In the eye of the storm

Cases of COVID-19 and resulting hospitalizations are finally beginning to ebb somewhat in the U.S., but case rates are still high in comparison to previous surges of the virus. There's another problem too: the faster-spreading UK variant is rapidly proliferating in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the variant, named B.1.1.7, could become the dominant source of infection by March, with a "doubling rate of a little over a week and an increased transmission rate of 35-45%." The variant has already been reported in 33 states. —The Daily Beast

• — And now for some good news. Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged that while the demand for vaccinations outstrips supply right now, he expects the situation to improve soon. "I can tell you that things are going to get better as we get from February into March, into April, because the number of vaccine doses that will be available will increase substantially," Fauci said. The U.S. is currently vaccinating about 1.4 million people per day. —The Washington Post
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• — "It is a national emergency." That's how President Biden described not the pandemic itself but the school closures across the country and lack of in-person learning due to the coronavirus. In a pre-Super Bowl interview, Biden said, "I think it's time for schools to reopen safely. Safely." He added, "Our CDC commissioner is going to be coming out with science-based judgement...as early as Wednesday to lay out what the minimum requirements are." —Axios
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• — What about the stimulus? Congressional Democrats are moving ahead with a new round of $1,400 checks, the only question is, who receives them? Biden, hoping to pass a relief package in a bipartisan manner, has expressed a willingness to reduce who receives direct payments. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen suggested yesterday that she and Biden are opposed to $50,000 per year earnings being the threshold for individuals, but are open to it being below $75,000, the level set for previous checks. Stay tuned. —Newsweek

Maan: Disinfo is just the start

"Just as the power of stories, myths, narratives, does not rely on truth, facts, or accuracy of information for its effect, so too if disinformation is storified, mythologized, narrated, it will give people a way to understand their own experiences in a way that is, in fact, impervious to the truth. That is the problem we face. The problem is more profound than disinformation." —Ajit Maan in Homeland Security Today

Ajit Maan is the founder and CEO of Narrative Strategies LLC, affiliate faculty at the Center for Narrative Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and professor of global security and future of war at Arizona State University.

MORE: Lawsuits take the lead in fight against disinformation —The New York Times

No intel for 'erratic' Trump

In a historical first, President Biden said on Friday that he would bar Donald Trump from receiving the intelligence briefings traditionally given to former presidents, saying that Trump could not be trusted. The move is in keeping with a recommendation from House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, who said last month that Trump's access to any classified information should be cut off. "What value is giving him an intelligence briefing?" Biden said. "What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?" —The New York Times

MORE: House managers rebut Trump team's calls to dismiss impeachment case, say evidence is 'overwhelming' —NBC News

Egan: Electoral reform yields political courage

"The gutsy stand to remove a mad president will actually help Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse win re-election, which is how it should be for the rare politician who chooses country over party. They will win because Washington is one of the few states where voters have designed a method to keep extremists from both parties on the fringe of politics. It's something the rest of the country could learn from." —Timothy Egan in The New York Times

Timothy Egan is a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times.

MORE: Cheney refuses to apologize for impeachment vote after McCarthy told her to —Axios

The Economist: What's next for Saudi Arabia?

"Many Democrats, and even some Republicans, want to see [Saudi Arabia] punished for the carnage in Yemen and [journalist Jamal] Khashoggi's murder. Biden himself said in a presidential debate that he would treat Saudi Arabia like a 'pariah.' That is unlikely. Americans may be exasperated with Saudi Arabia, but it remains a mighty oil producer, a G20 member, and an important partner for counterterrorism. Biden cannot simply break ties. Instead he will have to find a new approach, one that neither indulges the kingdom's worst impulses nor reinforces its worst fears." —The Economist

MORE: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, Saudi foreign minister discuss Yemen, human rights —U.S. News & World Report

Focus on global democracy

In the first conversation between senior U.S. and Chinese officials since President Biden took office, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for China to condemn the military coup in Myanmar and warned Beijing that Washington will work with its allies to hold the People's Republic accountable for its efforts to threaten international stability, particularly in the Taiwan Strait. —CNBC

• — Ecuador. The result of Ecuador's election yesterday means the country will have a runoff in April. It is not yet clear whether socialist economist Andres Arauz will face conservative banker Guillermo Lasso or anti-mining indigenous leader Yaku Perez, as authorities are still counting votes in a race that's too close to call. —U.S. News & World Report
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• — Haiti. Haitian President Jovenel Moïse announced yesterday that police have arrested more than 20 people he has accused of trying to kill him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who has the support of opposition leaders demanding that Moïse step down. —The Washington Post
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• — Israel. Israel is asking dozens of its allies to urge the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court not move forward with an investigation of alleged war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Israel is concerned an investigation could lead to international arrest warrants against Israel officials and military officers, and boost BDS campaigns against Israel. —Axios

Rondeaux: Putin's biggest blunder

"During his 21 years in power, President Vladimir Putin has made a number of strategic missteps, but few will prove more consequential for him, his inner circle, or indeed Russia itself than the jailing of anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny. As evidenced by wave after wave of protests across Russia since Navalny's arrest upon his return to Moscow last month, the Kremlin's harsh response has only provoked more Russians to take to the streets. It has also united the U.S. and its NATO allies after years of policy disarray on dealing with Moscow." —Candace Rondeaux in World Politics Review

Candace Rondeaux is a senior fellow and professor of practice at the Center on the Future of War.

MORE: Scott Simon: Alexei Navalny fights for freedom of expression in Putin's Russia —NPR

THE TOPLINE is very factual. I am so angry at all the Trump lies about the election. Those of us who know of his years of criminal activity, lies, cheating, and deadbeating could have predicted this. Given the number of criminal cases mounting against him, he is now very vulnerable, because he cannot hide behind "Your great President" anymore. —Donna C., California

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