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By Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman

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DRIVING THE DAY
NEW THIS MORNING ... HICKENLOOPER RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT? ... A new campaign committee popped up this morning on the FEC's website: Hickenlooper 2020. A document filed with the commission says that John Hickenlooper, Colorado's former Democratic governor, is launching a bid for president. Hickenlooper was a two-term governor of Colorado, and before that, was a restaurateur who had a big hand in the revitalization of downtown Denver. You don't need us to tell you this, but he's entering a large Democratic primary field. PDF of his campaign's FEC document

-- SPOTTED: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan boarding an American flight from DCA to Des Moines last night. He's going to speak at a National Governors Association event with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK ... SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.) met with MJ HEGAR in New York over the weekend. Schumer has been working to recruit someone to run against Sen. John Cornyn. The meeting comes after Beto O'Rourke announced he would not run against the Texas Republican for the Senate in 2020.

HEGAR ran one of the most closely watched House races in 2018 against Rep. John Carter in a district north of Austin.

-- STEVE CLEMONS, a leader in The Atlantic's massive events business, is headed to AXIOS, according to a source familiar with the move. Clemons almost joined Axios when it launched, but was persuaded to stay by David Bradley. Laurene Powell Jobs is an investor in Axios and The Atlantic. And David Bradley, who sold The Atlantic to Jobs, is an investor in Axios.

Good Monday morning. SXSW begins this week in Austin, and JAKE and ANNA will sit down with HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater on Sunday at 2 p.m. Our talk is part of a series called "Conversations about America's Future."

Our friends at the TEXAS TRIBUNE helped put together a slate of speakers for SXSW, which also includes John Kasich, Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and John Hickenlooper. Jake and Anna's event

FOR YOUR RADAR -- "At least 23 dead as tornadoes, severe storms ravage South," by AP's Kim Chandler in Beauregard, Ala.

SEN. RAND PAUL on FoxNews.com: "I support President Trump, but I can't support this National Emergency Declaration": "Every single Republican I know decried President Obama's use of executive power to legislate. We were right then. But the only way to be an honest officeholder is to stand up for the same principles no matter who is in power. ...

"I stand with the president often, and I do so with a loud voice. Today, I think he's wrong, not on policy, but in seeking to expand the powers of the presidency beyond their constitutional limits. I understand his frustration. Dealing with Congress can be pretty difficult sometimes. But Congress appropriates money, and his only constitutional recourse, if he does not like the amount they appropriate, is to veto the bill." Fox News

-- LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN: The Kentucky Republican's vote against the emergency declaration pretty much ensures that the Senate will join the House in voting down the president's unilateral action. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP will then turn around and veto the measure that disapproves of his declaration.

CONGRESS WILL NOT HAVE THE VOTES to overturn his veto. It would take 290 votes in the House to overturn a presidential veto, which would mean 55 Republicans would need to vote with all Democrats, and that isn't happening. There aren't 67 senators who will vote to overturn Trump's veto, either.

IT SEEMS EXCEEDINGLY UNLIKELY that the president will voluntarily decide to rescind his emergency declaration, as some Republicans have suggested he should.

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THE PRESIDENT, at 8:01 p.m. (@realDonaldTrump): "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk.' Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!"

-- SO, COHEN'S testimony contributed to North Korea's unwillingness to give up its nukes?

FUN READ ... MELANIE ZANONA, SARAH FERRIS and HEATHER CAYGLE: "'It is like high school': Meet the House's freshman cliques"

THE NEW YORKER'S JANE MAYER: "TRUMP TV: Fox News has always been partisan. But has it become propaganda?" (online headline: "The Making of the Fox News White House"): "[Rupert] Murdoch may be even closer to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Well-informed sources say that Kushner, an increasingly valued White House adviser, has worked hard to win over Murdoch, showing him respect and asking him for advice.

"Kushner has regularly assured Murdoch that the White House is a smooth-running operation, despite many reports suggesting that it is chaotic. Kushner now has an almost filial status with Murdoch, who turns eighty-eight this month, and numerous sources told me that they communicate frequently. 'Like, every day,' one said. ...

"In November, Hannity joined Trump onstage at a climactic rally for the midterm elections. Afterward, Fox issued a limp statement saying that it didn't 'condone any talent participating in campaign events' and that the 'unfortunate distraction' had 'been addressed.' ... The evening ended with a high five between Hannity and Shine, who had recently started working at the White House." New Yorker

BORDER TALES -- "'You Have to Pay With Your Body': The Hidden Nightmare of Sexual Violence on the Border," by NYT's Manny Fernandez in McAllen, Texas: "The New York Times found dozens of documented cases through interviews with law enforcement officials, prosecutors, federal judges and immigrant advocates around the country, and a review of police reports and court records in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The review showed more than 100 documented reports of sexual assault of undocumented women along the border in the past two decades, a number that most likely only skims the surface, law enforcement officials and advocates say.

