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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
Laura Colgan

Bono to attend US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in Washington DC

Rock star Bono will be among the featured guests sitting alongside first lady Jill Biden during the State of the Union address.

The White House said the guests were invited "because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration's policies at work for the American people." President Joe Biden was expected to refer to several of the invitees by name during his remarks.

Bono was invited for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.

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President Biden will stand before a joint session of Congress for the first time since voters in the midterm elections handed control of the House to Republicans. Biden, like presidents past, will make the case that the nation is strong and that better days lie ahead.

Other guests include the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month's shooting at Monterey Park, California, and the family of Tyre Nichols.

Maurice and Kandice Barron, of New York, the parents of a 3-year-old who has survived a rare paediatric cancer, will be there to highlight Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

Lynette Bonar, of Tuba City, Arizona, a nurse and medical executive who was involved in bringing the first cancer centre to a Native American reservation, will attend.

Deanna Branch, of Milwaukee, whose son was diagnosed with lead poisoning from unsafe drinking water in their home, as Biden aims to replace all lead drinking water pipes in the coming decade, was also invited.

Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar, of Seattle, a mother-daughter pair will share their story about caring for their injured Navy veteran husband and father and Ruth Cohen, of Rockville, Maryland, a Holocaust survivor and volunteer at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum will warn against rising antisemitism.

Kate Foley, of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a 10th grade student looking to use the skills from her school engineering classes to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer will be there as well as Darlene Gaffney, of North Charleston, South Carolina, a breast cancer survivor who has promoted the importance of early detection and timely cancer screenings.

Also there will be Doug Griffin, of Newton, New Hampshire, who lost his daughter, Courtney, in 2014 to a fentanyl overdose, as the Biden administration works to strengthen federal efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Saria Gwin-Maye, of Cincinnati, an ironworker who will work on the federally supported revitalisation of the Brent Spence Bridge, will attend as well as Jacki Liszak, of Fort Myers, Florida, who met with the president and first lady in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US was a guest last year when Biden spoke days after the Russian invasion of her country. She will return to the first lady's box as Biden seeks to sustain US and allied support for Ukraine.

Harry Miller, of Upper-Arlington, Ohio, a mechanical engineering student and a former football player for Ohio State University who left football to prioritise his mental health, will attend.

Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith, of Northampton, Massachusetts, the plaintiffs in Goodridge vs MA Department of Public Health which cleared the way for their state legalising same-sex marriage, will be present too.

Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was severely injured days before the midterm elections by a man with a hammer who allegedly sought to harm the California lawmaker, will attend.

Paul Sarzoza, of Phoenix, the owner of a cleaning and facilities services company that is benefitting from servicing companies investing in high-tech manufacturing in his area, will be there as well as Brandon Tsay, of San Marino, California, who disarmed the shooter responsible for killing 11 people in Monterey Park, California, last month during celebrations of the Lunar New Year, preventing further deaths.

RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, of Memphis, Tennessee, the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols who died last month after being severely beaten by police in Memphis, sparking a renewed call for police reform legislation were also invited.

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