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By Seung Min Kim (
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

OBAMA TRADE BILL IN JEOPARDY -- POLITICO's Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan and Doug Palmer writes on how one of Obama's key priorities - one he shares with many top Republicans - is in trouble: "The House is currently dozens of votes short of being able to pass legislation that would allow President Barack Obama to send trade deals to Congress for fast approval, according to senior lawmakers and aides in both parties, imperiling a top White House priority for the president's final years in office."

--"At this point, upward of 75 House Republicans could vote against trade promotion authority if it comes up for a vote in the coming weeks, according to aides and lawmakers involved in the process. Some of the lawmakers fear job losses in their districts from free trade; others distrust Obama and oppose giving him more power ... House Democrats, meanwhile, say just 12 to 20 of their lawmakers support Obama's request. That figure, if it holds, would amount to a stinging rebuke of a president by his own party."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1530aeea66f84d82c0699e1a796aacfce709d6bc5caf551d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1530aeea66f84d82c0699e1a796aacfce709d6bc5caf551d

BERNIE SANDERS: I'M IN - The fiery independent liberal from Vermont makes his 2016 bid official in a series of interviews, including this one to the Associated Press: "Promising to fight what he deems 'obscene levels' of income disparity and a campaign finance system that is a 'real disgrace,' independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he will run for president as a Democrat."

--"The self-described 'democratic socialist' enters the race as a robust liberal alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton, and he pledged to do more than simply raise progressive issues or nudge the former secretary of state to the left in a campaign in which she is heavily favored. 'People should not underestimate me,' Sanders said. 'I've run outside of the two-party system, defeating Democrats and Republicans, taking on big-money candidates and, you know, I think the message that has resonated in Vermont is a message that can resonate all over this country.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c19fe40c2ffc691208dc8756523b6c3a8c23925d0d8ae93a4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c19fe40c2ffc691208dc8756523b6c3a8c23925d0d8ae93a4

--And he tells USA Today: 'I've been traveling around the country for the last year trying to ascertain whether there really is grass-roots support in terms of people standing up and being prepared to take on the billionaire class. I believe that there is.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c529757340431825e4688aabe32f79f237f35d1d0ea5d367c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c529757340431825e4688aabe32f79f237f35d1d0ea5d367c

--Very important public service journalism from WaPo, as it chronicles key moments in Bernie Sanders' hair:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c92e41b8aab8961ebeafa27eaa383266cb088dd6bdac40a90
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c92e41b8aab8961ebeafa27eaa383266cb088dd6bdac40a90

--Does Sanders' Hill press conference later today violate ethics rules? Roll Call says maybe: "'Official resources (Senate space, equipment, staff time, and supplies) should not be used to assist campaign organizations,' read the rules posted to the Senate Ethics Committee's website ... Only minor overlaps between the campaign and the Senate office are allowed, including scheduling, fielding press inquiries and providing materials, such as floor speeches, to the campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c02c3a30119178ee75f598c7169d46b48c13082eb505eb0d8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c02c3a30119178ee75f598c7169d46b48c13082eb505eb0d8

--From Buzzfeed: "Watch Bernie Sanders Play A Rabbi In A 1999 Comedy About A Jewish-Italian Wedding":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c60236362df89d62631e2ab7bd418d427e982de47d6b76ab3
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c60236362df89d62631e2ab7bd418d427e982de47d6b76ab3

--These lawmakers are #ReadyForBernie (to run, at least), from ABC News:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767ccb2b7ce614408f332093e3fff34c058b41be7df9f8673a31
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767ccb2b7ce614408f332093e3fff34c058b41be7df9f8673a31

