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01/17/2019 08:02 AM EDT

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


PELOSI'S POWER PLAY -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is playing hardball in the shutdown battle with President Donald Trump. The Democratic leader sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday suggesting that he delay his State of the Union address set for later this month, significantly ratcheting up the high-stakes fight and likely ensuring that this 27-day government shutdown isn't going to end anytime soon. The bold move also sent the unmistakable signal that Pelosi holds all the cards in the lower chamber, and suggests she's feeling confident about her hand. (As Speaker, Pelosi has the power to cancel the address and deny the president a high-profile platform to make his case for the border
wall.)

But it's a risky gambit for Pelosi, one of the GOP's favorite foils, and may give Republicans even more fodder to argue that Democrats are more interested in resisting Trump than working with him. But for Democrats, the move injected a boost of much-needed enthusiasm into the conference, and could help the Speaker keep her troops in line even as they grow increasingly frustrated with the shutdown.

The SOTU drama is just the latest example of Pelosi undercutting Trump, however. "Pelosi privately refers to Trump as the 'Whiner in chief.' She's questioned his manhood. She calls out Trump's lies to his face and openly wonders whether he's fit for the job. She mocks Trump for his privileged upbringing and his lack of empathy for the less fortunate. She jokes with other senior Democrats that if the American public saw how Trump acts in private, they'd 'want to make a citizen's arrest,'" write Bres, Heather and Rachael. "After more than two years of Trump's whipsaw presidency, Pelosi is saying what perhaps every Democrat feels should be said to Trump: No, no and no." Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9230d187c5c8849aa95b7a9288f56a9804b1fbf6612900c001e0712acc54d47fa1ea09ef618de8c53

Related read: "How Pelosi is punishing some critics while rewarding others," by The Hill's Scott Wong: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b91a5a7873dd5778754b59628de97687284a96df1450635b5c62961f4806112963916e0874b096b4fb and "Trump's Chief Shutdown Negotiator Is Unknown to Most Americans," via Elaina Plott at The Atlantic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b93bf218bde15063a35eb7b68d649336247bca4ed672ffd117d7503b61a5f849f97631c5821add8f66

BIPARTISAN SHUTDOWN TALKS HIT A SNAG -- A bipartisan effort in the Senate to end the standoff struggled to get off the ground on Wednesday. A small group of senators began collecting signatures for a letter calling on Trump to temporarily reopen the government while they work on a compromise to beef up border security. But by the end of the day, they fell far short of their goal of getting 20 senators from both parties to sign on. "Many Republicans wanted more of a commitment from [Pelosi] to move forward, and others thought it was pointless to endorse it if there was no signal from Trump that he might accept it," reports Burgess. "Senators had hoped to set up a meeting with Vice President
Mike Pence on Wednesday afternoon, though the meeting never occurred." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9e0beacf9a499ab97435dd00c106c03d787a7088a77680ed0c0badf27dd4e5d225baec068773145dd

Related: "In a West Wing in Transition, Trump Tries to Stand Firm on the Shutdown," by Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni of The New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b910b0ed204c9d7a5a98db930d0c80d5906152818b843063caab3592760d993c995b0fa75b5a26bd19 and "Trump meets with coalition of Democrats and Republicans as shutdown drags on," from Jordyn Phelps at ABC News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9827e2eb04e1f563ec42397d845e6c85abe02577c98ce3d4c1750d045cb7ea7d0d1c2a82e1ca16259

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Jan. 17, where even Cardi B is wading into the shutdown fight -- and sparking a serious debate among Democratic senators about whether to retweet her. (Spoiler alert: they didn't.)

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Heather, Rachael and Bres's juicy story on Pelosi exacting revenge on one of her top critics was by far the winner.


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KING AVOIDS CENSURE -- House Democratic leadership quashed an effort by rank-and-file members to censure Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Wednesday for his racist remarks. Democratic Reps. Bobby Rush (Ill.) and Tim Ryan (Ohio) had been threatening to force a potentially divisive vote on the drastic form of punishment, but ultimately agreed to back down under pressure from Democratic leaders who feared Republicans would retaliate with censures of their own (including one aimed at Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib). King was already stripped of his committee assignments and formally condemned on the House floor earlier this week. More from your Huddle host and Sarah:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9e3316f44ab3e685a9f3553f05d71c2071376b9ed7c4953b415d8d24d5d4cf67ff6c2dab52914e566

Related: "Rep. Ed Case said he's 'an Asian trapped in a white body.' His apology didn't help," via Amy B. Wang at The Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b92ab93bd35b583fff89a7c8e4a0585f61a97d4231661206cecc6f598ca92939f4a884b3f3ac82e490 and "House May Target Trump for Native American Comments," by The National Journal's Dan Newhauser: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9b431738d6fe7356ac42c5cedee28d02c5d5a3ef68d4b1c7c61e4c270f05de5c8b3d5f98cfcd01884

JACKSON LEE SUED FOR RETALIATION -- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is being sued by a former staffer, who claims she was fired by the Texas Democrat for planning to report an alleged rape by a former Congressional Black Caucus Foundation employee. In a new lawsuit reported by BuzzFeed, the woman claims she was raped by former intern coordinator Damien Jones in October 2015 but didn't decide to pursue legal action until March 2018. She then informed Jackson Lee's chief of staff about her plans and asked to meet with the lawmaker about it. The meeting never happened, and three weeks later, she was fired. Jackson Lee chairs the CBCF's board. More from Zoe Tillman:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9e9faea2558340ab16ececfdc99a74324b0c5ba2522e21e1f82038f30016f6c9eb0597fb3a7e247d3

