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07/19/2016 07:51 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Seung Min Kim

REPUBLICAN LEADERS ON TAP FOR TONIGHT-Congressional leaders who have spent the past several months in a delicate dance with Donald Trump, trying to figure out how to unify the party without fully backing the bombastic businessman, are teed up to speak at the GOP convention tonight. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy are all scheduled to speak but it's unclear how far GOP leaders will go to embrace Trump. Sens. Ron Johnson and Shelley Moore Capito are also listed in tonight's lineup.

-'Not my kind of conservative' - Ahead of tonight's speech, Ryan talked a little Trump during a Monday lunch in Cleveland. Scott Wong: "'He's not my kind of conservative, but I come from a different part and wing of the party,' the Wisconsin Republican said. ...'There are different kinds of conservatives, that's for darn sure.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642baa658e6de5b064928a571065353431b54e0937f77d9ebc4a0

-Miss all the action from the first day? Don't worry, the Politico team has you covered: Trump's disastrous Day One http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba7577e25c83a02301103032a7159d94993da7180fc4a4bac1

NEW THIS A.M.: PORTMAN CAN'T ESCAPE TRUMP DRAMA-Sen. Rob Portman is in a tough spot-facing a tight reelection campaign while trying to figure out the Trump tightrope walk in his own backyard. And on Monday it didn't get any easier. Seung Min explains: "On Day One the buttoned-down Portman was dragged into a spat between the Trump camp and Ohio Gov. John Kasich over the vanquished presidential contender's decision to steer clear of his home-state convention because of Trump - forcing Portman to defend his close ally."

"'John is not an embarrassment,' Portman told reporters after a campaign event at a community college here Monday."

The counter-convention: "Rather than take the stage on behalf of Trump and assume a home-state starring role at Quicken Loans Arena, Portman is instead swinging a hammer at a Habitat for Humanity site, kayaking with wounded veterans on the Cuyahoga River and shaking hands with hundreds of millennial volunteers from around Ohio."

Go your own way: "'I think it's a more unpredictable year than past years,' Portman said after the campaign event with hundreds of grassroots volunteers. 'That's why we're doing our own thing.'" Seung Min with the Cleveland dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba743750ef959cd2a17bc05190d9628af8a61db27532a20c58

Spotted: Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan popped up at Portman's Habitat for Humanity home-building site to show support

THE PAUL RYAN POLICY SIDESHOW- Speaking of lawmakers doing their own thing, Ryan may technically be running the big show as RNC chairman but he's also got his own little mini-convention on the side, all centered around his GOP policy agenda. Rachael reports: "Ryan's activities are aimed squarely at showing Ohio - and the nation - that Republicans have a vision for the country and a plan for getting there. Nearly every event on his jam-packed schedule this week will highlight or gather intel to inform 'A Better Way,' his six-plank policy platform unveiled this spring that was drowned out by Trump."

"Ryan's wonk-fest is a jarring contrast to Trump's convention program, which will include a look back at Bill Clinton's sex scandals and the polarizing Benghazi attack, among other themes. Safe to say the speaker's head will be elsewhere." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642bad41041ff424375397fa12b9b6847f2805b472332d0052e91

DAY 2 OF THE RNC CONVENTION, it's Tuesday, July 19. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Here's a picture of a Donald Trump dryer lint sculpture (yes, you read that right) to get you through the day: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba25e3edd1b28a020a4ea827dd675db4d1a1f4111c9d2af98d

HELP ME HELP YOU -- Send convention spottings, scoops and tips my way: hcaygle@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Dust bunnies scurrying around the Capitol.

AROUND THE HILL- How early is too early for happy hour?

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McCONNELL TO FOCUS ON CLINTON TONIGHT-Sen. Mitch McConnell might not be the most enthusiastic Trump supporter but he does like a little mudslinging. The Senate majority leader is expected to slam Hillary Clinton in his convention speech tonight, according to the New York Times.