HOUSE GOP PUNTS MILCON-VA VOTE - Is this a bad omen for House Republicans, who've boasted about how they're getting the appropriations process started earlier than any time in the last 40 years? Roll Call's Emma Dumain: "GOP leaders had intended to hold evening votes on a slew of amendments and on final passage of the fiscal 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, but ultimately opted to postpone that vote series at the very last minute. Some sources suggested it was a matter of fatigue ... But several senior House aides, including those who work in leadership offices, confirmed to CQ Roll Call that part of the reason for stalling MilCon-VA votes had to do with
GOP leaders' anxiety that members on both sides of the aisle were prepared to adopt an amendment that would strip from the underlying bill the ability to spend money from the Overseas Contingency Operations account."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c96016b76dd25a8ce258b62a0f999514b125ebfd6d548e6ba
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c96016b76dd25a8ce258b62a0f999514b125ebfd6d548e6ba

CORKER RELENTS, SIGNS BUDGETDEAL - From Bloomberg's Erik Wasson and Billy House: "A Republican U.S. senator agreed to let his party release its budget proposal for votes in both chambers of Congress, after holding up the measure for more than a day on grounds a spending-cut provision didn't go far enough. 'There is no question this budget is far from perfect, but it is some progress," Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said in a statement Wednesday, saying he had endorsed the measure."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c6960728763a2cb73ba56833ded46440847a88cd430f2b9c7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c6960728763a2cb73ba56833ded46440847a88cd430f2b9c7

**Over the past 26 years, we've invested more than $35 million to fight breast cancer in the National Capital Region, funding lifesaving screenings, treatment and support services. Help us do more by joining the Washington, D.C. Race for the Cure on May 9, 2015. Find out more at
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IT'S THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 and welcome to The Huddle. Send tips, random musings, complaints, coffee, etc. to
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com and follow along on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include @graceehlee and @ClaireWwillis.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is in 10 a.m. and will vote on the budget, the military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill, and energy and water funding bill. First votes around 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. with last votes TBD. The Senate is in at 9:30 a.m. and will continue working on the Iran review bill.

AROUND THE HILL - Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) will hold a press conference on freeing Amir Hekmati, an American and U.S. Marine being held on false charges in Iran, at 9:30 a.m. in Cannon 234. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) will mark National Mental Health Awareness Month at 10 a.m. at House Triangle. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will discuss Russia at 10 a.m. in 2255 Rayburn. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will hold her weekly news conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Environment and Public Works members will hold a press conference on waters of the U.S. at 10:45 a.m. in S-325. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) holds his weekly news conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will hold a news conference on his agenda for America at 12 p.m. in S-325. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) will hold a news conference with Geert Wilders on radical Islam at 12 p.m. at House Triangle.

Reps. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Susan Davis (D-Calif.), and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) will introduce higher ed regulation legislation at 1 p.m. at House Triangle. Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) will hold a press conference on raising the minimum wage at 2:30 p.m. at HVC-215. Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) will hold a news conference on Qatar and the United Arab Emirates at 2103 Rayburn at 2:45 p.m. Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) will hold a news conference on the crude oil export ban at 3
p.m. at House Triangle.

RUBIO WON'T RELENT ON IRAN - POLITICO's indefatigable Burgess Everett: "Marco Rubio is refusing to back down from his fight to force Iran to recognize Israel, a stance that threatens to disrupt a delicately negotiated bipartisan bill that would allow Congress to review any nuclear deal with Tehran. In an interview on Wednesday afternoon, the Florida senator and GOP presidential candidate said he has no plans to forgo his amendments to the bill, the most controversial of which would require Iran to acknowledge Israel's statehood and present a tough vote for both parties."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767cf72f60df5b381076795e636080f3c68dbae9ffd8657e4f17
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767cf72f60df5b381076795e636080f3c68dbae9ffd8657e4f17

--Wall Street Journal's Kristina Peterson writes that the Iran debate, as well as an upcoming battle over trade, is a test of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's pledge on a free-flowing amendment process:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767cff8ba6cebcf2435ff934e8ef52cc69881ae5d530cc03b303
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767cff8ba6cebcf2435ff934e8ef52cc69881ae5d530cc03b303

