Pelosi opens Biden State of the Union speech to full House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite the pandemic, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that all members of Congress are invited to attend President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address in the House chamber.

The announcement Thursday comes as White House is hoping to use the speech to nudge the pandemic into the nation’s rear-view mirror. It’ll be the first potentially full house for the annual speech since the outbreak of the pandemic limited Capitol access. But there are risks the event could turn out to be yet another disruptive display of national tensions over COVID-19.