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07/29/2016 08:00 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Seung Min Kim

NEW THIS A.M.: CHUCK SCHUMER GOES BIG AND BOLD-With the DNC convention in the books, today kicks off the sprint to November. And Sen. Chuck Schumer, the next Democratic Senate leader, has a bold prediction: America is on the cusp of a "Democratic generation," he told Burgess Everett and Edward-Isaac Dovere in a lengthy interview. "[President Barack Obama] helped create it. But it's just where America's moving demographically, ideologically and in every way," Schumer said.

Who will be his No. 2? Schumer and current Democratic Whip Dick Durbin have had a frosty relationship at times and other ambitious senators, like Patty Murray, may be ready to vie for the whip job. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid "said the secret for Schumer is to find a confidant who complements him, like the New Yorker did for Reid. 'I've given him some names. And he's going to have to make that decision himself,'" Reid said.

But what kind of jello are you? "How many seats must Democrats win in November to give the party more than a fleeting two years in the majority? Schumer dodged any attempt to pin him down. 'You are the hammer and the nail. And I am the jello,' Schumer said.

Balancing act: Whether in the minority or majority next year, Schumer will have to find a delicate balancing act between the caucus' liberal wing and endangered moderates, who have very different ideas on the Democratic agenda for 2017 and beyond on things like gun control and immigration reform.

And he'll immediately face an uphill climb with Democrats defending 25 seats in 2018 vs. eight Republican seats up for grabs. So who's going to lead Senate Democrats' campaign arm? "'We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,' Schumer said. 'One of the problems is we have half our class up in 2018.' 'Let's win the majority first.'" The full story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa97196cd033b92a98332a104907711da82980e4c815fb477c6e7

Related read: Democrats woo big donors for six-year redistricting fight. From Dovere again: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa971218e12c52dbff5da0ad097dc254f3d0892f0368477ec2e7c

HACKERS TARGET DCCC-The FBI is investigating a cyberattack against House Democrats' campaign arm, the DCCC. But the hack, which has possible ties to Russia, is different than the DNC email leak late last week.

More from Reuters: "The intrusion at the group could have begun as recently as June...when a bogus website was registered with a name closely resembling that of a main donation site connected to the DCCC. For some time, internet traffic associated with donations that was supposed to go to a company that processes campaign donations instead went to the bogus site, two sources said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa971885dbea19414f39be0c9e8b5302af5946fe2d3a0734c6d34

GRAYSON FAMILY DRAMA TAKES CENTER STAGE- Rep. Alan Grayson's new wife, Dena, is running for his House seat using the Grayson name. But the Florida Democrat's woes of late-including abuse claims from his ex-wife-are becoming a drag on Dena's race. Marc Caputo: "For starters, the ex-wife of Alan Grayson who filed multiple domestic violence reports against him blames Dena Grayson for committing adultery with the congressman before the divorce."

The drama doesn't end there: Rep. Grayson has also alienated several former supporters by pushing his wife into the campaign for his House seat against his longtime former political adviser Susannah Randolph. "When Randolph refused to bow out, Grayson began vilifying her and trying to force her out of the race, according to numerous fellow Democrats." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa9713877fd334855bde6f9f3bfd42147c2d920a2a100798d9917

HIGH-FIVE YOURSELF, we made it Friday, July 29. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

BIG NEWS ON THE BIDEN FRONT-If I know my Huddle readers, Vice President Joe Biden is about to make your dreams come true. The VP will be appearing on a future episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which he's taping today in New York. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa971a39eca7f4fbf3962324089c0d309eca38bad8b8104c3e95e

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Nothing. But shout out to the interns giving tours today and making up "facts" when they don't know the right answer. Just make sure you look it up later for the next time kids!


** A message from Anthem: The status quo in health care is unacceptable and unsustainable. That's why Anthem is challenging the DOJ's flawed decision to block our acquisition of Cigna, a combination that will transform health care by expanding access to affordable, high quality health coverage for consumers. For important information, please visit AnthemInc.com **


AROUND THE HILL- We're heading into the weekend strong with this one: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e153e549707fa9716052bb577fb87896cc7abacee401c4091718a1b13382b17c

CLINTON CONVENTION IN THE BOOKS-Hillary Clinton officially accepted her party's nomination last night, bringing an end to the four-day party gathering that started off as a nightmare for Democrats with the drama surrounding DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the backlash from Sen. Bernie Sanders supporters dominating the first couple of days.

"Clinton's historic acceptance speech - at least on television - looked like it was delivered to a unified crowd. Sanders' campaign had sent delegates text messages urging them to respect her, just as her supporters respected him," report Annie Karni, Gabriel Debenedetti and Edward-Isaac Dovere in a deep dive on how the Clinton camp quelled the insurgency. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe3c45696bc6e3c91a5c83e685faa97f1793d122ba211c5374

From the Thrush files: Five takeaways from Clinton's big speech, by Glenn Thrush: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe36249835a0724c87b3b5dc8c1f5f56c2913c7e698c3881c3

Clinton lands the clutch endorsement: Scott Wong (@scottwongDC): .@SnoopDogg: "Hillary Clinton, we love ya baby" pic.twitter.com/sdTnRSVDos

REID THROWING JABS LEFT AND RIGHT-Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has been on a real tear at the DNC, not holding back in the least on a range of topics from Senate rival Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Rep. Alan Grayson and, of course, Donald Trump. Burgess with more: "Asked if Reid would support Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) over Grayson should the liberal bomb-thrower win the August primary, Reid said he would buy this reporter 'quite a bit 'cause he's not going to win. He's an absolute fraud.'"

