| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | MORE IVF FALLOUT — The Alabama Supreme Court’s decision throwing the future of in vitro fertilization in doubt for the state was the talk of POLITICO’s Governors Summit today. Three prominent Republicans — Georgia Gov. BRIAN KEMP, Tennessee Gov. BILL LEE and New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU — each told our colleagues that they’re supportive of IVF, positioning themselves closer to public opinion. Though Kemp and Lee didn’t weigh in specifically on the Alabama ruling, Sununu (who supports most abortion rights) called the decision “scary” and said “you want to make sure those services are accessible.” Meanwhile … The ruling, which declared that frozen embryos are considered people, prompted two more Alabama clinics to pause their IVF services, per CNN. And the JOE BIDEN reelect finally spoke out about the issue, with campaign manager JULIE CHAVEZ RODRIGUEZ saying in a statement that the ruling was “only possible because DONALD TRUMP’s Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade.”
|  This week's Conservative Political Action Conference will be a coronation for Donald Trump. | David Becker/Getty Images | THE NEW GOP — In American politics, nearly every week puts Trump’s dominance of the Republican Party on display. But the next few days — as a Trumpified Conservative Political Action Conference kicks off and Trump barrels toward a big win in NIKKI HALEY’s home state — stands to reinforce the near-complete ideological transition for a GOP redrawn in the former president’s image. In the Palmetto State: Haley’s closing message ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina primary is leaning heavily into Russia, Lisa Kashinsky reports from North Augusta. She has repeatedly blasted Trump for his response to ALEXEI NAVALNY’s death, his comments about NATO, his stance toward Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN and more. It’s part of a campaign to paint Trump as weaker than her on the world stage and aligned with authoritarians. (That narrative could dog Trump well into the general election, as the Biden campaign pushes a similar message.) But Haley’s broader invocation of RONALD REAGAN-style conservatism — from muscular foreign policy to limited government — looks like something of a last stand for the pre-Trump Republican Party, NOTUS’ Alex Roarty reports, and its adherents are worried after watching the shift play out over the past decade. “I think she gives the perfect Republican speech for 2015,” warns CHARLIE SYKES. For a prime example of why Haley is down bad in the South Carolina polls, look to the state’s military families and veterans. Despite Trump’s insult of MICHAEL HALEY, her deployed husband, and the feeling that Trump has outright disrespected them, many veterans are planning to vote for him anyway, Reuters’ Nathan Layne and Gram Slattery report. “Several voters called Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, a ‘globalist’ and raised concerns she would lead the U.S. into a war. Many said migrants at the U.S. southern border were their top national security concern and should take priority over any efforts overseas.” At National Harbor: With CPAC getting underway, the GOP’s shift to total Trumpism will be on full display, CNN’s Steve Contorno, Alayna Treene and Kristen Holmes report, calling it something closer to TPAC. Haley won’t be there. And rather than a showcase for competing ideas within conservatism, the conference will be a coronation for Trump, whose speech this weekend is expected to focus on the general-election matchup with Biden. The most notable bit of intra-party jockeying will be a straw poll for Trump’s VP pick. (One of the contenders, former Democratic Rep. TULSI GABBARD, will also be a keynote speaker at a Mar-a-Lago event next month, The Daily Beast’s Jake Lahut notes.) CPAC will also be focusing on an international message: fighting “globalism” around the world, Semafor’s Dave Weigel writes. Populists such as Argentine President JAVIER MILEI and Salvadoran President NAYIB BUKELE — plus LIZ TRUSS! — will take the stage. Today at the conference, Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) emphasized that Ukraine “can’t win” the war and that Trump “can make a deal with Putin,” per Weigel. That is precisely the kind of link Haley is hitting hard this week — to so far little effect. HEADS UP — A discharge petition to try to force Ukraine aid to the House floor is in the works, WSJ’s Lindsay Wise reports, with plans for it to be available for signatures by March 1. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel: Nippon Steel is one of the world’s leading steelmakers with nearly four decades of experience operating in the United States and currently employing over 600 American employees represented by the United Steelworkers.
Together, Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel are focused on increasing the competitiveness of the American steel industry on the global stage, safeguarding American jobs, and delivering the highest quality products to American customers.
