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06/29/2016 07:50 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Daniel Lippman

BYE BYE UNTIL POST-FOURTH OF JULY-The Senate is hoping to wrap up votes on the Puerto Rico debt crisis bill today and then hit the road for recess, not coming back until after Independence Day. The first major hurdle comes this morning at 10:30 a.m., when at least 60 senators need to vote to advance the bill. Talking to reporters Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he's confident leaders from both parties can round up enough votes for final passage this week, sending the bill to President Obama's desk just days before the island is set to default. "If the bill fails to pass - or is amended this week - creditors will line up on Friday to sue the island over the $73 billion
it owes," write Seung Min Kim and Colin Wilhelm.

Whip it. Whip it good: Republican leaders were "whipping it hard," McConnell said, and the administration sent Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to the Hill Tuesday to rally fence-sitting Democrats. "Failure's really not an option," McConnell said. But the path to passage is a rocky one. A handful of coal state senators said they would vote against the bill unless McConnell commits to protecting pension benefits for mine workers. And several other Republicans remained uncommitted or outright opposed Tuesday evening. SMK and Colin with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc15b7d6da45bb45fcb162bbc5d6c4e87595e1e3413a0acb4a

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED- A clearly agitated McConnell said he's also planning to bring the Zika funding bill up for another vote post-Fourth of July recess, but Democrats shouldn't expect any changes to the package in the meantime. Democrats defeated the bill Tuesday, saying it was riddled with partisan Republican riders they couldn't accept. "I want them to go home and explain" why they voted against it, McConnell said Tuesday. "I want to be very clear about this--we need to act and we need to act right now."

Democratic leaders blasted out a letter Tuesday morning asking Republicans to renegotiate the Zika package-a missive GOP aides said they didn't actually receive until about 7 p.m. last night-but McConnell said that's not happening. "I've made it pretty clear. We're going to be voting again on cloture on this conference report that's just not amendable," McConnell said. But, lest we forget, the White House has already promised to veto the Zika bill if it did pass the Senate.

WHAT'S NEXT AFTER BENGHAZI? House Republicans' long-awaited investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attacks is out, but how will it move the needle, if at all? Rachael: "Two years and $7 million later, the House Benghazi Committee's final report is doing little to alter the entrenched partisan narrative surrounding the catastrophic attack in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, on Sept. 11, 2012. Democrats and Republicans on and off Capitol Hill spent all day Tuesday holding up the new 800-page Benghazi report as proof that they've been right all along." Full story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc1f36e0a815f3ca2c96846c9791e7a57b99b1b8116e21cdc2

-And here's the seven must-read passages from the lengthy report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727ccc197491a0c2b333fc840e2d976f2a18f58002531698d5f59

WE MADE IT TO WEDNESDAY, June 29. Good morning and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, where we probably all wish we could be spending this Wednesday like Marnie the dog: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=844769e52f46f5bed5cfbe47827455f89c22be5a7be5dd8c4056b54bbe9ceca5

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. with a procedural vote on the Puerto Rico bill at 10:30 a.m. and additional votes possible later today. The House is out.

AROUND THE HILL- Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Al Franken will hold a 2 p.m. press conference on preventing veteran employment discrimination in 562 Dirksen.

Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Baldwin are hosting a manufacturing event in the Kennedy Caucus Room starting at 3 p.m. Sens. Sherrod Brown, Mazie Hirono, Chris Murphy, Gary Peters and Franken will also speak.

OFF THE HILL- Sen. John McCain will talk Pentagon personnel reform at the Bipartisan Policy Center starting at 9 a.m. Reps. Chris Van Hollen, Elijah Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes will hold a press conference on the national day of action to prevent gun violence starting at 10 a.m. at the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

** A message from the National Collegiate Athletic Association: In the last five years, the lives of college athletes have changed for the better, in some cases dramatically. But we've still got work to do. Find out what our member schools are doing to advance academics, fairness and well-being and the NCAA's commitment to this critical mission at NCAA.org/opportunity. **

WHAT'S NEXT FOR HOUSE DEMS? A handful of House Democrats took to the House floor Tuesday during a pro forma session, shouting demands for gun control votes for about 30 seconds before the session was quickly adjourned. The group then marched out, holding a press conference outside of the chamber and promising not to ease up when lawmakers return next week.

But does that mean Democrats will try to take over the House floor again? "Stay tuned," Rep. Steve Israel told reporters, refusing to say what the caucus plans to do next. House Democrats will be holding a slew of events across the country today to bring attention to gun violence. But House Speaker Paul Ryan has made clear he won't put up with another daylong Democratic occupation of the House floor, saying earlier this week he would not "tolerate" that again.

