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02/21/2019 08:00 AM EDT

By MELANIE ZANONA (mzanona@politico.com; @MZanona)


READY TO RUMBLE -- House Democrats are gearing up to take their first step to counter President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration, with Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) planning to formally introduce a disapproval resolution on Friday. Lawmakers will then report it out of committee within 15 days and consider it on the floor within three days.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is vowing to "move swiftly to pass this bill," and began circulating a Dear Colleague letter yesterday encouraging members in both parties to sign it. "We have a solemn responsibility to uphold the Constitution, and defend our system of checks and balances against the President's assault," Pelosi wrote. The resolution, which has picked up over 90 co-sponsors and would essentially terminate the emergency, is expected to easily pass the House.

But the fate of the measure is less certain in the Senate, where four Republicans would need to support the resolution for it to land on Trump's desk. At least one Republican is so far on board: Susan Collins of Maine became the first GOP Senator on Wednesday to voice support for the measure. "If it's a 'clean' disapproval resolution, I will support it," Collins said, according to the Associated Press. Trump, however, would likely veto the effort, which is why Democrats are also expected to file a lawsuit to block Trump's move. Much more from Heather and Sarah: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed855c77c8ad8f2e2f6bb7a2ac00aa3911d30edfb34d9a5ae7d141b2b0701d7cfef324e64e14cbee00c

Related: "The key Republicans to watch on Trump's national emergency," by Marianne and Beatrice Jin: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed85bda9b7dfd79b7cd8370dbd5675c7eaf9996b714363a8bf814772f949cbdbadbae58a90373c2f691

MUELLER REPORT, COMING SOON -- The Justice Department is preparing to announce the end of its nearly two-year Russia probe as soon as next week, reports CNN. And newly confirmed Attorney General William Barr is expected to then submit a "summary" of Robert Mueller's confidential report to Congress, though it's still unclear how long that step will take or whether it will eventually be made public. But Democrats have vowed to fight tooth and nail to ensure the findings are released publicly. Also keep in mind: Democrats have held off on impeachment calls until they see the Mueller report, which means they may be soon confronted with a monumental decision. More from Evan Perez, Laura Jarrett
and Katelyn Polantz: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed885290030c12b05b79247b71cb77408ab3877705bf6a628068d622bca69ac416d0191d293f5d86447

IT'S FRIDAY JUNIOR! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Feb. 21. If you've ever wondered about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Oscar picks, well, Extra TV for some reason has got you covered (with an appearance from Sean Spicer): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed8168ef1b02426f68d24fe4e3f558e6c668258184f7730c7cff607b34368996191454662f8b1551c81

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The report from Zachary Warmbrodt and Daniel Strauss on "the 2020 liberal that bankers could stomach" was the big winner.

**Join us for POLITICO's Ninth Annual State Solutions Conference. On the sidelines of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, the program features a series of exclusive conversations with governors from across the country to share their innovative solutions to the states' complex challenges. RSVP here.**

COHEN COMING TO CONGRESS -- Get ready for fireworks. Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will publicly testify in front of the House Oversight Committee next Wednesday, followed by a closed-door session in front of the Intelligence Committee the next day. The hearing had to be rescheduled after Cohen said he and his family were being threatened. Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) outlined the scope of the hearing, which was decided in consultation with the Justice Department and will include "the President's payoffs, financial disclosures, compliance with campaign finance laws, business practices, and other matters." More from Josh Gerstein and Andrew:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed8e4d2f1066d06e69be2032799a61a4ac2a20da949622b7fd7878b12c00d92bd07ebfea6aa7b8711f5

Related: "'Not Here to Make Headlines.' Meet the Lawmaker Quietly Unearthing Trump Scandals," by TIME's Alana Abramson: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed8a50cde1dc4f38fbf4f5b53e22dc0ec5f10e7f69421b2c8b76348a811acc1f6028a76878b632a6daa

FEDS STOP PLOT TO KILL LAWMAKERS, JOURNALISTS -- Scary stuff here. Federal investigators have arrested a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-identified white nationalist who was planning a massive domestic terrorist attack on politicians and journalists, reports The Washington Post. Authorities found a stockpile of weapons and ammunition in the Maryland home of Christopher Paul Hasson, who had searched the Internet for things like "best place in dc to see congress people" and "are supreme court justices protected." Among his targets: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). More from Lynh Bui:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed8fd4f2c9ac18e7bedeafc91f4ade3da760267bb2781a287481d7f0de977014a94eeb11e298b5fc057

BYRNE RUNNING FOR ALABAMA SENATE -- Republican Rep. Bradley Byrne has officially jumped into Alabama's Senate race, which will be critical for Republicans in 2020. Byrne will be taking on Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who narrowly won the seat in a special election after Republican nominee Roy Moore was accused of sexual misconduct. Byrne, who lost a bid for governor in 2010, will likely be facing a crowded primary field, which could include his colleague Rep. Gary Palmer. James Arkin with the dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed871abc31339c22491e1ffbabe445163d81e2f26d10b76c9b299c8cd192c9da55f7a8585273064d3b5

Related read: "Mark Harris' son warned him about operative in North Carolina scandal," via Laura: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed828fc7425bacb64cb003b6df1bf4a3c2d2cb7c0b7035262473ee8c80cf3963fda6bceadd30179d4e0

CONCERN OVER COATS -- Lawmakers are growing increasingly worried that Trump may fire his top intelligence official. While Trump insists he has no intentions of ousting Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, The Washington Post reported that the president is frustrated with his director for seemingly undercutting Trump's own policies, and Trump even accused Coats of being "not loyal." Lawmakers in both parties are now rallying around Coats, who is widely respected on Capitol Hill. "DNI Dan Coats is a good friend, former Senate colleague, and leader of integrity who has always served our country well," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) said in a tweet. "We are fortunate to have a person
of his ability and candor to lead our intelligence community." More from Felicia Sonmez: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c9efaf3411988ed8b4b37d0369345f720245445fe30be1f2848a4c0d530585750042b667c961635f2dd50a00c94e81f2
TRANSITIONS
Emma Lydon begins today as communications director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She was previously with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

Lauren Linsmayer is now a NOAA Knauss fellow for the Senate Commerce Committee Democrats. She previously was a graduate student researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Katie Waldman is leaving DHS, where she is deputy press secretary, to work for Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) as communications director.

Sam Oh has started as VP of Targeted Victory in their general consulting practice. He most recently was chief of staff to former Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.).
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House and Senate are OUT until the week of Feb. 25.
AROUND THE HILL
Zilch.
TRIVIA
WEDNESDAY'S WINNER -- Mitch McConnell (who turned 77 yesterday!) was the first to correctly guess that Minnesota Sens. Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale became the Democratic nominees for president in 1968 and 1984, respectively.

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From the Majority Leader: Which member of the Bush 43 and Trump cabinets never missed a State of the Union, and why? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: mzanona@politico.com.

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