POLITICO Playbook PM: Hello from South Carolina Presented by Amazon

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said at an event in South Carolina this morning that he has "shot to win" in Saturday's primary. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo

HELLO from St. George, S.C., where we caught the very, very tail end of a BERNIE SANDERS rally at the Shady Grove United Methodist Church Family Life Center. SANDERS will end today in Springfield, Mass., ahead of a Boston rally tomorrow -- he’s leading ELIZABETH WARREN in her home state’s primary there.

HERE about halfway between Columbia and Charleston and southeast of Augusta (tradition unlike any other!), SANDERS said he has a “shot to win this” -- the primary here in South Carolina on Saturday. “Please come out and vote tomorrow,” Sanders said. “I am here to humbly ask for your support.” Pic from the event

-- ALSO NOTABLE … @hollyotterbein: “At a breakfast in St. George, S.C., Bernie Sanders slams President Trump for campaigning in the state today instead of focusing on the coronavirus. ‘Worry about the coronavirus rather [than] disrupting the Democratic primary right here in South Carolina,’ he says.”

ATTN WALL STREET: TURN YOUR TVS OFF, OR SOMETHING! … MICK MULVANEY at CPAC: “What I might do today to calm the markets is tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours. … This is not Ebola. It’s not SARS. It’s not MERS.” Video, via C-SPAN … NYT’s Annie Karni at CPAC

NEW … THE HOUSE may put the coronavirus spending bill on the floor next week, and might even use an expedited process that would require two-thirds of the chamber for passage. We said in Playbook this morning the price tag would be in the $5 billion neighborhood, but we now hear it will be more than that.

MEANWHILE … ADAM CANCRYN and DAVID LIM: “Republicans storm out of coronavirus briefing after Democrat rips Trump's response”: “Several House Republicans walked out of a closed-door coronavirus briefing Friday with Trump health officials in protest after a senior Democrat blasted the Trump administration’s handling of the response effort.

“Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) kicked off the briefing sharply criticizing the administration as disorganized and lacking urgency in combating the coronavirus, lawmakers said. Her eight-minute speech frustrated Republicans and some Democrats assembled to hear from the slate of officials from the CDC, NIH and State Department. ‘If I wanted to hear the politics of it, I'd read POLITICO or something, let's be serious,’ said Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), who was among the walkouts.

“But at least one Democrat also left the briefing irritated. Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), who led the health department under President Bill Clinton, said DeLauro’s diatribe missed the purpose of the meeting. ‘No one wanted to hear that, either the Democrats or Republican. We just wanted to hear the substance,’ she said.” POLITICO

VIRUS LATEST -- “Nigeria confirms 1st case of new virus in sub-Saharan Africa,” by AP’s Bashir Adigun and Cara Anna in Abuja, Nigeria

-- AP/SANTO DOMINGO: “Dominican Republic turns back cruise ship amid virus fears”: “A joint statement by the Public Health Ministry and Port Authority said the captain of the Braemar reported four Filipinos, two British citizens and two U.S. citizens were under medical observation after displaying COVID-19 illness symptoms such as fever, coughing, or breathing difficulty.”

-- “U.S. schools start planning for possible spread of coronavirus,” by AP’s Collin Binkley: “Schools across the United States are canceling trips abroad, preparing online lessons and even rethinking ‘perfect attendance’ awards as they brace for the possibility that the new coronavirus could begin spreading in their communities. … Many are preparing for possible school closures that could stretch weeks or longer, even as they work to tamp down panic among students, parents and teachers.” AP

SIREN … BERNIE DOMINANT IN CALIF. … LAT: “Bernie Sanders holds 2-1 lead in California, poll shows,” by David Lauter: “Sen. Bernie Sanders has taken a commanding lead in California’s Democratic presidential race, ahead of his nearest rival by 2 to 1 and on track to win a majority of the huge trove of delegates at stake in the state’s March 3 primary, according to the final UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll of the contest. …

-- THE MOST IMPORTANT GRAF: “The Vermont senator’s dominance in California could have a major impact on the overall race for the nomination. Based on his 34% support in the poll, this state alone likely will give him well over 10% of the 1,990 delegates he would need to win the nomination at the national convention this summer.”

