(upbeat music) - [Rick] Coming up next on "NewsDepth," President Joe Biden has delivered his "State of the Union" address.

Nick shares some of the history behind the big speech.

We meet Carl Stokes, the first African-American mayor of a major city.

And do you like puzzles?

Probably not as much as this small town does.

"NewsDepth" is now.

(upbeat music continues) - So, I've come to fulfill my constitutional obligation to report on the State of the Union, and here's my report: Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong!

(audience applauding) - Hello, everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thanks for joining us.

That, of course, was President Joe Biden delivering a high-stakes "State of the Union" address at a critical time in its presidency, the chief executive pitching his agenda and previewing a potential 2024 reelection bid to the nation with the focus defending democracy and promoting bipartisanship to a narrowly-divided Congress.

Bipartisanship means cooperation between two political parties.

- Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States!

(audience cheering) - [Reporter] President Biden seizing on a major primetime address to a joint session of Congress to reflect on the past two years- - The story of America is a story of progress and resilience.

- [Reporter] And lay out his vision for the next two.

- Let's finish the job this time.

- [Reporter] Biden describing an inflection point for the country, arguing that the US economy has made a turnaround- - Two years ago, the economy was reeling.

I stand here tonight after we've created, with the help of many people in this room, 12 million new jobs.

- [Reporter] That the COVID pandemic is now in the rear-view mirror- - Today, COVID no longer controls our lives.

- [Reporter] And also touting some of his major legislative accomplishments.

- I signed over 300 bipartisan pieces of legislation since becoming president.

- [Reporter] A notable difference from Biden's Last State of the Union Address, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seated behind the president.

- The new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy.

(audience cheering) - [Reporter] The guests invited to Tuesday night's speech by First Lady Jill Biden painting a story of some of the president's top priorities and challenges over the past year.

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, a reminder of how much the war in Ukraine has tested and dominated Biden's second year in office.

- [Joe] 'Cause we're gonna stand with you (applause continuing) as long as it takes!

- [Reporter] And the parents of Tyre Nichols, a man whose death by police officers prompted outrage and grief across the country.

- Let's commit ourselves to make the words of Tyler's mom true.

Something good must come from this.

All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment.

We can't turn away.

- Every president since George Washington has reported on the state of the union.

It is a duty written into the Constitution.

But some were just written talks, some were delivered as speeches, and they were certainly not all televised like they are now.

Well, up next, Nick Castele breaks down the president's biggest speech of the year and shares some of the history behind it.

- [Nick] Does the thought of giving a speech in front of a lotta people make you super nervous?

(throat gulping) (uneasy music) What about in front of the whole country?

(car horns honking) (traffic whirring) Yeah, even I might get stagefright from that.

Of course, if you're the president, you're just going to have to deal with it because that is part of your job.

(reverent music) Seriously, it's written into the US Constitution that the president has to give a report to Congress each year about what's going on in the country.

You've probably heard of it.

It's called the "State of the Union."

Here are the exact instructions from Article II, Section III of the US Constitution.

"He," that's the president, (bell dinging) "shall from time to time give to the Congress "information of the state of the union "and recommend to their consideration "such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

So, the instructions are kind of vague, but basically the address is an opportunity for the president to express his goals for the nation and to comment on how things have been going.

It's also a chance for the president to make some suggestions to Congress.

The first "State of the Union" was given by George Washington in 1790.

America was just a baby country at the time (baby crying) and President Washington recommended, among other things, that the government develop a currency, roads, and an army.

Things certainly have come a long way.

When it got to Thomas Jefferson's turn in 1801 to give the "State of the Union," he decided that he wanted to turn in a written address to Congress instead of giving a speech.

Jefferson thought giving a speech seemed too much like something that the king or queen of England would do.

It wasn't until 1913 that President Woodrow Wilson revived the in-person presentation.

And then it wasn't until Lyndon Johnson's 1965 "State of the Union" that the address was televised, making it easier for the rest of us to follow along.

With the "State of the Union" being given every year, there have obviously been a lot of them, but there are a few that stick out, like Richard Nixon's in 1974.

He flubbed part of his speech and told Congress, "We must replace the discredited president," when he meant to say, "We must replace the discredited welfare system."

This was particularly bad timing.

His speech came just weeks before Congress would begin impeachment proceedings against him.

