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Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 866,540; Tuesday, 868,512; Wednesday, 872,126.
Russia is conducting military drills and has 127,000 troops swarmed along the Ukraine border including in Belarus, and the United States and NATO are prepared to use troops and weapons shipments to defend Ukraine and its neighbors and punish Russia if it invades.
President Biden said Tuesday he would consider sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin specifically, along with other Russian targets for punishment, if Putin decides to invade Ukraine. “If he were to move in with all those forces, it’d be the largest invasion since World War II. It would change the world,” Biden told reporters.
The Kremlin uses propaganda to complain the aggressors are the U.S. and NATO, not Russia (The New York Times). On Tuesday as Russian military drills continued (pictured above), Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said Moscow was watching NATO troop movements “with profound concern” (The New York Times).
There is a risk U.S. messaging, which includes putting 8,500 troops on “high alert” for possible deployment to NATO’s eastern frontier, could provoke the Kremlin further or at least be used to justify a more aggressive posture. Ukraine is publicly playing down imminent risk of being attacked, even as the United States uses forceful warnings about Moscow and Putin while encouraging allies in Europe, including Germany, to be resolute in confronting the Kremlin, according to the Times.
During a Tuesday briefing, senior Biden administration officials emphasized that U.S. preparations for a Russian attack are defensive and not offensive. Officials described this week’s U.S.-NATO posture as “unified” even if potential economic sanctions, export controls or other punitive actions prepared by each nation against Russia would vary.
“While our actions and the EU’s actions may not be identical, we are unified in our intention to impose massive consequences that would deliver a severe and immediate blow to Russia and over time make its economy even more brittle and undercut Putin’s aspirations to exert influence on the world stage,” a senior official told reporters while declining to be identified.
The Hill: The U.S. is working to avert a potential natural gas energy shortage in Europe if Russia invades.
CNN: How Putin’s $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline split NATO and the EU at a time of crisis.
ABC News: What are U.S. options for sanctions against Putin?
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met in Berlin on Tuesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, will speak Friday with Putin by phone to try to reinforce diplomatic options that might lower the temperature. The French president tied the upcoming call to his pitch for a new European security proposal, which he unveiled last week as a potential longer-term negotiation channel to defuse tensions with Moscow (Politico Europe).
The New York Times: Germany wavers over tough measures against Russia if Ukraine attacked.
In Great Britain on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson — dogged by a domestic scandal involving parties at No. 10 Downing St. that violated COVID-19 lockdowns — acknowledged that NATO allies are hesitant about sanctioning Russia because of concerns about energy supplies.
Johnson said the U.K. was nonetheless poised to send troops to defend NATO partners and Ukraine if necessary. “The British Army leads the NATO battle group in Estonia and, if Russia invades Ukraine, we would look to contribute to any new NATO deployments to protect our allies in Europe,” he said (BBC). (Map credit: Nations Online Project).
Administration officials briefed congressional staff members on Tuesday about the Ukraine situation and the U.S.-NATO stance. Members of the House and Senate will be updated next week when they return to work in Washington. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) departed on Tuesday with colleagues on a bipartisan congressional trip to Belgium and Ukraine (The Hill).
“I strongly support the diplomatic path set forth by the [administration] in the attempt to lower the temperature on the Russian-Ukrainian border,” Meeks (pictured below) said on Twitter. “Russia maintaining the military threat aimed directly at Kyiv & our NATO allies is not a peaceful negotiating tactic.”
Last week, the chairman introduced a House companion to a Senate bill that would impose a litany of consequences should Russia invade, including sanctions impacting the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline into Germany and Russian financial institutions. The bill would also extend additional security assistance for Ukraine (The Washington Times).
Bloomberg TV’s “Balance of Power”: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Congressional Ukrainian Caucus co-chairwoman, said Tuesday she has been briefed by the administration.
LEADING THE DAY
CORONAVIRUS: Finally, good news on the COVID-19 front has arrived.
To recap: The infection totals across the U.S., especially in the mid-Atlantic, are dropping rapidly. New York State is reporting around 20,000 cases per day, down from 90,000 daily infections at its peak more than two weeks ago.
