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By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman, Daniel Lippman, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

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BREAKING -- WAPO'S MATT ZAPOTOSKY: "Ex-congressman Aaron Schock strikes deal to avert prosecution": "Federal prosecutors on Wednesday finalized a deal to resolve the criminal charges against a former Illinois congressman accused of misspending campaign and government money for his personal benefit - allowing the ex-lawmaker to avoid prosecution personally while his campaign committee pleads guilty to a record-keeping violation.

"Aaron Schock, 37 ... conceded as part of the deferred prosecution agreement that he had done some wrong, and he agreed to pay back taxes and reimburse his campaign committees nearly $68,000. But the case that once threatened to put Schock in prison will now likely end without him being convicted at all." WaPo

-- RELIVE what POLITICO found Schock did in Congress. The POLITICO story

UPDATE -- HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER said "it hasn't been decided if there will be a vote this week on the Rep Omar / anti-Semitism resolution - it's still being worked on," per NBC producer extraordinaire Alex Moe.

-- BEHIND THE SCENES ... HEATHER CAYGLE and SARAH FERRIS: "Tensions flare as Democrats struggle to respond to Omar controversy": "Tensions ran high at a caucus meeting Wednesday as some Democrats privately vented that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team had failed to adequately respond to the escalating political crisis, with too little outreach to their own rank-and-file.

"Freshman Rep. Jahana Hayes stood up and confronted Pelosi directly, arguing that she shouldn't have to learn about the Democratic Caucus' official response from MSNBC. The Connecticut Democrat said she now has to vote on a resolution that she's barely read, without a private briefing from leadership, according to five sources. Pelosi countered that the Democratic measure to condemn anti-Semitism is not final, though text had been circulating and a vote had been tentatively planned for Wednesday. That vote was postponed amid a last-minute backlash from progressives in the caucus." POLITICO

Good Wednesday afternoon. SPOTTED: Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump having dinner with Tim Cook on Tuesday night at Cafe Milano.

IMMIGRATION FILES -- TED HESSON: "Nielsen argues border in crisis: 'This chain of human misery is getting worse'": "In opening remarks to the House Homeland Security Committee, Nielsen called the current state of border security a 'humanitarian catastrophe' and described the border as a conduit for criminals, drugs, and human trafficking. ...

"Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) slammed Nielsen in opening remarks for a failure to provide the committee with documents related to family separation and the treatment of children in custody." POLITICO

-- NBC'S GARRETT HAAKE (@GarrettHaake): "Just in: Senators @ChuckGrassley & @SenFeinstein send letter calling on HHS to open investigation into reports of sexual abuse of minors in their custody at the border." The letter

HALLEY TOOSI: "Rubio says Saudi crown prince has gone 'full gangster'": "Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday accused Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince of going 'full gangster' and urged the Trump administration's nominee for ambassador to Riyadh to hold the country accountable for human rights abuses.

"The comments by Rubio (R-Fla.) drew agreement from others on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and underscored the ongoing bipartisan frustration among U.S. lawmakers with the oil-rich Arab kingdom. ... The ambassadorial nominee, retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, stressed that the U.S. relationship with the Saudis was bigger than the crown prince, and that the best way to change conditions in the Arab kingdom was through engagement." POLITICO

THE LATEST ON VENEZUELA -- NEW STATEMENT FROM JOHN BOLTON: "The United States is putting foreign financial institutions on notice that they will face sanctions for being involved in facilitating illegitimate transactions that benefit Nicolas Maduro and his corrupt network."

BLOOMBERG'S MIKE DORNING (@MikeDorning): "BREAKING: Trump Cancels Annual Report Disclosing Civilian Deaths in U.S. Drone Strikes, @margarettalev reports."

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NEW ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN comms team: Zach Parkinson will be deputy comms director in charge of research. Parkinson worked in White House comms. ... Erin Perrine will be deputy comms director. She was press secretary for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). ... Matt Wolking will be deputy comms director for rapid response. He worked for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). The campaign says he will be focused on "refuting attacks and exposing the fake news media."

