What to know about last night’s State of the Union address

Good morning! It’s Friday, March 8th. I’m Yasmeen Khan in for Shumita Basu. This is Apple News Today. Coming up… Why it matters that Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest rival was in Washington this week, previewing the four criminal trials against Trump, and some story lines to watch this Oscars weekend.

But first, last night was President Biden’s State of the Union address. He talked about his goals for a second term in office, the domestic and foreign crises the country faces, and threats to democracy, including, he said, from his likely general election opponent. Throughout the speech, Biden only referred to former President Trump as his “predecessor.” Biden also addressed a top concern from voters head on… his age.

In my career, I've been told I was too young.

By the way, they didn't let me on the Senate elevators for votes sometimes. Not a joke. And I've been told I'm too old.

Whether young or old, I've always been known, I've always known what endures. I've known our North Star. The very idea of America is that we're all created equal.

In a speech that ran over an hour, Biden was energetic. At times, feisty. He emphatically defended his administration’s actions, including taking credit for the economy’s performance.

My inherited economy was on the brink. Now, our economy is literally the envy of the world. Fifteen million new jobs in just three years, a record. A record.

Fact-checkers at "CNN" say that is true, but the challenge for the president is that voters are still feeling the sting of high prices. Biden also called out Republicans and Trump on abortion rights. At one point, he even directly addressed Supreme Court justices who were present as the overturning of Roe v. Wade has been a major motivator for voters.

Those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot we won in 2022 and 2020, and we'll win again in 2024. [CLEARS THROAT]

Biden said he would codify abortion rights nationwide if given the opportunity. And there was a rare moment of bipartisanship. Biden’s comments about crossing the five-month mark since Hamas’s assault on Israel and the ongoing efforts to negotiate an immediate cease-fire to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza got wide applause.

Here in the chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.

He also said that the conflict wouldn’t end without a two-state solution. While the speech was perceived as a kind of proxy campaign speech, Martha Raddatz, from "ABC News," said it felt like it was something bigger for Biden.

It was a legacy speech. No matter what happens in November, Joe Biden laid down the hammer tonight about what he believes and what he feels about this country. So, I think that Democrats will look at it as that as well. And that's why Joe Biden probably really rose to this moment.

Let’s turn again to the war between Israel and Hamas. Hamas says it’s increasingly unlikely there will be a cease fire deal before the start of Ramadan, which is two days away.

The start of the Muslim holy month has been seen by diplomats in Washington, Qatar, Egypt and beyond as the unofficial deadline to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease fire. Last night, President Biden announced plans to increase the flow of aid into Gaza by opening a pier to bring in temporary shelters, food, water and medicine.

To the leadership of Israel I say this… humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.

These are among Biden’s strongest comments yet on the humanitarian crisis, and potentially another sign of a splintering relationship between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

I mean, this is an incredibly complicated time. I mean, extremely complicated time.

That’s Dov Lieber, "Wall Street Journal" correspondent covering Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We spoke with him before the State of the Union about the challenges for Israel’s leadership.

Israel is still in a really sensitive place and the entire situation is on a knife's edge.

This week, Netanyahu’s biggest political rival, Benny Gantz, visited the White House where he met with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The visit of Benny Gantz to Washington is the first serious break we see between Netanyahu and Gantz since the start of the war. And the point of the trip, according to Gantz and people around him, was to try to improve the relationship between the United States and Israel at a time when it seems to be kind of flagging. Netanyahu's response was, you should not go, and I'm the prime minister.

Gantz, who leads the center-right National Unity party, and is part of Israel’s emergency war cabinet, met with the Vice President a day after she called for an “immediate ceasefire” for at least six weeks. For some, this meeting was a clear sign of the White House’s growing frustration with the hard line Israeli government.

And what does this say about the American stance towards Israel now? For the Americans to be inviting Benny Gantz to the White House, which, by the way, Netanyahu, since being elected over a year ago, has never had an invitation to the White House.

The White House has made it clear they did not initiate the meeting, Gantz did. But still, it raises questions about whether it's increasingly losing faith in Netanyahu and his ability to not just manage the war, but what comes after the war. Meanwhile, Gantz has been clear that he hopes to unseat Netanyahu. And most polls in Israel suggest that Gantz would win

if elections were held today. At the end of this month, Donald Trump will face his first of four criminal trials. It’s over so-called hush money payments he allegedly made ahead of the 2016 election.

I think the allegations themselves are pretty straightforward. And there seems to be a lot of evidence for them.

That’s Scott Detrow, host of "NPR’s" "Trump’s Trials" podcast. Prosecutors say that when he was running for office, Trump disguised payments to two women, including adult film star, Stormy Daniels, to hide from the allegations that he had an affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies the affairs. In addition to this case, he faces one in Georgia over allegations of trying to overturn the election, and two at the federal level. Ninety-one criminal charges in all.

This is just a totally unprecedented moment in American history.

It’s also a lot to keep track of. Which is why, on this weekend’s episode of Apple News "In Conversation," guest host Brian Stelter offers a primer on all of them, and the key details to pay attention to. Along with Scott Detrow, "The Washington Post’s" Karen Tumulty joins the podcast.

I think that hearing these arguments go on among partisans, among politicians, is one thing. But when you see a jury of your peers…

Average Americans, yeah.

The president's peers come down with a verdict. I think it is very, very different. What we have seen among Trump supporters is quite a capacity to rationalize pretty much anything. And ultimately, if it comes down to Trump versus Biden, I think we will see a lot of Trump supporters rationalizing themselves into pretzels.

Stick around after today’s show. If you’re listening in the News app, this episode of Apple News "In Conversation" is cued up to play next.

And finally, the Oscars are coming up on Sunday, and our team at Apple News has been pulling together some of the most interesting stories to watch. Here are a few things you might want to follow,

starting with two actors who could join an elite club. Just seven people in Academy Awards history have won three or more times for acting, legends like Katharine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and others. This weekend, Jodie Foster and Robert DeNiro could join them. Foster is nominated for her supporting role in "Nyad," and DeNiro for his in "Killers of the Flower Moon."

That is Godzilla, from "Godzilla Minus One" which exploded at the box office to become one of the top-grossing international films of all time. It would be a big deal if it were to win. It’s up against several Hollywood-backed films with much larger budgets, like the latest installments of "Mission Impossible" and "Guardians of the Galaxy". Another contender to watch comes from

We wanted to be authentic for the respect of the people that made this journey. For the respect of the people that died on this journey.

You can follow the latest from the Academy Awards on Sunday in the Apple News app. And if you’re already listening in the News app right now, this week’s episode of Apple News "In Conversation" is coming up next. And remember to set your clocks for Daylight Saving Time this weekend. Have a great weekend, and I’ll be back with the news on Monday.