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09/05/2018 07:57 AM EDT


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

DANGER ZONE -- House Republicans face the most serious threat to their majority since the GOP won control of the chamber in 2010: Roughly 100 seats are within Democratic reach. "Despite the GOP's built-in advantages due to incumbency and redistricting, 60 of those seats are even more precariously positioned, with the Republican nominee either holding just a slight competitive edge, dead even against their Democratic opponent or trailing," Steven Shepard reports. "The Senate landscape isn't so grim for the GOP: Democrats essentially have to run the table of competitive races to reclaim control of the chamber, an exercise in political needle-threading that makes the GOP the current favorites
to hold their majority." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf07e4ce3aae91f665fb139e14488335c39d6846be8d97dfbf62481f5060f0e257ce3f28159decd37516

Interactive: POLITICO's inaugural midterm race ratings: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf075fb5b07bd91e3cd82c87445577772ba3622e5657bddec620d8ea959cfb70bc6c19ea7966fea77fbf

KAVANAUGH HEARING: DAY TWO -- It can't get any more chaotic, can it? Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats opened Day One of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's hearing with unsuccessful calls for the panel to adjourn, which came against the backdrop of liberal activists being arrested in protest. Hours earlier, though, Senate Democrats debated staging a mass walkout or not showing up at all. "Senators weighed the drastic protest measures but opted against them, worried about what would come next and whether the fallout from a made-for-TV moment would undercut their efforts to defeat the nomination," Burgess and Elana report.

"The strategy session revealed a divide on the Judiciary Committee between its more aggressive, often younger senators and veterans who prefer to adhere to the chamber's norms," they continue. "To bridge that gap, Democrats settled on a middle ground: disruption." Democrats' effort dominated news coverage and won some plaudits for finally putting up a fight. But, in the end, it's unlikely to win them any votes. Democrats would need to persuade moderate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to oppose Kavanaugh and keep their entire caucus in line to defeat the nominee. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf07be97b9efbb0f1de4d671c68abd19baf53f8c55de09978558af88ec37623dcd059de5cc983148b9cf

Related: "Democrats create chaos at Kavanaugh hearing," by Elana: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118da57f94734c2b7746e39d9e22c2a76d6add41f17a45094d32fd3ff1ad2454c43eba3e694f9a135ab1f "Liberal groups knock Schumer's handling of Kavanaugh nomination," from Burgess and Elana: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118daf4716fe896607a8c4c992a6833c3230d8d71000f87bc94021f5d06b2efad8f2767f51fb5866242a9 and "Kavanaugh hearing gives 2020 Dem hopefuls a chance to break out," via Elana: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf07fd6df3c80d2b727164a2ff714ac987260948f6ae734a7597cad43189446fd96f041fe9e5ca65f5d0

GOP HILL LEADERS TO MEET WITH TRUMP -- Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House this afternoon to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss their spending strategy ahead of a Sept. 30 government funding deadline. "Trump has threatened to veto any spending measures that don't include $5 billion for his border wall with Mexico," Rachael and Bres note. "With Senate Democrats loath to give in without their own immigration concessions, GOP leaders have set in motion a plan to delay the funding fight over border security until after the election. But Trump has sent mixed signals about whether or not he will go along." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf07a81dec920ca73b2d003b63134180db8ff0b2adbdeffc774ce0f2d37a62863cfc5813c3af25fa6a96

Expected attendees for the 3:30 p.m. meeting: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Spending update: "House Republicans stalling appropriations 'minibus' package," per Bres, Sarah Ferris and Rachael: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf073f9be7189435c9c69e7313a4078b81b8a6d477e2fefe18d4ea6bc9d8a37af0c2967adc4a712ff444

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Sept. 5.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Lorraine Woellert's report on Trump allies fuming at the eulogies during Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) services was the winner.

DID SCHUMER ENDORSE IMPEACHMENT? -- The president's allies have begun circulating a clip of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) appearing to endorse impeaching Trump. Asked when Democrats will impeach Trump, Schumer shouts into a bullhorn: "Sooner the better." He added: "We gotta get a few Republicans. The Democrats are on your side." That's exactly what Republicans wanted. "Strategists and advisers close to Trump have tried to rally their base by suggesting that Democrats are hiding their true intentions from voters in hopes of defeating Republicans in November," Christopher Cadelago reports.

