in over a decade".
"We're standing against China's unfair economic practices," he said, promising that the US would defend Taiwan.
"We want competition with China, but not conflict," he said.
Biden describes the war in Gaza as a "gut-wrenching" several months for civilians in Israel and Palestine.
He pledges to work to bring every hostage home, pointing to American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas and who are attending the speech tonight.
Turning to Gaza, Biden describes the "heart-breaking" conditions in Gaza, with more than 30,000 Palestinians killed so far. "We've been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last at least six weeks."
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Florida Republican Matt Gaetz just stood up and applauded Joe Biden for the first time in this speech when he said that Israel has a responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.
No other Republicans appeared to join him.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
President Biden has just announced that the US military will construct a port in Gaza to allow more humanitarian aid to arrive in the embattled territory.
Earlier today, senior US officials said the temporary port will help several hundred additional truckloads of aid enter Gaza each day.
The port is expected to take several weeks to set up. Initial shipments will arrive via Cyprus, where Israeli security inspections will take place.
About a quarter of the Gaza Strip's population is on the brink of famine, according to the UN.
The US and other countries, including Jordan and France, have been airdropping supplies into Gaza, but humanitarian organisations say the method can’t meet demands.
Read more about plans for the humanitarian port here.
Image source, Getty ImagesAnthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesJoe Biden spent the weekend practising his State of the Union address, and reportedly rehearsed the full speech earlier today.
The effort has paid off so far.
While the president has occasionally stumbled over words, his delivery has been enthusiastic and aggressive – in part because of how often he has criticised his predecessor Donald Trump.
Biden’s feisty approach may have been born, at least in part, out of necessity.
At 81, he is the oldest president in US history. He has been beset by questions about his continued fitness for office and his mental acuity. He and his strategists may have figured they could show he has the energy for four more years by coming out swinging.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter
We've just witnessed a tense exchange between Biden and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has repeatedly called on the president to mention Laken Riley, a Georgia woman murdered by an undocumented migrant.
In his response, Biden said Riley was killed by "an illegal" - a term that will likely trigger criticism from migrant rights and advocacy groups who see it as offensive.
"To her parents, I say, my heart goes out to you, having lost children myself," he said.
It's one of the more animated exchanges we've seen during this year's State of the Union.
After the exchange, Biden quickly pivoted back to his speech, vowing to not "demonise immigrants" by saying they are "poisoning the country" - another jab at Donald Trump.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Image source, Getty ImagesSpeaker Johnson seen applauding during the speech
Republicans were told to behave themselves tonight.
Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters there would be “decorum” in the chamber, a nod to last year’s rowdy State of the Union.
For the most part, they have followed Johnson’s advice - except for one male lawmaker who loudly yelled “liar”. Then, when Joe Biden suggested that they were planning to cut Social Security and Medicare if they returned to power, several Republicans jeered and shouted “liar” at him.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also shouted at him over immigration, a major issue for her.
Democrats meanwhile have contained neither their energy nor their enthusiasm.
Their side of the aisle sounds like your average crowd at a campaign rally, loudly applauding, cheering and even engaging with lines in a call-and-response style.
As most observers expected, Biden has also harshly criticised lawmakers for failing to pass a bipartisan border bill, which faltered amid fierce opposition from House Republicans.
The legislation would have seen 1,500 border security agents hired, as well as 100 more immigration judges to help tackle a backlog of cases in the immigration system.
"The bill would save lives," he said. "And bring order to the border."
Biden noted that the bill would give him the ability to "temporarily shut down" the border when the number of migrants is "overwhelming".
He laid the blame for the failure on Donald Trump.
"I'm told my predecessor called members of congress in the senate and demanded they block the bill," he said. "He feels it would be a political win for me and a political loser for him."
"It's not about him," he said. "It's not about me."
As he spoke, Biden also dealt with hecklers from the Republican side of the chamber - a sign of how politically contentious the issue is.
Notably, he's responded to calls from Marjorie Taylor Green to mention Laken Riley, a Georgia woman murdered by an undocumented migrant.
In total, about 6.3m migrants have been detained crossing the border during the Biden administration, a higher number than under previous presidencies. Last year alone, 2.5m undocumented migrants crossed the border.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Georgia Republican was seen shouting at Biden as he spoke about immigration
Biden asks for a vow to "stand up for seniors", by protecting social programmes like Social Security and Medicare.
"If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare, I will stop you," he says, with gusto.
These remarks - like many others - are met with some heckling from the Republican members of Congress. But Biden seems to be enjoying it, pausing his remarks to smile and issue a retort.
Biden also touched upon the US education system, saying that "the best education system in the world" is needed to drive the US economy.
The president cited studies suggesting that children who go to preschool are nearly 50% more likely to finish secondary school, "no matter their background".
He also touted his changes to the US student loan system, reducing debt for nearly 4 million Americans "including nurses and firefighters".
"Such relief is good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home, start a business, even start a family," he said. "While we're at it, I want to give public school teachers a raise."
To highlight his point, Biden pointed to Keenan Jones, a Minnesota public school teacher who is among tonight's guests.
He did not say how he would give public school teachers raises, given that their pay and benefits are often set in contracts and by state and local governments.
Biden: 'The state of our union is strong and getting stronger'
Biden is pitching an image of a strong, optimistic America.
"It's because of you America is coming back," he says. "The state of our union is strong and getting stronger."
He turns to a "future of possibilities that we can build together".
Topic 1? Prescription drugs.
"Americans pay more for prescription drugs. It's wrong and I'm ending it," he says, before a jab at the "Republican buddies" who voted against a law to bring prices down.
Now he wants to further, Biden says, and cap prescription costs at $2,000 each year for everyone.
"I'm going to get in trouble for saying that," he says.
Most of the president's lines are being met by loud applause from his fellow Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris has been up from her chair countless times now to give her boss a standing ovation.
Tom Bateman
State Department Correspondent.
Biden’s opening with big global themes and foreign policy was intended to contrast a major theme of his term, and coming election campaign, with that of Donald Trump.
He castigated Trump for saying recently he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to Nato countries that don’t meet the alliance’s spending guidelines, calling this “outrageous, dangerous and it’s unacceptable”
Biden name checked two former presidents - a Democrat and Republican - Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
Here he’s effectively trying to show that American “world leadership” is a bipartisan value. It's a way of appealing to some traditional conservative Republicans he feels he can lure from voting for Trump - who he is portraying as dangerous and irresponsible, in an age of global insecurity he likened to the 1930s when “Hitler was on the march”.
Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesBiden is talking about housing – one of the big issues driving voters' economic discontent in the US, where homeownership is vaunted as the American Dream.
They have good reason to be unhappy.
Before the pandemic, more than 40% of homes for sale were affordable for the typical US household, according to a recent report from the property firm Redfin.
At the end of last year that share had fallen to about 15%.
The change reflects prices that continue to rise in many markets due to low supply of homes for sale, as well as a huge jump in mortgage rates since 2022.
Compared with the roughly $417,000 price of a typical home in the US, the $10,000 tax credit proposed by Mr Biden may not sound like much.
Analysts say increasing housing supply will be key to making homeownership less of a financial reach – but with building governed at the local level, much of that will remain out of the hands of the president.
Sam Cabral
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Shawn Fain, the leader of the United Autoworkers, is seated in the front row of the First Lady’s box.
He just bumped his fist firmly and pointed back at the president as he was recognised.
Fain recently endorsed Biden’s re-election and has begun to join him on the campaign trail.
UAW members could play a key role for Democrats in auto-making swing states like Michigan.
Image source, EPAFain seen looking out into the crowd before Biden's speech began