"In addition, interviews with migrant women and those working with them along the border point to large numbers of cases that are either unreported or unexamined, suggesting that sexual violence has become an inescapable part of the collective migrant journey." NYT

TRADE WARS -- "U.S., China Close In on Trade Deal," by WSJ's Lingling Wei in Beijing and Bob Davis in Washington: "China and the U.S. are in the final stage of completing a trade deal, with Beijing offering to lower tariffs and other restrictions on American farm, chemical, auto and other products and Washington considering removing most, if not all, sanctions levied against Chinese products since last year.

"The agreement is taking shape following February's talks in Washington, people briefed on the matter on both sides said. They cautioned that hurdles remain, and each side faces possible resistance at home that the terms are too favorable to the other side. Despite the remaining hurdles, the talks have progressed to the extent that a formal agreement could be reached at a summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, probably around March 27, after Mr. Xi finishes a trip to Italy and France, individuals with knowledge of the plans said." WSJ

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION -- "To Woo a Skeptical Trump, Intelligence Chiefs Talk Economics Instead of Spies," by NYT's Julian E. Barnes and Mike Schmidt: "Intelligence officials who brief the president have warned him about Chinese espionage in bottom-line business terms. They have used Black Sea shipping figures to demonstrate the effect of Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

"And they have filled the daily threat briefing with charts and graphs of economic data. In an effort to accommodate President Trump, who has attacked them publicly as 'naïve' and in need of going 'back to school,' the nation's intelligence agencies have revamped their presentations to focus on subjects their No. 1 customer wants to hear about - economics and trade.


"Intelligence officers, steeped in how Mr. Trump views the world, now work to answer his repeated question: Who is winning? What the president wants to know, according to former officials, is what country is making more money or gaining a financial advantage. While the professionals do not criticize Mr. Trump's focus, they do question whether those interests are crowding out intelligence on threats like terrorism and the maneuvers of traditional adversaries, developments with foreign militaries or geopolitical events with international implications." NYT

2020 WATCH -- MARC CAPUTO: "Biden's Hamlet act ripples across Democratic field": "Biden's appeal to the white working class and to moderates puts him squarely in the path of possible candidates like former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe - and it's coloring their deliberations about the race. Biden might decide as early as April.


"'I'm not doing anything until I find out what Terry is doing. And I don't believe Terry will run if Biden does. It's kind of a two-for,' said Chris Korge, who raised more for Hillary Clinton's 2016 bid than any other bundler in the nation. 'Terry has probably 25 percent of the major fundraisers and bundlers in the country waiting on him. But maybe three quarters of the donors saying they're sitting out because of Biden might not be there for him if he ran. They're using him as an excuse.'" POLITICO

HOLLY OTTERBEIN in Chicago: "In Chicago, Sanders talks race": "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) talked about his experiences protesting racial discrimination as a college student here at a rally Sunday at the Navy Pier in Chicago. Sanders, who kicked off his second campaign for the White House last month, also railed against racial disparities, voter suppression, and an unjust criminal justice system.

"'The reason I tell you all of this is because my activities here in Chicago taught me a very important lesson that I have never forgotten,' he said. 'And that is that whether it is the struggle against corporate greed or against racism, sexism, homophobia, environmental devastation or war and militarism, real change never places from top on down. It always takes place from the bottom on up.'" POLITICO

- "Pennsylvania Democrats Wonder How Far Is Too Far Left in 2020," by NYT's Trip Gabriel in Shaler, Pa.

TRUMP'S MONDAY -- The president will meet with the North Dakota State University 2018 Division I FCS National Champions football team at 11:30 a.m. for a photo in the East Room. At 12:30, he will have lunch with VP Mike Pence in the private dining room.

Trump will sign an executive order in the Oval Office at 2:30 on "Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine." He will also deliver remarks at 4:15 p.m. in the State Dining Room to the National Association of Attorneys General.