GLENN WINS COLORADO GOP PRIMARY-- El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn will face off against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in November after winning Colorado's GOP Senate primary Tuesday night. "Glenn, a fiery conservative who won the backing of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, now becomes the Republican standard-bearer in one of the GOP's only Senate pickup opportunities this year," reports Elena Schneider. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727ccd82fe9c1e2003ffb741ba94bd725b0d6e237b4119bf4d602

Several general election contests are now settled in New York after Tuesday night's primary. Colleen Deacon won her three-way primary and will take on GOP Rep. John Katko in November. Democrat Tom Suozzi won a five-way primary for retiring Rep. Steve Israel's Long Island spot. Roll Call with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727ccf37e04b2bece7f66558e9e6af6cddb9f007368fd5a14c8a0

A first: "Primary voters in Utah and Colorado selected transgender women to run for spots in Congress next fall - a first in major-party American political history." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc08769f018463c77e2ed2fe20a2cbbd2fd1db1002c9bae018

SPOTTED AROUND THE HILL- A tipster saw Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid using a cane for the first time around the Capitol. Aides say he's fine, it just helps him get around easier. And apparently Reid shops like much of America, ordering his cane from Amazon. Separately, Maine Sen. Angus King was spotted helping the Capitol maintenance crew fix a broken down Senate subway car Tuesday.

FAA EXTENSION READY FOR TAKEOFF- Lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on an extension of the FAA that will kick the current deadline way into next year. Sen. John Thune, who leads the Commerce Committee, told reporters he's disappointed the House didn't pass a full reauthorization like the Senate did but acknowledges something has to be done before current programs expire July 15. "It's not as long as we would've liked but it sure as heck beats a short-term extension and it will incorporate a lot of permanent policy that we had in our legislation," Thune said.

HEARING WITNESS ACCUSES LAWMAKERS OF EXTREMIST TIES-This is too crazy to make up: A witness at a Senate hearing Tuesday accused two of Congress' Muslim members, Reps. Andre Carson and Keith Ellison, of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood. "Responsibility for this rare instance lies with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who oversaw the hearing as chairman... and whose staff likely saw the testimonies of the witnesses," writes the Huffington Post. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727ccadb170701334406e9d88f25f5829dda6e6224a8400f6e5d2

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY-The Senate GOP's super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, is planning to drop big bucks on four competitive races in an effort to hold onto control of the upper chamber, including a stunning $16 million ad reservation in New Hampshire. "The nearly $16 million spent in tiny New Hampshire is a gargantuan sum, even in the expensive Boston media market," Roll Call reports. The group is also targeting Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc5e2dd41cfec01b484a51e131e19cb0f8b7a523941dc1513d

TWITTER FAIL-Death threats against senators remained on Twitter for two weeks before the social media site took them down. The Hill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc5507624d4c11bdeec2ad25a496999aaf76458321c957a6ee

YOLO REID STRIKES AGAIN- Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has no qualms about speaking his mind, especially now that he's on his way out. The latest Reidism came Tuesday when he suggested Florida taxpayers sue Sen. Marco Rubio for his absence on Capitol Hill while running for president. "I feel that Marco Rubio should be sued to pay back all the money that the federal government paid him while he was off playing around, running for president," Reid told reporters. He didn't say anything about whether Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has also been mostly absent this year, should get the same treatment. Seung Min: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3eb07ac27c7727cc3ee60e276dd80011fc32ebb18f1c1d4645c7ec54aec4b516

HACKERS TARGET HOUSE DEMS-Several House Democrats' websites remain down after hackers targeted them shortly after last week's gun control sit-in ended. The story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=844769e52f46f5be05c7df047b47690e12ef8122e0b1c916f75ea6a097c51ed2

WELCOME TO THE SENATE-- Leigh Claffey started this week as press secretary for Sen Joni Ernst. She previously was communications director for Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Elliott Mamet was the first to guess that Kathy Kozachenko was the first openly LGBT candidate to be elected to office, winning a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council in 1974.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Elliott with today's question: Who is the highest paid public employee in the country, when was the last time that person was at the White House and why? Send me the correct answer to this multi-part question first and you'll get a shout out in tomorrow's Huddle.

HELP ME HELP YOU -- Know any hot gossip, scoops, tips or transitions happening on the Hill? Send 'em my way: hcaygle@politico.com

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=844769e52f46f5beb575f5ab85bf270d8a94edb4a269543fea3aaed5301c93e1

** A message from the National Collegiate Athletic Association: Done right, college sports provide extraordinary benefits to college athletes that last a lifetime. And in the last five years, the lives of college athletes have changed for the better, in some cases dramatically. More college athletes are graduating from college than ever before. But we've still got work to do. That's why we're making sure all college athletes have a fair shot at taking advantage of the opportunities that lay ahead on and off the field. Find out what our more than 1,100 member schools across all three divisions are doing to advance academics, fairness and well-being and the NCAA's commitment to this critical
mission at NCAA.org/opportunity. **

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