POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden (mostly) breaks with Trump in vaccinating the world

BY JOANNE KENEN AND CARMEN PAUN Presented by With help from Renuka Rayasam and Tyler Weyant THE TWO-FRONT PANDEMIC WAR — The White House today announced that the U.S. will do more to help vaccinate the rest of the world — the latest reversal from the Trump era. But it won’t be everything global health advocates wanted. And it won’t be right now. The bottom line: President Joe Biden must balance the political and medical imperatives of getting our own country vaccinated along with the scientific reality that we can’t stop the coronavirus in one country without stopping it everywhere. The global nature of the crisis, after all, is what makes it a pandemic. Congress in December approved $4 billion for international vaccine aid, and an administration official said today that it will be equally split between buying vaccines for poor countries through COVAX, the global accelerator for equitable vaccine access, and expanding manufacturing and delivery of vaccines. About $2.5 billion will go out fast to show American commitment and to get other countries to join in for what, in total, will be about a $15 billion effort. But the Biden administration is not going to share any of the vaccine doses that it has acquired with other countries yet. But sharing is precisely what the World Health Organization is asking rich countries to do — a plea now echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron. (Biden will announce this to a virtual G7 leaders meeting Friday. Carmen, who writes our weekly Global Pulse newsletter, has more details on what he will say). The decision not to share and share alike until after Americans are vaccinated sometime down the road may be the inevitable political choice. The U.S. immunization effort, while improving, is still messy. Millions of vulnerable people are trying to book shots that just aren’t yet available via frustratingly difficult appointment sign-up systems. And while cases and deaths are dropping, the U.S. is still closing in on a half-million coronavirus deaths — and contagious new variants could erase the recent gains as they spread quickly. But focusing on vaccinating our own country might not be the best scientific choice — and not really in our own interest. The virus originated outside the United States — even if China has at times suggested otherwise. So did some of the worrisome variants, first detected in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil, that have made their way here and threaten to prolong the pandemic. “You are only as strong as the weakest country out there,” Paul Offit, a leading vaccine scientist at Penn, told us. “It’s in our self interest,” he said, to help vaccinate others, and to cooperate with much, much better disease detection and surveillance around the world. It may not even be good geopolitics for the U.S., with Russia and China making their vaccines widely available across the globe. The “vaccine diplomacy,” either through bilateral deals or donations, is sometimes the only way poor countries are getting their hands on the shots. And it’s sparking suspicion from some richer Western countries about how Russia and China are using doses as geopolitical tools. Biden has certainly taken a more global approach to the international health crisis than his predecessor — the one he calls “the former guy.” The Trump administration did not even join COVAX. When Congress did designate that $4 billion for global vaccination in December, then-President Donald Trump tried to undo it in the final days of his presidency. (He failed.) Not only has Biden already rejoined the WHO, he ponied up some of the money the U.S. owed just this week. Still, for now, regarding the shots at least, Biden also has put America first. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news and tips at jkenen@politico.com, cpaun@politico.com and rrayasam@politico.com, or on Twitter at @joannekenen , @carmenpaun and @renurayasam.   A message from The ACLU: The ACLU launches new Systemic Equality agenda: Since its founding, the fabric of American society has been woven with unjust, racist policies that harm Black and Indigenous people of color. We must address America’s legacy of racism and systemic discrimination. The ACLU is calling on the Biden administration and Congress to advance societal equity, close the racial wealth gap, and seek reconciliation for our past. Learn more.   