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02/25/2016 08:24 AM EDT


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

ELECTION SPILL-OVER ON THE HILL--

'TRUMP-MENTUM' SMACKS CAPITOL HILL IN THE FACE. Now that Trump has another one, Nevada, notched on his belt, Republicans on the Hill are going a bit green in the face. Lauren French and John Bresnahan on the reaction to Trump: "The reality that Donald Trump is on a path to win the GOP presidential nomination is hitting Capitol Hill. Hard. And it's provoking a range of reactions - anger, fear, bafflement, resignation and, for the first time Wednesday, support."

"GOP leaders are trying to stay out of the presidential race, even as rank-and-file members scurry to figure out what it means. Is the Trump phenomenon real, and can it last? If it does, is it good or bad for their own campaigns? Is the anti-Washington, 'Make America Great Again' message aimed at them or President Barack Obama and the Democrats, or maybe both? Some Republicans are now comparing Trump to Ronald Reagan, the GOP's ultimate iconic figure who expanded the party's appeal far beyond where it is now. Others are saying he's more Barry Goldwater, who led the party to disastrous defeat. Some think he's unhinged; many others still don't know what to make of him."http://politi.co/1mYAXfO

... AND PUTS PAUL RYAN AND TRUMP ON 'COLLISION COURSE.'" Jennifer Steinhauer for the N.Y. Times: "Speaker Paul D. Ryan... has one goal for this year: to form a conservative policy agenda for the Republican presidential nominee to embrace. If that nominee is Donald J. Trump, that may be a waste of time. Panicked Republicans question whether Mr. Trump will be able to unite a Republican-controlled Congress that would normally be expected to promote and promulgate his agenda, an internal crisis nearly unheard-of in a generation of American politics. On nearly every significant issue, Mr. Trump stands in opposition to Republican orthodoxy and his party's policy prescriptions - the very ideas
that Mr. Ryan has done more than anyone else to form, refine or promote over the last decade."

"If the billionaire New York businessman captures his party's nomination - which seemed increasingly possible after a decisive victory in Nevada on Tuesday night - he will become the titular head of the Republican Party, and lawmakers like Mr. Ryan will be expected to fall in line for the balance of the campaign." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efdbd8d77aa959122c97a1905595806ce0cf19bcbe90f1962fa

EVEN POWERFUL CHAIRMAN FIGHTING TO SURVIVE IN THROW-THE-BUMS-OUT YEAR. Jake Sherman with the read from Woodlands, Texas: "This was supposed to be the peak of Kevin Brady's career. After biding his time for 19 years, the Texas Republican last fall clinched one of the most coveted perches in the House of Representatives: the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee..."

"Instead, with the political temperature rising - and Donald Trump and Ted Cruz on the march in Texas - Brady is in the fight of his political life. He's locked in a four-way primary here in the Houston suburbs, and stands a better-than-even chance of being thrown into an unpredictable May runoff in the toughest political climate in recent memory. Brady concedes it's the stiffest challenge he's faced in two decades - fueled by the overwhelming popularity of Cruz in the district, and the acute resentment toward everything Washington that Trump has harnessed so effectively."http://politi.co/1T934Yl

--"Rep. Franks Backs Cruz, Rubio in 'Novel and Unique' Endorsement," per Bloomberg: "Rep. Trent Franks says Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio should 'join forces to establish a joint ticket' in the Republican presidential race, and that he 'wholeheartedly' endorses 'them both to that end.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efdadb0c1a3b37c472fad214f7e4903e6061bd02318398a8133

--The catch? That same letter also asks one of them to drop out stat so the GOP can rally around one establishment candidate. "The laws of mathematics will not be repealed in this election cycle. The mathematics in this equation are clear to the reasoned mind: The two of you can unite and win together or remain apart and fail together. For the sake of our country, the conservative cause, and future generations, we adjure you both to unite." Lauren with more:http://politi.co/1UmAZMd

T-MINUS FRIDAY. It's February 25, 2016 and welcome to the Huddle, where we're trying to figure out what to wear to tonight's Congressional Dinner. The more important question, let's be honest, is: What's for dinner and dessert? See ya there? Reachable whenever here: rbade@politico.com or @rachaelmbade

TODAY IN CONGRESS: The Senate returns at 9:30 a.m. with a roll call at 1:45pm on a resolution on Antonin Scalia's passing. House is in at 10 a.m. with one series of votes between 2:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL: At 9 a.m. at the House Triangle, Reps. Xavier Becerra and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda will urge presidential candidates to respond to a series of legislatives priorities. At 10:45 a.m., Minority Leader Pelosi holds her weekly press conference. At 11:30 a.m., Ryan does the same. At 12:30 p.m., Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and Sen. Tammy Baldwin will hold a press conference to introduce the Whistleblower Augmented Reward and Non-Retaliation Act of 2016. And at 1:30 p.m. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer speaks at the League of United Latin American Citizens' advocacy day luncheon.

