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Good morning,

🍁 Fall back and 🌷 spring forward … it’s Daylight Saving Time, again. That means this Sunday at 2am clocks move up an hour. (And yes, it’s actually Saving, without an “s” at the end.)

• Why we do this: The early 20th-century cost-cutting strategy allows more light in the evening. And using fewer lights = lower energy costs. For small businesses, it also gets customers outside the house after work.

• Since 2007, the change has taken place on the second Sunday of March. The UK and Europe spring forward the LAST Sunday of March.

• 😴 Getting enough sleep and going to bed a bit earlier the nights before the change is key to beating the daylight saving hangover.

Don’t say we didn’t (say we didn’t) warn you!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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🇺🇸 BIDEN’S FIERY SPEECH: SAYS COUNTRY HAS CHOICE BETWEEN ‘REVENGE’ & ‘DECENCY’

President Biden made his case to the American people for a second term last night, in a feisty election-year State of the Union address. He brought a level of energy to the speech his allies were hoping for, laying out the stakes for voters: that “freedom and democracy” are under threat in the US (Jan 6 & abortion) and abroad (Putin & Iran). Though, let’s just say new Speaker Mike Johnson was not impressed. His facial expressions told the story.

WHAT HE SAID
Throughout the address, Biden contrasted himself with former president Trump. He never addressed the former president by name, only calling him “my predecessor.”

• Ukraine: “The free world is at risk, emboldening others who wish to do us harm….we will not walk away." He called for Congress to pass a $60 billion aid package for the country. Biden also said US support for the NATO alliance stands firm, in contrast with Trump’s who says he once told Putin to “do whatever you want” to NATO members who he feels don’t spend enough on their own defense.

• Jan. 6: Biden said Republicans and Trump are trying to bury the truth about what happened that day, and that political violence has no place in this country, saying, "You can't love your country only when you win.”

• Reproductive Freedom: Already a central theme in Democrats’ 2024 campaigns, Biden warned that “many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on (abortion).” His guests included a Texas mom who needed to leave the state for an emergency abortion, as well as an Alabama woman who had a child through IVF.

• Age: Biden, who would finish a second term at age 86, contrasted his age with his vision: "In my career, I've been told I was too young... And I've been told I'm too old. Whether young or old, I've always known what endures….the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are.”

LAKEN RILEY
Marjorie Taylor Greene handed out pins for Laken Riley, the nursing student recently killed by a migrant living in the US illegally. She gave a pin to Biden, and then later heckled him, calling out, “say her name,” while he discussed immigration.

• Off-script, Biden said, “Laken Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal…but how many thousands of people are being killed by legals. To her parents, my heart goes out to you, having lost children myself.”

• He called on the GOP to back the border bill (Trump opposes), which has funding to speed up the asylum process and add border patrol agents. He claimed less migrants would come to the US if they know “that they'll be able to be kicked out quickly.”

GOP RESPONSE
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who is also the youngest woman (42) in the Senate, delivered the Republican rebuttal, from her kitchen table—presenting herself as a relatable mom concerned about the future, especially around the migrant crisis.

• She delivered a dark, and at times dystopian, speech calling Biden a “dithering and diminished leader” and said “America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are actually the cornerstones of a great nation.”

• It was panned by some in her party for a dramatic, over the top delivery. [These State of the Union responses rarely go well for either party, after all the pomp & circumstance of the main address.]

🇮🇱 US TO BUILD PORT IN GAZA; LIMITED PROGRESS IN HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS

During his primetime speech, Biden also announced his plan to build a new temporary port to allow more aid to enter Gaza, highlighting the critical need for assistance, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip.

• US military forces will not have “boots on the ground,” but will oversee the construction from vessels offshore; Israel supports the project. Officials estimate it could take several weeks to build.

• This comes on top of recent US efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza and the opening up of a new land crossing.

• A widening humanitarian crisis across Gaza after five months of war, and tight Israeli control of land borders, has forced displaced people to scramble for food to survive.

  • In northern Gaza, many of the estimated 300,000 people still living there have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive. The U.N. says an increasing number of small children suffer from acute malnutrition.

HOSTAGE-TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS
Time is running out to get a deal done by the start of the holy Muslim Ramadan holiday this weekend. Hamas said in a statement Thursday that its delegation has left negotiations taking place in Cairo “to consult with the leadership of the movement.”

• Israel has offered a six-week ceasefire, additional aid and several hundred prisoners as part of the deal to bring home about 40 Israeli hostages.