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PLAYBOOK READS


PHOTO DU JOUR: Demonstrators lie on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in support of voting rights Sunday, March 3, during the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Selma, Ala. | Julie Bennett/AP Photo

GABBY ORR and DANIEL LIPPMAN: "Kirstjen Nielsen digs in after surviving Trump's wrath": "Early in her tenure, Trump would regularly dial her cellphone in anger when DHS published monthly border apprehension numbers showing an uptick, often asking her why the government couldn't detain undocumented minors indefinitely. Because that, Nielsen would calmly explain, would be illegal. ...


"But in the four months since her dismissal seemed inevitable, Nielsen has engineered a remarkable comeback. More than a dozen former and current administration officials and others close to Nielsen who spoke with POLITICO on the condition of anonymity described the DHS chief as a former dead woman walking whose unexpected survival has opened a new chapter for her management of a powerful cabinet department." POLITICO

WASHINGTON INC. ... WAPO'S BOB COSTA: "McGahn joins global law firm - and remains involved in Trump's judicial choices": "Donald McGahn, the former White House counsel who at times clashed with President Trump over the ongoing special counsel probe but led his overhaul of the federal judiciary, told The Washington Post on Sunday that he will rejoin his longtime law firm, Jones Day, this month - a move that was long expected by his friends and keeps him ensconced in conservative legal circles.

"McGahn, 50, said he will lead the firm's government regulation practice as a partner in Washington and will stay involved with senior Senate Republicans as an outside adviser on nominations to the Supreme Court and federal courts. 'I enjoy the practice of law and I look forward to coming back to Jones Day,' McGahn said in an interview, adding: 'I'm just going to practice law. No paid corporate speeches and no books, unlike some others who have worked in the White House.'" WaPo

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VALLEY TALK -- "Google, siding with Saudi Arabia, refuses to remove widely-criticized government app which lets men track women and control their travel," by Business Insider's Bill Bostock

-- "Trump campaign downplays split with White House on 5G," by Margaret Harding McGill: "President Donald Trump's campaign on Sunday sought to downplay its support for government intervention in 5G wireless networks after getting blowback from Trump administration officials who favor an industry-led approach." POLITICO

MEDIAWATCH -- "Seb Gorka No Longer a Contributor at Fox News," by Mediaite's Aidan McLaughlin
PLAYBOOKERS
ENGAGED -- Tommy Burr, Washington bureau chief of The Salt Lake Tribune, proposed Sunday on stage at the Gridiron Reprise to Bridget Roddy, a creative designer at the State Department. Pic


BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Emily Bazelon, staff writer for the NYT Magazine, co-host of the "Slate Political Gabfest" and Truman Capote fellow at Yale Law School. What she's been reading recently: "I have a book coming out in April, so I'm only reading other brand-new books at the moment, in solidarity. ... I'm in the middle of 'Say Nothing' by Patrick Radden Keefe, about the Troubles in Ireland. It's excellent. Next up is 'Fleishman Is in Trouble' by my Times Magazine colleague Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It's a novel and in the end novels are my favorite." Q&A


BIRTHDAYS: Energy Secretary Rick Perry is 69 ... Doug Hoelscher, director of intergovernmental affairs at the White House ... James Norton (hat tips: Ed Cash) ... Cathy Russell, former ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues, celebrating at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where she is an IOP fellow (h/t Sam Vinograd) ... Deborah Turness, president of NBC News International ... Mike Haidet, director of WH scheduling, is 31 ... Shirley Henry ... Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) is 51 ... Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is 61 ... Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) is 66 ... CNN's Leigh Munsil ... Callista Gingrich is 53 ... Vaughn Hillyard, political reporter for NBC News (h/t Mitchell Rivard) ...
Maria Recio, Washington correspondent for the Austin American Statesman and a contributor to Texas Monthly ... Nick Ryan (h/ts Blain Rethmeier and Stuart Roy) ... Scott Cunningham (h/t Carol Danko) ...

... CNN's Kate Glassman Bennett ... Sarah Scott ... Jesse Lewin ... Sarah Millican ... Stephanie Gidigbi ... Allison Putala ... Edelman's Anna Otten ... Abby Jagoda (hubby tip: Jonathan) ... Sean Simons, U.S./Canada press secretary at the ONE Campaign ... POLITICO's Mark McQuillan ... Eric Jeng ... Angela Zirkelbach ... Henry Barrett ... The New Yorker's Melvin Backman ... Alice Rivlin, senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings ... Ken Lovett, VP for communications and Albany director at Metropolitan Public Strategies and NYDN alum ... Zack Abrahamson ... Andie Coller ... Gary Whidby ... Connie Fenner ... WTOP's Bruce Alan ... Ian Goldin ... Emma Sandoe ... Steve Diminuco
... Simone Ward.

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