Senate GOP leadership flack writes in this am: "Coincidence? 'From the AP: Senate Democrats are intent on pressuring Republicans and plan to stand in front of the Supreme Court at noon on Thursday and renew their demand that the Senate consider the president's nominee, with hearings and a vote.' ... 'From Capital Weather Gang: D.C. area forecast: Gusty winds today... non-stop gusty winds over the next couple of days and falling temperatures."

RSC kicks off empowerment initiative w/Kemp. Another birdie writes in on today's RSC meeting (h/t both to Lauren French): "Jimmy Kemp, son of late Congressman Jack Kemp and President of the Jack Kemp Foundation, will meet with members of the Republican Study Committee's Empowerment Initiative Thursday morning. They'll discuss conservative solutions to address poverty and promote pro-opportunity policies."

UP TONIGHT, PRESSURE'S ON. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Barbara Boxer are tonight's speakers at the 72nd annual Congressional Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental. No pressure, but friendly reminder that the press is usually a tougher crowd. Pointer: Self-deprecating humor always wins. Reception starts at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 8. Black tie optional.


** A message from Lifeline Facts Campaign: Since its establishment during the Reagan Administration, and as administered by the FCC, Lifeline has offered low-income Americans discounted phone service. It connects individuals to employers, serves our nation's veterans, provides access to healthcare and first responders, works to close the digital divide, and more. Get the facts at www.LifelineFacts.com **

PAST CRITICS DIGGING SCHUMER, MCCONNELL IN SCOTUS FIGHT. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't exactly Club for Growth or Heritage Foundation's most-favorite conservative. And Democratic leader-in-waiting Chuck Schumer is no Elizabeth Warren. But the Supreme Court fight is changing the way their parties view them. Burgess Everett takes it away: [T]he Senate's war over the Supreme Court has pushed those concerns into the background and united the party faithful behind ... McConnell and Schumer...With the backing of their respective bases, both leaders have a stronger hand in a fight that will shape the highest court in the land - if not their status as party leaders and relationship with
each other."

"It's a stunning and sudden turn for two men viewed with intense skepticism by their party's activist wings. After 14 months of relentless criticism from Ted Cruz and Heritage Action, Majority Leader McConnell is giving them what they want: The hardest possible line of obstruction on a new Supreme Court nominee, meaning no hearings, no votes and no meetings to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia's death. And Schumer, who was hounded by the base for opposing President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, is winning praise for his confrontation with McConnell from groups that wanted to cut off his fundraising spigot last summer." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efd069568617ee0ec9677bb91d84d080bebf4ec6621faf4a0c8

BUT, BUT, BUT... OBAMA CONSIDERING REPUBLICAN FOR SCOTUS PIC. Siobhan Hughes for the WSJ: "[P]eople familiar with the matter said the administration is vetting Brian Sandoval, the Republican governor of Nevada, as a possible candidate. Mr. Sandoval-who initially on paper would seem hard for many Republicans to refuse-is far from the nomination. But the emergence of his name as a possible contender opens a new window into the administration's thinking. The White House has already indicated that the president intends to nominate someone who has past Republican support and lacks a significantly liberal background. Mr. Obama on Wednesday said he intends to pressure Republicans to change their
minds by offering a nominee they would have difficulty refusing."http://on.wsj.com/21gWOCa

WHY IT STILL WON'T MADE A DIFFERENCE. Amber Phillips for The Fix: "Purely from a political perspective, Sandoval could be a strong pick for two big reasons: 1. Of the names that have been floated, he is one of the most difficult for Republicans to shut down... 2. Sandoval's résumé is the stuff of Republican recruiting dreams... As with every decision, of course, there are potential downsides.... For one, Sandoval would be skipping a level to get from the District Court to the nation's highest...And then there's the very important matter of abortion. Sandoval is a Republican and is conservative on many issues, but the Supreme Court is the court that decides the future of
abortion restrictions. Putting a pro-abortion-rights justice on the court would quite simply be a very hard sell with many of the most animated sections of the GOP base." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efd8aa902f64c9ca1fd806bf140e28d98933bcdebdbc7139e7f