Schumer's office, however, argued that the video wasn't what it seemed. "After a number of questions along the parade route about the fate of the President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, the senator believed he was being asked, 'When will you defeat Trump,' and responded, 'the sooner the better,' noting that we need Republicans to defeat the nomination [of Kavanaugh]," Schumer spokesman Matt House said. "As he has said many times and continues to believe, talk of impeachment is premature, and special counsel Mueller's investigation should be allowed to continue without any interference." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a6069f9b5491bf07c19ce1c03236b937d477fc2979e72344b0685bf23aff4b82487c1a38d9653b61990deefcd47e316e

TWITTER, FACEBOOK ON THE HILL -- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg head to Capitol Hill this morning to testify before Congress. The two "will face the Senate Intelligence Committee in the morning to answer questions on a priority issue for Democrats: preventing a repeat of Russia's social media manipulation of the 2016 election," Nancy Scola and Ashley Gold report. "Dorsey then heads across Capitol Hill for an afternoon interrogation by House Republicans over accusations of anti-conservative bias -- a complaint lately embraced by President Donald Trump, who has warned tech companies that they 'better be careful.'"

Both hearings will likely be contentious, as executives face questions over user privacy, algorithms, antitrust concerns and what some critics contend is a troubling willingness to engage with China. "The criticisms of tech are sprawling," they write. "But taken together, they form a clear pattern: Just about everyone in Washington has found something to dislike about the industry. And the looming risk for the companies is that after years of escaping government oversight, Washington could swing in the other direction, and take steps to investigate and regulate them in ways that curb their growth and cut deeply into their bottom line." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118da4f24e4a6dc9b75abd3bc6bec27e0fd903137a3e61829d615f6426a08bf5d78666e0667612a304cad

Related reads: "Twitter says Trump not immune from getting kicked off," by Nancy Scola and Ashley Gold: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118daf3ac3ec363626d2d8875c42774169facb33c94fe0e902b6f621c4bf3aeb7784c7d7039a864ae0097 and "5 takeaways from POLITICO's interview with Twitter's CEO," from Nancy Scola and Ashley Gold: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118da02dac59768da39a86697c6a1249ddd341efd921266a8fc90c1f6d588fb59f27f4ad161fd478dff51

CAPUANO CONCEDES -- Reps. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) and Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) came to Congress in the same freshman class. And after 20 years of service -- and another primary upset -- they'll be leaving together in January. Ninety minutes after polls closed last night, Capuano conceded the race to Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who joins New York's progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as minority women who upset longtime white male incumbents in majority-minority districts. "Pressley, the first woman of color to win a seat on Boston's city council, is now set to reprise the same feat in Massachusetts' congressional delegation," Lauren Dezenski and David Siders report. Much
more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118daaa19bd6048543e3536320645d18e3f5ca20a8ee6ed903924f0646bdb285d171c94a96a73422e45ce

WELCOME BACK -- Former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) is expected to be sworn in this afternoon as the late Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) replacement. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced the Kyl appointment Tuesday, which drew praise from the president and McCain's widow, Cindy McCain. Kyl, however, has only agreed to serve through at least the end of the year. Kyl served alongside McCain for 18 years in the Senate. He retired in 2013 as minority whip, the No. 2 Republican. "After leaving the Senate, Kyl joined the high-powered Washington, D.C., law firm Covington & Burling, where he lobbies for clients on issues including taxes, health care, defense, national security and intellectual property," the
Arizona Republic's Maria Polletta and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118dac0562046b04f171da51a1d4f805630710ce5d3ef28da642332b0e6119815ac3642e81beb15e473cd

WELCOME NEWS IN NORTH CAROLINA -- North Carolina lawmakers won't have to compete in any redrawn districts after all. A panel of federal judges dropped plans to redraw the state's congressional districts ahead of the midterms. "Having carefully reviewed the parties' briefing and supporting materials, we conclude that there is insufficient time for this Court to approve a new districting plan and for the State to conduct an election using that plan prior to the seating of the new Congress in January 2019," the judges wrote in a joint order. "And we further find that imposing a new schedule for North Carolina's congressional elections would, at this late juncture, unduly interfere with the
State's electoral machinery and likely confuse voters and depress turnout." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118da98b44cb0bad5e751ebdfcd6250c21414d60fc24216c59375f7014cfd736c2b0bb63f95b21d14b5fb

