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09/07/2018 08:01 AM EDT


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

MCCARTHY VS. SCALISE -- The GOP race for speaker is on. Publicly, the battle is between House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). But behind the scenes, Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) is also a factor. The Louisiana Republican announced this morning the hiring of Grant Saunders, a former political operative for ex-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). And, as Rachael reports this morning, "[T]he rivalry between the two men is as intense as ever, as the moment of reckoning to determine who will replace Paul Ryan draws closer -- and the prospect of losing the House in the midterms grows."

McCarthy and Scalise have both barnstormed the country to raise money for lawmakers. Scalise's office "frequently touts his fundraising, noting that his totals have eclipsed any previous GOP whip," she writes. "Scalise's team doesn't spell out that McCarthy previously held the job, but the message is clear whom they're comparing him to." Scalise has also been raising his nation profile in ways McCarthy allies feel threaten his bid for speaker. For example, Scalise has taken several hard-line positions that conservatives favor, pressuring McCarthy to follow his lead or anger the far-right, a group whose support he needs to become speaker.

Scalise, of course, has endorsed McCarthy for speaker. But he's considering running for the post if McCarthy falls short. "Members and top aides are also privately speculating about whether Scalise would challenge McCarthy for minority leader," Rachael adds. "Republicans are increasingly concerned that they will lose the majority, though Scalise in an interview last week said he remains confident that won't happen. ... [S]ome House Republicans have wondered whether Scalise would run as a compromise option for Republicans wary of McCarthy or suspicious of Jordan." But for now, neither McCarthy nor Scalise want to talk about it. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e5dfe152082cf768f9d150b90f2e5d1fedcfff161fecae461c7fde812872908ce892f089a7287d76375f4c70ac8db03

Related: "Kevin McCarthy Hits Trail to Campaign for GOP, Speakership," by The Wall Street Journal's Kristina Peterson: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264c1cb0ea40f6a538c27b33498f28086d5325ccd4b193938ef0779879a3dd522a9adbb815350ac92df and "Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Care What You Think of Her. And She Isn't Going Anywhere," from Time's Molly Ball: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e5dfe152082cf76487e44c0bc0b810ce5244982069b9e65f6602c6fc5cfd56b033f15399720139417a534034a987575

KAVANAUGH HEARINGS -- Things got interesting on the third day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. By Elana's account, it "erupted in bitter partisan combat Thursday as once-confidential -- and potentially controversial -- records on the Supreme Court nominee began leaking into public view." Democrats have fumed for weeks over a lack of access to hundreds of thousands of documents from Kavanaugh's time in the George W. Bush White House. But on Thursday, Judiciary Committee Democrats vowed to release "committee confidential" records that were intended to be shielded from public view.

"Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) vowed to risk expulsion from the chamber if necessary in order to get Kavanaugh documents into the public eye -- likening the gesture to 'civil disobedience' and an '"I am Spartacus" moment' -- Republicans responded that the records at issue had already been cleared for use early Thursday morning," Elana reports. "Somebody's not doing very good homework if they're asking for committee-confidential stuff to be disclosed that's already available to the public," Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said. "Still," she adds, "it remains unclear how many senators were aware that the confidentiality restrictions on the documents had been eased when Booker
first spoke out." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e5dfe152082cf7676d972eb951af20d9335b480792caeecccb141c870f626a92e3b7e5186b6c7c5da301b612cec564e

Day Four will feature witness testimony, including from Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), former law clerks and John Dean, former counsel to President Richard Nixon.

COLLINS, MURKOWSKI FACE NEW PRESSURE -- A newly released 2003 document in which Kavanaugh questioned whether Roe v. Wade is settled law could jeopardize Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alaska) support for him. But neither is raising concerns just yet. "With just 51 GOP senators, the duo's votes and generally pro-abortion rights views will be central to Kavanaugh's confirmation as Democratic senators continue to withhold their votes for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick," Burgess notes. "And Democrats and their outside-group allies began a new offensive aimed at Collins and Murkowski on Thursday."

"I am not sure that all legal scholars refer to Roe as the settled law of the land at the Supreme Court level since [the] Court can always overrule its precedent, and three current Justices on the Court would do so," Kavanaugh wrote in the message. Collins and Murkowski hadn't seen the email Thursday but plan to review it over the weekend. "I am told that he was editing an op-ed for clarity and was merely stating a fact that three judges on the court were anti-Roe," Collins said. "If that's the case then, and it's not expressing his view, then I'm not sure what the point is."

