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Biden's Day: President Biden is expected to make an announcement related to small businesses this afternoon and will deliver remarks on the lives lost to Covid-19 this evening. 

Congress: Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland faces senators on the Judiciary Committee beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET for his confirmation hearing.  

Voting Suit: Dominion Voting Systems has sued MyPillow and CEO Mike Lindell, seeking more than $1.3 billion in damages for what it alleges were defamatory accusations related to the presidential election.

Boeing: Airlines were told Sunday to stop flying Boeing's wide-body 777 aircraft equipped with a type of engine that broke apart during a flight over the weekend. The FAA said it would order immediate inspections.

Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program seek to improve access to Covid-19-relief funding for tiny firms and minority-owned businesses, reports Amara Omeokwe. The federal government’s signature coronavirus-relief program for small businesses will accept applications exclusively from firms with fewer than 20 employees for 14 days starting Wednesday, according to Biden administration officials.

• The State Department in a report to Congress didn’t name new companies as targets for sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2, allowing work on the Russian pipeline to continue unabated for now.

• Mr. Biden will meet virtually with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, in his first bilateral meeting as president.

The U.S. is willing to resume nuclear talks with Iran in coming weeks. Here's one tactic that could jumpstart diplomacy between the two countries.

Mr. Biden’s first month of Covid-19 response was marked by a larger federal role. But his efforts to pressure states to take actions that the federal government doesn’t control have had mixed results, and many school districts are still grappling with how and when to return to in-person instruction, report Stephanie Armour and Sabrina Siddiqui.

The U.S. death toll from Covid-19 is approaching half a million, even as newly reported cases and hospitalizations due to the disease decline.

Scientists say the world has reached a precarious point in the pandemic, one where conditions are ripe for the rise of more new variants that could complicate efforts to control the disease.

Covid-19 survivors who have gotten a first dose of vaccine are generating immune responses that might render a second shot unnecessary, several new research papers suggest.

Judge Merrick Garland, Mr. Biden's attorney general nominee, will promise to combat a rising threat of domestic extremism and stress the need for an independent Justice Department at his confirmation hearing, report Sadie Gurman and Jess Bravin. He is expected to receive bipartisan support, including from some Republicans who blocked his path to the Supreme Court in 2016. [Mr. Garland's prepared remarks]

• If confirmed, he would oversee politically sensitive investigations including a criminal tax investigation into Mr. Biden’s son Hunter.

• The Oklahoma City bombing helped solidify for Judge Garland the urgency and complexity of the domestic terror threat, a perspective he would bring to the Justice Department if confirmed.

• Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he will oppose Neera Tanden’s nomination to lead the OMB, imperiling her chances of getting confirmed by the Senate. 

• The Senate holds hearings Tuesday on Jan. 6 security failures with officials involved in Capitol security.

Legal experts say any incitement case against former President Donald Trump related to the Capitol riot could be an uphill battle, reports Brent Kendall. Benjamin Glassman, a former U.S. attorney in Ohio, said a case would need to do more than just focus on a single speech. “You can’t just look at what’s in the public record.”

Mr. Trump is expected to address the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 28 in Florida. He is expected to talk about the future of the Republican Party and Mr. Biden’s immigration policies.

Inflation problems depend on where you look for them. The Fed defines its inflation target in terms of consumer prices. If the Fed’s low interest rates it has helped to engineer lead to trouble, writes Jon Hilsenrath, the reason might be climbing asset prices rather than consumer prices.

Midwest labor markets are shaking off the Covid-19 downturn, report Kim Mackrael and Joe Barrett. In a pandemic role reversal, places like Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis have low unemployment rates while Boston and San Francisco have above-average joblessness.

America’s blue-collar workforce is filled with signs of a strengthening job market, reports Sarah Chaney Cambon. Nationally, employment in residential construction, package delivery and warehousing now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. 

• Republicans are dismissing the idea they'll be punished by voters for opposing President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. (The Hill)
• When he makes his first post-presidency appearance next weekend, President Trump plans to position himself as the Republicans' presumptive 2024 nominee. (Axios)
• Australia and New Zealand have begun coronavirus vaccinations, but their success amid the pandemic means they're in no rush. (Associated Press)

This newsletter is a production of the WSJ Washington bureau. Our newsletter editors are Kate Milani, Troy McCullough, James Graff, and Toula Vlahou. Send feedback to capitaljournal@wsj.com. You can follow politics coverage on our Politics page and at @wsjpolitics on Twitter.