--Still, Grassley scheduling Obama meeting over SCOTUS nominee. Burgess with more: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is finally working to schedule a meeting next week with President Barack Obama regarding the Supreme Court vacancy, a White House official said on Wednesday evening. Top Judiciary Democrat Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) as well as as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid have also been extended invitations. While Grassley may end up talking with the president, there was no indication he planned to change his mind and hold a hearing on any future nominee." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efde9813a9237f9a5aa02ac6ebb71d53b40e2f81105eac8def9

PROFILE OF THE DAY - "John Lewis talks about his graphic novel - and his amazing life - to teenagers in jail," per Meredith Shiner of Yahoo! Politics: "Lewis knows what it's like to be in jail. In the 1960s, he was arrested 40 times as a result of his work as a nonviolent protester in the civil rights movement. A half century later, he sits in this jail on a hill, in a city where 535 members of Congress serve but few take the time to learn anything about the people who actually live here."

"These 16- and 17-year-olds live here. They've been charged as adults under the District of Columbia code, and as they sit attentively listening to Lewis, it's hard not to think that under more normal circumstances they could just be school kids in a library instead of inmates. They are members of the Free Minds Book Club, a group that helps promote literacy and writing skills among incarcerated youth. Lewis is the co-author of a graphic novel, 'March,' about his life and the history of the civil rights movement, and the group, having read it, has some questions for him."http://yhoo.it/1R1VGrg

SIREN: "Spy agencies say Clinton emails closely matched top secret documents: sources," by Reuters' Mark Hosenball: "U.S. spy agencies have told Congress that Hillary Clinton's home computer server contained some emails that should have been treated as 'top secret' because their wording matched sections of some of the government's most highly classified documents, four sources familiar with the agency reports said. The two reports are the first formal declarations by U.S. spy agencies detailing how they believe Clinton violated government rules when highly classified information in at least 22 email messages passed through her unsecured home server..."

"It has not previously been clear if the emails contained full classified documents or only some information from them. The agencies did not find any top secret documents that passed through Clinton's server in their full version... Two sources said some of the top secret material was related to the CIA's campaign of drone strikes against Islamist militants in the Middle East and South Asia. That campaign has been widely reported by Reuters and other media outlets, but it officially is classified as a "Top Secret/Special Access Program" (SAP), meaning only a limited number of people whose names are on a special list are allowed to learn details about it. One source said the reports
identified some information in messages on Clinton's server that came from human sources, such as confidential CIA informants, and some from technical systems, such as spy satellites or electronic eavesdropping." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efd68000ad264fcb70114fa4eb0ed2b6a71c0a0e9ef081255bd

SENATE REACHES DEAL ON FLINT AID. Bridget Bowman and Stephanie Akin for Roll Call: "Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., filed a bill Wednesday that would provide additional funds and loans to enhance safe drinking water and to improve water infrastructure, according to bill text obtained by Roll Call. The agreement comes after weeks of negotiations on how to provide aid to the city, where corroded pipes have poisoned the water supply. Stabenow and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., originally attempted to attach an amendment aiding Flint to an energy bill, but an impasse over offsets stalled that effort." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efd1be0fdd53341879c4514a02cf020b824e8ffd132b550d2bf

KANYE? REALLY? Speaker Ryan last night retweeted Kanye West writing: "Good point." @kanyewest: "What is your definition of true freedom? There is no true freedom without economic freedom." (H/t Karey Van Hall)http://bit.ly/1OvNLAM

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Patrick Boldand was the first to answer that George Washington was the first president to travel abroad, though NOT while in office. He went to Barbados in the early 1750s at 19 with his sick half-brother Lawrence Washington.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from Patrick, who's sticking with the Trumpmania theme: "Whose head did Trump once shave on pay-per-view?" Email me at rbade@politico.com

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Lifeline Facts Campaign supports the FCC's efforts to improve and modernize Lifeline and opposes the creation of barriers to participation for those who need the program most. Sign the petition to protect the program and become a member of Team Lifeline at http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=37d1d86a5bec1efd2081d1a519f450df59e4d16cf7370e4e8dda863a999451ac **

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