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07/21/2016 07:44 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (Or was it last night?)- GOP nominee Donald Trump's big moment is supposed to come later tonight when he'll officially accept the GOP nomination and give a rousing speech to unify the party, capping off the week's festivities in Cleveland. Well, that was the plan anyway. But it's entirely possible folks will still be talking about Sen. Ted Cruz's big snub in his primetime speech Wednesday-refusing to endorse Trump while being booed off the stage-and the aftermath for the party.

Our resident wordsmith Glenn Thrush put it best: "Cruz's defiance catapulted the ragged, plagiarism-marred, poorly managed convention into nuclear dumpster fire territory."

Maybe enough was enough-- Thrush again: "Turns out that when you bully a guy for months, suggest his wife is unattractive, insinuate that his dad participated in the JFK assassination, call him 'Lyin' Ted,' dispatch your bouncer-like emissaries to coerce an endorsement - then give him a prime-time speaking spot on the third night of your nominating convention - well, you get the picture."

All roads lead to 2020: Cruz has made no secret that he has eyes for the 2020 election and Wednesday's snub could just be one more thing in his presidential campaign maneuvering. "Everything Cruz says or does these days should be seen through the prism of the next election, not the current one, and in many ways, his Wednesday bombshell was the first salvo of his next war." Read Thrush's five takeaways from last night's mayhem: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cb8a46603a1898e5125572f12e8f2570c194656f4a8206e0dd418d1fc2d832e8

THE CAPITOL HILL PERSPECTIVE- Hill denizens who have worked and watched Cruz for years-government shutdown, anyone?-likely weren't too surprised by what transpired. Cruz's ending line in his speech is a telling one: "Vote your conscience."

Burgess and Seung Min break it down: "The man who's made a career infuriating fellow Republicans on the Senate floor did the same thing on Wednesday night - on the floor of Quicken Loans Arena. Drowned out by cat calls and boos from the crowd, Cruz showed again that he has no compunction about being the lonely, unpopular naysayer. His stand won't cause a government shutdown this time, but the chasm he refused to close could damage Trump's bid for the presidency." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cb8a46603a1898e542c47e6e68699f4c2b872d8dbea074b92df579c9d2d6fa46

(Ted) Tweets du jour: Simone Pathe (@sfpathe): @SenDanCoats tells me Cruz tried to kill GOP tonight and he's tired of dealing with him in Senate. Said Pence saved the night

- Manu Raju (@mkraju): Cruz sends out fundraising solicitation after today's speech, saying Americans are "furious" at political establishment

-Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump): Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn't honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!

WHAT'S NEXT FOR JOHN THUNE? The South Dakota senator, No. 3 in GOP leadership, is well liked on the Hill and back home. He's considered a presidential bid before but never pulled the trigger. Did he miss his opportunity?

The Washington Post chatted with Thune, who ultimately decided to skip the convention this year: "Thune told me he has neither completely ruled out a future presidential bid nor given a bid any thought at all. 'This year people were looking for someone to channel their frustration,' he remarked, all but acknowledging that is not his style." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc2ec6f3f60b77777a18583c09062fde2158b2813e7d33ed8f

RYAN'S AWKWARD DANCE- House Speaker Paul Ryan has fulfilled all of his party duties this week-leading the RNC convention, delivering a prime-time speech on GOP unity and reiterating his support for Trump. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Rachael: Ryan "only named Trump twice in the address. And in about a dozen events around Cleveland this week, Ryan rarely mentioned the nominee by name - and sometimes not at all."

"'I think what Paul's trying to do... is talk about what the team stands for,' said former Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.), a longtime friend of Ryan's." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc944ee050f51e235be44f774478dceab00116acaf63329556

TAKE ON THURSDAY, July 21. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Congress, on and off the Hill. Got any good convention gossip, sightings or tips? Send 'em my way: hcaygle@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets in a pro forma session at 9 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL-- http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc92b0f1e88df7bd80fbaa03a2fddd9a074f76d373fbf481cd

OFF THE HILL- Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Jack Reed along with Third Way and the Truman National Security Project will hold a press call on Trump's fitness to be president. The call starts at 2:30 p.m. and press can RSVP to Ladan Ahmadi at lahmadi@thirdway.org or 202-412-9879.

AIR KISS OF THE WEEK- Brought to you by Donald Trump: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc5dce3cbf350511c409b2374beef3746a782ae6d0bb721eaa

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GOP HOPEFULS HAVE 2020 VISION- We may not even be through this election yet but some White House hopefuls have their eyes trained on 2020 and are already courting early-state kingmakers as part of the process. "Tom Cotton joked that he wouldn't pander to Iowans. Then, at a luncheon with the state's convention delegates here this week, he proceeded to tip his hat to the 'center of the political universe,'" report Seung Min and Ken Vogel.

