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09/24/2018 07:57 AM EDT


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

NEW CALLS TO DELAY -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is calling on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to postpone Thursday's hearing with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. The renewed call for a delay in Kavanaugh's confirmation process comes after The New Yorker published a new sexual misconduct allegation from Deborah Ramirez, who says Kavanaugh "exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away," according to Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer. Feinstein is now asking for an FBI investigation into both allegations.

Ramirez says the incident occurred during the 1983-84 academic year at Yale. "The offices of at least four Democratic senators have received information about the allegation, and at least two have begun investigating it," they report. "Senior Republican staffers also learned of the allegation last week and, in conversations with The New Yorker, expressed concern about its potential impact on Kavanaugh's nomination. Soon after, Senate Republicans issued renewed calls to accelerate the timing of a committee vote." Kavanaugh and the White House deny both charges, and a Grassley spokesman says the committee's majority staff learned of the latest accusation in The New Yorker. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe30241148cfa0fddd13c971018cf396cb811c714ab965dfb6de1eacdbe0a61991eb8e5cf719028f803da

Related: "Kavanaugh Was Supposed to Be a Midterm Boon for G.O.P. Not Anymore," by The New York Times' Jonathan Martin: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518b0647fdebc52b58933ebf3f7f6fa9703136aed8cbfe256b6267a2a2a766e543ad5efa289c1842de5a and "'Incredibly frustrated': Inside the GOP effort to save Kavanaugh amid assault allegation," from The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim and Josh Dawsey: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe30283d52c2e6912e8fc66a63f6d816c3ab5173543ed9babc1f84b627af83b68713a3ede2bd95412461d

WAIT, THERE'S MORE -- Democratic lawyer Michael Avenatti says he represents "a woman with credible information" about Kavanaugh and his high school friend Mark Judge, whom Ford alleges was in the room when she was allegedly attacked. He tweeted Sunday of "significant evidence" that Kavanaugh and Judge "would participate in the targeting of women with alcohol/drugs." He told POLITICO he represents a set of individuals who can corroborate the allegations. "She will testify," he said of the victim. "But before she does, she will likely appear on camera for an interview."

"Kavanaugh does not yet have the votes to be confirmed and several GOP senators are watching his reaction to the allegations closely," Burgess, Elana and Natasha Korecki report. "Privately, several Republicans said they were alarmed by the new allegations, but it was not yet clear whether the party will abandon Kavanaugh. The GOP will wait to see the reaction of Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bob Corker of Tennessee to assess whether they can proceed." Democrats had discussed the possibility of more women coming forward, something the White House has been preparing for. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe302d885a69196bc7f00457b6e1efbcc40202ccc401b5fd4b8138725d68ed2c37886a53cbd7be6a81124

Related reads: "Spokesman for GOP on Kavanaugh nomination resigns; has been accused of harassment in the past," via NBC News' Heidi Przybyla: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518b2a2f1395260c0b35b77715f0734ddd0952ff83470f4353a67c65665fbba80ea81c19f87a1d99e778 and "Ed Whelan taking 'leave of absence' after posting Kavanaugh theory," per Quint Forgey: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe30229df1b36e56e3b74b4415fe4fa679d06d220bcae011849dbd9767d61c0461a3c72e321b623778ddb

THURSDAY HEARING SET -- Ford's lawyers held an hour-long call with bipartisan staff on the Judiciary Committee on Sunday and agreed to a Thursday hearing at 10 a.m. "But no firm decision has been reached on whether Republicans would use staff attorneys to question Ford about her claim that Kavanaugh tried to force himself on her more than 30 years ago -- an approach the GOP is considering in order to avoid the perilous prospect of Ford getting grilled by its all-male Judiciary Committee membership, some of whom are publicly skeptical of her account," Elana and I report.

"The committee's Republican staff told Ford's lawyers on Sunday that the committee would decide which witnesses appear, who questions them and in what order," we write. "The GOP told Ford's team that those terms were 'non-negotiable.'" The panel has committed to giving Ford dedicated security for the hearing and breaks at 45-minute intervals, and a source said Ford's team signaled a willingness to accept that Ford will testify first. Over the weekend, however, the fourth person Ford said was at the party where the incident occurred denied any knowledge of it. "Unless there's something more," Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday morning on "Fox News Sunday," "no, I'm not gonna ruin Judge
Kavanaugh's life over this." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe302c385b3366cbda6710aed887689dc21840f1ff6b83c9feeee33bc06736bb90013f14b5a212ac57249

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, Sept. 24.