"The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Demand Justice immediately launched ads in Maine and Alaska papers with a faux newspaper headline raising the prospect of women being jailed for seeking abortions following Kavanaugh's confirmation," Burgess reports. "And Planned Parenthood Action Fund executive vice president Dawn Laguens said the email rendered Kavanaugh's previous statements 'meaningless.'" More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3e5dfe152082cf767246dc87884f5e83298fbe58854d88403569dcc4635fe7983e686380c5d3adf38f382262615f3ba2

Related reads: "Kavanaugh faces new scrutiny over abortion after leaked email," per Adam Cancryn and Rachel Roubein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264de7119085eeb6bcc1228321d3c027fb15543c0e00ce4a5dbf821319da2d0f569df0be066fa940f10 and "Dems dig in on Kavanaugh's ties to Trump-connected law firm," via Elana: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264c6c8c0166182c9ff00c7f91e579ad5555a6d4c98566b00a9f6707f3cc0e98d98baf1d8b18a5a3939

HAPPY FRIDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Sept. 7.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: C-SPAN's video of Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) auctioneering to drown out far-right activist Laura Loomer during a congressional hearing was the big winner.

Long and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) teamed up for a 34-second clip of Long auctioneering nine months of economic news. "This went on for a while...," reads on-screen text as the video speeds up. "You get the point. (America's economy is really good.)" Watch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264876c254ab858282487a91324175f6cff8adeff54dceec290e31f7cfc2bdedfc3b8554268e4d42749

CARPER CRUSHES PRIMARY CHALLENGE -- Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is still undefeated. The longtime lawmaker fended off a progressive primary challenge from 38-year-old Air Force veteran Kerri Evelyn Harris, winning by 25 points. "Harris hit Carper for his coziness with the pharmaceutical industry and other big businesses in the corporate-friendly state," Steven Shepard writes. "She campaigned in the final week before the primary with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- the young liberal woman who unseated Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a primary back in June." But it wasn't enough. She ultimately endorsed Carper and claimed a partial victory for pushing him on certain issues.

"Anytime you win, it's a win, and you're grateful for that," said Carper, whose win was much narrower than his 76-point primary victory six years ago. "It's a bigger margin than I think a lot of people expected. I think a lot of people across the country thought I could very well lose the race." Carper also had a massive fundraising advantage over Harris, who had just $121,000 as of mid-August. He's heavily favored to win the general election against Sussex County Councilman Robert Arlett. And, for those wondering, Shepard notes, "The primary was held on a Thursday rather than the traditional second Tuesday in September to avoid coinciding next week with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year."
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264f85f44392d33be5600b7d3a7a51abb9c30039f2f9f5be57f68a0a3303920e8ae931cdd5abf6833c4

TRUMP'S LATEST SHUTDOWN VIEW -- President Donald Trump's most recent thinking on a possible shutdown this fall over immigration policy is that he "most likely" won't shut down the government. On Wednesday, he had said, "If it happens, it happens," which followed his telling the conservative Daily Caller earlier this week that he didn't see himself or anyone else closing down the country. "If it was up to me, I'd shut down government over border security," Trump said Thursday. "And I guess when you get right down to it, it is up to me. But I don't want to do anything to hurt us or potentially hurt us." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb2646d6be48c5294aaac21c02b375f1ccbb4d10dc563dcefce6c93a8fe6ec48946eec66d47fe9c5fa5aa

Related: "Freedom Caucus split on shutdown clash," by Rachael: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb26447676ed04ebc1699215d8c945d9f6c6e95828aedcb563d632feb2c0c7571718cebe3098af213da5b and "Trump tells supporters it'll be 'your fault' if he gets impeached," from CNN's Kate Sullivan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264715581df85a6df98d5d7b9654500f0126ba104af0b4272ec626cf2ab5b2f42005a09c6cca6c3dcf4

SECOND TAX VOTE COMING SOON? -- House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) hopes to hold a floor vote this month on a second stage of tax reform. House Republicans were briefed Thursday on the proposal, which CNBC's Jacob Pramuk and Ylan Mui report would make permanent the individual tax cuts passed last year and ease rules around retirement savings. "Under the plan passed last year, tax changes on the individual side including rate reductions and a doubled child tax credit were set to expire in 2025," they note. "The new proposal would lock in those provisions" and "make permanent the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, which prompted a dozen House Republicans in high-tax blue states to
oppose the plan." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb26409c9b7a57d3c61d36bf8b49d3ad16966f301f31d93b5a0c44cf07d6e5b047a4d3ea7c8eacf059e7a

