| | | | |  | | By Garrett Ross | BREAKING — “DOJ officially decides not to charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe,” by CNN’s Paula Reid: “The Justice Department has informed lawyers for at least one witness that it will not bring charges against Florida GOP Rep. MATT GAETZ after a years-long federal sex-trafficking investigation, according to a source familiar with the matter. Senior officials reached out to lawyers for at least one witness on Wednesday, the source tells CNN, to inform them of the decision not to prosecute Gaetz. The final decision was made by Department of Justice leadership after investigators recommended against charges last year.”
|  Nikki Haley waves to supporters at an event launching her 2024 presidential campaign in Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 15. | Getty Images | HALEY ENTERS THE 2024 FRAY — Former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY formally (finally) jumped into the 2024 presidential field with an event in Charleston, S.C. — officially launching her campaign and becoming the first candidate to challenge former President DONALD TRUMP for the Republican nomination. Much of the early buzz around Haley’s entry has centered on how she would position herself within the party given that the prospective field is dominated by two men popular among the base for how they’ve waged culture war politics: Trump and Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS. This morning, she underscored her roots as the daughter of Indian immigrants to make a point about her own unique position from which she can tweak the left. “Take it from me, the first female minority governor in history: America is not a racist country,” Haley said to raucous applause. Implicit in her remarks was the tightrope she walks — flagging her identity as an asset with voters even as the right generally loathes that approach when employed by Democrats. “This is not identity politics. I don’t believe in that, and don't believe in a ‘glass ceiling,’” she said. “I believe in creating a country where anyone can do anything and achieve their own American dream.” A not-so-subtle shot at Trump (and the GOP status quo): “We’ve lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. Our cause is right, but we have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans. Well, that ends today. … If you're tired of losing, put your trust in a new generation of leadership. If you want to win not just as a party, then stand with me.” A not-so-subtle shot at Trump and President JOE BIDEN: “America is not past its prime, it’s just that our politicians are past theirs.” The Post and Courier’s @MaryCaitlinByrd notes: “The only explicit mention of Trump in Haley's speech came when she said this: ‘When President Trump nominated me for Ambassador to the United Nations, people said I didn’t have the experience. Then, I went to work.’” Notably, Haley also called for a mental competency test for politicians over the age of 75 — a policy proposal likely to face criticism as both ageist and unconstitutional. Haley was introduced by Rep. RALPH NORMAN (R-S.C.), a somewhat surprising attendee given his previous proximity to Trump. In his remarks, Norman said that Trump was what the Republican Party needed in 2016, but cast Haley as the heir-apparent to carry on the banner for the GOP. High praise from Norman: “I believe Nikki Haley is America’s version of MARGARET THATCHER.” Trump was quick to react, blasting out an email to supporters titled, “The Real Nikki Haley,” trying to connect her to HILLARY CLINTON, PAUL RYAN and decrying her previous positions on Russia’s war in Ukraine, immigration and other policy areas. Read more from the Post and Courier’s Caitlin Byrd and Schuyler Kropf WHAT BIDEN WILL SAY TODAY — Biden is heading to Maryland later this afternoon to speak to union workers, where he is expected to take Republicans to task over their proposed plans to address the debt limit, AP’s Josh Boak writes. “If you add up all the proposals that my Republican friends in Congress have offered so far, they would add another $3 trillion to the debt over 10 years,” Biden will say, according to the AP, citing excerpts of the speech. “You’ll see that my budget will invest in America, lower costs and protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, while cutting the deficit by $2 trillion over 10 years.” Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line: gross@politico.com.
| | | | We’re spilling the tea (and drinking tons of it in our newsroom) in U.K. politics with our latest newsletter, London Playbook PM. Get to know all the movers and shakers in Westminster and never miss a beat of British politics with a free subscription. Don’t miss out, we’ve got some exciting moves coming. Sign up today. | | | | | THE ECONOMY INFLATION NATION — “Retail sales jump 3% in January, smashing expectations despite inflation increase,” by CNBC’s Jeff Cox: “Advance retail sales for the month increased 3%, compared with expectations for a rise of 1.9%, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Excluding autos, sales rose 2.3%, according to the report, which is not adjusted for inflation. The ex-autos estimate was for a gain of 0.9%. … No categories saw a decline, following a December in which sales fell 1.1%.” ALL POLITICS BIG SWING ON ELECTION DENIALISM — “Election deniers face a nationwide wave of pushback,” by WaPo’s Amy Gardner, Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez: “When the new Arizona attorney general took office last month, she repurposed a unit once exclusively devoted to rooting out election fraud to focus on voting rights and ballot access. “In North Carolina on Tuesday, the State Board of Elections began proceedings that could end with the removal of a county election officer who had refused to certify the 2022 results even as he acknowledged the lack of evidence of irregularities. And later this week, a group of secretaries of state will showcase a ‘Democracy Playbook’ that includes stronger protections for election workers and penalties for those who spread misinformation. “These actions and others reflect a growing effort among state election officials, lawmakers and private-sector advocates — most of them Democrats — to push back against the wave of misinformation and mistrust of elections that sprang from former president Donald Trump’s false claim that his 2020 defeat was rigged.” OLD DOG LEARNS OLD TRICKS — “Donald Trump Changes Tune on Mail-in Voting, Ballot Collection,” by WSJ’s Alex Leary and Eliza Collins: “The 2024 