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07/12/2018 08:01 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

With an assist from Heather Caygle

MCCARTHY MAKES THE ASK -- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says he's focused on retaining the GOP's majority this fall, not running for speaker. But Republican lawmakers and aides say he's lining up votes to succeed Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as speaker, looking to secure commitments from key lawmakers from different factions across the GOP Conference to back him in January. "McCarthy is hoping that locking up those members now will serve as a 'force multiplier' if and when he formally announces a bid for speaker," Bres and Rachael report.

McCarthy's ask: "Will you vote for me to become speaker? I want your vote," he told one veteran lawmaker who asked not to be named. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), who pledged to vote for McCarthy, says the speaker race commenced the day Ryan announced his retirement. "It's not been official or above-board," he said. "But this is a place full of political animals." Several members have also approached McCarthy on their own. As Bres and Rachael point out, now is the best time to get commitments. "House members have only 2½ more weeks in session before the month-long August recess," they write. "When they return in the fall, most members will be focused on reelection."

The California Republican has ramped up his fundraising, ascending to a level rivaling Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). His campaign announced a $12 million second-quarter haul Wednesday. And his campaign committee says he has raised money for more than 130 incumbents and candidates. He has also leveraged his closeness with the president to help members. He helped secure endorsements for Reps. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) and Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.). "Finally," they add, McCarthy has also "gone out of his way to help members from swing districts, including several freshmen, secure floor votes on pet bills -- a boon to their reelection campaigns." Inside McCarthy's stealth
campaign: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3b3c30f8d842d1e20965f43bf19167ed044e5eb783984b1d1062d5cc843acfa369152e0cc289690934ce4424d610c11c

DEMS' MANY MESSAGES ON SCOTUS -- While Republicans are hammering the message that Brett Kavanaugh is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, Democrats are talking about how his confirmation could undo Roe v. Wade. And take away Obamacare's protections for people with preexisting conditions. They're also suggesting he would side with the president if legal issues stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation made it to the high court -- and warning about how he would rule in cases involving guns, unions, voting rights and more. In short, "Democrats are offering multiple arguments against him that each speak to multiple parts of their base and the electorate," Elana and
Heather report.

"Democrats view their messaging balancing act on Kavanaugh as somewhat necessary, given the sheer number of constituencies affected by Supreme Court rulings," they continue. "Making the fight purely about blocking Trump's nominee might fire up the party's base as keenly as abortion or Obamacare, but it likely would alienate the vulnerable red-state Democratic senators who are battling to hold onto their seats in November's midterm elections." The mixed messaging also risks getting drowned out by news in the Trump era. A consistent, unified message against Kavanaugh might have a better chance withstanding a frenetic news cycle than a half-dozen different arguments.

What Democrats are saying about the messaging: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) acknowledged that the party has "a long history of making simple arguments overly complicated" and "thinking that we need to compartmentalize our messages for different groups." "We need to get over both of those addictions if we are going to defeat Brett Kavanaugh," he said. Meanwhile, some senators are going to ignore whatever the party's official message is. "I'm going to do my own thing," Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3b3c30f8d842d1e230126450b50ba9512cc2165e7004ae96a909a83eb1f625d067516079bc8e8abe5143bf16b4ff6007

Related: "Kavanaugh signaled sitting president couldn't be indicted," by Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a82a7b10890a12d96f9a794005ba26a01d760b28518ecf4e3225c29057894c7181319cc5230046972ef6628235a3c91a "Kavanaugh lauded late Chief Justice Rehnquist for dissenting in Roe vs. Wade and supporting school prayer," from the LA Times' David G. Savage: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=49a1664567b5da723df09e1ab7fe2bd2993a298902a96a3a725902fa4240dc008f310687663021779ebbc07b6da67c8f and "Trump's top Hill aide leaving White House amid Supreme Court battle," via Matthew Nussbaum: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853d20d33e89cfd80064f56fef9b33d1082d57ea23a4954987279996c555ec4cfed2dff8be7750d97589

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, July 12.

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WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Sen. Gary Peters' (D-Mich.) photo album with Senator for a Day Thomas Stephenson was the winner.

