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Pedal to the metal. I want to see you hustling!: |
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© Giphy Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, “Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are urging President Biden to speed up his process for picking a nominee to the Supreme Court so that nothing is left to chance in a 50-50 Senate where one medical emergency is already putting a strain on the Democrats’ narrow majority.” https://bit.ly/3LAoiwE Do Democrats have a strong preference on who Biden selects?: Not really. They seem to like all the names that have been floated. They’re more concerned about the time frame. |
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| HOW IS SEN. BEN RAY LUJÁN (D) DOING?: |
| Better! He said he is planning to return to work “in just a few short weeks.” In his words: “I'm proud to report then I'll be back on the floor of the United States Senate in just a few short weeks to vote on important legislation, and to consider a Supreme Court nominee.” https://bit.ly/3JvZSCF |
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| WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK: |
| - A confirmation fight for Robert Califf to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). - The Senate will work on postal reform. - A hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot Context and details for each from The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/3JshK17 |
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DC to end vaccine, mask mandate |
| Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced that the city will end its requirement for people entering businesses to show proof of vaccination starting this week and will lift its mask mandate for businesses starting on March 1. https://bit.ly/34Veext |
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| It’s Monday — Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook. Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2UoupvN 
© Giphy |
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What’s happening now — we’re all just continuing to hold our breaths: |
| Via The New York Times’s Anton Troianovski, Marc Santora and Christopher F. Schuetze, “Even with Russian warships massing off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast and the United States warning that Russian ground forces are poised to strike from multiple directions, Russia’s top diplomat said on Monday that the possibility for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis was ‘far from exhausted.’ ” https://nyti.ms/3sYi9C3 |
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| WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT TIMING FOR A POSSIBLE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE: |
| It could happen “any day now,” according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan. 
© AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta More from Sullivan’s appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union:” https://cnn.it/3HRvG4e |
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| TIDBIT — THIS TABLE COULD DOUBLE AS AN OLYMPIC CURLING RINK: |
| Financial Times’s Max Seddon tweeted, “[Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov] reporting to [Russian President Vladimir Putin] on Russia's quest to get western countries to agree to its security demands. Look how long the table is!” Photo of the table: https://bit.ly/3v4kE8z |
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The bridge is back open!: |
| Via The Associated Press’s Rob Gillies and Corey Williams, “The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing, meanwhile, was open again Monday after police removed the last of the protesters who had bottled up the Ambassador Bridge for nearly a week in a demonstration against Canada’s virus restrictions.” https://bit.ly/3oNy2d5 Does that mean the protests are over?: Nope, “a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa, [persists] as city residents seethed over authorities’ inability to reclaim the streets.” |
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© AP/Chris O'Meara Tell us your age without telling us your age: The Washington Post’s Matt Viser tweeted, “That halftime show was made for those who recognize these items.” Photo of the items in question: https://bit.ly/3uSRzN0 I’ve seen this tweet passed around quite a bit: NBC’s Garrett Haake tweeted, “If you knew all the words to that halftime show performance, it’s probably time to start getting ready for bed.” https://bit.ly/3GSucFI What everyone was wondering during the halftime show: The Washington Post’s Dave Jorgenson tweeted, “For everyone googling: Dr Dre: 56 years old, Snoop Dogg: 50 years old, 50 Cent: 46 years old … Eminem: 49 years old, Mary J Blige: 51 years old.” https://bit.ly/3oHTT5J ^ This made me laugh: Jorgenson added, “Paul Rudd: still 21 years old” https://bit.ly/3oP7Yy6 Eminem took a knee during the halftime show: https://cbsn.ws/3gP5tY8 Wow, YES: Here’s a photo of Martha Stewart at the Super Bowl. She’s posing for what appears to be a spontaneous photo with Guy Fieri. Photo: https://bit.ly/3JoZcii |
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| A QUICK CATCH-UP ON THE COMMERCIALS: |
| Via Yahoo Sports’ Liz Roscher, here are some of the best and worst commercials: https://yhoo.it/34D3ILn |
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| FIVE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS MAKING THE MOST BUZZ: |
| From The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo: https://bit.ly/3HO6YC4 |
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| LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS | |
This is a very good read: |
| Stat News’s Helen Branswell writes, “Two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s easy to lament all that has come to pass. The devastating losses. The upending of what we regarded as normal ways of life. The sheer relentlessness of it all.” “But let’s stop for a moment and consider something else that may have escaped you: You have witnessed — and you are a beneficiary of — a freaking miracle. That miracle is the development, testing, manufacturing, and global distribution of Covid vaccines.” More on “why Covid-19 vaccines are a freaking miracle”: https://bit.ly/3rN1bab |
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Pfizer is putting a pin in it for now: |
| Via NBC’s Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Pfizer and BioNTech are delaying their Food and Drug Administration (FDA) request to authorize the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years old. https://nbcnews.to/3uQ5OCi Why?: “Pfizer said on Friday that it will wait for its data on a three-dose series of the vaccine, because it believes three doses ‘may provide a higher level of protection in this age group.’” What’s the timing now?: The data on a third dose is expected in April. What this means for families: “The move means that vaccines for this age group will not be available in the coming weeks, a setback for parents eager to vaccinate their young children.” More on what we know: https://nbcnews.to/3uQ5OCi |
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| CASE NUMBERS: |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 77,740,239 U.S. death toll: 919,694 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y |
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| VACCINATION NUMBERS: |
| Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 547 million shots have been given. Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 259,558 doses For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million. Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH |
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This is an entertaining thread: |
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© AP/Axel Heimken, file Stand for America’s Kassy Dillon tweeted, “In honor of that nostalgic halftime show, everyone spill your AIM screen names.” Enjoy the responses: https://bit.ly/3gPdz2Y |
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Well, they have a point … : |
| Starbucks tweeted, “Reasons the Starbucks app is better than a dating app: No photos of people holding fish, Won't ghost you or leave you on read, Always remembers your birthday, Knows your coffee order by heart.” https://bit.ly/3HOphXv |
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The White House is decked out for Valentine’s Day: |
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© AP/Patrick Semansky Via CBS News’s Weijia Jiang, here’s what the White House lawn looks like today. Photo: https://bit.ly/3sFlOV1 |
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| The House is out. The Senate is in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 10:30 a.m. EST: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden return to the White House from Camp David. 11:30 a.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris received the President’s Daily Brief. 3 p.m. EST: The Senate meets. 5:30 p.m. EST: A cloture vote in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3GNjqk2 |
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| 2:30 p.m. EST: White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3oMnknk 2:30 p.m. EST: State Department spokesperson Ned Price holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3GQeTgC 2:30 p.m. EST: Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3BjQGyc 2:50 p.m. EST: Vice President Harris deliver remarks at the White House on the bipartisan infrastructure law. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3LAM9Ms |
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| Today is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day. |
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| And to brighten your Monday, here’s a dog auditioning for The Lion King: https://bit.ly/3oPk1f4 |
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