AROUND THE NATION SEEING RED IN TEXAS — Transportation editor and native Texan Kathryn A. Wolfe writes: It’s Day 5 of power and water problems in Texas, and with more suffering yet ahead, the visuals of Sen. Ted Cruz jetting off to Cancun with his family and recent comments from former Texas Gov. Rick Perry have enraged many. For those reliant on the state’s health system, the crisis has been particularly fearsome. Merrick Deville, who makes online content from her home in Austin, said she resorted to burning a dining room chair for warmth as temperatures in her house dropped into the 20s. But she was most worried about her friend, a leukemia patient whose blood transfusion was canceled because the hospital doesn’t have water or power. “I don’t know if my friend is going to get the blood transfusion he needs, and Ted Cruz is in f---ing Cancun,” she said. “I can’t tell you what I think should happen to Rick Perry,” she said, in reference to comments he made saying Texans are willing to suffer through power outages to keep federal hands off the state’s power grid. A public health nurse for a large Texas city, who requested anonymity to protect her job, called Perry’s comments “ridiculous.” She said she also lost water and power for days, but it’s more worrisome that she had to stop their program of giving seniors in small assisted living facilities Covid-19 vaccines. Even once they are cleared to go, most of the nurses she works with also don’t have power or water. “I just don’t know how we’ll be able to do this, half of us haven’t had a shower in a week,” she said. Leticia Hahn, an unemployed mother of three from industrial Baytown, said power, water and food have been scarce. Her husband works for a grocery store, but “they can’t open without water, for health regulations,” she said. And though water has begun to trickle again, the city is under a boil water notice that’s impossible to follow if you have no power. Hahn called Perry’s comments “disgusting” and compared it to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s earlier controversial remarks about Texans being willing to let their grandparents die from Covid-19 if it means the state can reopen. “I don’t have grandparents alive but my parents are 60 and I wouldn’t ever think — ‘Oh, I DO want that Taco Bell down the street to open, let me sacrifice them,’” she said. “It’s just so frustrating, instead of — ‘Ok, we’re going to investigate.’” And Chris Lund, the office manager for an Austin psychiatrist Dr. Leonard Weiss, said they had been “brought to a standstill” by the power outages, which are affecting their ability to fill patients’ prescriptions. Weiss said this is particularly acute with controlled stimulants, which can only be submitted to pharmacies electronically. “There was a 24 to 36 hour period … we couldn’t get the internet so nobody could get their meds,” Weiss said. “Luckily we’ve been able to work around it, because Chris has been very creative.” That includes roaming around until he found an open Post Office lobby, where he could charge his devices. Meanwhile: Even though Cruz said his daughters requested this specific trip, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman writes that the Cruz family goes “frequently” to Mexico, according to a person in Cruz-world. Another person close to the senator’s orbit added, during the widespread condemnation of the senator’s trip: “I don’t think this was a staff failure. Everyone is disappointed.”   NEW – “THE RECAST” NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. “Influence” is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country, and new voices that challenge “business as usual.” Don’t miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW.     FIRST IN NIGHTLY 46’S FARM CONUNDRUM — Biden and Congress are facing an unfamiliar sight as they craft another round of pandemic relief programs: a farm economy that’s rapidly heating up after years of decline , agriculture reporter Ryan McCrimmon writes. Fueled by surging exports to China, a shrinking supply of crops and some of the highest commodity prices in seven years, many farmers are anticipating a highly profitable 2021 harvest. The upbeat forecast is raising questions about whether Washington should start peeling back the massive subsidies that have kept producers afloat for years, including long before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the U.S. economy. Watchdog groups argue that farmers keep getting a disproportionate amount of help while struggling sectors like restaurants and biofuel producers beg lawmakers for a lifeline. But the powerful industry and its allies on Capitol Hill say it’s too early to declare agriculture in the clear and hit the brakes on federal support, especially while the Covid-19 crisis rages on. WHAT'D I MISS? In this handout image provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. | NASA via Getty Images — Perseverance lands on Red Planet: NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars, marking a major step for the space agency’s ambitions to make the Red Planet a primary destination for exploration in the next decade and beyond. ( Jacqueline Feldscher has more on what’s next in space exploration, and check out POLITICO’s Space newsletter Friday morning for more on the historic landing.) — Dole announces Stage 4 cancer: Former Kansas senator and Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole announced that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. “My first treatment will begin on Monday. While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,” the 97-year-old Dole said in a statement. — Ivanka sitting out Rubio matchup: The former president’s White House adviser and daughter told Sen. Marco Rubio last month that she would not mount a primary challenge to his reelection bid in 2022, a spokesperson for the Florida Republican said. — Tech giants heading back to Hill (virtually): Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have agreed to testify remotely next month at a House hearing on misinformation and disinformation — the latest in what has become a series of Capitol Hill grillings for major Silicon Valley executives.       