HEADLINE THE PRESIDENT WON'T LIKE -- DOUG PALMER: "U.S. trade gap with China reaches all-time high under Trump": "The U.S. trade deficit in goods with China set a new record during President Donald Trump's second year in office, despite his efforts to rein in what the administration views as Beijing's trade transgressions. The trade gap rose to $419.2 billion billion in 2018, from the previous record of $375.5 billion in 2017, a Commerce Department report released Wednesday showed.

"Overall imports grew 7.5 percent, to $3.1 trillion, while overall exports grew 6.3 percent, to $2.5 trillion, a Commerce Department highlights sheet showed. The resulting overall trade deficit of $621.0 billion was the highest since 2008. Both the goods trade deficit and the services trade surplus individually set records. ... The U.S. trade deficit tends to rise when the economy grows." POLITICO

TRADE WARS -- "U.S. and E.U. Are Headed for a Food Fight Over Trade," by NYT's Ana Swanson and Jack Ewing: "American and European negotiators are at odds over what to include in a prospective trade deal, ratcheting up trans-Atlantic tensions and jeopardizing talks before they even begin. Trump administration officials insist that any deal must address the agricultural trade barriers that the president says put American farmers at a disadvantage, in part because such an agreement would be more likely to win congressional approval. European officials counter that agriculture was never on the table - not last July, and not now. ...

"[W]hile Mr. Trump sees the car tariffs as leverage, the Europeans see them as a bomb that could shatter negotiations. ... [Cecilia] Malmstrom is scheduled to meet with Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, on Wednesday, while [Larry] Kudlow and Martin Selmayr, the European Commission's secretary general, will convene on Thursday." NYT

WSJ'S KRISTINA PETERSON: "Senators Propose Repeal of 1991 and 2002 Mideast War Authorizations": "A bipartisan pair of senators will introduce legislation Wednesday repealing decades-old resolutions that authorized the use of military force for the Gulf and Iraq wars, the latest bid by lawmakers to reassert Congress's role in shaping foreign policy.

"Sens. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) and Todd Young (R., Ind.) ... are hopeful that this effort could gain traction at a time when President Trump is touting his own plans to wind down long-running conflicts and withdraw U.S. forces in Syria." WSJ

JOSH GERSTEIN in New York: "Fresh court battle could expose more details in Acosta's controversial Epstein plea deal"

ANITA KUMAR: "White House launches fire-breathing campaign to attack House Dem probes": "The White House launched a fire-breathing public relations response to House Democrats while the Trump administration has refused or delayed turning over documents in 30 investigations by a dozen different committees, according to House Democrats. ...

"Six administration officials refused to appear before five committees while two officials have refused to come in for interviews with two other committees ... Some Democrats are repaying the Trump administration's early unresponsiveness by upping the ante." POLITICO

BLOOMBERG'S CALEB MELBY: "Trump Fussed Over Tablecloths and Rockettes for the Inauguration: Despite White House denials that he played a role, the president was actively involved in planning an event that's now under scrutiny from federal prosecutors." Bloomberg

ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA -- NYT'S CHOE SANG-HUN in Seoul: "Will Kim Jong-un Return to Brinkmanship? Weak Economy Is Forcing His Hand": "[E]xperts on North Korea say Mr. Kim may be boxed in: He returned home without sanctions relief amid strong signs that the North Korean economy is continuing to contract. The deepening economic trouble may force the country to return to the negotiating table." NYT

-- "A snub and a last minute Hail Mary. Trump's tough lesson in North Korean diplomacy," by CNN's Jim Sciutto, Kylie Atwood, Jeremy Diamond and Kevin Liptak: "As Air Force One made its way toward Hanoi, Vietnam, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was already on the ground, expecting to meet once more before the summit with North Korea's lead envoy on the nuclear negotiations, Kim Yong Chol. ...

"Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's vice chairman, wouldn't meet with Pompeo, three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The U.S. secretary of state waited several hours hoping Kim would agree to meet, but ultimately turned in for the night, frustrated. It was not the first time North Korean officials had stood up their U.S. counterparts, but the high-level snub just a day before Trump and Kim were scheduled to sit down was a worrying and ultimately portentous signal that the second summit would not be the triumph Trump had hoped for." CNN

THE STEP BACK -- WAPO'S ANNE GEARAN and BOB COSTA: "'I think you mean that, too': Trump's aides struggle to defend, explain his foreign policy statements": "Trump's foreign policy is part nationalist, part conservative, part isolationist, part militaristic pageantry. ... For the president's supporters, that foreign policy is notable as much for what it opposes as it is for its own stances. ... But arguing in favor of that singular style has proved easier from outside the administration than within. ... When trying to finesse Trump's statements and negotiating stances, [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo has sometimes adopted a strategy of denial and redirection." WaPo

-- L.A. TIMES' ELI STOKOLS: "Trump works to maintain illusions of progress, as his main promises go unfulfilled"

2020 WATCH -- STEPHANIE MURRAY: "Trump's primary challenger stumbles out of gate": "Bill Weld announced his presidential exploratory bid last month with a flourish, capturing headlines by calling Donald Trump 'a schoolyard bully' and dismissing Washington Republicans for exhibiting 'all the symptoms of Stockholm syndrome.'

"Then he went dark. Aside from a few television hits and public appearances, the former Massachusetts governor has done little to suggest his primary election challenge to Trump is something the president needs to worry about." POLITICO

-- ALEX THOMPSON: "Biden nabs big-name Latino operative in latest sign he's running"

HMM -- "Companies Falsely Labeled Products 'Made in U.S.A.' Their Financial Penalty? $0," by NYT's Annie Karni: "Last fall, the F.T.C. determined that ... four companies had violated federal law by engaging in 'unfair or deceptive acts' and falsely marketing their goods as American-made. But while President Trump has accused China of destroying American jobs and prioritized strengthening United States manufacturing, his appointees at the F.T.C. did little to punish the firms. The companies faced no fines and were not required to admit any wrongdoing or to notify customers of their false marketing. ...

"The trade commission's treatment of the companies has angered Democratic lawmakers, who are urging the Trump administration to pursue tougher punishments for companies that profit by producing products in China and falsely labeling them as American-made." NYT

K STREET FILES -- "Top-level turnover sparks questions about Chamber," by The Hill's Alex Gangitano

SPOTTED: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Karl Rove on the same Southwest flight from Austin to DCA. ... Martha Raddatz dining at Westend Bistro in the Ritz-Carlton on Tuesday. ... Joe Biden at Le Diplomate on Tuesday for a going-away party for Lynn Rosenthal, who is leaving the Biden Foundation to head the Center For Family Safety and Healing at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

OUT AND ABOUT -- SPOTTED at a lunch for Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) honoring the late John Dingell at the Kuwaiti Embassy on Tuesday: Rima Al-Sabah, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Kellyanne Conway, Hilary Geary Ross, Abigail Blunt, Lisa McGovern, Alma Powell, Lea Berman, Nancy Bagley, Jennifer LaTourette, Victoria Barnes, Marlene Malek, Liz Dubin, Lynda Carter, Lois Romano, Andrea Mitchell, April Delaney, Amy Baier, Majida Mourad, Roxanne Roberts, Jan Smith and Mary Jordan.

-- SPOTTED at a reception Tuesday night hosted by U.N. Women, the United Nations Foundation, and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to honor leading congressional women in foreign policy: award recipients Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) and Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.); Libyan Ambassador Wafa Bugaighis, Afghan Ambassador Roya Rahmani, Albanian Ambassador Floreta Faber, Melanne Verveer, Amanda Bennett, Heidi Przybyla, Lara Jakes and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.). Pic

-- SPOTTED at a reception for the Duke Ellington School at the French ambassador's residence Tuesday: Justice Samuel Alito and Martha-Ann Alito, Ambassador Gérard Araud, Abbe Lowell and Molly Megan, Kathleen Biden, Evelyn Farkas, Steve Rabinowitz and Lori Moskowitz, Ian Cameron, Francesca Craig, Josh and Ali Rogin, Norm Eisen and Lindsay Kaplan, Ben Haddad and Amy Kauffman and Ken Weinstein.

HILL MOVES -- HEATHER CAYGLE: "Jeffries announces senior leadership team"

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