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

With an assist from Lauren French

COULD IRAN LETTER BACKFIRE? POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Michael Crowley survey the GOP dissenters from a controversial letter sent to Iranian leaders from 47 Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): "With Republicans needing significant Democratic support to achieve their goal of derailing the talks - or at least altering the emerging deal - some senators said Cotton's effort could backfire by injecting excessive partisanship into the debate over how best to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said he was approached to sign the letter by Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, but he concluded it might set back his ultimate goal:
veto-proof support for a bill he has sponsored requiring a congressional vote to approve or reject an Iran deal."

--" 'I knew it was going to be only Republicans on [the letter]. I just don't view that as where I need to be today,' Corker said in an interview ...' Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) expressed doubt about her colleagues' tactic of skirting the White House and trying to affect foreign policy by going directly to Tehran. 'It's more appropriate for members of the Senate to give advice to the president, to Secretary [John] Kerry and to the negotiators,' Collins said. "
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17a6820d32397f1be9503fe5595f378c7d55ac51ddacfaede8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17a6820d32397f1be9503fe5595f378c7d55ac51ddacfaede8

--Vice President Joe Biden issues a blistering late-night statement: "I served in the United States Senate for thirty-six years. I believe deeply in its traditions, in its value as an institution, and in its indispensable constitutional role in the conduct of our foreign policy. The letter sent on March 9th by forty-seven Republican Senators to the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressly designed to undercut a sitting President in the midst of sensitive international negotiations, is beneath the dignity of an institution I revere."

--Cotton, doing a round of television interviews Monday afternoon, tells ABC News that his letter does not undermine the negotiations toward curbing Iran's nuclear program:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1774eee90bd02e69813c9513029c6a7b7209f21835d5e3647d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1774eee90bd02e69813c9513029c6a7b7209f21835d5e3647d

--The Wall Street Journal also profiles Cotton, the man behind the letter. The freshman Arkansas senator tells Gerald Seib that he's been working the phones "a lot" over the last week:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a172bf50cdf027b667bf2a704f967fbb4047aa115e07b611cf4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a172bf50cdf027b667bf2a704f967fbb4047aa115e07b611cf4

SEBELIUS SPEAKS ON MENENDEZ - The former Health and Human Services chief details the private meeting she held with the New Jersey Democrat that's now at the center of a federal investigation. A Manu Raju exclusive: "In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, Sebelius said that she disputed the New Jersey Democrat's assertions three years ago that the federal government had uneven billing practices that unfairly hurt a company owned by Salomon Melgen, a close friend and political benefactor of the senator."

--"Sebelius said she asserted that the rules had been administered in an 'even-handed' manner, rebutting the Democratic senator who grilled Sebelius along with Jonathan Blum, a former principal deputy administrator for the CMS. 'It was pretty straightforward,' Sebelius said in a phone interview Monday ... A Menendez spokeswoman said the senator did not mention Melgen's name during the meeting."

--Sebelius also tells Manu she's spoken with the feds about the issue:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a176044cbf6b5dbc79ba36d39015554b9a8b306724092fdf278
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a176044cbf6b5dbc79ba36d39015554b9a8b306724092fdf278

--Also interviewed by the feds about Menendez: Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. John Bresnahan and Manu write: "There is no indication authorities believe Reid acted improperly or that he might be ensnared in the case: He hasn't met with investigators since he spoke with them in the spring of 2014, or appeared before a grand jury looking into the allegations against Menendez, the sources said. But the involvement of the then-Senate majority leader, who now runs the Democratic minority, highlights the seriousness of both the investigation and the problem Reid has on his hands in dealing with a member in his ranks who's expected to be indicted within weeks."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173bcda54fd673ffac15961bee025a62afe6c1c27bb0e799ab
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173bcda54fd673ffac15961bee025a62afe6c1c27bb0e799ab

--I write with Burgess Everett about how Senate Democrats are largely reserving judgment on Menendez and his future in the Senate. His home-state colleague, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), tells reporters: "There's been no charges, there's been nothing that's dropped. Right now, it's all - to me - speculation, and I've got a great senior senator who's doing a great job serving the state of New Jersey."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17bf81d983865c59b87a1c5f2b2dc199aab1f7f61c8fac169f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17bf81d983865c59b87a1c5f2b2dc199aab1f7f61c8fac169f

--Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Menendez's business-as-usual Monday:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1796d8f9f34d7fe6bb3ab2031ff41e4615558cc3da6ffcbb8f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1796d8f9f34d7fe6bb3ab2031ff41e4615558cc3da6ffcbb8f

EDWARDS: I'M IN -- Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) will officially jump into the race for Sen. Barbara Mikulski's seat later today, opening the door to what is expected to be a competitive primary between the more progressive and establishment wings of the Democratic Party. Edwards is the choice candidate for progressives and has been heavily backed by liberal groups since Mikulski announced her intention to retire last week.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who has rolled out a series of weighty endorsements, has also announced his candidacy and a handful of other House members are considering a bid. Edwards could spur high African-American turnout throughout the state and from her Prince George's County-based district, making her a competitive force against Van Hollen. The Edwards campaign will roll out the announcement via video at 10 a.m.

TRANSITIONS - Heather Moeder Molino, ex-staff director for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee under Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), is joining Cornerstone Government Affairs as a vice president. The former journalist also served as deputy chief of staff and communications director in Ruppersberger's personal office.

And retired Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said Monday he'll be joining the Detroit law firm of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, LLP, focusing on government investigations. He starts in April. The Detroit News:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a178b948ca999d0cee7511d83b15f5fb606e0331e04f982dc7b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a178b948ca999d0cee7511d83b15f5fb606e0331e04f982dc7b

HAPPY TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 and welcome to The Huddle. Please send your tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, and corrections to
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com and please follow along on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include @RepCummings and @NCLR.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is out. The Senate is in at 10 a.m. and will begin working on an anti-trafficking bill (more on that below).