Of course, the "State of the Union" following Nixon's resignation was given by Gerald Ford and he wasn't shy about literally saying, "The state of our union is not good."

Whether good or bad, no matter what, though, the president is sure to include "state of the union" in the address.

Over time, the speech has built up some ceremony and traditions.

It usually takes place in January at the House of Representatives Chamber in Washington, DC.

The Sergeant at Arms introduces the president, who heads to the podium for his speech.

The vice president sits to his right.

On his left is the Speaker of the House.

On the evening of the speech, members from the House and Senate gather together along with Supreme Court justices.

But there is always one person missing, and that's on purpose.

He or she is known as the designated survivor.

Since all of the important government officials are gathered together in the same place, the designated survivor will take charge of the country if disaster strikes.

Unless you happen to be the designated survivor, the "State of the Union" is probably worth a watch, especially since you and I don't have to be the one with stagefright.

(globe bouncing) - Thank you, Nick.

As Nick just mentioned, President Biden's "State of the Union" address was attended by nearly every influential federal official in Washington, except one: the designated survivor.

That person is a high-ranking official who stays in an undisclosed secure location away from the Capitol during the president's speech.

The designated survivor ritual is meant to maintain the line of presidential succession in the rare case that a major disaster strikes the US Capitol.

The designated survivor must be eligible to become the next president.

The designated survivor is usually a member of the president's cabinet and is chosen by the president.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was this year's designated survivor.

Okay, so now that we know what the "State of the Union" speech is and we know some of the highlights from President Biden's address, we wanna know: If you were president, what issue would you add in the "State of the Union" speech?

Head online to our Write To Us page to tell us your main issue of your "State of the Union."

Now, one of the biggest issues Biden brought up in his speech was the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Biden Administration announced plans to end the COVID national and public health emergencies on May the 11th.

The end of these declared emergencies will mean the end of free tests and treatment for many Americans.

Other social benefits that helped the nation cope with the pandemic will also end.

Gloria Pazmino has the highlights on the impact this will have on you.

- [Gloria] After more than three years, the COVID national and public health emergencies will officially expire in the US on May 11th.

Jen Kates, senior vice President with the Kaiser Family Foundation, says that even though some of the health and social benefits put in place at the start of the pandemic will end when these two emergency orders expire, they don't represent all of the measures put in place.

There is one big change: access to free COVID home tests.

- Whether you are Medicare beneficiary or Medicaid or private, that's going away with the end of the PHE.

And so, getting tests when you need them might be more challenging and you'll probably have to pay out-of-pocket in full for a home test or you might start facing cost sharing.

- [Gloria] Kates says to expect more cost sharing around certain therapeutic treatments as well from your insurance.

So, who will be impacted the most once these emergencies end in May?

- The uninsured and those with insufficient insurance will be the hardest hit, as has always been the case in our healthcare system.

They stand to lose the most.

They do not have a guaranteed access to these things.

- [Gloria] But Kates says there is one thing to remember.

Even with these declarations ending- - Everyone with insurance, virtually everyone with insurance will get free vaccines, even after the federal supply is gone, even after the all of the emergency declarations are over.

- Thank you, Gloria.

President Biden also touched on the issue of climate change.

- Let's face reality.

The climate crisis doesn't care if you're in a red or blue state.

It's an existential threat.

We have an obligation, not to ourselves, but to our children and our grandchildren to confront it.

I'm proud of how the how America at last is stepping up to the challenge.

- Climate change has been one of the biggest concerns for the Biden Administration since day one.

If you remember, President Biden presented during COP27 last November and now Vice President Harris has visited Atlanta, speaking about the role the state of Georgia plays in addressing the climate crisis.

In a moderated conversation at Georgia Tech University, Vice President Harris discussed how the climate crisis also impacts jobs and health.

Bobeth Yates reports.

- This is the planet we've got.

It is a precious place.

It is a place that we have a responsibility for taking care of.

- [Bobeth] Vice President Kamala Harris made a call to action for students, Georgia Tech officials, and metro Atlanta residents to help address climate change.

- We are asking the communities that are affected to lead and not telling them what we're gonna do for them.

- [Bobeth] According to the White House, the vice president's trip to Atlanta is part of the Biden Administration's effort to amplify the president's "State of the Union" address.

In Atlanta, she participated in a moderated conversation focused on the administration's investments and actions to battle the current climate crisis.

- Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, through the Inflation Reduction Act, we're looking at at least $1 trillion to hit the streets of America to address some of these issues.

- [Bobeth] Harris touched on topics like drought, alternative forms of energy, and clean water, topics residents, students, and former Georgia Tech Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams says is vital to our country.

- We're excited to have Vice President Harris here, in part because we had such a strong conversation yesterday with the president of the United States with their focus on energy, their focus on investing in not only our economy but the people in the state of Georgia.

- To see that the vice president came to Atlanta today to talk about these issues and how it affects neighborhoods all across our region, that's really exciting to me as a scientist.

- [Bobeth] And the novelty of Harris's trip was not lost during the conversation.

- I was overwhelmed with joy to be invited.

This is a rare opportunity and I'm appreciative.

- Thanks, Bobeth.

President Biden, of course, also spoke about how democracy has not changed, even when facing hard times.

- Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken.

- The city of Cleveland certainly faced hard times back in the 1960s when Mayor Carl Stokes was first elected.

Carl Stokes was the first African-American mayor of a major city.

Mary has a look back at all of his accomplishments and challenges in this week's "Know Ohio."

(light upbeat music) - One of the most exciting things about living in this country is that no matter where you start in life, it's possible to rise up and do great things through hard work.

Today, I'm going to tell you the story of one famous Ohioan who had it rough as a kid, but he grew up to shatter racial barriers and become the first African-American mayor of a major US city.

Carl Stokes was born in Cleveland in 1927.

He was the great-grandson of a slave and when he was just two years old, his father died.

After that, his mother struggled to provide for Carl and his brother, Louis.

The Stokes family lived in the Outwaite Homes, Cleveland's first housing project, a group of buildings owned by the government that served as homes for families who otherwise couldn't afford them.

The Stokes boys would help support the family by carrying newspapers and working in neighborhood stores.

Carl even dropped out of school to work full-time and eventually joined the Army, serving in Germany at the end of World War II.

But when he returned home, Carl worked hard to complete his education, earning his high school diploma, a college degree, and a law degree.

With all that education, Carl chose to serve the city he called home.

First he worked as a lawyer in Cleveland, but was soon elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, the first African-American Democrat to do so.

Because of his own background, Stokes became a strong supporter of racial equality and welfare for poor people.

In 1965, he was narrowly defeated when he ran for mayor of Cleveland.

But two years later, he picked himself up and ran again.

His opponent the second time was Seth Taft, who was part of a political dynasty; his grandfather was former President William Howard Taft.

But Stokes defeated Taft to become Cleveland's first black mayor and a powerful symbol of a changing nation.

What's even more remarkable is that he won this election when the city of Cleveland's population was overwhelmingly white.

So, at a time when racial tensions were high, he had to convince a mostly white population to trust him, a black man, and he did it the same way he accomplished everything else: with hard work and a sense of humor.

Because he grew up in Cleveland, he knew it well and he used that knowledge as mayor.

When he ran in 1967, he said, "My style will be management by being on the street, "management by walking around.

"Third-persons won't have to tell me "what's going on in our city.

"I'll hear it, I'll see it, I'll touch it myself."

He served two terms as mayor and one of his greatest accomplishments was opening up city positions to African-Americans and women.

After he died in 1996, Carl's brother Louis, also a politician, said that his brother had inspired Black Americans to aspire to hire political office all over the country.

And I think we can all agree that few things are more inspiring than the great-grandson of a slave defeating the grandson of a president to hold political office in a major US city.

(globe bouncing) - Thanks, Mary.

During his "State of the Union" speech, President Biden also stressed how important it is for everyone to work together.

- And to my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there's no reason we can't work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well.

(audience applauding) - In North Dakota, people in a small town are working together to complete a giant 60,000-piece puzzle.

It's called "What a Wonderful World."

Residents in the Small Town of Oakes say the project will help them to build a sense of community.

But just as importantly, as Kevin Wallevand reports, it also helps keep away the winter blues.

- [Kevin] The talk in town and inside Sweets 'n' Stories is who's finishing their puzzle section?

- You know, part of a community project, part of being involved in something bigger than yourself.

- Kristi Gebeke and Bruce Junker are two of the 60 teams in Oakes who are helping piece together this winter a 60,000-piece puzzle.

- It was a challenge, but a fun challenge.

- [Kevin] They just finished their section.

- [Bruce] I thought all these windows over in this section were difficult.

