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02/09/2017 07:46 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (rbade@politico.com or @rachaelmbade)

With assists from Heather Caygle.

THE BIG STORY: GORSUCH CALLS TRUMP TWEETS 'DISHEARTENING.' Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch told Sen. Richard Blumenthal in a private meeting Wednesday that the president's attack on a federal judge was "demoralizing" and "disheartening." Of course, the Connecticut Democrat went public with his comments, creating an awkward situation for the White House as Senate Republicans begin the confirmation process. Republicans by and large gave Trump a pass for his "so-called judge" snub (despite taking former President Obama to task for less personal criticism of the Supreme Court years ago). Expect Democrats to try to get Gorsuch to repeat this condemnation of Trump publicly in the
coming days.

Gorsuch comments could make it harder for Democrats to oppose him. As Senate Republicans told our Josh Dawsey and Seung Min Kim, the comment offers a solid counter to Democratic worries that Gorsuch will become Trump's "yes-man" on the bench: "'I think that assured he'll make it through and get over 60 votes,' Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)... 'I don't think it was calculated to do that, but I think the effect of that will make them realize he's an independent guy.' Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Gorsuch's rebuttal of Trump 'should be very satisfying to Democrats.' 'It shows that he's very much an independent person and he defends the judiciary,' Grassley said."
Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16bca79017fc74ab4ba27fd5d3db44210cfb6d22742f9acd73a6ed9e90a5592b33b1e47d19afb8ba387

TOOOOO MANY OBAMACARE ALTERNATIVES. Let's face it: Every Republican in Congress and his/her mother has their own ideas for an Obamacare alternative. Choosing one and rallying behind it? Well, that's another issue entirely. Burgess Everett and Jennifer Haberkorn today report that "nearly a half-dozen plans have been introduced or are coming - none with the broad support needed to get through Congress": "There's the plan from Sens. Cassidy and Susan Collins, which would give states the ability to craft their own health care plan, including keeping Obamacare. There's Sen. Rand Paul's proposal, which mostly scraps Obamacare with minimal replacement. The House Freedom Caucus wants to introduce
its own bill similar to Paul's. And Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wants to just open up the federal employee health care plan to all Americans." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16ba97c79be36ab581f22b59ece13e22d3f61b6d062854ad7fdb0aedd51de04d2c2b8196ffe0826e3c3

PAGING IVANKA! "GOP senator to offer bills on women's economic issues." Seung Min Kim with the exclusive: "Republicans have often found themselves on the defensive when it comes to so-called "women's issues" such as equal pay and paid leave. But... Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) is unveiling a pair of bills later Thursday squarely targeting those issues. With Republicans in power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue - and with influential new first daughter Ivanka Trump having taken a particular interest in those policies - Fischer said she sees an opening for Republicans on equal pay and paid leave. 'I think it's an issue that to be honest, that we as a party have not taken a high profile on,'
Fischer said in an interview previewing her legislation. 'Everybody supports equal pay, and sometimes we don't do a good job of messaging and of showing people and coming up with new ideas.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16b4484a75f2b767ebb57621cdd57c7049233cb33bf140e37aa3eafd6a181719a5243ac9747553ee56b

MORE SMK ROOSTER NEWS: "Durbin demands Senate hearings on Trump's immigration orders." Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is pressing his GOP counterpart on the chamber's immigration subcommittee, No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn (R-Texas), to hold hearings on Trump's immigration actions. In the letter, intercepted by Seung Min, Durbin says the executive order travel ban is "inconsistent with America's heritage as a nation of immigrants and a safe haven for those fleeing persecution." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16bb040bbf53106d6ca3d86a329de66265d7d7d4938479f4783ffc340d53934878db6b79c06045ffd9f

NO HEATHER TODAY, FOLKS! It's Feb. 9, and you're stuck with me this morning for Huddle because Cagyle is covering the Democrats' retreat. This crack-of-dawn writing exercise reminds me - again - how awesome Heather is to wake up early every day to package you all the news. #Appreciate. #MoreCoffeePlease?!?

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Seung Min's story about the Senate voting to shut up Sen. Elizabeth Warren. (More on this below...)