GOP'S RUSSIA IDENTITY CRISIS -- President Donald Trump's rhetoric on Russia is reopening a Republican rift. Some are "worried about fraying U.S. alliances and Russian President Vladimir Putin's growing influence," Burgess and Rachael report, while others are "pleased to see improved relations and fearful of getting on the wrong side of the leader of their own party. The divisions come as Trump lashed out at other NATO member nations in Brussels on Wednesday for taking 'unfair' advantage of U.S. military might and several days after a delegation of GOP senators visited Russia and were promptly used by Moscow's messaging apparatus, which painted them as weak."

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is urging the president to stand firm when he meets with Putin one on one in Helsinki on Monday. "In advance of Trump's meeting with Putin, GOP lawmakers are on eggshells about how to respond to a summit with someone Republicans have called a 'thug' and an 'enemy' of U.S. ideals," they write. "Both chambers this week passed resolutions expressing support for NATO. The move is toothless, but it is the only way GOP leaders seem comfortable expressing their squeamishness regarding Trump's closeness to Putin while he's abroad." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853d0b7205987b685c182202d388c210677d26db7186c7b72d56f5673028b7b6aea32378fe03e2df6a18

HATCH BREAKS WITH TRUMP -- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) openly split with the president, who claimed Germany is "totally controlled by Russia." Hatch told reporters he disagrees with the president's assertion, adding that Trump can sometimes be "a little too critical of the other counterparts, and I don't think he should be critical." "Trump made the controversial claim Wednesday at the opening of a highly anticipated NATO summit in Brussels," Eleanor Mueller notes. "His remarks, which were broadcast live, took many of those in attendance by surprise."More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853da081a523fcbef87d1d10e458c2426d23ff916f2592729c55a1b27a934a9a2f9bdd81140e05e39a1f

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also responded, remarking in a joint statement that the president's "brazen insults and denigration of one of America's most steadfast allies ... is an embarrassment." They called his behavior a "profoundly disturbing signal that the president is more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853d03d7246f4413116d165e374622303b88b0d7ad7af30cae3eb159878e0e22846776afdcaef16397f6

Related read: "'Why Germany?' Trump's strange fixation vexes experts," per Nahal Toosi: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853dd550802735283045da454e52188e147cb952cc85307ba3a53a03cb6b08661d9a50ba597c09e38cfa

GOP ALARMED BY LATEST TRUMP TARIFFS -- Republicans are disturbed by the president's latest moves to impose tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese goods, which would come two months ahead of the midterm elections. "The latest set of duties would not take effect until the end of August at the earliest, after the administration holds a public comment period on the affected products," Megan Cassella and Doug Palmer report. "But they would dramatically increase the amount of goods affected, as they come on top of the 25 percent penalties on $34 billion in goods the Trump administration imposed last week and another set of tariffs on $16 billion in goods that could kick into effect as
early as next month."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has warned that tensions could escalate into a multiyear trade conflict and urged the president to sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) reiterated his position that tariffs aren't the right way to go. And Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters that lawmakers should give Trump room to negotiate a good deal but said he worries things could "escalate out of control." "I think the most important question that any of us can ask is, 'Where does this end?'" he said. "And I don't think any of us know that exactly." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e8465554fa6853d28ffac107cfa7918b018a17f43f0db8fe4b3e3a6122e0a74152c2370ee7f112366c0aaee40e646b7

Related: "President of Koch-backed group calls Trump tariffs 'misguided,'" by CBS News' Blair Guild: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=49a1664567b5da7258971a954d139c1f52ac6922a984ef3bc9ecbdfb56383739de004034a41404916a5382f02eb9447e and "GOP growing nervous Trump's policies will plunge party into peril," from Christopher Cadelago: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a82a7b10890a12d93a957d73b426e2b717c5c11645a78737d80b5b9e074349889d49d4b3f5fb1ac3d28f8c327508d2d8

NOT BACKING DOWN -- Rep. Linda Sanchez, No. 4 in the House Democratic Caucus, renewed calls for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her top lieutenants to move on and make way for a new crop of leaders. "I do think that having the top three leadership of the same generation -- I think it's time for that generational change," she told reporters Wednesday, reiterating comments she first made last October. "I want to be part of that transition because I don't intend to stay in Congress until I'm in my 70s." Pelosi and her deputies -- House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Assistant Minority Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) -- are all in their late 70s and have ruled the caucus
for more than a decade.

