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03/30/2017 08:05 AM EDT


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

With assists from Seung Min Kim, Burgess Everett and Daniel Lippman

WHO'S GONNA SAVE YOU NOW? The Senate is on the cusp of a historic shift by preparing to nix the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. But unlike previous close calls where institutionalist-minded senators stepped in, there's nobody coming to the chamber's rescue this time. "The Senate has changed," said Sen. John McCain, who fought past efforts to change the rules. "You can't do what we used to do, what I did in the past. There's too much ill will."

"Acrimony between the two parties has become so routine that invoking the so-called nuclear option to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court is almost a ho-hum affair, assumed to be a done deal," Burgess and Seung Min report after interviewing more than two-dozen senators. Attempts to form a gang of at least eight Democrats to join with Republicans to head off a Gorsuch filibuster have fizzled.

Well, you guys fix it: Now several senators are looking to Senate leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer to stave off major changes that would take away the minority's power and bring the Senate more in line with the majority-ruled House. But there have been no meaningful conversations between the two leaders about avoiding a rules change. McConnell is dug in, dead set on getting Gorsuch confirmed. And Democrats' anger about the GOP blockade of Merrick Garland still runs deep. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faa2115e15565388a55108acf2ad821c01cd207711d51282626de23b1b2e70b8cabb08a065fb865f454

CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE FREEDOM CAUCUS SOUL - After leading the charge to scuttle the GOP's Obamacare repeal, members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus are in soul-searching mode. Some members like Rep. Trent Franks are openly wondering if the group overplayed its hand, while others are adamant that they'll be on the right side of history. "The reality is that if we all went home next week with a bill with only a 17 percent approval rating, I think we would all regret that vote," said Rep. Raul Labrador. Rachael with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faa190cf5b63390e9d61cfd57268b1cf0680b78d37de7bf728fa3f2de62bc76a38f1c749fa5006fd976

Does House Speaker Paul Ryan regret pushing health care first? "Not at all," he told Norah O'Donnell in an interview on CBS this morning. "It is inconceivable that we would have been able to write a tax reform bill into law before summer," Ryan said. The speaker said he worries if Republicans don't get their act together on a repeal bill, they will "push" President Donald Trump into working with Democrats on a far-less conservative plan.

STEP IT UP - With the House probe into Russia's election meddling in tatters, leaders of the Senate Intel Committee held a bipartisan press conference Wednesday to prove they're more than up to the challenge. Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner "delivered a bravura bipartisan performance at their first joint press conference, complimenting each other and vowing to bridge their political differences to get to the bottom of what Burr called one of the most important investigations in his 22-year tenure in Congress."

The deets: The Senate panel has seven full-time staffers devoted to the Russia probe with security clearances that give them access to information previously only available to the "Gang of Eight," made up of congressional leaders and heads of the two Intelligence panels. More from Austin and Martin Matishak: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faac228f10a679635b2909613116e76c6e94189a4597b6347e7581b262748a97dea6994359578a915df

Today: The Senate Intel Committee holds its first public hearing on Russia with outside experts speaking on two panels. No government officials are testifying.

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House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes and ranking member Adam Schiff are expected to meet today to discuss their committee's stalemate. Speaker Ryan said on CBS this morning he was told by Nunes that a "whistleblower type" was the one who gave the California Republican recent intel about monitored communications from Trump transition officials. But Democrats have disputed that notion.

I SEE YOU THURSDAY. And I'm already looking ahead to Friday. Welcome to March 30 and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. And if you're in the Capitol Hill press corps, remember today is the last day to renew your ID.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Seung Min and Burgess' story about the latest GOP strategy to confirm SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch was the winner.

W.H. OUTREACH ALERT - GOP Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee met privately with White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Tuesday, shortly before the East Room reception for senators and their spouses, two little birdies tell Huddle. One person described it as a get-to-know-you type of affair, rather than a meeting with any specific policy agenda.

IT WASN'T ME - Rep. Duncan Hunter is pushing back on allegations of fraudulent campaign expenses, insisting he did nothing wrong but declining to say who is responsible for the tens of thousands of dollars in questionable expenditures. "I was not involved in any criminal action," Hunter told Bres in an interview Wednesday. "Maybe I wasn't attentive enough to my campaign. That's not a crime."

