President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., as Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., watches after the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Caption

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., as Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., watches after the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington.

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photo

The panel

Andra Gillespie, @AndraGillespie, professor of political science, Emory University

Anthony Michael Kreis, @AnthonyMKreis, professor of constitutional law, Georgia State University

Leo Smith, @leosmithtweets, GOP consultant and president, Engaged Futures

 

The breakdown

1. President Biden delivered his State of the Union address last night.

  • The president touted several of his administration's key accomplishments, including funding infrastructure and lowering insulin prices.
  • In a verbal battle with Republicans, Biden spoke on the debt ceiling and Medicare, seemingly putting conservatives in a position to agree with him.

2. Biden's speech may have been the unofficial start of his 2024 bid for reelection.

LISTEN: Andra Gillespie on appealing to both sides of the aisle.

3. The College Board removed parts of their AP African American History course after facing political backlash from Florida.

  • The changes come after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the program, calling it "woke indoctrination masquerading as education."
  • In an NPR interview, College Board CEO David Coleman maintains that no authors have been banned from the curriculum. He also states the course was under review before Governor DeSantis' critiques.

LISTEN: Anthony Michael Kreis on anti-intellectualism in America.

Thursday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Kevin Riley joins the panel.