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets in a pro forma session at 2:30 p.m. The Senate is back at 10 a.m. to continue consideration of Tom Price to be Health and Human Services secretary. On deck: Trump's Treasury pick Steven Mnuchin.

AROUND THE HILL - Sen. Susan Collins meets with SCOTUS nominee Gorsuch at 10:15. Then Gorsuch is off to huddle with Sen. Steve Daines at 11:15. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray at noon will gaggle on Trump's pick for Labor secretary, Andrew Puzder.

HAPPENING TODAY: SOON-TO-BE SEN. STRANGE COMES TO WASHINGTON. Drama aside, it's pretty-much official: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley will tap Luther Strange to fill the Senate seat of incoming Attorney General Jeff Sessions - despite the quiet conflict-of-interest worries in the southern state. Bres, Ken Vogel and Marc Caputo report today that Bentley "will formally announce Strange's selection at a press conference in Montgomery on Thursday morning, and then the two will travel to Washington for Strange's swearing-in as a senator." Expect that to happen around 2 p.m. in the Senate.

Last-minute scramble: "There has been an effort inside Alabama GOP circles during the last 24 hours to convince Bentley to choose another candidate due to the potential conflict-of-interest over Strange, who was purportedly conducting an investigation into the governor over a sex scandal. Bentley, however, refused to back away from his decision to appoint Strange to the vacant seat. In 2016, Strange sought a delay in impeachment proceedings by an Alabama House panel against Bentley while his office conducted 'necessary related work' in the Bentley probe, although Strange later denied he was targeting the governor." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16b49d2849c36981358e99c2b7a9be6d59ffcb9cbbb5281884b4136cca98c0b751c4a94eca2d8a67c72

Speaking of Sessions, ICYMI: "Senate confirms Sessions for attorney general." Andrew Taylor and Alan Fram for the AP: "The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions to be attorney general in the Trump administration despite fierce Democratic opposition to the Alabama Republican over his record on civil rights and immigration. The 52-47 nearly party-line vote capped weeks of divisive battles over Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and one of the Senate's most conservative lawmakers." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16bb98472124c0cd8bef87cc291bc0298511c4af0c0474bc38011a2020b2d66868acbcd5caf28f55b74

Tweet du jour: Roll Call's Niels Lesniewski at 10:21 p.m. post-Sessions vote: "With @SenatorSessions leaving the Senate, I will say: he always made time for the Senate press corps. And his views were never unclear." Fact.

ALL ABOUT THAT TRUMP. Dispatch from Cagyle in Baltimore: House Democrats are huddling in Baltimore for day two of their annual retreat. Democrats are in Charm City to relax, reconnect and rally around a messaging strategy to take back to Washington. But the political playbook already seems written and it's pretty simple: We're not Trump. "This man in the White House is incoherent, incompetent and dangerous," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told her colleagues during a closed-door welcome event. Later, to reporters, she made clear that Democrats will be doing everything they can to make Republicans own Trump for the next four years. "It's not just about the contrast between Democrats and
Donald Trump," Pelosi said. "It's about the Republicans in the Congress. There's hardly anything that Donald Trump has said that the Republicans haven't said sooner and for longer periods of time, in the worst way."

Side note: If their playbook sounds familiar, that's because it is. House Democrats tried the same thing in the run up to the election with dismal results. But they're hoping now, with a much longer runway, and Trump making policy decisions with real world implications, that the strategy will pay big dividends in 2018. Heather with more from Baltimore: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16b27e3408125a4b8d086a6e8c186551ea3ef17c1a54da43eb5fa0bef7693f6e66efa6a38c20d0f1f90

On tap for today: Democrats have several small group sessions they can attend this morning including one about how to tweet to senior citizens hosted by Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Doris Matsui and John Larson. At lunch, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney present their election post-mortem to the group. Tonight, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the dinner speaker and then members will dance the night away to the Significant Others cover band.