In Washington, D.C., cases continued to drop precipitously on Tuesday, with the city government reporting only 189 new infections (plus 54 self-reported cases), further reducing the weekly case rate and the seven-day average (The Washington Post).
In addition, hospitalizations have continued to drop. According to The Wall Street Journal, the seven-day average of those hospitalized due to the virus fell for a fourth consecutive day on Monday.
On the job front, four states — Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Utah — have recouped all of their pandemic-induced job losses and are back to normal percentage wise. By contrast, California and New York have reached only 70 percent and 60 percent, respectively, of their pre-COVID employment totals (CNN).
Finally, things are looking up on the travel scene as industry leaders expect 2022 to be the year of bigger and bolder trips rather than simple domestic expeditions (CNBC). Hammering that point home, Britons are itching to get away after the United Kingdom moved to end its mandated COVID-19 travel tests on Feb. 11 (BBC).
The Associated Press: Pfizer begins testing omicron-matched COVID-19 shots in adults.
NBC News: Who will get long COVID-19? A study may offer clues.
The Associated Press: University of Washington to return to in-person learning.
> Federal rewind: The Biden administration is moving to withdraw its vaccine mandate for large employers after the Supreme Court’s recent decision to block the rule, with the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration saying on Tuesday it will be withdrawing the requirement (CNN).
From one department to another, questions are surrounding Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for what critics say is a lack of leadership and being “invisible” in handling COVID-19 and the administration’s response. As The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel writes, Becerra is supposed to be the point person for the administration’s COVID-19 message, but has ceded much of that authority to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others in the White House, creating a leadership vacuum, internal sniping and troubled messaging on issues such as masks, booster shots and quarantine periods.
The Hill: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) tests positive for breakthrough COVID-19 case.
Axios: Supply isn’t our only COVID treatment problem.
STAT News: Key senators propose an overhaul of how the U.S. prepares for pandemics.
Reuters: Hong Kong may maintain COVID isolation until 2024, risking exodus.
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
CONGRESS: A push by some Democrats to lift the state and local tax deduction is expected to be for naught; any resurrected Build Back Better proposal is unlikely to change the tax cap, dealing a blow to Democrats hailing from high-tax states.
Senate Democrats suggest repeal or a change will not happen, despite Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) advocacy. According to The Hill’s Alexander Bolton, reservations held by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are the driving force behind the provision being left on the cutting room floor.
“He doesn’t like the SALT” fix, one Senate Democrat told The Hill.
Adding to the trouble is the ongoing stalemate between Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) over how to lift the SALT cap. The inability to nix the cap this year is also forcing some SALT proponents to look ahead to after 2024 when the tax provisions in the 2017 GOP tax law expire.
Politico: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.): Voting rights bill, Build Back Better “very much alive.”
The Hill: Fiscal spending deadline nears while lawmakers face pressure to strike deal.
> Jan. 6 latest: Right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Tuesday claimed to have followed through with his plan to invoke the Fifth Amendment during his deposition with the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Jones said on his radio show that he pled the Fifth “almost 100 times,” adding that the remote deposition was “interesting” and characterizing the questions that were asked as “pretty reasonable.”
“And I wanted to answer the questions. But at the same time, it’s a good thing I didn’t,” Jones said (The Hill).
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill: Jan. 6 panel’s subpoena furthers complications for Rudy Giuliani, Department of Justice.
The Washington Post: The Justice Department is examining alternative slates of Trump electors offered in states Biden won in 2020.
The Hill: Oath Keepers leader pleads not guilty to seditious conspiracy charge.
CNN: Electric grid is “attractive target” for domestic violent extremists in US, intel brief says.
*****
POLITICS: For months, the second most powerful Democratic female in the country has dodged questions about her plans, and on Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-N.Y.) said in a statement and video that she’s running for her 19th two-year term in November because Democrats have more to do. She will be 82 in March. Republicans believe they can send Pelosi and her colleagues into minority status next year, a reversal of political fortunes the San Francisco liberal has experienced. She has twice been elected minority leader (The Hill).