• Hamas is rejecting that – looking to get a permanent ceasefire, demanding Israeli forces leave Gaza and that all Gazans can return to homes they’ve fled. Hamas is also demanding the release of a large number of prisoners, including convicted terrorists serving life sentences.

• HAMAS DIVIDE: The Wall Street Journal reports there is a rift between Hamas leadership in Qatar and Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza.

  • The political leaders in Qatar are pushing for Sinwar to accept a deal. Sinwar thinks it plays to their advantage to drag this out through Ramadan to stir up more violence and anger in the region, leading to escalation of tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

🏆 OSCARS BUZZ: WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THIS SUNDAY’S SHOW

And the Academy Award goes to…

The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for his fourth time, will take place Sunday at 7 pm ET on ABC— yep, an hour earlier than usual.

The biggest night in film is anticipated to prominently feature “Oppenheimer,” which leads the nominations with 13 and has already won numerous awards this season. Snubs for “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie caused an initial internet uproar, although the film still secured eight nominations and both women could win awards in other categories.

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR
The Atlantic’s culture critic David Sims said this year’s award show “has been the most boring Oscar campaign in years” due to “Oppenheimer’s” critical and commercial success. Nearly all critics expect the film to take home the top awards for best picture and best director.

• RACES TO WATCH: Best actress. Emma Stone in "Poor Things" won awards at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and BAFTA. She’s also won an Oscar before. But USA Today critic thinks first-time nominee Lily Gladstone from "Killers of the Flower Moon" will win. She took home the Screen Actors Guild trophy, and in the past 13 years the SAG winner has differed from Oscar victor only three times.

  • If Gladstone wins, she’ll become the first ever Native American person to win a competitive acting Oscar.

• The night’s performances: Jon Batiste, Becky G, Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, and Ryan Gosling with Mark Ronson are set to take the stage Sunday to perform their nominated songs.

🍿 STREAM BEFORE YOU TUNE-IN
Most of the nominated films are streamable on the major subscription outlets for no additional cost (and the subscription is less than movie theater popcorn). "Oppenheimer" on Peacock, "Poor Things" coming to Hulu, "Killers of The Flower Moon" on Apple TV+, "Barbie" on Max, and more here.

• Other favorites: "Maestro" on Netflix, "The Holdovers" on Peacock, and "Past Lives" on Paramount+.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 George Santos files to run for House again as he makes surprise appearance at the State of the Union (AXIOS)

📌 Two Alabama fertility clinics say they will resume IVF services after bill to protect doctors passes (NBC NEWS)

📌 Residents lash out at Uvalde city leaders, police after newly released City Council report on Robb Elementary shooting (CNN)

📌 Power line ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history (ABC NEWS)

📌 Maine sailor Cole Brauer​ now first American woman to race solo around world after finishing 4-month journey (CBS NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Haiti gangs torch police stations as PM's future hangs in balance (BBC)

📌 Sweden officially joins NATO alliance in blow to Russia (AXIOS)

📌 Endangered red panda among 87 live animals seized from smugglers at Thailand airport (CBS NEWS)

📌 The MH370 plane families seeking closure, new search 10 years later (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 FDA says it's found lead in several more cinnamon products in the U.S. (NBC NEWS)

📌 Single dose of LSD provides immediate and lasting relief from anxiety, study says (CNN)

📌 Lawmakers launch SpaceX probe over Russian use of Starlink satellites (AXIOS)

📌 Fossilized trees dating back 390 million years are world’s oldest (CNN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Gisele Bündchen says her kids are in 'two different worlds' as they split time between her and Tom Brady (PEOPLE)

📌 Brittany Mahomes says her back is fractured and urges moms to take care of their pelvic floor (NBC NEWS)

📌 Look inside the Oscar Nominees 2024 gift bag (BUZZFEED)

📌 Margaret Qualley to play Amanda Knox in Hulu limited series with Monica Lewinsky producing (VARIETY)

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🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WEEKEND

• WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: Mosheh: The Oscars; Jill: Real Housewives reunions (Miami and Beverly Hills).

• WHAT WE’RE READING: Mosheh: “The Big Fail”~ Joe Nocera, Bethany McLean; Jill: The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending~ Franklin Foer.

• WHAT WE’RE EATING: Mosheh: Byblos in Miami; Jill: Fluffy Cottage Cheese Pancakes from Ambitious Kitchen