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March 11, 2024, 2:23 p.m.

Brooks and Capehart on Biden’s State of the Union and what’s next in the 2024 race

SUMMARY

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including Biden’s latest State of the Union address and what lies ahead in the race for the White House.

View the transcript of the story.

Timestamps

Start to 4:42: Discussion of President Biden's State of the Union address

4:42 to end: On the Republican response to the SOTU and policy differences between the parties

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Key terms

Social Security — a federal program that workers pay into that provides financial protection for American residents after retirement or in case of disability

pugilism — a willingness or readiness to fight or be combative

WARM UP QUESTIONS

  1. What was David Brooks looking for from President Biden going into the SOTU, and how does he characterize the speech?
  2. Why does Brooks think President Biden led his State of the Union speech with the issue of Ukraine?
  3. Whose name was not mentioned by Biden during the State of the Union address?
  4. Who delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union?
  5. How did the Republican response characterize President Biden and the economy?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

What issues do you think will define the 2024 presidential election after watching this story?

Media literacy: What aspects of Senator Katie Britt's response were highlighted or critiqued by Brooks and Capehart?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to find out more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do:

Watch the Student Reporting Labs video and answer the following question: If President Biden gets reelected what would you like to see his administration improve upon in a second term?


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