AROUND THE HILL - Sens. Cory Booker, Rand Paul and Kirsten Gillibrand will hold a press conference to announce new medicinal marijuana legislation at 12:30 p.m. in SVC-203. Booker, in a rare gaggle with reporters on the Hill on Monday, said of the bill: "I'm so psyched."

SNEAK PEEK: CORNYN'S #ENDTRAFFICKING VIDEO - The second-ranking Senate Republican, who is spearheading the anti-trafficking legislation that's getting floor attention this week, will release this video later today featuring powerful testimony from a sex trafficking survivor and details about the bill, called the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Cornyn says in the video: "Human trafficking is modern-day human slavery, plain and simple." Check it out here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173382c90a9139353d079c24dd3b98563f3eaf78c7b0adf6ed
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173382c90a9139353d079c24dd3b98563f3eaf78c7b0adf6ed

MEET THE SENATE LUDDITE CAUCUS - POLITICO's Lauren French with a very fun story about the senators who - like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) - choose not to go digital in their communications: " 'I don't use email,' said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas). 'I haven't used it since I was chairman of the Intelligence Committee and learned that any emails would be going to the Chinese and to the Russians and to the French and to the British and to everybody else, including everything I said on my iPhone.' ... Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), meanwhile, reports that his preferred method of communication with staff is the old-fashioned handwritten note."

--The digitally-savvy Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also weighs in: "Email habits? Can you imagine what my habits on digital communications are? I use Twitter, I use Instagram to communicate with constituents, I use Facebook to communicate with constituents. I do not use Snapchat and I've never used Tinder," Booker said.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a176286385df024d9ccce3717fc9b8cad4e0be9ca59b19b89dd
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a176286385df024d9ccce3717fc9b8cad4e0be9ca59b19b89dd

MARK KIRK TALKS STROKE COMEBACK - Manu has a great profile on Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), one of the most vulnerable senators up this cycle, and how his recovery from a sudden stroke in 2012 will play a key role in his reelection bid: "His hands tingled. He had a sharp headache. He was experiencing sudden bouts of dizziness. The pain was reminiscent of the bleeding ulcer he had suffered in Guatemala years before. When doctors told him that reduced blood flow to his brain was causing an ischemic stroke, forcing them to perform emergency surgery to relieve swelling in his brain, he began to fear the worst. 'I thought about the standard image of somebody with a stroke: He's in a chair drooling in
a corner,' the first-term Illinois Republican recalled."

--"Unlike his fellow endangered Republicans, Kirk believes he can offer something unique that could cut through party lines: his physical condition. He plans to make his recovery a centerpiece of his campaign, presenting himself as an inspirational and sympathetic figure who's overcome a debilitating physical setback. 'I can hopefully be a powerful example for people who have gone through this,' Kirk said recently in an interview in his Senate office."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17da3682ff5dbf20d281ad7eb625b867386676ba922a7bd226
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17da3682ff5dbf20d281ad7eb625b867386676ba922a7bd226

KING: BOEHNER CANCELED MY TRIP - Rep. Steve King, a GOP hardliner and leadership headache, says Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) stripped the Iowa Republican of a "very important diplomatic mission" as payback for his criticism on allowing a clean Homeland Security funding bill to come to the floor. Boehner's office would not comment on King's accusation. Emma Dumain for CQ Roll Call:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173729688413a59a166b9e2ebdfc2d3394a6b179b9288e2385
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a173729688413a59a166b9e2ebdfc2d3394a6b179b9288e2385

MORE SCHOCK-ING REVELATIONS - From Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer: "Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock reported on federal campaign finance documents that he spent more than $3,000 on software on Nov. 14. But in fact, the expenditure was part of the cost of flying in a software executive's private plane to a Chicago Bears game and his district, the pilot and company executive said. Keith Siilats, the chief technology officer of Bytelogics, said in an interview that the $3,425 that the Schock Victory Fund reported spending with his company was really part of the cost for a ride on his airplane."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17ae9650d679d9dd1fadc50a38da7aabf593fa5206a18382ab
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17ae9650d679d9dd1fadc50a38da7aabf593fa5206a18382ab

SENATORS CLOSE TO NCLB DEAL - Mary Troyan for USA Today: "A bipartisan deal to overhaul the No Child Left Behind education law is nearly complete and will be ready for a committee vote on April 13 ... Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, has been working with the top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington. 'We are making significant progress in our negotiations,' the pair said in a joint statement."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1797a2b35d1b6000624b4affd84df56f886aeda9ff6850fe97
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a1797a2b35d1b6000624b4affd84df56f886aeda9ff6850fe97

PAUL RYAN RELEASING ANTI-POVERTY FILM - The 2012 GOP vice presidential candidate tells Yahoo News that he's been traveling the country for two years to meet with people working on anti-poverty issues - which will all be featured in the form of a documentary. The film will be released March 17 and it's partly why Ryan decided against a 2016 run for the White House: "I made my decision [not to run for president] for a multitude of reasons. You know - young family, in a good place to make a big difference - but also I didn't want to jeopardize this project and these causes by betting it on a presidential campaign." The Yahoo story from Jon Ward:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17e6a4849b9a95e127678577d2b105eb602a567cc4e00df914
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d6ccfb1131b49a17e6a4849b9a95e127678577d2b105eb602a567cc4e00df914

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Michael Toulouza was the first person to correctly answer that William Howard Taft was the first president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The game was in 1910 and the Washington Senators were playing the Philadelphia Athletics.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - I'll offer this one: What are the two states that do not have an avenue named after them in D.C.? The first person to correctly answer *both* of the states gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com .

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