Meanwhile, 16-term Blue Dog Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) announced he is retiring after surveying the result of redistricting. He is the 29th Democrat this cycle to announce an exit.
Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar said Tuesday he intends to continue his bid for reelection, despite a tough primary and an FBI raid on his home last week. “I intend to win,” he said (The Hill and The Hill). The raid was part of a federal investigation into ties between U.S. businesses and Azerbaijan, according to CBS News. Cuellar has served as co-chairman of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.
New York state’s independent congressional redistricting commission is on the brink of failure after commissioners deadlocked over proposed congressional district maps, reports The Hill’s Reid Wilson. The result may mean Democratic legislators grab an opportunity to redraw boundaries in their favor.
The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@digital-release.thehill.com and aweaver@digital-release.thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!
OPINION
Democrats, want to defend Democracy? Embrace what is possible, by Larry Diamond, opinion contributor, The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/3KJkhW1
Why are doctors still scrambling for COVID-19 drugs? by Lisa Jarvis, columnist, Bloomberg Opinion. https://bloom.bg/3IDPJmM
WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets on Friday at 9 a.m. for a pro forma session.
The Senate convenes on Thursday at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session. Senators will return to work on Jan. 31.
The president and Vice President Harris will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 10:15 a.m.. Biden at 1 p.m. will meet with CEOs of major corporations, including Microsoft, to discuss reviving provisions of his Build Back Better agenda (Bloomberg News). The president at 3 p.m. will sign an executive order to make sexual harassment an offense in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and to strengthen the military’s response to domestic violence and the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.
The Federal Reserve releases a policy statement at 2 p.m. and Chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Here’s what to expect (The Hill and The Wall Street Journal).
The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 2 p.m. The White House coronavirus response team will brief journalists at 11 a.m.
Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features news and interviews at http://digital-release.thehill.com/hilltv or on YouTube at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rising on YouTube.
ELSEWHERE
➜ AFGHANISTAN: The White House is formulating a plan to expedite resettlement to the United States of potentially thousands of Afghan refugees who were evacuated from Kabul to Qatar in August, Axios reports. The U.S. refugee screening process, which customarily takes years, could be reduced to a month. In addition, the administration is nearing a mid-February deadline to move thousands of Afghan refugees who made it to the United States (and are housed on military bases temporarily) to other locations to begin new lives.
➜ HIGHER ED: The SAT is shifting from paper to a digital format, school administrators revealed on Tuesday, saying that the decision will make the test more relevant as more schools and admissions offices make the exam optional. The College Board said that students will still have to complete the SAT at a school or testing site but will be able to use their own laptops or tablets to do so. In addition, the length of the test will be cut down from three hours to two. The change is expected to take hold in the U.S. in 2024 (The Associated Press).
➜ CLIMATE: The country’s No. 2 global climate envoy, hailed by John Kerry as a “walking encyclopedia,” is departing his second turn through government advocacy in February to return to a job he previously held with the Hewlett Foundation’s climate programs in California. Why is Jonathan Pershing leaving now? “I look at the world, and the world is consumed by a series of global issues and other threats and political disagreements. What I also see is some willingness — maybe not yet enough, but some — willingness to set some of those aside and engage on the climate front anyway. And to me, that is huge,” he said (The New York Times).
➜ TALKIN’ BASEBALL: The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that its gallery of plaques will increase by one more as longtime Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was elected to its hallowed halls. The star designated hitter was voted in by 77.9 percent of the Baseball Writers Association of America, eclipsing the 75 percent needed for enshrinement. However, just as noteworthy are those who were not inducted as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens received only 66 percent and 65.2 percent of the vote, respectively, in their final year on the ballot (ESPN).
THE CLOSER
And finally … One great read … Brothers Sikka and Sadiq Khan, separated in 1947 as children during the partition between India and Pakistan, were reunited this month after 74 years, thanks to 21st-century wizardry and a chain of helpers over many years — a village leader in Pakistan, a YouTube channel, a doctor in Canada. And luck (The Washington Post).