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FLAGGING FOR WOODY JOHNSON … LONDON PLAYBOOK’S JACK BLANCHARD: “I ask [London Mayor Sadiq] Khan if he’s hoping Trump will lose in November. ‘Of course I am,’ he says. ‘I like good guys and good women to win, rather than bad guys. The key thing for the Democrats is to choose somebody who can beat Trump … I think Mike Bloomberg is interesting. He clearly gets under Trump’s skin. If it’s Bloomberg vs. Trump it will be a really interesting campaign; two New Yorkers. One of whom is a successful self-made billionaire. The other one less successful, lost his dad’s money, doing less well.’

“Khan knows how to wind Trump up. ‘I think Buttigieg is interesting,’ he adds. ‘I’d query whether Sanders or Warren or Biden would do as well. But let’s wait and see.’”

Happy Friday afternoon.

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ROGER STONE FALLOUT … KYLE CHENEY: “House seeks interviews with prosecutors who quit Stone case after Trump’s intervention”: “Among the officials [Judiciary Chairman Jerry] Nadler is seeking to interview are John Durham, the U.S. attorney from Connecticut who was picked by Barr to review the origins of the FBI’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election; Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, who Barr selected to review the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn; Robert Khuzami, the former New York-based prosecutor who oversaw the case against Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen; and Richard Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, who Barr picked to review all matters related to the Ukraine scandal that led to Trump's impeachment in the House last year.

“But the most notable names on the list are four Stone prosecutors: Aaron Zelinsky, Adam Jed, Michael Marando and Jonathan Kravis. Nadler’s request for access to the career line prosecutors is an unusual step intended to circumvent the Justice Department’s political leadership — and one that has been viewed with caution even by Trump critics.” POLITICO

PLAYING THE HITS … BRIAN FALER: “Trump wants to cut corporate rate again, Mulvaney says”

HMM -- “The RNC Stopped Paying a Data Firm After A Serious Breach. Then It Paid A Mysterious LLC With the Same Address,” by ProPublica’s Mike Spies and Jake Pearson: “Last fall the Republican National Committee paid $900,000 for ‘data services’ to a Delaware-registered limited liability corporation that had existed for only three weeks. The company receiving the money has no online presence and has not been used by other campaigns or committees.

“But there is one clue about the company, Howler Insights LLC, in paperwork the RNC filed with the Federal Election Commission. Howler’s Arlington, Virginia, address and suite number are the same as a conservative data firm whose work for the RNC was placed on hold nearly three years ago after a massive data breach. … Sara Fagen, Deep Root’s chief executive, said in a brief email that Howler Insights is ‘related’ to Deep Root, which uses data to help Republican political campaigns and organizations target their digital and television messaging. She offered few details about Howler’s work or its relationship with the RNC.” ProPublica

THEY FOUND HUNTER … NYT’S ADAM POPESCU in Los Angeles: “There’s a New Artist in Town. The Name Is Biden”: “Dressed in Oxford boots, jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, Hunter Biden ushered a reporter down a stone walkway, into a pool house-turned-art studio in the Hollywood Hills. It was filled with colorful works of decorative abstraction — psychedelic florals and ethereal patterns that look like nature viewed through a microscope, leaning toward the surreal. There were nearly 100 of them, all by his own hand. Some were signed RH Biden, for Robert Hunter Biden, the 50-year-old son of the former vice president. …

“Hunter Biden was not certain what the world might say of his new pursuit, but he maintained he was serious. He said he had made a lot of mistakes in his life -- he has spoken openly about his history of drug addiction -- but becoming an artist, he said, wasn’t an impulsive decision. Painting ‘is literally keeping me sane,’ he said. ‘For years I wouldn’t call myself an artist. Now I feel comfortable saying it.’” NYT

HUAWEI OR THE HIGHWAY -- “Huawei Seeks Advisers for U.S. Image Makeover,” by WSJ’s Dan Strumpf: “Under fire from the Trump administration, China’s Huawei Technologies Co. has approached high-profile figures in Washington to try to turn around negative perceptions of the company. Among those contacted are Abbe Lowell, a lawyer who has represented President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Marcus Brauchli, the former executive editor of the Washington Post and former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.

“Huawei has approached at least six such figures seeking their help as the company navigates challenges posed by the U.S. government and tries to change how it is covered by the media, people familiar with the initiative say. Some individuals approached by Huawei met with staff of the Chinese telecom company at its New York offices earlier this month to discuss company strategy, these people said. Others who have spoken to Huawei told the Journal they discussed the company’s legal and regulatory obstacles in the U.S. and how to overcome them.” WSJ

TRUMP, INC. -- “Appeals court rejects unfair competition suit against Trump's D.C. hotel,” by Josh Gerstein: “The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday against a lawsuit a D.C. wine bar filed in 2017, claiming it was losing business to the Trump International Hotel because some customers were seeking to use their dollars to win favor with the president.