The Cotton quote: "I'm just going to say that I am the only politician who will speak to you this week who loves Iowa so much that I married a girl born in Iowa," he told the crowd.

Looks like it's working: "Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he was 'very impressed' with Cotton ...'If I had those kinds of ambitions,' Branstad said, 'I'd come to Iowa early and often and I'd try to do all I could to help other Republicans.'" Cotton's not the only GOP lawmakers looking four years down the road. Much more in their story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc8c08fc9236d1a69cc09069c77e61440c449030b00a040f45

DEMS HOLD COUNTER CONVENTION- House Democratic leaders were in Cleveland this holding a mini-convention of their own with events over the last few days running counter to the big show. "Great people and great weather in Cleveland but too much venom and divisiveness in the RNC convention hall," House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra said in a Huddle readout.

Becerra predicts next week's Democratic convention will be like "night and day" compared to the GOP party gathering. "At the counter convention, our message was simple: Donald Trump's is unfit to be our President and Commander in Chief. His hateful rhetoric, bigoted policies and amateurish proposals would set us back and divide our people," he said.

RUBIO PRIMARY CHALLENGER IN CLEVELAND-Carlos Beruff, Sen. Marco Rubio's primary challenger, showed up in Cleveland to woo Florida delegates. Rubio is skipping the convention, opting to send a video message instead. Roll Call: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbc127d651b83997a312ab39b2c7d93122cf53a94503b73c5e8

FLAKE WANTS GOP TO DROP 'LOCK HER UP'- Sen. Jeff Flake has been an outspoken critic of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton but there's one thing he thinks Republicans are taking too far: the idea that Clinton should be jailed for her perceived misdeeds. Flake in his own words: "Republicans are not going to defeat Hillary Clinton in November by insisting that she belongs in prison any more than we defeated Barack Obama by pretending that he was born in Kenya."

Enough already: "So let's drop the references to orange pant suits and chants of 'lock her up.' These jokes and bromides may play well in rare venues and limited circles, but they cheapen the very real arguments that need to be made." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbcb312bab715c5a9df740e0b256503282115fef8c9df039d35

KOCH GROUP DROPS AD BUY IN WISCONSIN: With Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson trailing his opponent Russ Feingold in the polls, Freedom Partners, the Koch-brothers backed group, "canceled $2.3 million in airtime they had reserved in the beginning of August," reports the Hill. The NRSC also pushed back the pro-Johnson ads it was planning. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbce05bb24ec10446afd73e7c784d67551d3aa8d2742d49b9df

LAWMAKERS MOURN TAKAI'S DEATH- First-term congressman and Iraq War veteran Mark Takai died Wednesday after battling pancreatic cancer since last year. Takai, 49, represented Hawaii's 1st District, was in the National Guard and previously served in the Aloha state's House of Representatives for 20 years.

House Speaker Paul Ryan: "He was an exemplary soldier, public servant, and beloved member of the House of Representatives," Ryan said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: "Congressman Takai was a dedicated champion for hard-working families, a proud defender of our nation, and a devoted husband and father."

TONIGHT - POLITICO Hub Nightly Lounge - Join POLITICO's Luiza Savage, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), U.S. Justice Action Network's Holly Harris, and Jordan Community Resource and Residential Center's Tenisha Gant-Watson for a conversation on criminal justice and sentencing reform in America. Tonight, July 21st -5pm; POLITICO Hub - 925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Learn more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbcfe4f010e1cd35eef1f30b4c9ebd6f3fbe0a7d7162377e0dd Livestream: POLITICO.com/live

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Dan Wofford was the first to correctly guess that Larry O'Brien was in the chair trying to bring the 1968 Democratic convention back to order after delegates launched into Battle Hymn of the Republic. O'Brien would go on to be NBA commissioner.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Dan with today's question: The 1972 DNC Convention was marked by chaos and extended floor battles - the last session lasted late into the evening because of protracted VP nominating process.

Name the hour of the day when George McGovern started his acceptance speech, the identity of the nominated VP Candidate and the name of the person who finished second in the VP balloting (a historic first). The first person to correctly answer this question will get a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail: hcaygle@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE delivered to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50636fce4e69ecbcdc681055b5246ba311380f5d635f792b681ec9bddc7ca2f5

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