THAT OTHER RETREAT THIS WEEK... While Democrats scheme ways to trip Trump in Baltimore, House conservatives took off for New York to powwow with Heritage staff over their own 2017 strategy. The House Freedom Caucus, Republican Study Committee and top Heritage policy wonks will talk Obamacare repeal, tax reform and national security at the Park Central Hotel today and tomorrow. Some of their feature speakers: Sen.-turned-Heritage President Jim DeMint, Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore, White House domestic policy council deputy director Paul Winfree, ex-football coach-turned ESPN analyst Lou Holtz and, of course, Sean Hannity.

One in-the-know birdie tells us a big part of the weekend will center on budget issues, as conservatives rally behind demands that the fiscal 2018 budget balance in a decade. This is problematic, because budget-panel lawmakers and leadership aren't even sure it's possible with Trump's looming spending request...

Earth to those attending: We'd love your take on what's being said. Email me at: rbade@politico.com

TIM SCOTT TAKES ON NASTY TWEETS OVER SESSIONS SUPPORT. Just when you think politics couldn't get any uglier, Sen. Tim Scott on Wednesday came to the floor to highlight racist messages he's received for his support of Jeff Sessions. Hard to believe people say such things in this day and age, but the lone black Republican senator in an impassioned speech read from messages he received calling him a "house negro" and a "disgrace to the black race." "I just wish that my friends who call themselves liberals would want tolerance for all Americans, including conservative Americans," Scott said. Burgess with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16bd5992527bcb0352e3ef9889cec6f5a20b43dc2c82b263d293251b0d00d8c8d8d5c48b02117c6772a

WARREN SILENCING BACKFIRES. Eric Bradner on CNN: "The Senate has silenced Elizabeth Warren. And by doing so, majority Republicans just handed the liberal firebrand a megaphone -- further elevating President Donald Trump's fiercest and most prominent critic in the Senate and turning her into a Democratic hero... The moment immediately galvanized the Democratic base. Weeks after the women's marches around the country turned out droves of anti-Trump protesters, Warren -- silenced by male senators for attempting to read a letter from a civil rights icon -- had given those women a new rallying point. Adding fuel to the backlash, supporters noted the apparent hypocrisy that Warren's male
colleagues were able to read from the letter uninterrupted. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico read the letter to enter it into the congressional record Wednesday morning and Sen. Jeff Merkley was allowed to read from King's letter Tuesday night, though he couched his remarks as only reading portions of the letter and with the context to be in line with Senate rules." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16ba66fc541b6e7116e8496a9b831b1ab1f59a41436c1b11daaa24e3b898f7871a40737a21636b7083c

CUMMINGS TO PRESS TRUMP ON VOTER FRAUD - Rep. Elijah Cummings said he'll use a meeting with President Trump next week on prescription drug pricing - an area of possible bipartisan cooperation - to press the president on another issue: voter suppression. "I have no choice. It would be malpractice not to," Cummings told reporters at the Democratic retreat Wednesday. Cummings said any taxpayer funded investigation in Trump's debunked claims of voter fraud should also include a probe into voter suppression tactics across the country, an issue he's going to press with president next week. "It has become baked in the cake, that we should be able to expect that not everybody is going to be able to
vote," he told reporters. "We cannot allow that to be our normal. And I will fight to the death to make sure that doesn't happen." Kyle with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b863e14dff05f16b2cdfe240d07b4b0972f1f49132fc2ab0eff22637a55bd339668fcbfe751e1c893be302c689ec1b6a

DESSERT - The ladies love Sasse. Around 7 p.m. last night, two tweeters (LimeyDuck and Shoshana Weissmann) proclaimed their love for Sen. Ben Sasse on Twitter - in, er, unorthodox terms: One told him: "I love the shit out of you." The other: "If they made @BenSasse shaped pillows, I would snuggle the hell out of it while reading about the 9th & 10th amendment." The only reason we know about this? Because Sasse himself retweeted the exchange, writing at 10 p.m.: "This kinda grosses me out..." We don't blame you, Mr. Senator.

WEDNESDAYS TRIVIA WINNER - Brent Keith was the first to guess that 17 former House members have also served on the Supreme Court and two, Fred Vinson and John Marshall, have been chief.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Name the only president who worked as a national park ranger, where he worked and the attraction's friendly national park neighbor to the south. Email: rbade@politico.com

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