“The suit, brought by the Cork Wine Bar, paralleled several other cases accusing Trump of violating the Constitution's emoluments clauses by hanging on to his hotels and other businesses while serving as president. But the D.C. bar's suit claimed a different legal violation involving more mundane business-law principles. However, the three-judge appeals panel rejected that legal framing, holding unanimously that a district court judge in Washington was correct when he tossed out the case in 2018.” POLITICO

FOR THE RECORD -- “Biden admits he was never arrested in South Africa,” by Caitlin Oprysko: “‘When I said arrested, I meant I was not able to move,’ Biden said, after recounting what had happened to him. ‘Cops would not let me go with them. I wasn't arrested, I was stopped. I was not able to move where I wanted to go.’”

RECOUNT THE RECOUNT! -- “Bernie Sanders campaign challenges Iowa recount results,” by CNN’s Adam Levy: “Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign challenged the results of the Iowa recount requested by theirs and Pete Buttigieg's campaigns just hours after [the] state party released its results Thursday night. …

“In a complaint sent to the Iowa Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee, the Sanders campaign claims the state party violated its own rules by allowing the Buttigieg campaign to partake in the process because they didn't meet the proper requirements. ‘[T]he request submitted by the Buttigieg Campaign was deficient because it failed to provide an explanation of how the national delegation could be altered,’ 18 potential Sanders delegates wrote in the challenge. ‘Because he did not...[the] request was deficient and should have been denied.’” CNN

ENDORSEMENT ROUNDUP -- Sen. TIM KAINE (D-Va.) is endorsing JOE BIDEN. More from Marianne LeVine

-- “A Major Immigrant Rights Group Is Endorsing Elizabeth Warren And Bernie Sanders,” by BuzzFeed’s Nidhi Prakash: “United We Dream Action, one of the largest national immigrant rights groups, has endorsed both Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. … This is the first time the group is endorsing presidential candidates, in an environment where the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on the future of DACA any day now, and the anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration have continued to escalate.” BuzzFeed

OH BOY -- “A high school student created a fake 2020 candidate. Twitter verified it,” by CNN’s Donie O'Sullivan: “Andrew Walz calls himself a ‘proven business leader’ and a ‘passionate advocate for students.’ Walz, a Republican from Rhode Island, is running for Congress with the tagline, ‘Let's make change in Washington together,’ or so his Twitter account claimed. … Earlier this month, Walz's account received a coveted blue checkmark from Twitter as part of the company's broader push to verify the authenticity of many Senate, House and gubernatorial candidates currently running for office. …

“But there's just one problem: Walz does not exist. The candidate is the creation of a 17-year-old high school student from upstate New York, CNN Business has learned. The student, who CNN Business spoke to with the permission of his parents and has agreed not to name as he is a minor, said he was ‘bored’ over the holidays and created the fake account to test Twitter's election integrity efforts.” CNN

SPOTTED at a DCCC dinner at the National Women’s Museum in honor of the House Ways and Means Committee: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ways and Means Chairman Richie Neal (D-Mass.) and DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who all spoke at the event; members of the Ways and Means Committee, Max Richtman, Andy Athy, Scott Fry, David Leiter, Ben Rich, Melanie Rhinehart, Van Tassel, Kristine Blackwood, Earl Pomeroy, Mike Rock and Fred Graefe.

SPOTTED at Value In Electing Women Political Action Committee’s 2020 kickoff event Thursday night, which raised over $400,000 to support GOP women running for Congress: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), Martha Roby (R-Ala.), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and Jaime Herrera-Beutler (R-Wash.), Karen Handel, Claudia Tenney, Michael O’Brien, Sam Lancaster, Lucia Lebens, Kathryn Lehman, Barbara Comstock, Elise Pickering, Whitney Van Meter, Lindley Shearer, Dan Grattan, Larry Seyfried and Julie Conway.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Melike Yetken, senior adviser for corporate responsibility at the State Department and an Obama NSC alum, and Jeff Krilla, VP for public policy and government affairs at Kosmos Energy and a Bush 43 alum, welcomed Milo Jeffrey Krilla. He came in at 7 lbs, 3.5 oz and 19.5 inches, and joins three older sisters. Pic … Another pic

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