But he doesn't stop there: "'Having whacked his ex-wife around a few times, he has lost support even from the liberal groups. I don't know who supports him other than himself,' Reid said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe7c212b187c73326e672bb23c5d63242267c2860a9f79da2e

VIDEO OF THE WEEK-House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer cuts a rug and schools Millennials on how to do the jitterbug (google it, young'ns!). FamousDC: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe43301057518a6407b16c1779f3c62dd512e72685e59f382e

STRICKLAND LASHES OUT AT OHIO UNIONS-Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Ted Strickland lashed out Thursday at major unions that are backing his opponent, Sen. Rob Portman, saying "the endorsements were cooked up in order to win favor with a politician who could help their troubled pension plans," reports the Wall Street Journal's Siobhan Hughes. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe356d3082f281ac54993ef0249d96ea68f9b88e6f73b4df87

CASTRO NIXES DNC SPOT- Julián Castro may be in the final stretch of his tenure as HUD secretary but there's one job he's ruled out: Democratic National Committee chairman. From BuzzFeed: "'I have no interest in that,' Julian Castro told BuzzFeed News after his speech at a Latino Leaders Network luncheon. 'I think Donna Brazile is going to do a fantastic job between now and November and after that we'll see what happens but I have no interest in that.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe870a44323e2d225f050dac321512bf2f092ef88847411933

BERNIE BACKERS HAVE A NEW MISSION- "A small cadre of Sen. Bernie Sanders' supporters are setting their sights on the 2018 midterm elections. Roughly 20 volunteers with the new group 'Brand New Congress' are on the ground in Philadelphia for the convention. Their mission is to spread the word about their goal to replace most members of Congress in two years. That means Democrats, as well as Republicans," reports Roll Call's Bridget Bowman. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfeff2ac64de92dbf1436e447ac30bf1e34edf2a2371e3a5d06

RUBIO DIALS UP TRUMP CAMPAIGN-Sen. Marco Rubio was so disturbed by Donald Trump's comments on Russia hacking Hillary Clinton's emails that he called up the GOP nominee's campaign to see what was up. More from the Florida Times-Union: "I called the Trump campaign and they made it clear to me that what he said [Wednesday] was not a policy proposal," Rubio said. The story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe91e2b01131137c49620b12ef64a08172cd6e66b14a934e71

IRS LOOKING INTO CLINTON FOUNDATION FOR GOP: "The IRS is reviewing Republican complaints about the Clinton Foundation's nonprofit status, a step that GOP House lawmakers have been trying to initiate for more than a year," reports Katy O'Donnell. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfeaaa6339954e67c8f5d2e95ce6ca2c5539671083291366963

GATHER ROUND, EVERYBODY-GOP Sens. James Lankford and Tim Scott are continuing their push to improve race relations in the U.S. by encouraging folks to have Sunday dinners with families of other races. From their op-ed: "Our states have experienced the hatred and injustice of racism... Not only is racial unity important to us, it is a value that America must embrace at every level," they write.

'Solution Sundays': "There are no quick answers, but long journeys start with a first step. We suggest the first step could be something we call 'Solution Sundays.' ...What if Americans intentionally chose to put our prejudice and broken trust on the table by putting our feet under the same table?" Read it: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe1491337e8d7488af041be94394140b5c9026024682a5293d

YOOHOO, MILLENNIALS, OVER HERE-Sen. Kelly Ayotte is out with a new ad aimed directly at Millennial voters with mentions of Tom Brady and Deflategate, Taylor Swift's recent breakup and Pokémon Go. "I'm Kelly Ayotte and while I know Brady is innocent, I haven't met Taylor and will probably never catch a Pokémon. I did approve this message." Listen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe13c5d43c742ea7dadd9c104e5827b24d2b368154b2f455f8

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Kirtan Mehta was the first to correctly guess Alben Barkley as the Kentucky senator that gave the keynote address at three Democratic conventions. And shout out to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who all guessed correctly.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Kirtan with today's question: On this day 57 years ago, this state had its first elections for seats to the United States Congress, including just one at-large House member. Name the state and that member. The third person to correctly answer gets a mention in Monday's Huddle. Email me: hcaygle@politico.com

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15d7558259e85dfe1c0bbbcf383175976022126a776f12d32867a8660e6ebe93

** A message from Anthem: Access, affordability and quality are goals universally shared by all health care stakeholders, but not universally enjoyed by consumers. That's why the Anthem-Cigna combination matters. Anthem's acquisition of Cigna will advance affordability, returning an additional $2 billion in health care savings to self-insured customers each year. The combination will also allow Anthem to expand our participation in the health insurance exchanges to nine additional states, even as other companies leave this volatile market. And Anthem will advance quality by further partnering with physicians and hospitals to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. The flawed DOJ decision
is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the dynamic, competitive, highly regulated health care landscape and preserves a suboptimal market for health care coverage when Americans need and deserve better. Anthem is fully committed to expanding access to affordable, high-quality care and defending the benefits of this acquisition on behalf of consumers. For important information, please visit AnthemInc.com **

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