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MARCH MADNESS: McCONNELL AD MISTAKES DUKE FOR KENTUCKY - ESPN.com's Andy Katz and the AP report: "Sen. Mitch McConnell's latest campaign video hit all the necessary Kentucky high points: horse racing, bluegrass -- and Duke basketball? The campaign scrambled Tuesday to remove an online video that featured a split-second clip of Duke basketball players celebrating their 2010 national championship. The mistake comes as the basketball-crazy state of Kentucky prepares for its biggest game of the season. Eighth-seeded Kentucky and fourth-seeded Louisville face off in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Indianapolis.

-- "'The ad was intended to highlight Kentucky's basketball dominance and obviously the Web ad vendor has become so accustomed to watching national championship celebrations in the Bluegrass State that they made a mistake with one of the images,' said McConnell spokeswoman Allison Moore, a Kentucky graduate. 'Obviously we were horrified by the error and quickly changed it.' Duke's narrow win over Kentucky in a 1992 regional final, won on Christian Laettner's improbable last-second shot, remains a sore spot for many Wildcats fans, and Duke is still a frequent target for their animosity."
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--SAM YOUNGMAN's lead in the Lexington Herald-Leader: "Big Blue Nation called a flagrant foul on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday."
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-- McConnell's Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, seized on the gaffe tweeting @AlisonForKY: KY, as your next Senator, I promise to never glorify a Duke championship in a campaign ad like @Team_Mitch ...

-- McConnell's headaches didn't end there: "McConnell has received a cease and desist letter from UK for using star forward Julius Randle in the replacement clip," the Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker writes. "The NCAA, college athletics' governing body, does not permit the use of a student-athlete's image or likeness while they are still competing as amateurs."
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-- The McConnell campaign issued another mea culpa last night: "Earlier [Tuesday], issues related to the use of NCAA images in a web video created by an outside vendor for our campaign were brought to our attention.The video was taken down immediately after questions were raised. Since that time, we have received correspondence from the University of Kentucky, we have spoken with them, and the matter has been resolved.To be clear, neither the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville nor any student-athlete was aware of any image used in this video, and actions have been taken with the vendor to ensure this never happens again.... It was our intention to honor our great Kentucky
basketball traditions. Our campaign apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused."Watch the original ad:
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THE ROGERS REPORT: MITCH'S FOREIGN POLICY EVOLUTION - "From internationalist to wrecking ball: Mitch McConnell's foreign policy transformation is one of the bigger untold political stories of this election year," writes our own David Rogers. "Not so long ago, the Kentucky Republican and Senate minority leader was a 'go-to guy' for presidents of both parties seeking foreign aid. But in the past nine months, he's been tearing up the railroad track while ceding his leadership role to the more volatile John McCains of the world. Domestic politics are surely a factor. But the transformation in McConnell has larger implications for Republicans - and Congress broadly - as Washington faces new
challenges overseas. Lost is not just a seasoned leader, but the younger Republicans who rush to fill the vacuum are often more gifted at speeches than legislation to back up their words."
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REID REFUNDS CAMPAIGN $16K FOR GIFTS - Byron Tau writes for POLITICO: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will refund his campaign for the purchase of more than $16,000 in holiday gifts that came from his granddaughter's jewelry company. 'I thought it would be nice to give supporters and staff thank-you gifts that had a personal connection and a Searchlight connection, but I have decided to reimburse the campaign for the amount of the expenditure,' Reid said in a Tuesday statement. The refund comes after the Federal Election Commission sent a letter last week to Reid's campaign, asking for additional information about two payments totaling $16,786.93 to 'Ryan Elisabeth' on Reid's 2013
year-end campaign finance report."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4173be9d2d6e84dd4efe03d8a9020d0d63b51c4cd7bb48b812e6a960b25f6dd5 Ralston Reports, which broke the story:
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ANOTHER OBAMACARE DELAY, JUST DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE - Amy Goldstein reports for the Washington Post: "The Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline. Federal officials confirmed Tuesday evening that all consumers who have begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but who do not finish by Monday, will have until about mid-April to ask for an extension. Under the new rules, people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an
honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth."
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-- "A brief history of Obamacare delays," By POLITICO's David Nather and Susan Levine:
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HOBBY LOBBY: JUSTICES SKEPTICAL OF W.H. ARGUMENTS - Jennifer Haberkorn and Josh Gerstein report for the hometown paper: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed skepticism of the legality of the Obama administration's refusal to accommodate for-profit companies' religious objections to the Obamacare requirement that most firms provide contraception in their employee health plans. A majority of the justices seemed particularly doubtful of one of the administration's central legal claims: the assertion that for-profit companies have no religious rights under federal law. During more than 90 minutes of arguments, several justices repeatedly questioned why the administration couldn't give
for-profit companies with religious objections the same kind of accommodation that has been offered to religious nonprofits. Those organizations have been offered the chance to opt-out of contraceptive coverage and have it provided through their insurance company or administrator."
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** A tax code that's simple and fair is good for business and the economy. Repealing the cash method of accounting fails on both counts. Efforts to cut tax rates shouldn't harm the businesses that drive growth. Join Grant Thornton in preserving the cash method of accounting. Learn more:
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CAMPAIGN PRO, YOUR GUIDE TO THE PERMANENT CAMPAIGN launches Wednesday, April 9 on POLITICO Pro with real-time news and information on more than 60 House, Senate and gubernatorial races, including an enhanced version of Morning Score, state-of-the-race analyses, rankings and polls. Interested in subscribing to Campaign Pro? E-mail us:
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TWITTER TRAFFIC: @elisefoley:Add it to your calendars: The Congressional women vs. lady journos softball game will be on June 18.
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DEMS FOLD, DROP IMF PROVISION FROM UKRAINE BILL - Seung Min Kim, Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan report for POLITICO: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will drop a provision to reform the International Monetary Fund from a bill to help Ukraine - a move that could clear the way to send an aid and sanctions package to the president's desk. Republicans have balked at President Barack Obama's call to include the language, vowing to reject the provisions in the House. ... The tussle in Congress over reforming the IMF has threatened the unified message officials in Washington had hoped to send to Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. ...With
Democrats dropping the IMF provisions, Republicans in return will give up their demand that Congress vote to delay the administration's changes to rules cracking down on the political activity of nonprofits."
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SENATE CANDIDATES TRY TO LOOK TOUGH ON PUTIN - POLITICO's Darren Goode has the story: "The debate about using natural gas to confront Vladimir Putin has taken on clear implications for GOP hopes to take the Senate. The domestic electoral politics were apparent Tuesday as two of the Senate's most vulnerable Democrats and their House Republican challengers all spoke out on the need to quicken approvals of liquefied natural gas exports, which could at least theoretically undermine Russia's energy dominance in Europe. One of those Democrats, Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Mary Landrieu, kicked off her first hearing as the panel's leader by pledging 'to redouble my efforts to increase
domestic energy production here in the United States and make the U.S. a global leader in energy exports.' Russia's aggressive tactics against Ukraine are only 'encouraging' her, she said. ...