- [Kevin] This community-wide puzzle is the brainchild of Heather Roney, who owns Sweets 'n' Stories in downtown Oakes.

- It's called "What a Wonderful World" and this is what the finished product will look like.

And in a long, dreary winter, bright, fun colors, it's good for the soul.

- At first, the project organizers wondered: Could they even get 60 people to work on this gigantic puzzle?

They got 60 and 20 more on a waiting list.

And when the people of Oakes finish all their puzzle sections, it'll all be put together and the final puzzle will stand 8 feet tall, 29 feet wide.

- Projects like this can really show us what we're capable of when we pool our resources, pool our talent, pool our energy, and just it's, yeah, it's awesome.

So, it's a cool reflection of what I think the best of us in small towns are.

- [Kevin] People like Doug and Kathy Sitzler of Oakes are finishing up their section.

- It's a family thing.

- [Kevin] What started off as a project to just keep people's mind off winter- - [Kathy] It's been good for the town.

- [Kevin] Turned into something bigger: a community connector.

It's all people are talking about, these 107 pounds of puzzle pieces.

- This has been a challenging one.

Well, they all have been a little bit.

- [Kevin] When complete, the giant puzzle will be on display at the nearby Growing Small Towns building, a chance for Oakes to say they just built the world one piece at a time.

So, this will happen again?

- Oh, for sure.

I already have a plan for next year.

- Wow, I can't wait to see it all complete!

Thank you, Kevin.

Would you ever work on a giant puzzle like that?

It must take such a long time to see the full picture.

Well, for this week's poll, we wanna know: Do you like puzzles?

Head online to vote between "Yes, I love puzzles" or "Nope, too time consuming."

Last week, we asked you if you were planning on watching the Super Bowl, and the results are in.

The majority of you said yes.

29% of you said you were Eagles fans.

I used to work in Philadelphia, so I guess I was pulling for them.

24% of you said you'd like the Kansas City Chiefs, 11% said you like watching for the commercials, and 36% said you weren't watching the Super Bowl at all, but you were still eating the snacks.

Yeah, we know who you are.

Well, the 64% of you who did watch the Super Bowl probably already know the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles by just three points.

It was a great game to watch.

The score was even in the second quarter before Philadelphia took a late first-half lead.

It looked like the game was going into overtime until the very last few seconds when Harrison Butker made a 27-yard field goal with just eight seconds left on the clock.

That gave the Kansas City Chiefs the Super Bowl LVII win, 38 to 35.

Now, Rihanna also lived up to expectations, as she lit up the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

She and her dancers performed on elevated platforms and Rihanna sang a number of her hit songs.

Last week, for our write-in question, we asked you to pick an extinct animal that you would resurrect and why.

Let's see what you had to say by opening up our Inbox.

(graphic whooshing) (mouse clicking) Elaina from Heritage Elementary in Medina starts us off with, "Dear NewsDepth, "If I could bring an animal back from extinction, "it would be the white baiji dolphin.

"Dolphins are very smart, beautiful, "and very meaningful to me.

"That is the animal I would bring back from extinction."

Amrutsai from Cheshire Elementary in Delaware, Ohio, knows a lot of facts about the saber-toothed tiger.

"I would like to bring back the saber-toothed tiger "because it is so fierce and unique.

"For example, the tiger is unique "because of its large saber-teeth, "which can reach up to 12 inches in length!

"Saber-toothed tigers were apex predators "and preyed upon wooly mammoths, bison, "and other large animals.

"The tiger is fierce because it can take down "a 6,000-pound rhino!

"It can also weigh up to 600 pounds, "making it the biggest prehistoric cat.

"How fascinating is that?!"

It's very fascinating, thank you.

Juniper from Fairfax Elementary in Cleveland would also bring back a tiger.

"Dear NewsDepth, if I could resurrect any extinct animal, "I would choose the Tasmanian tiger.

"They were hunted to extinction by hunters in the 1930s "for their meat, skin, and just for fun.

"Tasmanian tigers were not actually tigers, "they were more related to a dog and kangaroo.

"All in all, if I could resurrect any extinct animal, "it would be the Tasmanian tiger."

Jacob from Emerson Elementary in Lakewood sent in this drawing.

"I personally would like the Steller's sea cow "because they look very cool and fun.

"They also are a water animal, and I like water animals, "so I think the Steller's sea cow should be resurrected."

