Rock star Bono, the family of Tyre Nichols and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting will be among the featured guests sitting alongside first lady Jill Biden at Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The guests were invited “because they personify issues or themes” Biden will address in the speech or they embody administration policies that are working for the American people, the White House said. President Joe Biden was expected to refer to several of the invitees by name.
Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, will sit with the first lady and has invited Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington area, to be his guest, his office said. Emhoff, who is Jewish, has taken a lead role in administration efforts to combat antisemitism.
The guests:
— Maurice and Kandice Barron of New York, the parents of a 3-year-old who has survived a rare pediatric cancer, meant to highlight Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative.
— Lynette Bonar of Tuba City, Arizona, a nurse and medical executive involved in bringing the first cancer center to a Native American reservation.
— Bono, the Irish lead singer of U2, for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.
— 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.
— Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar of Seattle, a mother-daughter pair who are sharing their story about caring for their injured Navy veteran husband and father.
— Ruth Cohen of Rockville, Maryland, a Holocaust survivor and volunteer at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who has warned against rising antisemitism.
— Mitzi Colin Lopez of West Chester, Pennsylvania, an advocate for people brought to the U.S. illegally as children who have received protections under the…
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