** A message from the Free & Fair Markets Initiative: Amazon should tell Congress what they are doing with the stockpiles of sensitive data they have on you. The Cambridge Analytica scandal rightfully set off a wave of scrutiny regarding data privacy, but the potential for further exploitation extends far beyond Google, Facebook and Twitter. Read our memo at http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bbc37400dd0631dbf1a5ff564e5c88877c7cf4117f5d320a82c13cc858f06fcdd440ef07eff80fb93 **

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Washington Post's report on the hearing negotiations between the Senate Judiciary Committee and Christine Blasey Ford's attorneys was the winner.

HOUSE COULD ADJOURN FRIDAY -- This week could be the last time House Republicans are in session before Election Day. "House Republican leaders are quietly preparing to adjourn at the end of this week until after the midterm elections, giving rank-and-file GOP lawmakers nearly 40 days at home to try to save their endangered majority," Bres and Rachael report. "That is, if President Donald Trump doesn't do something to derail their plans." While Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has made no official announcement, key Republican lawmakers and aides expect this to be their last week in session before the midterms.

The Senate, meanwhile, is expected to remain in session for several more weeks, as Republican leaders try to confirm embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and other executive-branch nominees before the chamber adjourns. "That also keeps vulnerable red-state Senate Democrats in town instead of back home campaigning," they note. "But with Democrats now favored to take the majority, House Republicans are desperate to spend the final six weeks back home campaigning." House Republicans hope to pass a minibus package this week that funds the Pentagon and departments of Labor and HHS. They also plan to pass a stopgap continuing resolution that funds the remaining federal agencies through
Dec. 7. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe302611c7d2f39f5d4d647056c1868b44ef8d12e796499f6eae2d0f2666935eb7caf6e1a8ebfb02c2eb8

Related: "Republicans boot their headaches until after midterms," by Burgess and Rachael: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bbb070c542639be52d88c2af4fa4430b021361669c30e1e72d12aec7db58e1e5cc1abb7e5389868ef and "Hill leaders consider $1.5 billion in aid to Carolinas," from Bres, Burgess and Sarah Ferris: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe3023b8ca5e5fc11ba2ae56facbdf391f8e5216b15df9642c8ffd84671ecc6e4f96af3f17d81c937dc64

WOMEN REBEL AGAINST PELOSI'S GRIP -- The Democratic Women's Working Group has a Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) problem. A battle is brewing for control of the little-known caucus aiming to boost its profile and influence in the next Congress. "Pelosi and her allies deny the fight is about her," Rachael reports. "But the mini-rebellion is emerging as another test of the minority leader's newly strained hold on power ... and a sign of a growing determination among the rank and file to decentralize the authority of Pelosi and her confidants." At issue is whether to hold an open election to determine the group's next leader.

"I don't think that this should be handpicked," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the minority leader wasn't involved in the group's choice of leaders last time and won't be involved next year, either. But members fret a repeat of last year, when Pelosi's office advised Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) to stand down in her bid for vice chair, a position that was promised to Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.). "Lawrence is now vying for the top post, touting herself as Pelosi's pick," Rachael writes. "But her detractors say the congresswoman should have to win a legitimate election first." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe30243deda7b8c38a3eaf41e49f0bf0f92e33e83c82ca5fc5b798fb45f5eeb037b7afd0ef1d66d80807f

HIRONO CALLS FOR ELLISON INVESTIGATION -- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) called for an investigation into allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a DNC deputy chair and state attorney general candidate. Shortly before the state's August primary, the son of Ellison's ex-girlfriend accused him of abusing his mother. Austin Monahan said he saw a video of Ellison swearing at his mother, Karen Monahan, and dragging her off a bed. Ellison denies the allegations and says the video doesn't exist because he "never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false." Nevertheless, Hirono told CNN's Jake Tapper that "these allegations need to be investigated, and appropriate
action taken." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe3022bf3b49eea48590670eeed46afef657972de8d5c275ad73ffab0d3f26ba5d20e72adf2d26083fc35

Related read: "Bill Nelson's campaign to donate rest of donations it received from Al Franken PAC," via CNN's Ashley Killough, Ryan Nobles and David Wright: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e5f24727afbe302e6caacb21ab22ca003581503f3b7fd4178dee037ca0a70ff40bbcd011b2eeb01c93f2b90962b1d37

