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10/11/2018 08:01 AM EDT


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

PELOSI PLANS TO PURSUE TRUMP'S TAXES -- Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is confident her title in the next Congress will come with a gavel. "I believe we would win if the election was today," she told the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board. "I believe I will be speaker if we win." If Democrats do retake the House, Pelosi said "one of the first things" the party will do is pursue President Donald Trump's tax returns. "Forcing Trump to release his returns would not necessarily make them public, but would allow a Democratic-run congressional committee to decide whether there is information in those returns that needs to be investigated," John Wildermuth reports.

Pelosi framed the pursuit of the president's tax returns as oversight, not revenge, pledging that a Democratic majority would "seek bipartisanship where we can." "One of the reasons we should win is that we're not like them," Pelosi said of Republicans, "and we're not going to be like them." As for Trump? "I, probably more than most people do, respect the office he serves in, probably more than he does," she said. "But he is the president -- we have to find our common ground." Possible areas of common ground Pelosi outlined include infrastructure improvements and a Dreamers deal. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b583f88dbcebb9620a7addf20a94217572bd03c387297b8efb414b384931954e8da57c4552ebf152e

Related: "Nancy Pelosi dismisses Brett Kavanaugh impeachment talk," by the San Francisco Chronicle's Tal Kopan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4ba134311efd64e87f38b7f5c2556ed988cea868c759c4ee75a804542aa63ddcc43981a5c2c0e67372 and "Donald Trump's tax returns could be his greatest vulnerability, especially if Democrats retake the House," from Kurt Bardella in NBC News THINK: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b011debbb3ff0be0dc71390ca07e5b2346069b3d946c152e3be0c251d7ae9d0bf02f7543969fccd73

MCCARTHY COURTS IMMIGRATION POPULISTS -- Conservatives are taking note of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) rebranding as an immigration hardliner in the mold of the president as he eyes succeeding Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in the next Congress. Conservatives are praising McCarthy's new bill to fully fund Trump's border wall and his push for a vote on a resolution rejecting the idea of allowing undocumented immigrants to vote, both of which were given to Breitbart as exclusives. "The Trump-supporting website has long torched GOP leadership, which includes McCarthy, for not doing enough to crack down on immigration," Rachael writes.

But "not every immigration hard-liner is buying his pitch," she adds. "Some are skeptical of the new McCarthy they're seeing and worry he will disappear after the elections." Some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus and outside conservative groups are discussing a push for a delay of internal leadership elections until after an expected shutdown fight in December. "Leadership promised Trump it would fight to get his border wall with Mexico at that time," Rachael notes, "even if that means embracing a government shutdown it has long sought to avoid. Some conservatives want to see how far McCarthy is willing to go to give Trump his border wall." Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b8b178b46f63c81cf56a35218832ac4b941bcb1db6a69a59e6eadc0f7273f6e6b78498654dbac6b1b

HOYER HOPES TO RETURN AS MAJORITY LEADER -- Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) would run for speaker if for some reason Pelosi couldn't get the necessary votes. But the House minority whip expects to be promoted to majority leader next year, likely keeping the longtime trio of Democratic leaders in charge. "Democrats are increasingly confident they will flip the House next month," Bres and I report. "And allies say Hoyer has the experience and savvy to steer Democrats toward progressive policy wins even with President Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans possibly maintaining control of the Senate."

Hoyer has visited more than 90 districts in 20-plus states this cycle, raising more money than any other Democrat except Pelosi. "He's also pushing a reform agenda for House Democrats that includes overhauling campaign finance and voting laws, new ethics rules and changes to how Congress works," we write. "It's boring, yes, but boring is actually one of Hoyer's strengths. He doesn't offend anyone, can work with different factions inside the fractious Democratic Caucus and across party lines, is trusted by all, and relies heavily on his record of personal integrity." Still, some younger members and candidates say 2019 should be a time for new leadership. Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b71c8d8ca88c78dbf7f13adf1a1901d85d689a0d9906666d0de80f4d0c3c844192a1547930935a8a8

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Oct. 11.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's report on Republicans questioning the timing of Nikki Haley's announcement that she will resign from her post as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations at the end of the year was the winner.

DEMOCRATS' NEXT COURT FIGHT -- The Supreme Court fight ended less than a week ago with Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the high court. But the battle between Republicans and Democrats over judicial nominees isn't over. Next up: "Senate Democrats are wrestling over how hard to fight another batch of GOP judicial picks -- a decision that could rob their vulnerable incumbents of valuable campaigning time," Elana and Burgess report. "As Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tees up another package of judicial nominees, the minority must decide how long it wants to drag out the next clash."

