Today in one sentence: Biden will order the U.S. military to build a temporary port and pier in Gaza so more humanitarian aid can reach 2.3 million Palestinian civilians in need; despite facing criminal charges for mishandling of classified documents, despite facing criminal charges for mishandling of classified documents, Trump will receive U.S. intelligence briefings after he secures the Republican nomination; Sweden formally joined NATO as the 32nd member; Alabama’s governor signed a bill to protect in vitro fertilization into law after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered unborn children and that individuals could be held liable for destroying them; and Earth posted its warmest February ever – setting a monthly record for the ninth time in a row.

1/ Biden will order the U.S. military to build a temporary port and pier in Gaza so more humanitarian aid can reach 2.3 million Palestinian civilians in need. Biden has reportedly grown frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into the beleaguered territory despite U.S. pressure. “We’re not waiting on the Israelis,” one U.S. official said, noting that the ship transport of aid will supplement the on-going U.S. airdrops. The project is expected take several weeks before it’s operational, which will then allow aid to be distributed inside Gaza by the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel. Israel also agreed to open a third border crossing for delivery of trucked food and medicine to northern Gaza. Biden will announce the “emergency mission” to open a maritime route for humanitarian assistance during his State of the Union address tonight. Meanwhile, efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan appear to be failing with the Hamas delegation leaving negotiations in Cairo “to consult with the leadership of the movement.” Netanyahu has publicly ruled out Hamas’ demands for a permanent ceasefire, saying Israel intends to resume the offensive after any pause and expand it until “total victory” is achieved. (Politico / Associated Press / CBS News / Bloomberg / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN / ABC News / Axios)

2/ Despite facing criminal charges for mishandling of classified documents, Trump will receive U.S. intelligence briefings after he secures the Republican nomination. Although the there are no legal requirements to share classified information with Trump, it’s a tradition that dates back to 1952. The Biden administration is expected to modulate what it shares with Trump. Shortly after Biden took office, he barred Trump from receiving intelligence briefings typically given to former presidents, citing Trump’s “erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection.” One former senior U.S. intelligence official added that they’d be “afraid” to give Trump access to classified intelligence. Trump is currently facing 40 counts related to the possession of classified documents and then obstructing efforts to retrieve them. (Politico / Daily Beast)

3/ Sweden formally joined NATO as the 32nd member, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and joining the military alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. With Sweden’s neighbor Finland joining the alliance last year, NATO now controls almost all of the Baltic Sea. (New York Times / Politico / Associated Press)

4/ Alabama’s governor signed a bill to protect in vitro fertilization into law after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered unborn children and that individuals could be held liable for destroying them. The legislation, however, doesn’t define or clarify whether under state law frozen embryos created via IVF have the same rights as children, but instead provides criminal and civil immunity “for death or damage to an embryo” related to IVF. Two Alabama clinics said they would resume IVF procedures, while one expressed significant caution. 66% of Americans oppose considering frozen embryos as people, while 31% support it. (NBC News / Politico / Washington Post / Axios)

  • About 1 in 8 voters say abortion is the most important issue in the 2024 elections. (Axios)

5/ Earth posted its warmest February ever – setting a monthly record for the ninth time in a row. It was also Earth’s warmest 12-month period. February 2024’s averaged 13.5 degrees Celsius (56.3 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record from 2016 by 0.12 degrees (0.22 degrees Fahrenheit). The last 12-months exceeded the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target for a full year, coming in at 1.56 degrees (2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than preindustrial levels. (Washington Post / Axios / Associated Press)

⏩ Notably next: Biden will deliver his State of the Union address tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.