• New York Supreme Court Acting Justice Juan Merchan rejected former President Trump‘s request that Merchan recuse himself from overseeing the criminal hush money case.
  
  

• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden is “deeply concerned” about the wildfires in Maui, which had killed at least 96 people as of Monday morning, and defended the administration’s response. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) said more fatalities are likely to be discovered as searches continue.
  
  

• The U.S. announced $200 million in additional Ukraine aid, bringing the total so far to around $43 billion in security funds and closer to the limit approved by Congress. The administration last week asked for an additional about $13 billion in defense funds for Ukraine.

Three military services now lack a Senate-confirmed leader as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) holds up confirmations amid his opposition to a recent Defense Department abortion policy.

With Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday stepping down Monday, the Navy in addition to the Army and Marine Corps are now left with acting heads.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the situation “is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe.” Austin said, “Smooth and swift transitions of confirmed leadership are central to the defense of the United States and to the full strength of the most lethal fighting force in history.”

Tuberville’s office countered that the senator’s hold is “precedented, necessary, and not affecting readiness,” saying that jobs aren’t going unfilled. Read more here.

The Nevada Republican Party has announced it will hold its presidential caucus on Feb. 8, setting up the state to likely go third in the GOP nominating calendar. The Hill’s Julia Mueller has more here.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy Blas Nuñez-Neto discussed with The Hill the Biden administration’s middle-ground approach to border policy, in which Nuñez-Neto has played a central role.

“This is one of those issues where the ends of the political spectrum tend to dominate the debate. But I think most Americans are actually somewhere in the middle,” Nuñez-Neto said. Read more from the interview here.

President Biden on Monday urged the United Auto Workers (UAW) and “Big Three” auto manufacturers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) to come to a “fair agreement” in their contract negotiations after the union warned it’s prepared to strike. Read more here.

“Trump has his pick of 2024 running mates: Kennedy could be among them” — Douglas E. Schoen, a political consultant who served as an adviser to President Clinton and to Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign. (Read here)

“Is Bernie Sanders the new healthcare pragmatist?” — Marc S. Ryan, a veteran health plan and healthcare technology executive. (Read here)

President Biden delivers remarks in Milwaukee, Wis., on “Bidenomics” one day before the 1-year anniversary of him signing the Inflation Reduction Act.