What to know about Biden's primetime pandemic anniversary speech

President Biden will speak on Thursday night to commemorate the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., marking the occasion with remarks that are expected to be both mournful and hopeful, per The Associated Press.

In his first primetime address since taking office, Biden will "talk about what we've been through as a nation this past year, but more importantly, I'm going to talk about what comes next," he told reporters. While mourning the 529,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19, Biden will encourage people to remain vigilant to prevent more deaths.

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The New York Times describes this as "one of the biggest moments for the new president since his inauguration." As presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told AP, "this is a big moment ... [It's] a chance for him to really beam into everybody's living rooms and to be both the mourner in chief and to explain how he's leading the country out of this."

Biden's remarks will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on major news networks. You can also find it via the White House's official livestream. Summer Meza

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.