BIPARTISAN PLAUDITS: McConnell gave Biden kudos for how he’s handled this situation on the Senate floor this morning: “I spoke with both President Biden and Secretary Blinken yesterday about the situation in Burma. The new administration deserves credit for approaching this situation in a way that’s bipartisan and coordinated with Congress." NEW — A Russian court sentenced ALEXEI NAVALNY to three-and-a-half years in prison. ON THE WORLD STAGE — “China’s Top Diplomat Warns Biden Against Meddling in Hong Kong, Xinjiang,” WSJ: “Yang Jiechi on Tuesday Beijing time emphasized the potential for a healthy U.S.-China relationship on public health, trade and climate, echoing recent language from leader Xi Jinping. But he left limited room for negotiation on issues such as human rights, the coronavirus response and what he called U.S. interference in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.” GOOD QUESTION, via @mattyglesias : “Huge political story nobody seems to know the answer to: Is Trump refusing to go on cable, or are Fox/OANN/Newsmax for some reason refusing to book him?” — A POSSIBLE ANSWER, via NYT’s Maggie Haberman: “His senate trial is next week and his folks don’t want him alienating Republicans ahead of time. He’s also told some aides he plans to lay low for the next 6-8 weeks.” YET ANOTHER REMINDER THAT TRUMPISM IS NOT DEAD — “Hawley rakes in grassroots cash after Capitol attack,” Axios: “January was Sen. Josh Hawley's best fundraising month—by far—since his 2018 election, with a flood of small-dollar donations more than eclipsing the corporate cash he lost after leading an effort to block certification of President Biden's Electoral College win.” SCOTUS WATCH — “Ginni Thomas apologizes to husband’s Supreme Court clerks after Capitol riot fallout,” WaPo: “‘I owe you all an apology. I have likely imposed on you my lifetime passions,’ Thomas, who goes by Ginni, recently wrote to a private Thomas Clerk World email list of her husband’s staff over his three decades on the bench.” The apology came “after her election advocacy of President Donald Trump and endorsement of the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. that resulted in violence and death at the Capitol.” AT THE FED — “Why Are There So Few Black Economists at the Fed?” NYT: “Officials have often blamed the pipeline — Ph.D. economists are heavily white and Asian — but a New York Times analysis suggests the issue goes even beyond that. Black people are less represented within the Fed than in the field as a whole. Only two of the 417 economists, or 0.5 percent, on staff at the Fed’s board in Washington were Black.” THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION — “Inside the Brutal Power Struggle at Homeland Security,” The Intercept: “Tensions ran so high at the Department of Homeland Security’s oversight wing that one senior official fantasized about Arya Stark, the fictional assassin in ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘taking care of’ the agency chief, according to an investigation obtained by The Intercept under the Freedom of Information Act. “The investigation, conducted in 2020 by an outside law firm, reveals bureaucratic infighting so bitter that it drove out an agency head and led to an array of startling allegations, including that a high-level official made threatening comments about a concealed weapon during a meeting. The investigation paints a picture of DHS’s Office of Inspector General in chaos.” SOLUTIONS CORNER — “How the Biden Administration Can Help Solve Our Reality Crisis,” by NYT’s Kevin Roose: “I called a number of experts and asked what the Biden administration could do to help fix our truth-challenged information ecosystem, or at least prevent it from getting worse. … Assess the damage, and avoid the ‘terrorist’ trap. … Appoint a ‘reality czar.’ … Audit the algorithms. … Enact a ‘social stimulus,’ and fix people’s problems.” PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Amazon unveils Helix building as heart of HQ2 campus in Arlington,” WaPo: “Amazon unveiled plans Tuesday to build a futuristic building modeled after a double helix to serve as the centerpiece of its Arlington, Va., headquarters. “In artists’ renderings, the 350-foot-tall building — designed by the architectural firm NBBJ to reflect nature’s fondness for the helix in areas from DNA to the Milky Way galaxy — climbs above its National Landing neighborhood like the swirl on an ice cream cone or the tip of a giant screw that has punched through the Earth’s surface.” BOOK CLUB — “Obama speechwriter’s memoir ‘Grace’ to come out in 2022,” AP (VEGETABLES FOR) DESSERT — MICHELLE OBAMA on Instagram: “So thankful for this beautiful care package from our amazing @FLOTUS! These fresh veggies from the White House Kitchen Garden were such a wonderful — and delicious — surprise. Love you, Jill!” MEDIAWATCH — Alexandra Sifferlin will be health and science editor for NYT’s opinion section. She most recently was deputy editor of Elemental. Announcement TRANSITIONS — Paul Murphy has rejoined King & Spalding as a partner on the special matters and government investigations team. He most recently was chief of staff to FBI Director Chris Wray. … Chris Gillott is joining Invariant’s government relations team. He most recently was deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). | 