presidential candidate remains critical of various forms of early voting, advisers say, but his campaign is nonetheless mounting an effort to pursue such votes after Democrats excelled at doing so in recent elections. His team is studying state laws governing absentee and mail-in voting as well as ballot collection, called ‘ballot harvesting’ by critics, in which third parties gather and turn in votes, people familiar with the effort said.” CONGRESS CHINA FILES — Rep. LANCE GOODEN (R-Texas) and a small group of House Republicans are pushing the FBI to investigate Biden’s appointee to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, DOMINIC NG “after a recent DCNF investigation revealed that the banker is a current and former member of two organizations which multiple Chinese intelligence analysts have identified as front groups for a Chinese intelligence agency,” Philip Lenczycki scoops for The Daily Caller. In a letter to FBI Director CHRISTOPHER WRAY, the members call for federal authorities to examine “the extent of Mr. Ng’s knowledge of sensitive information, as well as any potential violations of The Espionage Act.” POLICY CORNER SPIKING SOCIAL SECURITY — “As Lawmakers Spar Over Social Security, Its Costs Are Rising Fast,” by NYT’s Jim Tankersley: “New forecasts from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, set to be released on Wednesday, are expected to show Medicare and Social Security spending growth rapidly outpacing the growth in federal tax revenues over the next 10 years. That is the product of a wave of baby boomers reaching retirement age and beginning to tap the programs, which provide guaranteed income and health insurance from the time benefits are claimed until death. Those retirees are an electoral force.” FOR YOUR RADAR — “Tesla opens its EV charging network to the masses,” by E&E News’ David Ferris: “The news came in a flurry of Biden administration announcements about a national network of electric vehicle chargers.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE HISTORY LESSON — “Why Is Affirmative Action in Peril? One Man’s Decision,” by Emily Bazelon for NYT Magazine: “How the landmark 1978 Supreme Court decision that upheld the practice may ultimately have set it on a path to being outlawed.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY LATEST FROM EAST LANSING — “The Michigan State University killer was previously charged with a felony but was still able to buy guns,” by CNN’s Nouran Salahieh and Holly Yan AMERICA AND THE WORLD DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS — “Amid Tensions With U.S., China’s Top Diplomat Travels to a Wary Europe,” by WSJ’s Austin Ramzy: “WANG YI, China’s top diplomat, kicks off a weeklong visit to Europe and Russia with a difficult task: Repair fraying relations in the region at a time of heightened tension with the U.S., growing European wariness toward Beijing and concern over China’s partnership with Russia.” COVID’S TRUE TOLL IN CHINA — “How Deadly Was China’s Covid Wave?” by NYT’s James Glanz, Mara Hvistendahl and Agnes Chang: “Two months after China ended ‘zero Covid,’ rough estimates suggest that between 1 and 1.5 million people died — far more than the official count.” LIFE IN KABUL — “As Taliban Settle In, Kabul’s Green Zone Comes Back to Life,” by NYT’s Christina Goldbaum HEADS UP — “Scotland’s Sturgeon quits to let new leader build case for independence,” Reuters: “In power since 2014, [Scottish First Minister NICOLA STURGEON] said she had become too divisive — and too tired — to reach across the political divide, and she wanted to step away from the ‘brutality’ of modern politics to focus on ‘Nicola Sturgeon the person.’” WAR IN UKRAINE REACHING CAPACITY — “Russia Has Deployed 97% of Army in Ukraine but Is Struggling to Advance, U.K. Says,” by WSJ’s Isabel Coles and David Luhnow GRIM READ — “In Bleak Russian Cemetery, Sea of Crosses Signals War’s True Toll,” by NYT’s Valerie Hopkins in Bakinskaya, Russia VALLEY TALK MUSK READ — “Elon Musk Signals New Twitter CEO Possible by Year End,” by WSJ’s David Cloud MEDIAWATCH THIS IS CONCERNING — “Study shows ‘striking’ number who believe news misinforms,” by AP’s David Bauder: “Half of Americans in a recent survey indicated they believe national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting. The survey, released Wednesday by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, goes beyond others that have shown a low level of trust in the media to the startling point where many believe there is an intent to deceive.” Read the study PLAYBOOKERS OUT AND ABOUT — The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East celebrated its 10th anniversary and presented its inaugural set of Rafik Hariri Awards to Magdi Yacoub, Fatma Said and Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh in a gala at the Kennedy Center last night. SPOTTED: Fred Kempe, Adrienne Arsht, Bahaa Hariri, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brett McGurk, Aurélie Bonal, Deborah Lipstadt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Turkish Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan, Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran, Tunisian Ambassador Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, Will Wechsler and Jonathan Panikoff. TRANSITIONS — Michaela Sundermann is joining Rokk Solutions as an account director. She previously was comms director for Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) reelect, and is a Kevin Cramer and House Armed Services alum. … Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) is adding Philip Bennet as director of operations and Cierra Johnson is now digital/comms strategist. Bennet previously was director of operations for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Johnson previously was a comms consultant … … Amber Littlejohn is now of counsel at Ice Miller. She previously was president and chief strategic officer at Equitas Strategies. … James Braid is now legislative director for Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). He most recently was chief of staff for Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and is a Trump OMB alum. ENGAGED — Elizabeth Lopez-Sandoval, communications adviser at USAID, and Stephen Heverly, senior director of strategic communications at the Hatcher Group, got engaged on Saturday in New York City on the High Line. The couple met in 2014 while working on the San Diego mayoral special election. Pic Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. 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