Democrats pivot on masks as Biden pollster says they 'risk paying dearly' for mandates ahead of midterms

President Biden gave his first State of the Union address Tuesday to a crowd of maskless Democrats just weeks after his own polling firm reportedly advised the party to "stop talking about restrictions."

With 215.7 million Americans now fully vaccinated, almost every state, with the notable exception of Hawaii, has eased or eliminated mask mandates, and Congress and the White House formally ditched their requirements in the days leading up to Biden’s historic address. Many have called into question the timing of such the decision to lift the mandates, which Democrats insist is based purely on science.