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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

 

IN CONGRESS

*Hums to the tune of Jingle Bells* ‘Oh what fun it would be to have, a funded government, hey!’:

 

 

Government funding runs out on Feb. 18.  

Didn’t we just go through this?: Yes, but Congress passed a short-term funding bill through mid-February to buy themselves more time.  

Has a funding deal been reached?: Not yet  

So, what will likely happen?: The House is expected to pass another short-term funding bill this week. We don’t know yet how long that funding bill will last. 

What we know, from The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/3LchPrs

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING ON CAPITOL HILL:

Russia sanctions: “Senators are working to lock down a deal on Russia sanctions as they work to pass an agreement before a potential invasion into Ukraine.”

 

 

USPS reforms: “The House is poised to vote on legislation that would overhaul the United States Postal Service.”   

Grinding through President Biden’s nominees: “The Senate is expected to vote on Monday night on the confirmation Ebony M. Scott’s nomination to be a be an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and Donald Walker Tunnage’s nomination to be an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.”   

Context and details for each from The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/3LchPrs

Welcome back — it’s  Monday. 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. 

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Joe Manchin endorsed a Republican senator, but it’s not that big of a surprise:

 

 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) endorsed his colleague Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in her upcoming reelection campaign during an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.” https://cnn.it/3J0nOxI  

Manchin’s reasoning for endorsing a Republican: “It’s hypocritical to basically work with a person day-in and day-out, and then when they’re in cycle, you’re supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name.”   

By the way: Murkowski said she would endorse Manchin if he runs for reelection in 2024, but that’s not as newsy.  

More on the endorsement: https://cnn.it/3J0nOxI

LATEST WITH COVID-19

In New Jersey — A step in a positive direction:

Via The New York Times’s Tracey Tully, “Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat who has imposed some of the nation’s most stringent pandemic-related mandates, will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, signaling a deliberate shift toward treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life.” https://nyti.ms/34soIUS  

Keep in mind: “For the first time since the start of the pandemic, New Jersey districts will be permitted to allow students and teachers to stop wearing masks.”   

When that new mask policy will take effect: The second week in March.

^ Delaware, too!:

Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) is updating his state’s mask mandate, including phasing out required masks in schools on March 31. Read the governor’s full announcement: https://bit.ly/3rvGO0V

SOME EXPERTS ARE STARTING TO SUGGEST LIFTING MASK MANDATES:

The gist: Cases are down. Plus: “People are exhausted with the pandemic after roughly two years, and health advocates warn that pandemic rules cannot last forever.” https://bit.ly/3JqwkGD

CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 76,513,221 

U.S. death toll: 902,650 

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

VACCINATION NUMBERS:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 543 million shots have been given.  

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 336,887 doses  

For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.  

Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH

IN THE GOP

Will that be for here or to-go?:

Via The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey, Tom Hamburger and Ashley Parker, “President Donald Trump improperly removed multiple boxes from the White House that were retrieved by the National Archives and Records Administration last month from his Mar-a-Lago residence because they contained documents and other items that should have been turned over to the agency, according to three people familiar with the visit.” https://wapo.st/3sne1en  

Why this is big: It “raises new concerns about his adherence to the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties.”

Are you Team Ron or Team Don?:

 

 

Via The Hill’s Max Greenwood, “The simmering tensions between former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) are looming over the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where both men are set to give highly anticipated speeches later this month.” https://bit.ly/3sljxhy  

Keep in mind: They are considered two top contenders for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.  

Tidbit — will they appear together or separately at the conference?: “It’s unclear whether Trump and DeSantis will appear together or separately during CPAC — a common stop for conservative leaders and ambitious Republican politicians — and the conference’s organizers haven’t yet released the speaking schedule.”  

What we know: https://bit.ly/3sljxhy

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Ahh hahaha:

This is one of the best tweets I’ve seen in a while. I don’t want to give too much away, but trust me. It has more than 272,000 likes since yesterday: https://bit.ly/35OO6Vf

Pollsters everywhere salivate:

NBC’s Gary Grumbach tweeted, “Just watched a woman over the course of an hour flight switch from watching a segment of CNN, to a segment of MSNBC, to a segment of FOX News. That feels like a voter worth talking to…” https://bit.ly/3GA4g1v

ON TAP:

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.  

10:15 a.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris received the President’s Daily Brief.  

1:30 p.m. EST: President Biden participates in a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

3 p.m. EST: The Senate meets.  

5:30 p.m. EST: Two confirmation votes in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/34iqsAb  

6:30 – 8 p.m. EST: First and last votes in the House. The House’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3gqhTWu

WHAT TO WATCH:

1:45 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3ouxUix  

2:30 p.m. EST: State Department spokesperson Ned Price holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3grXC2z  

3 p.m. EST: Defense Department spokesman John Kirby holds a press briefing. Livestream: https://bit.ly/34Gj6WN  

3:15 p.m. EST: President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hold a joint press conference. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3Lfb6gi

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

Today is National Fettuccine Alfredo Day.

And because you made it this far, here’s dog who got itself in a pretty precarious situation: https://bit.ly/34gbECh