--A new diplomacy strategy from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): Challenging Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to a debate in a furious Tweetstorm. From the New York Daily News:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1bea05789b2974351b669d8c0acf817dcfa430546c9cbaa6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1bea05789b2974351b669d8c0acf817dcfa430546c9cbaa6

@JZarif tweets this morning: Serious diplomacy, not macho personal smear, is what we need. Congrats on Ur new born. May U and Ur family enjoy him in peace
mailto:.@SenTomCotton
.@SenTomCotton

WHERE IS AARON SCHOCK? - The former congressman is nowhere to be found, according to an attorney for a donor who is suing Schock, per the Chicago Sun-Times: "Attorney Daniel Kurowski told U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood he hasn't managed to serve Schock with the lawsuit brought April 15 by his client, Howard Foster of Chicago, who gave $500 to Schock's campaign in 2012 ... Kurowski said his firm tried to serve Schock at a Peoria address that Schock previously listed on forms with the Federal Election Commission. But Kurowski said the property is now vacant. He also said attorneys who appear to have represented Schock in the past have not responded to his firm's inquiries."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c303901378f2b3ad3ec7d4399401824fadfe366951c7a39d1
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c303901378f2b3ad3ec7d4399401824fadfe366951c7a39d1

NO APOLOGIES FROM ABE ON 'COMFORT WOMEN' - The address from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who declined to apologize for the use of Korean women as sex slaves during World War II, stokes ire from congressional Democrats. Mike Lillis for The Hill: "The critical Democrats, who have pressed for years for the prime minister to confront that history head-on, minced no words in condemning the speech. 'It is shocking and shameful that Prime Minister Abe continues to evade his government's responsibility for the systematic atrocity that was perpetrated by the Japanese Imperial Army against the so-called 'comfort women' during World War II,' Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), a
Japanese-American, said afterward."

--"Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the head of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, echoed the disappointment, accusing Abe of ignoring 'Japan's responsibility for this particularly troubling and painful chapter.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1dfc512da3c37878b4e73874a885b54f5edf485ab550fe57
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c1dfc512da3c37878b4e73874a885b54f5edf485ab550fe57

FLORES TIES BALTIMORE TO GAY MARRIAGE - File this under "head-scratcher," from POLITICO's Nick Gass: "Texas Rep. Bill Flores said this week that ongoing unrest in Baltimore could be related to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States and 'the breakdown of the family.' ... 'You look at what's going on in Baltimore today, you know, you see issues that are raised there,' Flores said. 'And healthy marriages are the ones between a man and a woman because they can have a healthy family and they can raise children in the way that's best for their future, not only socially but psychologically, economically, from a health perspective.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c0ad061b732c0ae86f9ceecb267a873a224a1dbbc17fec571
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c0ad061b732c0ae86f9ceecb267a873a224a1dbbc17fec571

CYNDI LAUPER HITS THE HILL - From the New York Times' Emmarie Huetteman: "Cyndi Lauper visited Capitol Hill Wednesday to answer questions before a Senate subcommittee about youth homelessness, a problem she once faced herself that led her to co-found the True Colors Fund addressing homeless issues. But once she left the witness table, Ms. Lauper, an award-winning singer and songwriter, was the one pressing for answers."

--"In a conversation with First Draft, Ms. Lauper and Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, discussed efforts to help homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, who make up an estimated 40 percent of all homeless children, according to True Colors. The problem is worsened by the fact that shelters sometimes turn youths away, especially those who are transgender, Ms. Lauper said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c25df3c7e77f0390861396d15128cbc83d41c9f8df939e8ec
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0befa589a9a5767c25df3c7e77f0390861396d15128cbc83d41c9f8df939e8ec

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Joe Bookman was the first (and only) person to correctly answer that William McAdoo, son-in-law to President Woodrow Wilson and his Treasury secretary, was another individual aside from Robert Kennedy to serve as a member of a relative's Cabinet.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Joe has today's question: Six secretaries of state went on to become presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. Who were the two most recent ones? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email
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skim@politico.com .

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