MONTANA MULLIGAN -- Montana Senate candidate Matt Rosendale removed a gun-rights ad posted to YouTube after apparently mixing up the Second Amendment and Article II. "There's two ways folks look at gun rights," Rosendale says in the 30-second spot. "Some folks, like me, shoot straight, support the Second Amendment, no apologies. Others, like Jon Tester, don't." "Rosendale then shoves a thumb toward a billboard behind him that reads, 'Article II' with language from the Constitution's Second Amendment under it," HuffPost's Sebastian Murdock reports. "Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government. Rosendale eventually produced a new video which
showed the sign reading 'Amendment II.'" More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118dadd4dc29ab399b355f144d9e5cfce28cc5f7cc72594542de0f002d4e3520018a885d8adedcb18b897

DID YOU KNOW? -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) pet peeve is reporters shouting questions in the hallways. His closest friend across the aisle is former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), but if he could change anything about the Senate, "We would have more Republican senators." If he could go back to any time period, it certainly wouldn't be last month. "We didn't have any down time," he told Roll Call's Alex Gangitano. "I cancelled the August recess." But he would love to have been at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 as a delegate. Roll Call's Take Five with McConnell: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a3b07dd90c118daeed201d778cb65f9285d08953e8b5f63070a56f5eb7a47e3e390ad21be4279fcb8e9c688887bb6c8

TRANSITIONS -- Morgan Butler is now deputy digital director for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Senate Democratic Caucus. She was previously digital press secretary for the Joint Economic Committee's minority staff.

Jalina Porter is now Rep. Cedric Richmond's (D-La.) communications director in his personal office. She was previously at the Truman National Security Project.

Miranda Margowsky has moved over to Sen. Debbie Stabenow's (D-Mich.) reelection campaign as spokesperson. She was previously press secretary in Stabenow's official office.

Ali Rohde has started as communications director for Josh Gottheimer's reelection campaign. She was previously press secretary in Gottheimer's office and was a senior analyst at Hamilton Place Strategies.

Maureen ONeill has started her own lobbying and consulting business, The ONeill Group LLC. She was previously senior policy adviser for veterans health for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where she worked for the majority.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House gavels in at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. and last votes expected between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Senate meets at 12 p.m. to resume consideration of SEC member nominee Elad L. Roisman. At approximately 12:15 p.m., the chamber will vote on Roisman's confirmation and expects former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) to be sworn in.

AROUND THE HILL -- The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination at 9:30 a.m. in 216 Hart.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on foreign influence operations and their use of social media platforms at 9:30 a.m. in G-50 Dirksen.

Reps. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) will hold a news conference on "The Future of Work, Wages, and Labor" report at 9:30 a.m. in 421 Cannon.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will hold a media availability immediately after the Republican Conference meeting at 10 a.m. in HC-8.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) will hold a news conference with people with preexisting conditions as oral arguments begin in the GOP lawsuit Texas v. United States to strike down protections at 10 a.m. in H-207.

Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) and Steve King (R-Iowa) will hold a news conference on immigration reform at 10 a.m. in the House Triangle.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Vice Chairwoman Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) will hold a media availability immediately after a closed caucus meeting at 11 a.m. in HVC-Studio A.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will hold a news conference to introduce legislation to end corporate welfare by enacting a tax on large, profitable corporations such as Amazon, Walmart and United Airlines equal to 100 percent of the amount of federal benefits received by their low-wage workers at 11 a.m. in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Twitter's transparency and accountability at 1:30 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

Senate Republican and Democratic leaders will hold separate press conferences after their weekly policy lunches starting around 2 p.m. in the Ohio Clock Corridor.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) will hold a news conference on threats to those with preexisting conditions at 3:30 p.m. in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and former Reps. Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) and Martin Frost (D-Texas) will hold a memorial service to honor the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the 37 other members of the House and Senate who have passed away in the past year at 6 p.m. in Statuary Hall.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Evan McLaughlin was first to correctly guess that William Howard Taft and Robert Taft are the only father and son pair to have lain in state in the U.S. Capitol.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Evan: The last funeral to take place in the House chamber occurred in 1940. Who was it for? 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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