In Washington:

• As reported yesterday, the “Gang of 10” Republican lawmakers met with President Joe Biden to negotiate on Covid-19 relief after offering a $618 trillion counterproposal that was less than one-third the size of the $1.9 trillion package proposed by Biden.  Republicans emerged from the meeting optimistic that “it was a very good exchange of views," which lasted about two-hours and signals that there would be continued talks in the future.  The Republicans attempted to sell Biden that working together, they can expedite passage faster than trying to pass it through reconciliation. But Biden stayed neutral, leaving his options open, and making it clear that he is very comfortable moving forward through the budget reconciliation process.  He did signal that he might be open to more targeted direct payments.  Regardless, the Republican proposal is only one-third of Biden's plan and has shown no signs that they are willing to come to an amount that Democrats say is needed to address the crisis.  With Democrats now in control of both chambers, they will be less likely to back down from providing the state and local funding that has been one of their top priorities.
• Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are pressing on with introducing their budget resolutions to provide Congress with the option of using a reconciliation measure to provide COVID relief.   The Senate voted 50-49 to begin debate Tuesday on the budget blueprint (S. Con. Res. 5) where they will add up to $1.9 trillion in deficit spending while avoiding a 60-vote filibuster.  The House Budget Committee released H.Con. Res. 11, along with a report, "The Budget Resolution and Reconciliation: An Alternative Path for the American Rescue Plan," and a section-by-section analysis.  The House is expected to pass the budget resolution on Wednesday. Senate Democrats hope to pass the resolution by the end of the week. Coordinating with Senate Democrats, President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discussed coronavirus relief on a caucus Zoom call on Tuesday. 
• Prior to the vote, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a centrist swing vote, said that he would vote for the Democrats’ budget resolution assuring that the Democrats will be able to pass a COVID relief package with just 50 votes. In a statement, he said he would vote to move forward with the budget process because we must address the urgency of the COVID crisis.  Manchin warned that he would only support proposals that will get the U.S. through the pandemic, emphasizing that the Democrats’ efforts “must be targeted on the COVID-19 crisis and Americans who have been most impacted by this pandemic.”  
• On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that it will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies nationwide. The vaccines will initially appear in 6,500 pharmacies, said Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator. Supplies will be limited at first, with one million vaccine doses per week given to pharmacies starting February 11. In addition, the administration is increasing by 5 percent the vaccine doses given to states each week, to 10.5 million per week. That is on top of a 16 percent increase announced last week. 
• The Biden administration has started a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program to distribute a limited number of COVID-19 vaccine doses directly to retail pharmacies across the nation.  The program will broaden access and address equity issues with distribution.  Only about 1 million doses per week will be made available to eligible populations through the new program starting on Feb. 11.  The pharmacy chain expects to receive about 250,000 doses that will be rolled out at approximately 330 stores across 11 states, including California, New York, Texas and Virginia.
• At a White House briefing, coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients also said states will be fully reimbursed for emergency resources and services they’ve purchased or provided since the beginning of the pandemic.  It is estimated that states spent $3 billion to $5 billion on such items as masks, gloves and mobilizing the National Guard.

In the News:

• The U.K. coronavirus strain has picked up another mutation that appears to make the virus more resistant to vaccines, British authorities at Public Health England said on Monday. The mutation also appears in the variants that arose in South Africa and Brazil. It is believed to help the virus resist vaccines and antibody therapies and to infect people who already survived the original virus. 
• Essential workers in kitchens and on farms are most at risk of death from the coronavirus, according to a study from the University of California-San Francisco. In 2020 researchers found an especially high rate of excess mortality among line cooks, farmworkers, bakers, and construction laborers. Delivery workers were also hit hard. The risk of death for those groups was up between 30 and 60 percent. Deaths spiked, especially in the months after California eased its coronavirus restrictions.
• COVID-19 has sped up the use of “wearables” in the U.S. that double as credit or debit cards.  Several new products with payment features are built into clothing and jewelry, including reloadable bracelets and smart rings.
• On Monday, District of Columbia Public Schools went to court for a temporary restraining order against the Washington Teachers’ Union to avoid a work stoppage that could delay the reopening of some schools for in-person learning. The same day, Chicago school district officials extended remote learning for two more days as they called for a "cooling-off period" in negotiations with the teachers’ union, as they continue to work toward a full agreement on COVID-19 safety plans for returning to schools. 

• Giving COVID-19 survivors only one dose of the vaccine wouldn't negatively impact their antibody levels but would free up many urgently needed vaccine doses, a University of Maryland School of Medicine study suggested Monday. 

• Andrew Yang,  entrepreneur, former presidential candidate, and now candidate running for New York City mayor, tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Tuesday. 

• Russia reported that its Sputnik V vaccine has an effectiveness rate of more than 90%.