ON THE HILL BLEAK ODDS FOR BIDEN IMMIGRATION BILL — Congressional Democrats unveiled Biden’s expansive immigration reform bill today, which would provide an eight-year pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. But it already faces dim prospects for becoming law with such narrow Democratic majorities in both chambers, Laura Barrón-López, Heather Caygle and Anita Kumar write. The bill, introduced by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), would create an expedited pathway for Dreamers and other select undocumented immigrants. It also would increase the number of available diversity visas, and direct more funding to immigration courts and technology. “We have an economic and moral imperative to pass big, bold and inclusive immigration reform that leaves no one behind, not our Dreamers and [Temporary Protective Status] holders, not our farm workers and meat packers, not our essential workers and not our parents, friends and neighbors,” Menendez said on a call with reporters. Menendez alluded to past attempts and failures to pass big reforms. “We have compromised too much and capitulated too quickly to fringe voices who have refused to accept the humanity and contributions of immigrants to our country,” he said. ON THE ECONOMY TAKING STONK — House Democrats today blasted online brokerage Robinhood and trading giant Citadel Securities over their business models in a hearing that highlighted frustration from lawmakers about inequalities built into the structure of the stock market, Victoria Guida and Kellie Mejdrich write. In the wake of the GameStop stock trading frenzy last month, lawmakers pressed Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on how the popular retail trading app could claim it was providing the best possible prices for its small-dollar customers while selling their order information to sophisticated financial firms like Citadel Securities that grab the trades before they hit public exchanges. “Citadel is one of the winners,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a former Goldman Sachs vice president. “They’re the casino in this story, and the casino tends to win over time. Robinhood ... makes a lot of money from the casino.” “So who loses?” Himes said. “The retail investor.” NIGHTLY NUMBER 861,000 The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid , an increase that shows layoffs remain painfully high despite a steady drop in the number of confirmed viral infections. It also could strengthen the rationale for Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan.   GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what’s really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what’s about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don’t miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we’d be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook     PARTING WORDS BOILED OVER — Renuka writes: When Covid shutdowns first hit the country last year, my husband decided to take up cooking as his pandemic hobby. He’s always been very good in the kitchen (though I am better!), and cooking was an integral part of our courtship. On one of our very early dates, he invited me over for a Peruvian dish of chicken with arroz verde and game 7 of the NBA finals. I returned the favor with a home-cooked Indian meal of chickpeas, lemon rice and eggplant. He sometimes tells me that it was a moment when he knew we might get married one day. But the pandemic cooking became a major source of tension in our otherwise smooth relationship. It wasn’t really about the food; our fights were an outward symbol of the pressure that came with navigating all the sudden changes in our lives. The pandemic altered our professional and personal lives in a lot of ways. My job got very demanding and started claiming lots of late nights. All the things he had been preparing for and looking forward to in his final semester of law school — a moot court competition in Arizona, working with the juvenile public defender in Austin, graduation — were canceled. Instead of that, he was at home with our two babies, then both under the age of 2. Cooking was a way for him to both entertain our kids and himself while I was working. (Our toddler always loved to watch people cooking almost as much as he loves scrambling eggs.) But to me it felt like an indulgence both in terms of time and money that we couldn’t spare when we were in crisis mode. Then the dishes. ... Couldn’t we just eat scrambled eggs and pizza for dinner? Instead, hard-to-find spices and huge cookbooks and more groceries than we could fit into our fridge showed up at our door. So did