More from Carl Hulse: "A campaign aide to Mr. McConnell said the senator would focus on what he saw as Mrs. Clinton's record of failed policies and a willingness to do anything to get elected. He will argue that the case for casting a presidential vote is an easy one, particularly given the Republican desire to maintain the conservative tilt of the Supreme Court." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba280006589f204ae9015454ba35f717db79912d7ccac27ebc

SENATE LEADERS HUDDLE WITH DONORS OVER TRUMP FEARS- McConnell, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn and NRSC Chairman Roger Wicker met with big-time donors in Cleveland Monday, reports the Hill. More from Alexander Bolton: "While those attending are hoping that Trump can defeat Hillary Clinton, it has been clear for some time that GOP leaders are prepared to cut their losses and keep a distance from Trump if necessary to keep the Senate."

"'Everyone in that room wants Trump to win the presidency but no one dares waiting for that to happen to keep the Republican majority,' said an elite donor who attended the meeting." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642baefc7417acc2cd51af273d08a13218242395f0fa43b89d18a

DEM TROLLS RYAN ON INSTAGRAM- House Speaker Paul Ryan caught flak late last week for an innocent selfie with Capitol Hill interns posted on his Instagram account. Commentators instantly noted the lack of diversity among the interns, even using the hashtag #InternsSoWhite, a riff on the Oscar controversy earlier this year. Well, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra decided to join in with a little subtle jab of his own on Monday. See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642bae724e9af84c09432e34e812e3bcbb9f7fdc0ba300dc3099c

DAINES CUTS FISHING TRIP SHORT-Turns out Montana Sen. Steve Daines will be making a (brief) appearance at the Republican convention after initially saying he was going fishing instead. Daines will make a "brief stop" at the convention today before returning to Montana Wednesday to go fly-fishing with his wife, reports the Great Falls Tribune. "'That was not the original plan,' he said. 'It's tough to trade Montana fly fishing for Cleveland for a day.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba3410e64c6b29dc67e79a74a5dfe58f32c86703e659ffc101

MISSING FROM MONDAY'S SHOW-Noticeably absent from Monday's "make America safe" GOP convention night was Rep. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican who led the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Turns out he's on vacation. The Post and Courier's Emma Dumain explains in a tweet: "He told me he would be 'divorced' if he did not attend said family vacation." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642baf72aac2b38305ccbcf01dfb4ae620044817dea81b749e84c

SPOTTED: MAN ABOUT TOWN- Rep. John Lewis having breakfast Monday morning at Pete's Diner, a John Boehner favorite, just down the street from the Capitol. Lewis was also seen at the Metropolitan African Episcopalian Methodist Church Sunday to celebrate the institution's 178th anniversary and to receive an award from the congregation for his civil rights work. And he took the time to say hello to a "stunned intern" who happened to be there, according to a tipster.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Christopher Colford was the first to correctly guess that Gerald Ford served as convention chairman in 1968, when Richard Nixon was nominated, later going on to succeed him when Nixon resigned in 1974.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Christopher, who has been to several conventions over the years, continues the theme with today's trivia: Since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Happy Days Are Here Again" has been considered the Democratic Party's unofficial theme song.

But when was "Happy Days Are Here Again" played, not at a Democratic National Convention, but at a Republican National Convention? The first person to correctly answer will get a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail: hcaygle@politico.com.

EVENT ALERT - POLITICO Caucus: Energy and the Election: Join POLITICO's Nick Juliano and Steven Shepard at the Republican National Convention as they bring presidential campaign advisers and POLITICO's Caucus members together for a deep-dive discussion about the energy policy issues facing the next president. Wednesday - 12:45p.m. -- POLITICO Hub - 925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Learn more:http://politi.co/29BbEyT

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f36cace6a64642ba37dca85a7b2cc104c194abb12be72c46bca9a9606b5bc702


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