DEMS TALK UP PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS -- Several Democratic candidates aren't just telling tales highlighting the importance of Obamacare. They're sharing their own stories. In Illinois, Lauren Underwood acknowledges a heart condition that could cost her coverage if pre-existing conditions are no longer protected. And in Detroit, Elissa Slotkin's TV ads include footage of her late mother, a cancer patient who was denied insurance for years. On the campaign trail, Democrats are "talking about their own cancer, heart disease or harrowing illness of a child or spouse [as] a way to forge a connection with voters and show they're in the health care policy fight for the long haul," Alice Miranda
Ollstein reports. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518b47b490a47440aaceab09d81c33d4b3a7f4c33ac1cc0e97802548817c73f6aa33befdadd80e8908e8

GOP TOUTS OPIOID BILL AS HEALTH CARE ACHIEVEMENT -- Forget about Obamacare and pre-existing conditions. Vulnerable Republicans are running ads boasting about opioid legislation as their crowning achievement on health care. "Democratic candidates also are touting their role in the bipartisan effort," Paul Demko and Brianna Ehley note. "But it's especially critical for congressional Republicans who have struggled on health policy and pressed multiple largely unsuccessful attempts to gut the federal health care law." Congressional Republicans hope to send a final opioid bill to the president's desk before the midterms, but even if the legislation is signed after Election Day, candidates can
still highlight what they've done so far. And they are. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bf9ebeb924ca059dd5fa18092630a89b5ebb3edf8e5d9a032f31fafdb20ae11ca10e0ae12e85094dd

GOSAR SIBLINGS GO FOR DEMOCRAT -- Six of Rep. Paul Gosar's (R-Ariz.) siblings appeared in campaign ads Friday -- against their brother. Six of Gosar's nine brothers and sisters endorsed his opponent, Democrat David Brill, and three have donated to his campaign. "The videos show the siblings attacking the congressman on health care and Social Security, among other issues, and expressing disdain for him," The New York Times' Mihir Zaveri writes. "Dr. Brill said there were more videos to come, though he wouldn't specify how many." Paul Gosar tweeted Saturday that "You can't pick your family," adding that his siblings in the ads "are all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump."

"To the six angry Democrat Gosars," he continued, "see you at Mom and Dad's house!" Their mother, Bernadette Gosar, wasn't aware of the video until she was contacted by the Times. "Once they were described to her in detail, she said she was 'shocked' and 'crushed,'" Zaveri reports. "She said she had a 'wonderful family' but that the Gosar children in the videos did not relate politically to Paul Gosar or herself. She said from what she knew about Dr. Brill, 'He doesn't have a chance.'" Paul Gosar represents a solidly Republican district. He won reelection in 2016 with more than 70 percent of the vote. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518b8521df54b6d9db962c2ba38630ef42dd770df461e3917705cb0905a10ae1966ab149a03e2f3851b6

The ads: "A Family Defends Its Honor": http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bca8d73bd8bcb267ef5dcacdb2b4d7c83d98159f1788faea95cfcdf59e9054892b5c0c6b764143a40 and "Paul Gosar Is Not Working For You": http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bf61cbf73b13e72b15ac893152f9ff11fc24a68fc82b27efc5114436029134478a08686750583ad58

ENGAGED -- Rob Noel, speechwriter for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a U.S. Chamber and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) alum, proposed to Christina Mandreucci, press secretary for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and a Rubio alum, in front of the Capitol, where they first met. Pic

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate meets at 3 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., the chamber will vote to confirm Jackie Walcott to be the U.S. representative to both the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Vienna Office of the United Nations and hold a procedural vote on Peter A. Feldman to be a commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bcee05f114b524654b0c4f2fabc483be497df3f87459f3dfcd178672258e93175dd3c2cf06b94c3f7 The House is out.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Bruce Mehlman was first to correctly guess that Daniel Hiester was the first congressman to represent two different states in the House: Pennsylvania and Maryland.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Bruce: What is the average age of members of the House and Senate, respectively? 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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BIG TECH & THEIR BIG DATA ARE ON CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK

Amazon should tell Congress what they are doing with the stockpiles of sensitive data they have on you.

- Is Amazon using consumer browsing and purchasing behavior data to gain an unfair advantage over its competition?
- Just what is Amazon doing with all that consumer behavior data, anyway?
- Is Amazon taking privacy concerns about its smart-speaker Echo seriously, and have there been breaches that we don't know about?
- Has Amazon heeded the lessons of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal, or does it still leave user data exposed for exploitation?

Amazon is the prime example of a company stockpiling consumer data with hardly any oversight or accountability. Read our memo at http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4ba05b3f2ae518bbc37400dd0631dbf1a5ff564e5c88877c7cf4117f5d320a82c13cc858f06fcdd440ef07eff80fb93 **

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