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The White House seemed surprised last month when President Obama's inaugural address was characterized in some quarters as a liberal manifesto. So Tuesday night's State of the Union speech was firmly grounded in the bread-and-butter pocketbook issues facing the middle class.

Renee Montagne talks to writer Josh Dean about Banana Joe, named best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club. Dean is author of the book Show Dog.

There may have been only a half dozen times all night when both sides of the aisle all stood and clapped in approval. One of those moments was when President Obama called for overhauling immigration.

Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep and NPR reporters give a "close read" of President Obama's State of the Union speech. In some cases they are checking facts. In others, they are asking what some parts of the speech really mean.

The confounding title of the self-referential novel Percival Everett by Virgil Russell signals its method, which seeks to erase lines between author and subject, reality and fiction. For Alan Cheuse, Percival Everett's (or is that Percival Everett's?) postmodern mind games spoil what might have been a fine novel.

As investigators work to determine whether the charred body inside a California mountain cabin is that of former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Jordan Dorner, dramatic reports are emerging about what authorities hope were the last hours of the massive manhunt for the accused killer.

For hipsters in a Brooklyn neighborhood, it can be tough to get a spot on a romantic tour of a sewage treatment plant. New York's Department of Environmental Protection says this Valentine's Day it had to add an extra tour of the plant because two had filled up quickly.

Also: An award for the year's most cutting book review; how it feels to hold Sylvia Plath's hair; and Donna Tartt's new book will be out this fall.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio delivered the Republican reply to the State of the Union. He needed a drink of water but the bottle was out of reach. While his speech was being broadcast, the senator ducked down, reached off screen, found the bottle, sipped it and resumed. Twitter went crazy.

The Florida senator has joined in the joking about his big stretch for a big drink as he was giving the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address.