The problem for Democrats is that they can't consent too quickly to a consideration of more judges so soon after the Kavanaugh confirmation, but slowing things down too much would further imperil their vulnerable red-state members by keeping them off the campaign trail. "So they're settling for a middle ground, with few committing to a full-on fight," they note. "The Senate currently has 42 judicial nominees in the queue for floor votes, with nine more slated for Thursday consideration by the Judiciary panel." Vulnerable Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said she will "evaluate what these votes are." "I need to be home," she added. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b53afcf4e6b50f7398a27c25473b4ace463c879ef4dfd2629dcbcb3f86427778fabcc7f2c5c51baa9

Related: "Democrats not giving up Kavanaugh battle," by Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b1314fd0fa3dfcfdcf0b5b91e6f49f0a3f0bcec41be0097ec89f5b7d69ea795cacb8305c911592846 and "FBI's Wray confirms White House limited Kavanaugh probe," also from Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4bd54845038543cd77eb02a0e4c7e294515092dd7fa5604bb19d1bc007b08c5b0596a393490a0e3117

SENATORS SEEK INVESTIGATION -- A bipartisan group of senators requested an investigation into the disappearance -- and possible death -- of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The probe could trigger sanctions against any foreign individuals responsible for his disappearance. The 22 senators wrote that the law allows the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's leaders to ask the president "to determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights." That request prompts a 120-day window to investigate and decide on sanctions. "We need to take some type of action, and there are some things we can
do congressionally," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b1d8a9a4e16b54aa702fd4706bc415ffc4a652dac053c5d2f914c2cd8652122292b365823f0c1ead3

Related reads: "Stop Military Aid to Saudi Arabia," via Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b9b1ddd7880799fd53d280b559472be04da9d733fa023ea8c41e43d1505de441c2e5e56c075e237b0 "Crown prince sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him, U.S. intercepts show," per The Washington Post's Shane Harris: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b992dafec00f779305bce512b4a2545ade665eda22476c5f3f957c4a8a7ce2e40bebe6d3ada3d81f8 and "'Sweep it under the rug': Fears grow Trump won't confront Saudis over journalist's disappearance," by Nahal Toosi: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b940b42d9f94295f9bc86d1fbd3c22dca04f80c5f478d7fdad61e7912047bfd5ffd23207655e1adab

MCCONNELL SAYS NO SENATOR WILL SUCCEED SESSIONS -- McConnell told The Associated Press a Senate Republican won't be sworn in as the next attorney general if Jeff Sessions is ousted. He also signaled that Democrats' threats to investigate Trump's finances would "help the president get re-elected" in 2020. "This business of presidential harassment may or may not quite be the winner they think it is," he said. Highlights from the AP interview: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b325d58a4e8eddfc162756b51fc935a1edae152bfe1eca14e031b1cac4ea539927bfebbd7ebdd9244

Sessions' successor could actually come from his own staff. The president has spoken to Matthew Whitaker, Sessions' chief of staff, about replacing Sessions as AG, though it's unclear "whether Whitaker would take over on an interim basis or be nominated in a more permanent capacity, or how definitive the president's intentions were," The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey report. "Even as Trump has fumed about Sessions, he has seemed to take a liking to the attorney general's chief of staff." Whitaker is a former University of Iowa football player who served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat in 2014. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4bc830332fad89554371da0bbbf5bb4f675ed78ba57c8a0ae617c2b3fef329a04554f29bd68311f3d8

Related: "Trump makes nice with Rosenstein, but Congress isn't letting up," from Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b590f2ba37ed36221ab6926d77ae872b44fe6f99e0844cc1a289ac5415b56935027a0a9ddd0af5729 and "Former Top F.B.I. Lawyer Says Rosenstein Was Serious About Taping Trump," per The New York Times' Nicholas Fandos and Adam Goldman: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b398e02aceeecb17cedcb678c6792df637537ee62a5a01c97428eee7ab07e7d42729abb2f069222e1

MCCONNELL DEFENDS MURKOWSKI -- McConnell privately reassured Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and publicly said "nobody's gonna beat her" in 2022, despite the president insisting Murkowski "will never recover" from opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Murkowski told reporters that McConnell "shared his strong words, supportive words on my behalf, which I greatly appreciate," and she said she knows "Alaska's political terrain better than [Trump] does."

"McConnell understands the political considerations each member of his conference must weigh when confronting big, difficult votes -- like confirming Kavanaugh -- and that moderates from purple states are in a different position than conservatives from red states," CNN's Ted Barrett notes. "He also knows that without Murkowski in the Senate, he could easily be the minority leader and not the majority leader." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4bc3b17b1b21c8fee3a253e44ace0964c8500f5c71d87bb29a72bf510b461e2fb185d5d3ad1abdb17d

POLITICO is partnering with the Milken Institute to bring a special edition of the POLITICO Pulse newsletter to the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. Written by Dan Diamond, the newsletter will take readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators as they tackle today's most pressing health challenges. The newsletter will run from Oct. 23-24. Sign up today to begin receiving exclusive coverage on Day One of the summit.

