By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• TWEETS FROM LAST NIGHT:

@HillaryClinton: The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork. Let's protect all our kids. #GrandmothersKnowBest

• RAND PAUL - VACCINES CAN LEAD TO 'MENTAL DISORDERS': In a contentious interview, Sen. Rand Paul said he's heard of cases where vaccines lead to "mental disorders" and argued that parents should be the ones to choose whether they vaccinate their children, not the government, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. Paul is a former ophthalmologist. "I've heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines," Paul, R-Ky., said in an interview with CNBC anchor Kelly Evans. "I'm not arguing vaccines are a bad idea. I think they're a good thing, but I think the parents should have some input," he added. "The state doesn't own your children. Parents own the children and it is an issue of freedom." http://abcn.ws/1zNPvV6

• CHRISTIE SAYS PARENTS SHOULD HAVE A 'MEASURE OF CHOICE' ON VACCINATING KIDS: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie broke with President Obama yesterday, saying there must be a "balance" from the government between parental choice and views on vaccines and public health interests, stressing families must have a "measure of choice" on the issue, ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE writes. "Mary Pat and I have had our children vaccinated and we think that it's an important part of being sure we protect their health and the public health," Christie said, according to the Washington Post, traveling with Christie, who is currently on a trip to the United Kingdom. http://abcn.ws/1BV2kuB

• HAPPENING ON THE HILL: Today we have the first hearing on US-Cuba policy since President Obama announced the normalization of relations between the two countries last December, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. The hearing is led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, a likely 2016 presidential contender and a fierce opponent of the administration's policy. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are ready to put up a fight against Republicans over their Department of Homeland Security funding bill which includes immigration provisions. Democrats will have their first chance to block Republican efforts as they try to mount a filibuster at a procedural vote this afternoon. Additionally, they will appear with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to urge Republicans to pass a clean bill. The deadline to pass funding for the department is Feb. 27.

WHAT WE'RE READING

WHY PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS LOVE TO HATE WASHINGTON, DC. During an appearance at the American Action Network's headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told the audience that he would never become a creature of the city he was visiting. "I gotta tell you. As much as I love coming here, I love going home more," Walker said at the event, hosted by longtime GOP fundraiser and AAN co-founder Fred Malek. D.C., he said he likes to say, is "68 square miles surrounded by reality." In bashing D.C. even as he spoke from offices where one can practically see the White House from the window, Walker was carrying out a rite of passage for most presidential hopefuls, Republican and Democratic, who don't currently work inside the Beltway: Biting the hands of the D.C. power brokers whose rings they must simultaneously kiss, ABC's ALI WEINBERG reports. "Washington is never particularly popular in the rest of the country and it's not even popular in Washington," said GOP strategist Doug Heye - making it a prime foil against which governors and other non-D.C. leaders can project their own experiences within their states. But those kinds of verbal jabs are taken with a wink and a nod by the lobbyists, fundraisers and other political types that get courted by these prospective candidates for money and support. READ MORE: http://abcn.ws/16qHEjz

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's RICK KLEIN: Debates over vaccine policy and efficacy? Not how the Republican Party wants to spend the next year and a half. The disagreements that are emerging involving Rand Paul, Chris Christie, and Ben Carson, though, are predictable enough to further make the prediction that they'll be back often, if they're likely to come over different issue sets. One of the consequences of catering to different constituencies over the course of a long, long primary run-up is not wanting to offend the small-ish segments for whom single issues paramount. It has the potential to pit Republicans against science in a range of different areas. Yes, some on the right see this is a media-driven controversy. But there's no oxygen for a story like this where there's no disagreement between the candidates themselves - and there are differences, as Christie and then Paul made clear. Any time Republicans are disagreeing enough to wake Hillary Clinton from her social-media slumber you know the GOP is going places it doesn't want to go.

ABC' SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is on his last day of a three day trip to the UK, but instead of the goals of the trip, which he described last week as to "bring more jobs back to New Jersey and to create newer and stronger relationships between our state and our third largest trading partner," he made headlines for comments on vaccinations, creating a firestorm back in the country it looks increasingly like he wants to lead. The potential GOP White House contender will have to keep answering this question, at least until the measles outbreak in this country has ended, but likely into a presidential campaign. Especially as it was revealed, in 2009 he told a group that calls for more "parental choice" on vaccines and sympathizes with parents who choose not to vaccinate-against CDC recommendations-that he had concerns about the Garden State's high vaccine mandates, saying he "stands with them." And it's not just vaccines, this New York Times story about Christie's lavish lifestyle on other people's dime isn't going anywhere: http://nyti.ms/16djfgl

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI

WINNERS AND LOSERS IN OBAMA'S BUDGET. President Obama has released his FY2016 budget request, a giant document plopped onto desks in Congress Monday morning, signaling the president's spending priorities for the next 10 years. The document is more of a wish list than anything else, ABC's CHRIS GOOD notes. Congress, not the president, drafts federal spending plans, and although presidents make a big fuss over their budget requests each year, Congress often summarily discards them before doing its own thing. Nonetheless, Obama's FY2016 signifies his vision for how tax dollars should be allocated. In Obama's ideal budget world, there are winners and losers. http://abcn.ws/1z8EX0K

NATIONAL REPUBLICANS THINK DICK CHENEY IS A FASHION ICON. Who knew Dick Cheney was so fashionable? After raising a reported $3 million selling signature George H W Bush socks, the Republican National Committee is now looking to cash in on another famous Republican's apparel. ABC's A.J. FEATHER writes, this time it's former Vice President Dick Cheney's cowboy hat. On Monday, the RNC sent out an e-mail fundraising solicitation offering donors "The Official Cheney Cowboy Hat" in exchange for a donation of $72. The email, signed by Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus, reads, "By nature, America is a nation of leaders, pioneers and trailblazers. We're not a nation that leads from behind, blurs the lines or backs down from our principles." Priebus continued, "That's why we're bringing back the Official Cheney Cowboy Hat." http://abcn.ws/16bBz9D

ABOUT LAST NIGHT. Monica Lewinsky was nominated for a National Magazine Award for her revealing first-person June essay in Vanity Fair about her life and relationship with former President Bill Clinton, breaking a ten year silence, ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE reports. But, she lost last night at the American Society of Magazine Editors gala to the New Yorker at the ceremony hosted by ABC's DAVID MUIR. The famously press shy Lewinsky would take no questions, but she gave an on camera statement to ABC News saying she was "delighted" to attend. "I know it's a cliche but I really am honored and humbled to have been nominated especially alongside the caliber of such incredible other writers in my category and to be here with such an amazing people in the room so it's great," she said.

WHO'S TWEETING?

@bterris: Rep. Schock decorated his office like a room in Downton Abbey. He doesn't wanna talk about it http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hes-got-a-downton-abbey-inspired-office-but-rep-aaron-schock-wont-talk-about-it/2015/02/02/1d3f1466-ab1f-11e4-abe8-e1ef60ca26de_story.html …

@kenvogel: The real story behind Rand Paul's poor showing at the Koch bros gathering. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/rand-was-a-dud-at-the-koch-brothers-conference-114853.html?hp=t2_r …

@SerenaMarsh: Cuba Releases New Photos of Fidel Castro http://abcnews.go.com/International/cuba-releases-photos-fidel-castro/story?id=28681476 …

@nickconfessore: Today's must-read: The suite life of Governor Christie, via @kzernike and @mikiebarb http://nyti.ms/1HSxloV

@davelevinthal: As @LindseyGrahamSC considers a presidential run, worth re-upping this @mrochabrun tale about his fundraising http://ow.ly/Inrke