pots and pans and knives from the registry of our canceled wedding. He experimented with deboning and stuffing whole chickens a la Jacques Pépin, de-scaling and filleting a whole fish, buying and roasting beef bones for broth, making Kashmiri chili paste for recipes out of our Rasika cookbook. We fought about the expense, the mess, the time, but really it was a proxy war over the fallout from the pandemic. I had more work and he had less, and we were both full of resentment for it. Neither of us could say it, of course. Eventually we both backed off. He cut back on the purchases (or maybe there were none left in our registry). The bar exam and then a new job he loved helped divert his attention away from the kitchen. My work schedule eased up as well. I miss cooking. Not pandemic cooking — just regular old cooking. I’m usually done with work right when it’s dinner time, so my cooking with the boys is mostly limited to French Toast on Sundays. We haven’t hosted a dinner party in almost a year, so I haven’t gotten the chance to plan and prep recipes. But now I finally appreciate having a lovely home cooked meal most nights, instead of worrying about how it got there. The cookware is growing on me. On Valentine’s Day last weekend, after the kids went to sleep, we ate black cod that spent two days marinating in our fridge. Sometimes I find myself even browsing our stack of cookbooks to pick out things I want him to make.   A message from The ACLU: Systemic Equality = Freedom and justice for all The ACLU is calling on the Biden administration and Congress to advance societal equity, close the racial wealth gap, and seek reconciliation for our nation’s racist past. People of color, especially Black people, continue to endure systemic exclusion and discrimination – over 150 years after the abolition of slavery. Systems of oppression have been codified on the federal and state level, leaving generations of Black communities underrepresented in the policy decisions and legislation that has a direct impact on their communities – housing, voting, hiring, education, banking, technology and more. The long-standing damage caused by systemic injustice is unmistakable, as Black Americans endure violence and death at the hands of the state, while disproportionately bearing the economic, financial, and community burdens of COVID-19. It’s time for a new racial justice agenda. Learn about the ACLU's Systemic Equality agenda here.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WARREN moves to FINANCE COMMITTEE— Council to vote on SPECIAL ELECTION petition — BAKER pitches vax to BUSINESSES

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. WARREN MOVING TO FINANCE COMMITTEE — This time last year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was pitching her wealth tax to voters on the presidential campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now, Warren plans to file the proposal in the Senate as a new member of a powerful committee. Warren is joining the Senate Committee on Finance, she announced yesterday afternoon. The two-term Senator is also moving off the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over taxes and revenue, trade agreements and the national debt, along with Social Security and programs like Medicare and Medicaid. A role on the committee makes sense with Warren's background — previously a Harvard law professor and a top expert on bankruptcy, Warren proposed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It's an interesting move for Warren , who made economic inequality a centerpiece of her presidential campaign, and is often at odds with Wall Street. Warren even sold campaign mugs emblazoned with the phrase "Billionaire Tears" during the primary. Among Warren's best-known financial proposals: Student debt cancellation, which she has encouraged President Joe Biden to do through an executive order. Most recently, Warren has become a key lawmaker in the unfolding GameStop stock trading saga. This year also marks a move out of the minority for the Massachusetts Democrat, now that Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Warren is a member of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's leadership team. A spot on the powerful Finance Committee also bolsters Massachusetts' congressional clout, with key players like Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark, House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal and House Rules Committee chair Jim McGovern holding top jobs in the opposite chamber. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — The Boston City Council votes on a home rule petition that would cancel a special election in the event that the mayor steps down before March 5. HAPPENING TONIGHT: I’m moderating a Suffolk University talk on the first 100 days of the Biden administration, featuring Martha Kumar, Meena Bose, and Roger Fisk. Our conversation begins at 6 p.m., and is hosted by GBH’s Forum Network. Register here.   TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.     