And Trinity from Eastwoods Intermediate in Hudson loves dinosaurs.

"Dear NewsDepth, "if I could bring an extinct animal back to life, "I would bring back a pack of pyroraptors.

"I would do this because the pyroraptor "is a super-smart and clever dinosaur.

"The pyroraptor is in a group called dromaeosaur "with the famous Velociraptor.

"I really like dinosaurs like pyroraptors.

"But if I could bring more than one, "I would bring back every dinosaur."

Every dinosaur?

Well, thank you to everyone who did write in this week.

Here's one animal I would be scared of if it were resurrected: the Titanosaurus, because they were huge!

Paleontologists working in central India have made a rare discovery: a fossilized dinosaur hatchery with 92 nests and 256 eggs.

They belong to colonies of giant plant-eating Titanosaurs that lumbered across what's now central India more than 66 million years ago.

A study of the nest and their bowling-ball-sized eggs ranging between 15 and 17 centimeters has revealed intimate details about the lives of the colossal long-necked sauropods.

The findings suggested Titanosaurus were not always the most attentive parents.

Lead study author and paleontologist in the Department of Geology at the University of Delhi Guntupalli Prasad said, "Since Titanosaurs were huge in size, closely spaced nests "would not have allowed them to visit the nest "to maneuver and incubate the eggs or feed the hatchlings, "as the parents would step on the eggs and trample them."

Whew.

Titanosaurs' nesting behaviors shared characteristics with today's birds and crocodiles, such as laying eggs together in colonies or rookeries.

But unlike birds and crocodiles, which both incubate their eggs, lead study author Prasad said based on the characteristics of the nest, Titanosaurs likely laid their eggs and then left the baby dinos to fend for themselves, although more data is needed before we're actually sure.

Well, we are always impressed by the great work all of the "NewsDepth" viewers do to make the world a better place.

It's not an exaggeration when I say every time we get to meet one of you, we are inspired.

This week, we got to meet Jack, a fourth-grader at Mason Elementary School in Mason.

Jack is this week's A+ Award winner.

Jack is a perfect example of a young man who goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Every year, his school has a Personal Learning Day.

During the Personal Learning Day, the students are expected to work on individual projects or to volunteer in their community.

Jack decided he was going to try to help members of his community who are food insecure.

Food insecurity is when you don't have access to sufficient food or food of an adequate quality to meet one's basic needs.

Jack planned his own food drive to benefit the Comet Cupboard, which is a food bank in Mason that helps food insecure children.

Planning a food drive is hard work.

Jack had to come up with a plan to not only collect food but also to let community members know what he was up to, and he needed to find a place to do it.

Jack reached out to the management team at the Mason Kroger.

He was able to speak with the store manager and she was so impressed with his plan she gave him permission to set up a table outside the store to collect food donations.

That's when his seven-year-old sister Nora pitched in with some important contributions.

Nora helped to design posters for the table to tell shoppers what they were there for.

By the end of the day, Jack had collected nearly 1,000 donated items and an additional $600 in cash.

He did all of this on a 39-degree day!

Brr, that's dedication.

Well, Jack was very proud to tell us that through this project, he was able to see the good in people.

He was so motivated by the experience that he's planning a multi-state toy drive to benefit children's hospitals in Cincinnati, Florida, and Texas with a few of his friends.

So, this week's A+ Award goes to Jack from Mason Elementary for giving back to his community.

Jack, keep up the great work.

We're excited to hear how the toy drive goes too.

Hey, maybe NewsCat was inspired to get off the couch by all the great work that Jack has done.

Let's see what she has for us in this week's "Petting Zoo."

(exotic percussion music) (cat meowing) Of course, she's napping on the job.

Come on.

NewsCat, we're waiting.

Do I have to count to five?

Four, three, two- Oh, there you go.

Time to work.

(computer keys clacking) Whoa, she found a story about manatees in South Florida trying to keep warm this winter by gathering around a power plant.

To check out the ocean's most gentle creatures staying warm, click the Petting Zoo button on our website.

And thank you, NewsCat.

(globe bouncing) - Well, that's a wrap for today.

NewsCat?

Yeah, go back to napping.

Don't forget, though, we always wanna hear from you and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our ZIP Code here is 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org or you can tweet us.

Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Rick Jackson.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) (globe bouncing) - [Child] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music continuing) (reverent music)