SENATE TO VOTE ON OPIOID PACKAGE -- The Senate has reached a deal on a bipartisan package to address the opioid crisis, and a vote could come next week. "The agreement comes after weeks of slowed negotiations between lawmakers over hot-button provisions like requiring Medicaid to cover treatment at more inpatient facilities and loosening privacy restrictions for substance-abuse patients' medical records," Brianna Ehley and Darius Tahir report. "Neither provision made it into the final deal, but they are part of an opioid response package passed by the House earlier this year." The Senate measure otherwise largely mirrors the House version. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264747bf8d2d4fadeb76314738ed9585e7eb2c1fecadec8d1e3ffa9ee0df3b4ba2dcf0ddcbaff7650c1

REPUBLICANS REACT TO NYT OP-ED -- Many Republicans in the White House and Congress agree with the secret Trump administration official who penned the New York Times op-ed this week. But they also say the editorial is a major setback to curbing the president's worst impulses. "Republicans have been laboring to fund the government, push for free trade and reassure allies in the face of President Donald Trump's penchant for conflict over the border wall, trade deficits and foreign policy," Burgess and Eliana Johnson report. "But people working on those matters said Thursday that the Times piece only amps up the president's paranoia by handing him proof that members of his own team are working
against him."

"It kind of reinforces his message out there that there's a bunch of folks here embedded in the Washington bureaucracy that are out to get him. I'm not sure it accomplishes what the folks behind it think it does," Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. "What this person did is badly hurt the effort to rein in Trump ... and it will make him crazy," a Republican close to the White House added. "Now, if you say to the president, 'I see where you're heading, but I'm not sure about that' -- he's going to think, 'Ah, you wrote that.'" Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264aaf1e48d2311b0a835001e316a5adad4a00b49abf4e94bfcb38cff9f66c3808dfc314a3c706afb85

PET NIGHT ON THE HILL -- Every dog has his day. And on Thursday, a cat and goat had theirs, too. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), a former veterinarian, announced the winners of the 10th annual Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill Contest last night: Ralph the dog, Milo the cat and Ruby Sue the goat. The winners were selected from a record number of entries submitted by members of Congress and their staff. Schrader and Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) narrowed down the entries to a list of finalists in each pet category before online voting chose the winners.

"We continue to be impressed with the enthusiasm for the Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill Contest each year," said Alex Matthews, president and CEO of the American Health Institute, which organized the event. "Pet ownership in America continues to climb, and increasingly pets are treated like part of the family." Ralph's owner is Andrew Burnett, a health research and policy assistant for the Senate HELP Committee majority. Milo's owner is Laura Wilson, a senior policy adviser for Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio). And Ruby Sue's owner is Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.). See Ralph: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb2647a138336408b272083e1261f585618ae5bcc81d245e86f2108e6c5805056a45126559eb51023084b Milo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb2648b76769b7e7be9376ac9bdfd0138bdc2f437d38b688d8f926d178e8def64337c1b899796069671b5 and Ruby Sue:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ff550cf488eb264705f503604ea6728a13d69142308cd5bb8dd181e5f67f7f98de93b21df6535efc9831c0f0faade03

TRANSITIONS -- Josh Fendrick is now a legislative aide for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). He was previously a legislative correspondent for Peters.

Caroline Vanvick is leaving Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) office, where she serves as communications director, to join the Department of Housing and Urban Development's public affairs team.

Teresa Davis is leaving Rep. Tom Cole's (R-Okla.) office, where she serves as communications director, to join the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as a special assistant to Assistant Secretary Marie Royce.

Ally Fields is moving to Chicago, where she'll be doing government affairs for engineering firm Crawford, Murphy & Tilly. She was previously a senior policy adviser for Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.).

Jason Kaplan, press secretary to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for the past four years, is joining SKDKnickerbocker's New York City office as a VP. Ally Biasotti has been named upstate press secretary.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House gavels in at 9 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The Senate is out.

AROUND THE HILL -- The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at 9:30 a.m. in 216 Hart.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa), Early "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway will hold a rally to highlight the impact of illegal alien crime on America at 10 a.m. on the east front steps of the Capitol.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- No one correctly guessed that over the past 100 years, 90 percent (36 of 40) of Supreme Court nominees have been confirmed when the Senate majority is the same party as the president.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- Which former commander in chief has lived the longest since leaving the Oval Office? 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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