Related: "Sanders faces former staffers about sexual harassment on 2016 campaign," from Holly Otterbein and Alex Thompson: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9e1277fc31c42b039408cf487b707849568c2f1b21222c6bc1d0d08009670bed01d11f962151fc453

TWITTER LESSONS FROM AOC -- Social media star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has amassed 2.4 million Twitter followers and counting, will lead a session for House Democrats today on "the most effective ways to engage constituents on Twitter and the importance of digital storytelling," reports Eliza Collins for USA Today. Ocasio-Cortez's viral Twitter clapbacks and Q&A's conducted while cooking Instant Pot recipes have helped the 29-year-old connect with everyday voters, cementing her status as a rising liberal super star in the party. Now, her fellow colleagues are hoping to learn from the master. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b97662b498cdf1196642a46d403a65b1f1be2aeed9db04d93db2fbe45cb57aa7ae5cd8698c7c739484

Related reads: "Group aligned with Ocasio-Cortez prepares to take out Democrats," from Laura Barrón-López and Heather: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b97ad729726c7c08dd2c2d836c2131cc999bf35d3f93749acb08578a52290b86ef90889eabb4b1d34b and "'Where's Mitch?' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pursues Mitch McConnell," by McClatchy's Lesley Clark: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b92488c3a69fb96588bafca1d337cb5c152ef88d4efc40087fbf728416ad64d5c5b6d3ff40eaa336af

SENATE REJECTS LIFTING RUSSIAN SANCTIONS -- The Senate rebuffed an effort to block the Trump administration's plan to ease sanctions on an oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But significantly, 11 Republicans broke ranks to support the resolution. The "defection was far larger the Trump administration has experienced on anything related to the shutdown. And it continues a theme of Republican unease with the president's international policies reaching back more than a year," reports Burgess and Zachary Warmbrodt. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9b19e878d79975017664c6dbc8678ca57b4d17587ea480fe0bfee1e37180210553231b425a16ee7fc

Related: "Effort to ease Russian sanctions boosted by former Louisiana senator," by CNN'S Manu Raju and Jeremy Herb: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b93f6a649e5ad6c9f719bfafaa1711d7ba790b598e0fd39870002bb7825a9af51141eaebcd580e1842

CONFIRMATION HEARING RECAP -- Two of Trump's cabinet nominees faced confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill Wednesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee held its second day of hearings on attorney general nominee William Barr, where ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) signaled she wouldn't support the pick unless he pledges to release special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia probe. Meanwhile, Trump's choice to the lead EPA, Andrew Wheeler, was grilled by Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee over climate change and environmental rollbacks enacted by the administration. More from Anthony Adragna and Alex Guillén:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9b34f107dbcd648184eb89f6f6fa4962826154902173ad97087c1ce734735cb99dcbea7a0562f919f

WHO RUN THE WORLD? GIRLS -- The New York Times published portraits earlier this week of the record-breaking 131 women serving in the new Congress. Today, the publication will publish a print section with 27 different cover photos, with each one featuring a different representative or Senator from that region of the U.S. GIF here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b9d84fbab8d2b3fe6787052e5298b72107b9161e6008e9bf286d404cbae8cc5ac1815781edc54be85f

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**TRANSITIONS**

John Thomas, previously chief of staff for former Reps. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) and Scott Rigell (R-Va.), has joined Kasowitz, Benson, Torrez LLP as a policy advisor.

Michaela Sundermann is starting as digital director for Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). She was previously a digital director for the Josh Hawley campaign and worked on Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) communications team.

Nancy Fox, the outgoing staff director of the House Appropriations Committee under former Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), will join Winning Strategies Washington as a principal.

Sydney Paul joined Facebook this week as a member of the congressional lobbying team. Paul was previously senior legislative counsel for Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)

Courtney Gidner is now communications director for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). She previously was director of strategic communications for former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.).

Nick Choate, former deputy legislative director for former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), is joining Venable as a policy adviser for legislative and government affairs.

**TODAY IN CONGRESS**

The House gavels in at 9 a.m., with first votes expected at 10:15 a.m. and last votes expected at 1 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f58e96b1e3c4f2b98279ca6ad8499980251c7bce6edfc67092d9716b880db5d30881c82404f3edb4b85fdef505aaefbb The Senate meets at 4 p.m. and will resume consideration of S. 109. At 4:30 p.m., senators will take a procedural vote on the motion to proceed.

**AROUND THE HILL*

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) holds a press conference to discuss the government shutdown at 9:15 a.m. in S-325.

Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Democratic Reps. G.K. Butterfield (N.C.), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (Fla.), Dan Kildee (Mich.), and Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas) hold a press availability after their weekly whip meeting at 10 a.m. at the center steps stakeout location.

Rep. T.J. Cox (D-Calif.) holds a press conference to unveil legislation providing financial relief for federal employees at 11:30 a.m. on the House Triangle.

**TRIVIA**

WEDNESDAY'S WINNER -- Eli Schechner was the first to correctly guess that William Pennington was the last freshman member of the House to become Speaker. He was elected in 1860 on the 44th ballot, "chosen in spite of his lack of credentials and avowed policies, and not because of his abilities and views," according to Ronald M. Peters Jr.'s book, "The American Speakership."

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From Eli: Of all the women who currently serve in the Senate, how many represent states that have never elected a female lawmaker to the House of Representatives?

The 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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