-- "Her Republican challenger, Louisiana Rep. Bill Cassidy ... has jumped on the gas-export bandwagon himself by co-sponsoring a bill offered by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) that would approve all 'completed' LNG export permit applications pending at the Energy Department, while expediting future applications. Gardner is running against Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who has offered his own bill to expedite LNG exports to World Trade Organization members like Ukraine." Pros can read the full story:
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GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MARCH 26, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
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TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 10 a.m. and will hold procedural votes on the nominations of several judges. At 2:30 p.m. the Senate will vote to confirm the judges, as well as Joseph Westphal to be ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The House also meets at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 2 and 3 p.m. and last votes between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. on a bill to rename a post office and the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act.

AROUND THE HILL - Sen. John Hoeven and Rep. Lee Terry speaks on the Keystone XL pipeline at 10:30 a.m. in SVC-212. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra, House Democrats and actress America Ferrera speak on immigration reform at 10:45 a.m. on the House East Steps. Speaker John Boehner holds an on-camera press briefing at 11 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Jason Chaffetz speak on restoring long-standing interpretation of the Wire Act and online gambling at 11:15 a.m. in the Senate Studio.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks on providing King Cove Alaska with reliable access to medical care in emergencies at 11:30 a.m. in Dirksen 366. Rep. Beto O'Rourke introduces a border bill at noon at the House Triangle. Rep. Steve Scalise and the Republican Study Committee roll out a jobs bill at 2:30 p.m. in HVC Studio A.

At 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Sean Theriault, author of "The Gingrich Senators: The Roots of Partisan Warfare in Congress," and former Reps. Barbara Kennelly, Nancy Johnson, and Mickey Edwards will discuss partisanship and polarization in the U.S. Congress, at American University's School of International Service Abramson Family Founders Room (Intersection of Nebraska and New Mexico Avenues, NW).

