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President Biden had a forceful beginning of his speech. Later on, he seemed to struggle some with a choppy back and forth with Republicans on immigration. His voice grew hoarse at times. He mentioned going to Moscow for lower prescription drugs, though he caught himself.

For those who don't like Biden, they'll point to Biden's worst moments as him not being up to the job. But for Democrats, who wanted to see vigor, overall they have to be thrilled with the speech so far — and most, they hope, will remember the forceful beginning of the speech.

The question is whether he is doing enough to convince hesitant independents that they should vote for him again. He showed, at least for one night, he's got some fight left in him.

Biden says no one should go to jail for cannabis

Biden said no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana, an issue that disproporionately impacts Black Americans.

 believe marijuana should be legal for medicinal and recreational use.

He said he's been directing his administration to review the federal classification of marijuana. Biden has already pardoned people who had been charged with 

Last year, Biden also issued a statement encouraging governors to take action on marijuana laws in their own states.

"Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," Biden said in December.

Biden left immigration further down in his speech for a reason

Half an hour into President Biden's address, he'd left immigration out. He led off with democracy, abortion rights, the economy, infrastructure, even mentioned unions, Obamacare, Social Security and more.

It's understandable that Biden would leave immigration to further down, because it's a real vulnerability. The latest 

 found just 29% approved of the job Biden was doing handling immigration, and Republicans had a 12-point advantage when respondents were asked which party they thought would do a better job on the issue.

When he got to it, he criticized Republicans for voting against a bill that Republicans negotiated. He knew that this portion would fire up Republicans. It's 

animating issue for the GOP. Since the 2011 State of the Union when a South Carolina congressman yelled out, "You lie," it has drawn heckles from Republicans. When Biden mentioned portions of the bill, there were those who yelled out, accusing Biden of lying.

"You're saying no," Biden said to Republicans, "look at the facts. I know you know how to read."

His team expected this back and forth. Biden's response overall was choppy. He has to hope more people will remember the top of his speech.

Biden proposes tax credit to offset high mortgage rates

"I know the cost of housing is so important to you," Biden said, noting that mortgage rates will come down.

But the president said he didn't want to wait, so he's proposing that Congress pass legislation for an annual tax credit to offset high mortgage rates for first-time homebuyers, and for those who are ready to graduate from their starter home.

The White House, which released the proposed plan earlier today, pitched it as a way of easing 

The plan also calls for building and renovating more than 2 million homes.

Biden so far clearing a very low bar on performance

Biden has come out of the gate with a very forceful address. He's hammered home key issues everyone will hear a lot about over the next eight months — preserving democracy, Jan. 6, abortion rights and infrastructure.

He jabbed former President Donald Trump, merely referring to him as "my predecessor," noting that he's the "reason Roe was overturned, and he bragged about it." He poked the Supreme Court, quoting it on the power of women at the ballot box — "You're about to find out just how right you were about that."

On infrastructure, he got in a dig at Republicans cheering money for their districts they didn't vote for, saying, "If any of you don't want that money in your district, just let me know."

He's hit on a checklist of issues and voter groups he needs for reelection. Center-right Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, no Trump fan, made this point about the tyranny of low expectations: "Republicans might regret setting the bar at dementia."

Capping insulin costs is a big priority for Biden

Biden talked about capping the cost of prescription drugs — a line that often gets enthusiastic applause during his events at the White House and on the road.

"Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month," Biden said. "And now I want to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it."

Biden pointed out that costs for drugs in other countries are far less expensive than they are in the U.S.

Truth Social experiences outages during Trump SOTU response

Amid Trump's live responses to the State of the Union on Truth Social, the site stopped loading for users. The site Down Detector, which tracks outages on popular sites, showed a 

 starting shortly after the State of the Union began, at 9 p.m. ET.

Biden shouted out Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as Sweden officially joined NATO today — a move prompted by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The president started off his remarks talking about the need for the United States to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and send more aid to Ukraine. Aid has been blocked by some Republicans in Congress for months.

“If anyone thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine I assure you he will not," Biden said.

“Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine," Biden said. “That is all Ukraine is asking."

Education Secretary Cardona is the designated survivor

The designated survivor for tonight’s State of the Union is Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, a White House official told reporters.

 of the cabinet to not attend the evening's event in case of a catastrophe that would result in the death of the President, Vice President and others in the presidential succession line who would also be gathered in the House chamber.

The rules state that the designated survivor must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and he or she must have been a resident of the U.S. for the past 14 years.

Lawmakers are preparing to deck themselves out in outfits, buttons and pins that best represent causes important to them.

Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus will be wearing white outfits and “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” pins in the chamber tonight.

“Our message is clear: women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures," said 

 "That means women, not politicians, should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families. That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF."

A cohort of progressive members of Congress will be wearing 

 in reference to the Israel and Hamas war.

Meanwhile, some House Republicans may be spotted with red "

" and "Laken Riley" buttons. Riley, a student in Georgia, was killed by who 

immigration officials say was an undocumented immigrant

, which would require the detention of any migrant who commits burglary or theft.

Former Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from his seat last year, 

came wearing a crystal-collared shirt and silver shoes

Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are in the House chamber, including:

So far not present are Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett.

President Joe Biden delivers his final State of the Union before the 2024 election on at 8 p.m. on March 7. Follow the address and analysis with NPR reporters in the studio and on Capitol Hill.  

The White House and Biden campaign are going to use the State of the Union speech to make an affirmative case for his reelection. 

So far, his campaign message has largely focused on stopping Trump. But the SOTU speech will paint a picture of what voters would get in a second term from Biden. He will be aiming his remarks beyond the members of Congress sitting in the chamber, aiming squarely at the Democratic voters and persuadable independents that he needs to turn out in November. 

And it’s a message he’s likely to repeat on the campaign trail again and again as the campaign seeks to rebuild the coalition that helped Biden win the White House in 2020.

Several Minnesotans will be guests at the Capitol for the address — including a Minnesota teacher who will be attending as one of First Lady Jill Biden’s guests.  

Keenan Jones is a middle school teacher in Plymouth. According to an announcement from the White House, Jones wrote an email to President Joe Biden last spring thanking him for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which eliminated his remaining student loan debt after 10 years of teaching.

Jones will be among the first lady’s 20 guests from across the country at the U.S. Capitol to hear the speech.

Minnesota’s representatives and senators are also bringing guests from across the state. 

State Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, is joining U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. Frazier authored last year’s Restore the Vote Act, which 

 to Minnesotans on parole, probation, or supervised release after felony convictions.

Joining U.S. Sen. Tina Smith will be Tammi Kromenaker, the director of the Red River Women’s Clinic. The reproductive health clinic was formerly located in Fargo, where it was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider for several years. Kromenaker 

 after North Dakota restricted abortion access in 2022.

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer is bringing Tom and Cathy Hoernemann of Andover, the parents of Major Jeffrey Thomas Hoernemann, who was 

 off the coast of Japan during a training mission in November.

Other guests announced as of midday Thursday include:

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President Biden delivered his final State of the Union before the 2024 election.

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