Biden speech takeaways: War in Ukraine transforms focus

BY AAMER MADHANI and JOSH BOAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Only a little more than a week ago, President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address was focusing on the American economy and public health. But Russia’s war against Ukraine changed all that. Tuesday night, Biden used the war as both the platform and the urgent reason to talk about the fight between democracy and autocracy as a reality rather than an abstraction. In another key point, Biden argued that the U.S. has moved beyond the pandemic, yet still needs to stay vigilant against mutations and must address the health challenge with a united front.