AT WOMEN RULE EVENT, GILLIBRAND SAYS SHE'LL 'MAKE SURE' HILLARY RUNS -Lucy McCalmont writes for POLITICO: "New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she won't run for president in 2016 even if Hillary Clinton doesn't but that she will 'make sure' the former secretary of state launches a bid. 'I'm going to make sure Hillary does! And I'll make sure everyone votes for her and help her raise money,' the Democrat told the audience of close to 200 at POLITICO's Women Rule event, 'How Women Run: Power, Perception and Reality,' held Tuesday at the Willard hotel. ... 'I think that Hillary is our best candidate. She is extraordinarily experienced. She has a gravitas, having been secretary of state,
having met world leaders, knowing so many issues concerning national security,' Gillibrand said."
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-- Did you miss Women Rule? Watch it here:
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SENATE REPORT SLAMS TARGET OVER BREACH - Jessica Meyers reports for POLITICO: "The Senate Commerce Committee, in the most direct congressional condemnation yet of Target, is unveiling a report that slams the retailer for failing to thwart massive data breaches that handed hackers a trove of Americans' credit card numbers and addresses. The study, written by Democratic committee staff and based largely on news reports, highlights warning signs the company ignored and basic errors that left sensitive data within hackers' reach. The paper coincides with a committee hearing Wednesday on data security that will feature Target's chief financial officer. 'This analysis suggests that Target missed
a number of opportunities along the kill chain to stop the attackers and prevent the massive data breach,' the report states." For Pros:
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-- Target CFO John Mulligan testifies before the Senate panel today.
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THREE OF OBAMA'S SECRET SERVICE AGENTS SENT HOME AFTER NIGHT OF DRINKING - The Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura have the scoop: "Three Secret Service agents responsible for protecting President Obama in Amsterdam this week were sent home and put on administrative leave Sunday after going out for a night of drinking, according to three people familiar with the incident. One of the agents was found drunk and passed out in a hotel hallway, the people said. The hotel staff alerted the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands after finding the unconscious agent Sunday morning, a day before Obama arrived in the country, according to two of the people. The embassy then alerted Secret
Service managers on the presidential trip, which included the agency's director, Julia Pierson. ...

-- "The alleged behavior would violate Secret Service rules adopted in the wake of a damaging scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, in April 2012, when a dozen agents and officers had been drinking heavily and had brought prostitutes back to their hotel rooms before the president's arrival for an economic summit."
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THE LIKELY DEATH TOLL from the Washington state mudslide is at 24 after more bodies were recovered Tuesday. Reuters:
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122 OBJECTS, possibly from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, were spotted in satellite images of the South Indian Ocean provided by a French defense firm, Malaysia's acting transportation minister said. CNN:
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GOP SENATORS BUCK BOEHNER ON JOBLESS AID - Burgess Everett has the story for POLITICO: "Speaker John Boehner's opposition to [Sen. Dean] Heller's cherished jobless aid package is not fazing the Nevada Republican. Nor have Boehner's myriad criticisms of the deal changed the opinions of the four other deal-cutting Senate Republicans who recently struck a hard-fought agreement with Democrats to retroactively bring back jobless aid. Boehner again panned the five-month, long-term jobless aid extension on Tuesday as a proposal that doesn't help the economy or create jobs, indicating the House has no intention of acting on the bill. ...But a group of five Senate Republicans - some of whom have
defied their House counterparts on issues like immigration, an Internet sales tax and sexual discrimination in the workplace - don't seem to care. ... If the bipartisan jobs package passes the Senate, perhaps as soon as late this week, it will be by the barest of margins."
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TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Thomas Campos was first to correctly answer that Charles Sumner's desk was located in the last row of the Senate chamber during his infamous caning incident in 1856. See a map here:
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TODAY'S TRIVIA - Mike Botelho, a former county judge in Arkansas, has today's question: Name a former associate justice of the Supreme Court whose grandfather preceded him in that same position? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
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** The cash method of accounting has long been recognized as the appropriate method of accounting for pass-through businesses. It's simple, fair and requires taxpayers to pay tax only when they actually receive income. Forcing businesses to change to the accrual method would be disruptive, complex and unfair. It would add unnecessary compliance burdens and hurt the nation's efforts to grow. The U.S. can't afford damaging its economic jobs engine by forcing a conversion to the accrual method of accounting. Join Grant Thornton in preserving the cash method of accounting. Learn more:
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