The California Republican is currently under investigation by the Justice Department over the expenses. Hunter said neither he nor his wife, who works as his campaign manager, have been contacted by federal investigators. Bres and Kyle with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faa797b8288298f93f32db0393a7c134c25d2f8491c5f422314b866752876412fe80be94471f44ead7f

DHS CHIEF TRIES TO MOLLIFY DEMS - Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Wednesday sought to appease Senate Democrats outraged by Trump's hard-line immigration policies. Kelly told senators that border agents don't plan to separate mothers and children at the border and reiterated that immigration officials are not targeting so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought here as children. Several senators left the two-hour meeting unconvinced. Ted Hesson and Seung Min with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faa19de5ea126fca2680a49a4987087a7cbe1ae9c6bf704d8bf6a9e6ba924706537e9c02322860ccc03

LOCAL BOY DONE GOOD - House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes is being put through the ringer in Washington over his recent controversial actions related to the panel's Russia probe. But back home in Tulare, Calif, you'd have no idea. "If anything, his difficulties in Washington are only improving his stock among Republicans at home," David Siders reports from the district. "Every time Devin comes on TV, we're very proud of him," said Mariann Hedstrom, chairwoman of the Tulare County Republican Party. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faabfa378b553879f05fb1d980e6965bd3078413cfd60221a38f650201aa6127a2e906d5bcd71bc9d92

BETO BETS ON SENATE - Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke will challenge Sen. Ted Cruz next year, he's expected to announce in El Paso Friday. O'Rourke was mum about the announcement in the Capitol Wednesday but he also didn't shoot down the news, first reported by the Houston Chronicle. As for whether Cruz is beatable in a deep-red state like Texas? "Yes," O'Rourke said. Cruz has been "running for president for four years while he should've been serving the people of Texas," he added. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faa6a4bf897ca330ef1ba960e3b1ebe274b05704e1dcb4370475373229b7dbd96307cd9f55c3550aaa2

From Cruz's presidential campaign manager: "Someone please tell @JoaquinCastrotx that he's no longer a rising star so stop acting like one. Muscled out by Beto? Pathetic display," Jeff Roe tweeted.

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT - House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is rolling out a new version of his "Whip Watch" app today that includes major changes aimed at making it easier for users to track votes in real time. The updated app will allow users to see live vote totals, including party breakdowns, the time remaining in a vote and how long a vote stays open after it was supposed to close.

ON SECOND THOUGHT... Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch is declining to meet with White House aides, saying he sees no room for middle ground in Trump's current policies. "They said they were looking for 'moderate' Democrats - which I am. But under the circumstances I felt like they were trying to divide our party so I declined the invitation," Lynch said about the invitation. Lynch is one of a handful of centrist Democrats who have been approached about meeting with the White House's legislative affairs team. The Boston Globe: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5f4b646a6351faaf9da9a00ad0b698360528725481e3eec4942ff3625be09a47ef39524e118d9a6b6e7d2f798e0268c

SPOTTED (via Playbook): Sens. Chuck Schumer, Claire McCaskill, Michael Bennet and Mark Warner at Le Diplomate last night with Schumer's Capitol Police detail out in force ... Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz with Cruz chief of staff David Polyansky and WPA's Chris Wilson and Brian Phillips splitting desserts at Capital Grille.

MAKING MOVES - Matt Paul, a longtime Democratic operative, is joining Cornerstone's public affairs division. Paul previously worked as Tim Kaine's chief of staff, a Hillary Clinton aide and Tom Vilsack's communications director. Eric Haren is leaving his job as Democrats' chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee to join the New York Attorney General's office as special counsel and adviser.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 9 a.m. with last votes of the week between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=76225c5b56300ebc36d0c79173fe31370076997a1ab85c235ca886eaeb2c5f288b4cde6d2f0fcbc1aff6e8777c7e2af3 The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. with two roll call votes expected at 10 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL - House Speaker Paul Ryan meets with representatives from several anti-abortion and free market groups, including Grover Norquist, this morning. There will be an 8:45 a.m. photo op in H-230.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee host the annual "black women of power" summit at 10 a.m. in the House triangle. House Minority Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A.

NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins participate in a forum on community-police relations with Reps. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, John Conyers, Sheila Jackson Lee and Cedric Richmond at 11 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Suzanne Bonamici, Jose Serrano and Rep. Don Beyer hold an 11 a.m. press conference on immigrant safe zones in the House triangle. Speaker Ryan holds his weekly press conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A.

Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Elijah Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, John Delaney, Anthony Brown and Rep. Jamie Raskin hold a press conference after their meeting with Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh at 3 p.m. in the House triangle.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Evan Lukaske was the first to guess that then-Sen. Ted Kennedy had the first congressional website, which was initially hosted by MIT.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Evan with today's question: The Encyclopedia Britannica contains an article about a U.S. senator written by a president of the United States. Who was the president and who was the senator? The first person to correctly answer gets a shout out in tomorrow's Huddle. And don't forget, send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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