Your 2018 Midterms HQ: The countdown is on. Policy professionals know the 2018 midterms represent more than keeping track of winners and losers. The outcome of high-stake contests could dramatically alter the course of policymaking across the country. Go beyond election night with POLITICO Pro's 2018 Midterms HQ. Read More.

With all 435 seats up for grabs in November, voters over 50 are poised to decide the fate of the 2018 midterm elections. Yet too many politicians and campaigns don't understand what makes them tick. In a first-of-its-kind live-sponsored content activation, POLITICO Focus is teaming up with AARP to sit down with a group of 50+ voters to provide an unfiltered lens on the ideals and experiences that have shaped their views on our nation's most pressing issues. This town hall-style focus group will be live streamed on POLITICO.com at 5:30 p.m. today from outside Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District. Sign up here to watch live.

GOP SOUNDS DEATH KNELL IN NORTH DAKOTA -- Republicans believe they're on the verge of delivering a fatal blow to Heitkamp's reelection bid -- and with it Democrats' hopes of winning a Senate majority this year. "Heitkamp is down in public polls by a significant margin, and most political handicappers think Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) is the favorite to beat her," Burgess writes. "If she goes down, Democrats would basically have to run the table in every other battleground race to take the chamber." Heitkamp hinted that Cramer could self-immolate before Election Day if he keeps talking, and her allies insist the race isn't over. But Republicans are confident Cramer will win and they will keep
their majority. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b237f2360f8362c272a1b7e868a346d5c04f8f01c9413d27e1509602078f5a6b629c7802cc96d1434

SENATE DEMS LOSE HEALTH CARE VOTE -- A Democratic effort to stop the president from expanding access to short-term health care plans that offer lower costs but meager coverage failed in the Senate, 50-50. "It was clear Democrats would lose, and a real victory was never feasible since the measure would have died anyway in the Republican-run House," The Associated Press' Alan Fram writes. "But by pushing ahead, Democrats made Republicans cast a health care vote that Democrats could wield in campaign ads for next month's midterm elections." NRSC Chairman Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), however, cast that as a losing strategy. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b012414995abcb5823785cf2937f02a32d34e236edcb350e84a6b20b8eb6c7e65feca88f37018d839

Related reads: "'Just ridiculous lies': Dems incensed over misleading GOP ads on Medicare for All," by Adam Cancryn: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b1045de15c297a1c3cdaa3d28ee160cf72dacf8fd4e5d8848cbd66ed86d7e9cbc9b8b75e8902bda33 and "Why one nurse is running for Congress," from POLITICO's Pulse Check podcast with Democrat Lauren Underwood: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b88d0dc6e9cdbe74188db4c14f00688542fe4d7bf37dea1b0adeb82f4adce68bdb28088c32f30a90a

REPUBLICANS RIDICULE U.N. CLIMATE REPORT -- Republicans are unlikely to do anything in the wake of a United Nations climate report warning of imminent catastrophes caused by global warming. "The sobering report from the leading U.N. panel of researchers studying human-caused climate change calls on the world to take swift and drastic action to curb greenhouse gas emissions before the effects of climate change become irreversible," HuffPost's Igor Bobic writes. According to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), "They might as well be calling on me to sprout wings and fly to Canada for the summer." "It's totally unrealistic," added Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). "They must have parachuted in from another
planet." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a7ce9ea749c1eb4b9b0c376798e69d0d934c2e61fd03c5468d0da9ad83cd46853a09cf7c9a57629bf502c8ed2d499144

TRANSITIONS -- Sean Bartlett, senior press and policy adviser to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), is joining Cisco's government affairs team as a senior communications manager.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of Jeffrey Bossert Clark's nomination to be assistant attorney general. At 12:10 p.m., the chamber will vote on Clark's confirmation and hold a procedural vote on Eric Dreiband's nomination to be assistant attorney general. Additional roll call votes are expected. The House is out.

AROUND THE HILL -- Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will hold a conference call briefing on the recently released special report from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warns of a "global crisis by as early as 2040 if immediate action is not taken to fight global warming," beginning at 9:30 a.m. The call-in number is 888-466-9863, and the password is 9565364#.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- John Eustace was first to correctly guess that Martin Van Buren is the only president whose first language wasn't English. (His first language was Dutch.)

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Frank McDougall: How many sitting vice presidents have been elected to the presidency, and who are they? 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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