THE LATEST NUMBERS – “Massachusetts reports 1,963 new COVID cases, 45 deaths on Tuesday as 7-day average of positive tests drops to 3.44%” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 1,963 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the number of active cases statewide to 67,650. Health officials also announced another 45 COVID-related fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 14,362.” DATELINE BEACON HILL – “State drags its feet on nursing home Medicaid terminations,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “On August 3, the Baker administration sent letters to three nursing homes informing them that a series of care violations had precipitated their ouster from the state’s Medicaid program, the financial lifeline of nearly every nursing home in Massachusetts.” – “Should police be able to ask about your immigration status? Legislators refile bill that would prohibit it,” by Steph Solis, Masslive.com: “A trio of Massachusetts lawmakers refiled a bill on Tuesday that would make it illegal for local court and police officials ask about a person’s immigration status, as well as limit cooperation between police and federal immigration agents.” – “Glitch resolved for immigrants seeking unemployment insurance,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state’s Department of Unemployment Assistance has cleared up a paperwork Catch-22 for immigrants with temporary protected status that was preventing them from receiving or extending their unemployment benefits.” – “‘We got nearly half the Legislature’: More than 80 lawmakers sign on to letter rapping Gov. Charlie Baker’s plan for a scaled-back Holyoke Soldiers’ Home,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration continues to weather criticism over the state’s current plan for a ‘reimagined’ Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke — this time from a bipartisan group of state legislators. Led by state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, 81 state senators and representatives signed a letter urging Baker to reconsider the state’s current plan for a new Soldiers’ Home with 20% fewer beds.” – “Baker makes another push for opioid tax,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Opioid makers could be forced to pay millions of dollars in annual taxes to help cover the cost of state-funded drug treatment. Gov. Charlie Baker wants to slap a 15% tax on the overall sales of opioid manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma, as part of his preliminary budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.” – “Poll: Students unhappy with remote and hybrid learning,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “A new poll released Tuesday confirmed what many students have been saying all along: High school students far prefer to be learning in person than to be in a remote or even a hybrid model. And in many cases, the students for whom remote learning is most challenging – low-income, black, and Hispanic students – are also those most likely to be learning fully remotely.” – “Massachusetts state pension fund sees record-breaking returns, reaches all-time high of $86.9 billion,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: “Following market volatility and uncertainty at play through much of the first half of 2020, a strong second-half performance for the Massachusetts state pension fund -- the largest six-month return in its 37-year history -- helped drive the fund up to an all-time high of $86.9 billion by the end of 2020.” VAX-ACHUSETTS – “Baker officials push businesses to vaccinate employees,” by Greg Ryan and Gintautas Dumcius, Boston Business Journal: “The Baker administration has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to find Massachusetts businesses willing and able to administer Covid-19 vaccines to their employees, holding online briefings for interested employers and reaching out to executives directly.” – “Fragmented, decentralized health system plagues vaccine rollout across US, Massachusetts,” by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: “The snakebitten COVID-19 vaccine launch, beset by supply shortages, unused doses, and vexing technical complexity, has brutally exposed the weaknesses in the fragmented US and Massachusetts health care delivery systems.” – “Burlington tech firm helps West Virginia become a vaccination leader,” by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe: “Newly eligible residents in Massachusetts seeking COVID vaccine shots may face a bewildering trek through multiple websites littered with complex instructions. But in West Virginia, there’s just one website to visit, or one toll-free number to call.” – “In vaccine rollout, cities find themselves on the front line,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “In all the finger-pointing over the state’s shaky COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the criticism may have been aimed at Charlie Baker, but in Revere, the phone calls went to Brian Arrigo. Local government is where people often turn first for help, and Revere’s mayor said they have looked to him and city government throughout the pandemic.” – “COVID-19 