Pelosi's office responds: "House Democrats are focused on winning in November and if you are rowing in the opposite direction, you are only helping Republicans," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement.

Democratic Ohio congressional candidate Aftab Pureva joined the chorus of candidates who won't back Pelosi as speaker: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a82a7b10890a12d932adda4e357e2a1bcbd6a0f5df9a008f26ac4662d28f8d641bce0ef27e94d1d735506f25f7d56ac3

NO QUESTIONS, PLEASE -- Democrats thought they could question Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) during a Rules Committee hearing on the Intelligence Authorization Act. It turns out they were wrong. Committee spokeswoman Caroline Booth says the plan was for Nunes to give his opening statement and leave -- and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) would take questions about the bill. Booth says Democrats were aware of the plan and knew Nunes wouldn't take questions, a charge Democrats deny. Nevertheless, Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) opened the floor for questions while Nunes was in the witness seat, so Democrats began to ask about Russia.

Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) started to ask about the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a statement he made to the House Intelligence Committee. "Sessions interrupted her and abruptly broke up the committee for a five-minute recess to discuss the questioning with the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jim McGovern," CNN's Ashley Killough reports. "They resumed the hearing 18 minutes later, and Sessions dismissed Nunes from the witness table before Democrats could ask him more questions." Democrats were upset. "In all my years on the Rules Committee, I don't ever recall an instance where any member was prevented from asking questions of a witness," McGovern (D-Mass.) said in a
statement. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a82a7b10890a12d95ba3be2c21a6645119bdb7c019e20c836f0f5cb7f3b12372af9a8d1ec7f7f6397891a4baff253f81

TRANSITIONS -- Emilie Simons, deputy communications director for Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), is leaving to serve as traveling press secretary for Fred Hubbell, the Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House gavels in at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. and last votes expected between 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a82a7b10890a12d9eab64eb49e6f216414769e2f6bd1ef4d92982993ff0ec44aee25692e4c4ab1fdd47a3248d3778e63 The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of Paul Ney Jr.'s nomination to be the Pentagon's general counsel. At 1:30 p.m., the chamber will vote on Ney's confirmation.

AROUND THE HILL -- Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) will hold a meeting of the Florida congressional delegation on the 2018 hurricane season at 8:30 a.m. in 2253 Rayburn.

House GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) will host Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta for a discussion with members of the House GOP Conference as part of her ongoing "Meet the Cabinet" series at 9:15 a.m. in HC-5.

FBI agent Peter Strzok will testify before the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Government Reform committees on oversight of the FBI and DOJ actions surrounding the 2016 election at 10 a.m. in 2118 Rayburn.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will testify before the House Financial Services Committee on the state of the international financial system at 10 a.m. in 2128 Rayburn.

Former House Budget Committee Chairman Leon Panetta (D-Calif.) and former House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) will testify on opportunities to improve the appropriations process at 10 a.m. in 1334 Longworth.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will hold her weekly news conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC-Studio A.

Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and others will hold a news conference to call on Republicans to protect women's reproductive rights in light of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination at 11 a.m. in S-207.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) will hold a meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at 11 a.m. in 136 Russell.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will hold his weekly media briefing at 11:30 a.m. in HVC-Studio A.

Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and others will hold a "Change not Chains" rally to honor the memory of the late Nobel laureate and Chinese prisoner of conscience Liu Xiaobo by standing with Chinese prisoners of conscience who are still incarcerated at 12 p.m. in the East Front Lawn of the Capitol.

The Congressional Western Caucus will hold a news conference to discuss the introduction of the Endangered Species Act modernization package at 4 p.m. in the House Triangle.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Susan Benkelman was first to correctly guess that Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) are the four Democrats who voted in favor of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to serve on the D.C. Circuit on May 26, 2006. Carper is the only Democrat still serving in the Senate.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Frank McDougall: Who believed he was president for a day and in what state is there a statue commemorating this? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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