Please read important information. | | | | | 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  Brett McGurk is in Israel today to meet with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. | Susan Walsh, File/AP Photo | 1. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The U.S. is continuing to push for a cease-fire/hostage release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, with BRETT McGURK in Israel today to meet with PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, per the NYT. Along with talks in Paris tomorrow that CIA Director WILLIAM BURNS is attending and a new, cautiously optimistic statement from BENNY GANTZ, McGurk’s visit signals that the U.S. and Arab states’ efforts to break through the impasse could be picking up some momentum, per the WSJ. He told Israel that mediators have made progress with Hamas and that Israel should send officials to Paris, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports, as a six-week pause in the war is under consideration. Elsewhere in the region, the Houthis aren’t showing signs of letting up in their Red Sea attacks — quite the opposite, Bloomberg’s Sam Dagher and Mohammed Hatem report. The Iranian-backed militants in Yemen seem to be preparing for a long battle against the U.S. and its allies, including “shoring up military and defense capabilities … fortifying mountain hideouts for more secure and effective missile launches and testing unmanned vessels above and below water.” 2. THE POST-ROE LANDSCAPE: “Abortion Shield Laws: A New War Between the States,” by NYT’s Pam Belluck: Tens of thousands of women in red states are now getting mailed abortion pills “under novel laws enacted in a half-dozen states — Massachusetts, Washington, Colorado, Vermont, New York and California … Called telemedicine abortion shield laws, they promise to protect doctors, nurse practitioners and midwives licensed in those six states who prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in the nearly two dozen states that ban or sharply restrict abortion. “The laws stipulate that officials and agencies of their states will not cooperate with another state’s efforts to investigate or penalize such providers … Many expect them to ultimately be challenged in federal court. Abortion opponents see the laws as brazen infringement on state sovereignty.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | 3. SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: A partial government shutdown is looming March 1, and the House is still waiting to see what choice Speaker MIKE JOHNSON will make as he struggles with competing factions in the GOP Conference, CNN’s Lauren Fox and Melanie Zanona report. It remains to be seen whether he’ll bow to the Freedom Caucus’ demands for conservative policy riders that would go nowhere with Democrats, or risk serious blowback again from the far right. House Financial Services Chair PATRICK McHENRY (R-N.C.) — an ally of deposed Johnson predecessor KEVIN McCARTHY — isn’t holding back lately in criticizing Johnson. “He’s got to own all the decision making in the 12 appropriations bills. That’s probably not best for him. Probably not best for public policy either,” McHenry told CNN. And yesterday, Johnson pegged the odds of a shutdown at 50-50 in an interview with Major Garrett for CBS’ “The Takeout,” saying House Republicans were headed for a massive shutdown over procedural maneuvers. 4. IN THE FIGHT: “The American citizens fighting and dying for Israel in the Gaza war,” by WaPo’s Steve Hendrix and Shira Rubin: “The Washington Post talked to three families of U.S. citizens killed while fighting for Israel. They were united in their fierce commitment to the Jewish state, having found in their adoptive country an identity that largely transcended their American passport.” 5. NOMINATION WOES: A new report from the Partnership for Public Service documents the extremely long delays many Biden administration nominees have faced in getting Senate confirmation, especially below the senior-most levels, Semafor’s Morgan Chalfant scooped. For six Pentagon undersecretary picks, an average of 505 days elapsed before confirmation. Across similar levels at Commerce, DOD, Energy, State and Treasury, it was 350 to 400 days on average. “While these roles don’t merely go vacant when a nominee is waiting for Senate action — they are usually filled with acting officials — these workarounds come at a cost.” The paper
| | | | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Klaus Iohannis is making a play for NATO secretary-general. Eric Hovde got some carpetbagger trolling from the Real Housewives of Orange County. OUT AND ABOUT — Miriam Vogel, Tammy Haddad and Teresa Carlson co-hosted a happy hour for National AI Advisory Committee members and friends last night at the House at 1229. SPOTTED: Victoria Espinel, Elham Tabassi, Alex Engler, Jon Cardinal, Tim Ryder, Arun Gupta, Tina Anthony, Alexandre Mirlesse, Dmitri Alperovitch and Maureen Hinman, Liz Johnson and Elizabeth Falcone. TRANSITIONS — The Biden campaign is staffing up in New Hampshire, the Union Leader’s Kevin Landrigan reports. The new hires are Anna Breedlove as deputy state director, Emma Greenberg as political and coalitions director, Marisa Nahem as comms director, Taylor Blossom as data and analytics director and Brittan Ostby as COO. … Connor Pfeiffer is now director of congressional relations at FDD Action. He previously was executive director of the Forum for American Leadership, where he’ll remain a senior adviser, and is a Will Hurd alum. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel: Nippon Steel will enhance the many strengths of U. S. Steel, including the company’s incredibly talented workforce which is central to its long-term success. As part of its vision, Nippon Steel has committed to the following:
· No job losses as a result of the transaction
· Honoring all agreements currently in place with the unions, including collective bargaining agreements, and actively working towards a close and productive working relationship with the unions
· Maintaining the U. S. Steel name and branding
· Maintaining company headquarters in Pittsburgh, preserving over 1,000 critical roles
· Maintaining existing manufacturing facilities
· No existing production or American jobs will shift overseas as a result of the transaction
By delivering the best products and supporting American workers, this is not only an investment in U. S. Steel, but in the broader American steel industry.
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