Vaccine Site To Open In Hard-Hit Chelsea,” by Arun Rath and Amanda Beland, GBH News: “On Thursday, the city of Chelsea is set to open its own coronavirus vaccination center at the headquarters of the Chelsea Collaborative. The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will operate the new vaccination site.” FROM THE HUB – “Marty Walsh filling Boston boards with appointees on way out,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Mayor Martin Walsh is filing unusually large numbers of board and committee appointments as he heads toward the door. The mayor filed 31 appointments for the city’s sundry boards in advance of this week’s City Council meeting — after filing eight and 15 for the other two meetings this year.” – “The Boston Archdiocese’s list of priests accused of abuse does not include cases settled with alleged victims,” by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has paid millions of dollars in recent years to resolve accusations of sexual abuse against priests working in local parishes. Yet, the names of many of those priests are missing from the archdiocese’s public roster of clergy accused of sexually abusing children.” – “Uber to acquire Boston-based alcohol delivery service Drizly for $1.1 billion,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Uber Technologies announced on Tuesday that it will be acquiring Boston-based Drizly, an alcohol delivery service, for $1.1 billion in stock and cash. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Drizly had been growing at a rate of 300 percent year-over-year.” – “Despite COVID-19 Risks, Liberal Arts Colleges Welcome Students Back To Campus,” by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “As he was preparing to hit send on a carefully-crafted email in October inviting all students back to campus for the spring semester, the president of Holy Cross College in Worcester said he prayed — a lot. ‘Before, during, after, every day, every midday,’ the Rev. Philip Boroughs said, laughing.” THE RACE FOR CITY HALL – “Boston city councilors are voting to nix a mayoral special election. Does it matter that some are also candidates?” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “With more than a third of the council running or thinking about running for mayor, some disagreement has emerged on who should actually be voting.” – “Can Kim Janey pull a Menino when she takes over as acting Boston mayor?” by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald: “Boston Mayor-in-Waiting Kim Janey faces a make-it-or-break-it few months to establish herself and tackle the coronavirus crisis in order to pull off a Menino — ride the title of acting mayor to an election win.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – “CDC joins state in 'no mask, no ride' public transit rule,” by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a sweeping order last week, requiring masks be worn on all forms of public transportation, including airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, buses, ride-shares and taxis.” DAY IN COURT – “Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Bryan Erickson accused of strangling girlfriend, fleeing from officers arrested at his home, relieved of duty,” by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: “A Massachusetts State Police sergeant who is accused of strangling his girlfriend in New Hampshire as she tried to break up with him and fleeing from authorities afterward was taken into custody over the weekend and relieved of duty, authorities said.” – “Massachusetts Man Wanted In Carlos Ghosn’s Escape Accuses U.S. Of ‘Betrayal,’” by Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press: “A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran accused, along with his son, of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chair Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box is imploring U.S. officials to block their extradition.” WARREN REPORT – “Exclusive: Elizabeth Warren wants answers on Robinhood's ties to large hedge funds,” by Matt Egan, CNN Business: “Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from Robinhood co-CEO Vlad Tenev over potential conflicts of interest caused by the free trading app's relationship with large hedge funds and other financial players.” FROM THE DELEGATION – “Rep. Lynch On Coronavirus Relief Bill, Trump's Second Impeachment,” by Tiziana Dearing and Chris Citorik, WBUR. Link. – “Ayanna Pressley slams unequal coronavirus vaccine distribution as ‘vaccine redlining,’” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is slamming the unequal distribution of coronavirus vaccines in communities of color as ‘vaccine redlining.’ Pressley said she ‘saw this vaccine redlining’ early on in communities already disproportionately hurt by the pandemic.” TRUMPACHUSETTS – “Bill Weld, former GOP officials urge Senate Republicans to hold Trump ‘accountable’ in impeachment trial,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld joined two former Trump administration officials and nearly three dozen others in calling on Republican senators to ‘adjudicate accountability’ in former President Donald Trump’s looming impeachment trial — or leave a ‘permanent stain’ on the GOP.” DATELINE D.C. – “Democrats plow ahead with a party-line Covid relief package,” by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett, POLITICO: “Senate Democrats are increasingly confident they will deliver a coronavirus relief package in the coming weeks, even if it means moving forward without Republican support. Democrats took the first step Tuesday toward passing a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill with a simple majority, holding a vote to start the so-called budget reconciliation process.” ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: “PLAYING FAVORITES," "DANGER,” — Globe: “Fragmented health care slows push to inoculate," "In brief, Democrats pin mayhem on Trump.” FROM THE 413 – “Legal case against Lee PCB dump to be filed by March 5,” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “The legal fight against a secretly negotiated Housatonic River cleanup, one that includes disposal of lower-level toxins in a Lee landfill, will be spelled out by early March, the start of what appears to be additional years of litigation.” – “As Springfield Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez resigns, the full council will accept candidates and select his replacement,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “The City Council starting next week will accept letters of interest from residents to fill a vacancy triggered by the resignation of Ward 1 Councilor Adam Gomez. Gomez, who began serving as state senator for the Hampden District in January, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from the council to devote more attention to his Senate duties.” – “Springfield city councilors call for U.S. Department of Justice to issue consent decree to force police department reforms,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “A group of current and former city councilors sent a letter Tuesday urging the U.S. Department of Justice to mandate reforms in the city’s police department in the wake of a report by the agency alleging a pattern of excessive force and misconduct by narcotics officers.” THE LOCAL ANGLE – “Worcester council committee OKs 'crime forecasting' report, further public airing of the technology,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “At a City Council subcommittee meeting Monday night, residents continued to voice concerns over the proposed purchase of ‘crime forecasting’ technology for the Police Department.” – “'Herd immunity' message confuses parents,” by Madeline Hughes, Eagle-Tribune: “Andover Interim Superintendent Claudia Bach released a letter by email Monday telling parents the district's students would not fully return to in-school classes until ‘we reach herd immunity via vaccinations.’ Caught by surprise, parents took to social media and emailed school officials expressing confusion, frustration and even some outrage after receiving the correspondence.” – “Crocheting Bernie Sanders for charity in Chelmsford,” by Aaron Curtis, The Lowell Sun: “In addition to bringing hilarity to the internet, the image is now raising piles of money for charities nationwide, including at a local level, thanks to the crocheting talents of Chelmsford business owner Eileen DeChaves.” MEDIA MATTERS – “Stop the presses: Student editor’s tale is one for the ages,” by Thomas Farragher, Boston Globe: “Isa Grullon is 34 now. Born in Methuen and raised in Lawrence, she’s a single mom whose life story is worthy of the kind of front-page feature stories on which she cut her teeth, and earned her stripes — the kind of deeply moving tales that helped propel her into the top job at the NECC Observer.” TRANSITIONS – Dan Toomey, a Cohasset native, joins Morning Brew as a creator. Toomey was previously a desk assistant at ABC News in Washington, D.C. Tweet. REMEMBERING KAY BOURNE … via the Bay State Banner: “Kay Bourne, who served as the Banner’s arts editor through the paper’s first four decades, passed away Sunday, Jan. 31. She was 82. While writing for the Banner, Bourne took a keen interest in Boston’s Black arts community, highlighting the contributions of local visual artists, playwrights, musicians and actors.” Link. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Matt Rhoades, co-CEO of CGCN Group; Justine Turner, an Elizabeth Warren 2020 alum; Fred Hochberg, former Ex-Im Bank chairman, Billy Shore and WCVB's Haley Ryger. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   JOIN THURSDAY - BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST AROUND THE VACCINE: How do we overcome the trust gap around the Covid-19 vaccines? How do we craft and deliver messages to break through fear and misinformation, especially in diverse and underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus? Join for a conversation with policymakers and public health experts about the urgent need to soothe fears and get Americans vaccinated. REGISTER HERE.       Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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