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Biden's lively SOTU, Sweden joins NATO, and a lactating amphibian

 
Today's NATIONAL story

Biden swipes at GOP in fiery State of the Union speech

What happened?
President Joe Biden delivered an energetic and political State of the Union speech Thursday night, criticizing his unnamed "predecessor" and congressional Republicans, defending democracy and reproductive rights, touting the economy, and announcing the construction of a pier to get more aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Who said what?
"I know I may not look like it, but I've been around a while," Biden joked. "My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy" and the core American values of "honesty, decency, dignity, equality." Some "other people my age" preach "resentment, revenge and retribution," he said, slyly poking GOP challenger Donald Trump, "but you can't lead America with ancient ideas" like those. "Nobody's gonna talk about cognitive impairment now," Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) told Biden after the 68-minute speech. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), in the Republican rebuttal, called Biden a "dithering and diminished leader."

The commentary
"Jacked-Up Joe" spent "most of the night shouting" and "speeding through his speech," Sean Hannity said on Fox News. "If Republicans are reduced to complaining he yelled, that's a win," New York's Jonathan Chait said. "It was a campaign speech but a damn good one." "If I were a Democrat who'd been in a panic for three weeks, right now I'd be feeling a lot better," said Commentary's John Podhoretz.

What next?
Biden and his team will "fan out" starting Friday "to amplify his message and sell his agenda with visits to key battleground states," The New York Times said.

 
 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Sweden officially joins NATO

What happened?
Sweden officially became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday when Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson delivered the final paperwork to Washington. Sweden and neighboring Finland applied to join NATO in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland completed its accession last April.

Who said what?
"Unity and solidarity will be Sweden's guiding light as a NATO member," Kristersson said. "We will share burdens, responsibilities and risks with other allies." Three years ago, "none of this was foreordained" or "foreseeable," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "There is no clearer example today of the strategic debacle that Ukraine has become for Russia."

The commentary?
"Sweden's membership is a huge geopolitical boost for NATO," and "it's not coming empty-handed," Politico said. Sweden's "centuries of neutrality have forced it to develop a world-class military-industrial complex," building the ships, fighter jets and other armaments used by its modern navy and air force.

What next?
Sweden's flag will be raised at NATO's headquarters in Brussels in a ceremony Monday.

 
 
Today's SCIENCE Story

An amphibian that produces milk?

What happened?
Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings, behavior typically seen only in mammals, Brazilian researchers said Thursday in the journal Science. Baby caecilians had previously been found to eat their mother's skin.

Who said what?
Milk-feeding from egg-laying species is "very unique," as is the "begging behavior" caecilian pups exhibit when they want to feed from their mother's behind, or cloaca, said Pedro Mailho-Fontana at Brazil's Butantan Institute. "It's like they're from another planet," said lead study author Carlos Jared, whose Butantan Institute team has been studying caecilians since 1987. "For me, they're like Martians."

The commentary
The researchers did not say whether caecilian milk "meets FDA standards, but it does contain lipids and sugars" like mammal milk, NPR said. "Nature is very creative," said Marta Antoniazzi at the Butantan Institute. "Sometimes it gives the same solution to different groups of animals."

What next?
Caecilians were first identified in 1822, so it took "over 200 years to discover this," David Blackburn at the Florida Museum of Natural History told The New York Times. "Now we've got skin feeding, and cloaca milk…. What else is there?"

 
 
On this day

March 8, 2014

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while flying over the Indian Ocean, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. While small pieces of the plane washed up on beaches, neither survivors nor the bulk of the aircraft were found. Flight 370 is one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history. 

 
 
Under the radar

In the era of digital streaming, finding a movie to watch or an album to listen to can be an exercise in sofa-based instant gratification. But a growing number of people are rejecting app-based media and returning to the assurances of physical media. Consumers are once again embracing DVDs, CDs and other forms of tangible art that, once purchased, belong to them and them alone. 

The "great pitch for streaming" at its onset was the notion of a one-stop shop for consumers to find their favorite media. However, rising subscription prices and the introduction of ads have made the entire industry "more hostile" to users, IGN said. Moreover, if a streaming service opts to remove its original content, that show or movie "pretty much ceases to exist." Physical copies are the "only way to ensure you can always watch them."

Streaming service libraries are as "volatile as it gets," said CNN. "Digital purchases aren't actually safe either." Also, certain films and shows "just can't be found on streaming services or even as digital purchase or rental." Now owning physical media is necessary not just for personal enjoyment but also for the "preservation of cinema and TV.” Buoyed by praise from directors like Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson, 4K Blu-rays have shown a marked increase in sales. 

Given the convenience of streaming, it is unlikely physical media will "become the norm for the general public," one movie critic said to Livewire. But it could "regain popularity, especially among collectors and enthusiasts."

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech is front and center on Friday's front pages. A "fervent Biden" took on Republicans and former President Donald Trump, and confronted his age in a "feisty speech," The Washington Post says. In what amounted to a campaign "pitch" to the nation, Biden said Trump poses a "dire threat," The New York Times said. The New York Post goes with the Frankensteinian "He's Alive!"

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 

It's not all bad

First-grade teacher Brooke Hughes has seen a remarkable improvement in student reading scores, communication skills and empathy since launching the Foster Tales Puppy Therapy program at Hanby Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware. Puppies from the Rags 2 Riches Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania are placed in classrooms where students read to them. Even kids who "didn't want to pick up a book" now look forward to reading with the pups, Hughes told Good Morning America.

 
 
Tall tale

Wait for it …

La Bougie du Sapeur, a "proudly politically incorrect" French tabloid that only publishes once every four years, released its 12th issue on Feb. 29. The satirical paper is packed with "cringe-worthy puns and commentary" on events spanning the four years between each Leap Day, The Associated Press said. A group of friends started La Bougie du Sapeur in 1980 as a joke, but it quickly found a committed fanbase. In 2020, the 11th edition sold 120,000 copies.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Rafi Schwartz, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images; Luis Espin / iStock / Getty Images Plus; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images