POLITICO Playbook: Bernie rising Presented by

In a sign that his campaign is confident about Nevada and already looking ahead to Super Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders drew a monster crowd in Denver. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

DRIVING THE DAY

THE NEVADA CAUCUSES are just five days away. The state’s Democrats announced that 18,538 people voted on Saturday, the first day of early voting.

BUT THE BIG STORY in the Democratic primary is the seemingly inexorable march of BERNIE SANDERS, who could be on the cusp of another strong showing. Last night, in a sign that his campaign is confident about Nevada and already looking ahead to Super Tuesday, Sanders drew a monster crowd in Denver.

NEVADA FRONTS: Las Vegas Sun: “Buttigieg offers intelligence, calm demeanor” … Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Paper backup reduces delays: Waits still long at some caucus locations” … “Latinos’ loyalty to Dems in spotlight: Front-runners split on guest worker bill”

-- DAVID SIDERS in Las Vegas: “Bernie breaks out of the pack”: “Bernie Sanders is becoming harder to stop. Nevada is where his opponents are starting to realize it.

“Advisers to three rival campaigns privately conceded over the weekend that the best anyone else could hope for here is second or third. Some of them gape at the crowd sizes at Sanders' events — like the swarm of supporters who accompanied Sanders, his fist raised, to an early caucus site in Las Vegas on Saturday, the first day of early voting in the state.

“While few expect that Sanders can carry more than a third of the vote in Nevada, nearly everyone believes that will be enough to win in a field where the moderate vote remains splintered. It is becoming a source of celebration for Sanders' supporters and an urgent problem for those who want to prevent him from claiming the nomination.” POLITICO

-- WSJ’S KEN THOMAS in Las Vegas: “Democratic Candidates Court Unions With Infrastructure Pitch”

A message from Google: A jobs program to help support economic recovery. Google is launching a new suite of Google Career Certificates in Data Analytics, Project Management, and User Experience (UX) Design. Designed and taught by Google employees, these certificates can help job seekers forge paths to high-growth careers. Learn more.

BLOOMBERG REPORT … NYT, A13: “Democrats Look Ahead From Nevada and See a Common Enemy: Bloomberg,” by Rebecca Ruiz and Trip Gabriel in Las Vegas …NYT’S JEREMY PETERS in Houston: “Past Remarks Are Troublesome for Bloomberg, and Fair Game for Rivals” … WAPO: “Democrats take aim at Bloomberg on stop-and-frisk, treatment of women,” by Felicia Sonmez, Bob Costa and Lena Sun

-- PAGE SIX: “Mike Bloomberg adds Capricia Marshall, top Clinton ally, to 2020 campaign,” by Emily Smith

A VERY ON-BRAND WSJ OP-ED PAGE: “The Agony of the Democrats: Bernie Sanders is riding the intellectual currents that the party and its elites have nurtured.” … “Donald Trump, Mastermind: Liberals detect a devious cover-up plot with Bill Barr.”

TRUMP FROM 30,000 FEET … WAPO’S PHIL RUCKER: “‘Something has to be done’: Trump’s quest to rewrite history of the Russia probe”: “Seven months after Mueller’s marathon testimony brought finality to the Russia investigation, Trump is actively seeking to rewrite the narrative that had been meticulously documented by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials, both for immediate political gain and for history.

“Turbocharged by his acquittal in the Senate’s impeachment trial and confident that he has acquired the fealty of nearly every Republican in Congress, Trump is claiming vindication and exoneration not only over his conduct with Ukraine — for which the House voted to impeach him — but also from the other investigations that have dogged his presidency.” WaPo

Good Monday morning, and happy Presidents Day.

NEW: The official 2020 White House Christmas ornament featuring JFK was unveiled today. The ornament

A message from Google: Google recently announced new Career Certificates in Data Analytics, Project Management, and UX Design, funding 100,000 need-based scholarships for individuals enrolled. Learn more.

SPOTTED at Stephen Miller and Katie Waldman’s wedding last night at the Trump Hotel: President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence, Mick Mulvaney, Jared Kushner (he was the witness for the nuptials), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Stephanie Grisham…

… Max Miller, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Bryan Sanders, Tom Bossert, Jessica Ditto, Kellyanne Conway, Dan Scavino, Hogan Gidley, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, Chris Liddell, Brooke Rollins, Emma Doyle, Reince Priebus, Cassidy Dumbauld, Nick Luna, Vince Haley, Ross Worthington, Robert Gabriel and Joe Grogan. NYT wedding announcement, with picture

JAMES ARKIN and BURGESS EVERETT: “Democrats fear Republican sabotage in key Senate race”: “Democrats are growing alarmed about Republican attempts to prop up an insurgent liberal candidate in North Carolina — fearful that GOP meddling will undercut the party’s prospects in a key Senate contest.

“What seems like a generic campaign ad pitching Erica Smith, a North Carolina state senator, as ‘the only proven progressive’ in the state’s high-profile Senate race is actually part of a multimillion dollar investment from a mysterious super PAC — the innocuously named ‘Faith and Power PAC’ — with apparent ties to Republicans.

“The ad campaign, which began last week ahead of the March 3 primary, immediately disrupted the bid from frontrunner and Democratic leadership favorite Cal Cunningham to emerge from his primary and face incumbent GOP Sen. Thom Tillis in November.” POLITICO

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

DEM CIVIL WAR WATCH -- HOUSTON CHRONICLE FRONT PAGE: “PRIMARY FOES PUTTING LAWMAKERS ‘ON NOTICE’: Houston Democratic congressional incumbents Green, Jackson Lee facing rare challenges from younger progressives”

INVESTIGATIONS UPDATE … CNN’S KARA SCANNELL and ERICA ORDEN: “Federal prosecutors weigh new charges that bring Lev Parnas investigation closer to Giuliani”: “Federal prosecutors are weighing new charges against associates of Rudy Giuliani in connection with a company that paid him $500,000, according to people familiar with the investigation.

“Prosecutors with the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York are considering whether to charge Giuliani associate Lev Parnas and at least one of his business partners with misleading potential investors for Fraud Guarantee, the Florida-based company that paid Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, these people say. Parnas co-founded Fraud Guarantee with the idea of providing insurance to companies to protect against fraud.

“The scrutiny of Fraud Guarantee brings the investigation closer to Giuliani, Trump's vocal defender, and raises questions about what role the former mayor played, if any, in the marketing of the company. A lawyer for Giuliani said his client never had any conversations about investor pitches or marketing with Parnas or his business partner David Correia.” CNN

THE PRESIDENT’S MONDAY: No public events scheduled.

PLAYBOOK READS

PHOTO DU JOUR: Fans watch as Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump, prepares to land before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race in Florida on Saturday. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo

EYES ON THE SKY: We’ve been including some flight tracking in Playbook of late, including the movements of N33TW, a plane that seemed to be carrying Joe and Jill Biden. That aircraft is now blocked from tracking -- that won’t stop us, it will just make our lives a bit harder.

CORONAVIRUS LATEST -- “Chartered flights carrying quarantined passengers arrive in US; 14 Americans infected, isolated,” by Fox News’ David Aaro: “Both State Department-chartered flights carrying Americans from the coronavirus-infected Diamond Princess cruise ship arrived in the U.S overnight. The first plane touched down at Travis Air Force Base in California just before 11:30 p.m. local time. The second flight landed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas roughly 2 1/2 hours later.

“Hundreds of American passengers who had been quarantined on the cruise ship left Japan Monday on two planes en route to the United States -- with 14 of the passengers infected and isolated in a ‘specialized containment area.’ It's not clear which flight the infected were on.” Fox News

HUAWEI OR THE HIGHWAY -- “U.S. Weighs New Move to Limit China’s Access to Chip Technology,” by WSJ’s Asa Fitch and Bob Davis: “The Trump administration is weighing new trade restrictions on China that would limit the use of American chip-making equipment, as it seeks to cut off Chinese access to key semiconductor technology, according to people familiar with the plan.

“The Commerce Department is drafting changes to the so-called foreign direct product rule, which restricts foreign companies’ use of U.S. technology for military or national-security products. The changes could allow the agency to require chip factories world-wide to get licenses if they intend to use American equipment to produce chips for Huawei Technologies Co., according to the people familiar with the discussions. Chinese companies are bound to see the action as a threat to them too, which is a goal of the proposed rule, said the people briefed on the effort.

“The move is aimed at slowing China’s technological advancement but could risk disrupting the global supply chain for semiconductors and dent growth for many U.S. companies, U.S. industry participants said.” WSJ

A message from Google: Learn about the Google IT Support Professional Certificate in a free, on-demand session. Watch now.

MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG with a wrap from the Munich Security Conference: “If the three-day event, which drew to a close on Sunday, illustrated anything, it was that the divergence between the U.S. and the dominant European powers ... is greater than ever. Those who thought last year’s tense gathering represented a low point in the relationship left Munich this year chastened.

“The two sides aren’t just far apart on the big questions facing the West (threats from Russia, Iran, China), they’re in parallel universes. Most alarming: The biggest disconnect concerns the U.S. commitment to Europe, the very essence of the transatlantic alliance itself.” POLITICO … Full Munich coverage

DAN PFEIFFER in POLITICO Magazine: “Dems Beware: Don’t Be Like Mitt in 2012”: “Rather than obsess over 2016, Democrats should focus on 2012—the last year a challenger took on an incumbent. There are more parallels than you’d think: Barack Obama was a president hugely unpopular with the opposing party, but the economy on the upswing; the Republicans had a big field and took a while to coalesce around a consensus choice. In the end, that choice was Mitt Romney—and his campaign misread and misplayed the election in ways that the Democrats desperately need to pay attention to now.” Pfeiffer’s new book: “Un-Trumping America”

MEDIAWATCH -- “Unloved by Trump, NPR Carries On,” by NYT’s Rachel Abrams: “First President Trump questioned the existence of National Public Radio in a tweet. Then, as part of the annual budget request released last Monday, he recommended slashing federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the body that distributes taxpayer dollars to NPR and other public media outlets, to $0 by 2023. ...

“Although Congress controls how much federal money goes to public broadcasters, NPR is not taking the potential threat lightly. ... Donations to many NPR affiliates spiked in the days after the president’s tweet and the clash with the State Department, according to an NPR spokeswoman. Direct contributions to Southern California Public Radio increased 250 percent, said Rob Risko, the director of membership.” NYT

PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at [email protected].

WEEKEND WEDDING -- Gus Portela, press secretary to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and former executive director of the College Republican National Committee, and Julia Hoy, senior director and deputy director of special projects for America Rising, got married at the La Jolla Woman’s Club in La Jolla, Calif. They met at a College Republican convention in California. Pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Alicia Molt West, COS to Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), and Stephen West, VP at Greenspring Associates, welcomed Charlotte Athena West and Grace Artemis West three minutes apart Tuesday. Pic … Another pic

BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is 56 … Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) is 58 … WH political director Brian Jack is 32 (h/t David Pasch) … The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay … Cliff Sims … Betsy Fischer Martin … Kristin Roberts, VP of news at McClatchy … CNN’s Dianna Heitz … Keegan Goudiss, managing partner at Revolution Messaging … Ashley Berrang of the Information Technology Industry Council … Sam Vinograd, a CNN national security analyst, is 37 (h/t Morgan Ortagus) … Stephanie Young … Sean Cartwright … Surya Gunasekara … Spence Geissinger … Boeing’s Fred Schwien … Cara Camacho, SVP of government affairs at the Bank Policy Institute … AARP SVP Barbara Shipley … Steven Grossman is 74 (h/ts Jon Haber) … POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino and Lindsey Sullivan …

… Mark Shriver, SVP of U.S. programs and advocacy for Save the Children … Richard W. Pinto Jr. … Catherine De Bolle, executive director of Europol … Drew Cantor … Curtis Tate … Erica Fairbanks … Greg Matusky … Andrew Bilski … Robert A. Carpentier, founder of Dialogue with America (h/t brother Gary) … Shantanu Chandra … Ted Gavin … Google’s Will Hayworth … Edith Honan … Danielle Most, deputy COS/counsel for Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), is 36 … Frederick Hill of FTI Consulting … Alison Kutler … Kelsey Rohwer … former Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) is 68 … Yitzi Weiner … James Lynch … Annamarie Rienzi … Debbie Hohlt … Allison Hunn … Shana Marchio … Skyla Freeman … David Carreiro … Emmanual Guillory … Dave Cieslewicz … Anna Koval … Howard Megdal

A message from Google: Helping job seekers kickstart a successful career in IT. Yves Cooper wanted to pursue a career in technology, but didn't have a college degree. He enrolled in the IT Certificate program from Google, which includes interview coaching and connections to top employers. After receiving the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, he was hired as an IT Helpdesk Technician with a higher salary than his previous job. Learn more.

Follow us on Twitter Anna Palmer @apalmerdc



Jake Sherman @JakeSherman