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12/10/2015 08:32 AM EDT


By Seung Min Kim (skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

With an assist from Burgess Everett

HILL UNMOVED ON GUN CONTROL - POLITICO's Isaac Arnsdorf and Rachael Bade take a look at the lawmakers who represent the 22 congressional districts, 15 states and the District of Columbia where 123 people have been killed in mass shootings in the last three years. Their findings show "mass shootings in their backyards have not caused any of the members to noticeably shift their views. Republicans from such districts defend Second Amendment rights as vigorously as any other lawmaker on the right ... Democrats, meanwhile, demand criminal background checks for gun buyers, higher qualifications for gun ownership and other new bans on assault weapons."

--"Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who represented Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012, when gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults, has started calling other members faced with mass shootings in their states ... 'I don't know how every representative can go home next summer with nothing to tell their constituents they did about these continuing mass shootings,' said Murphy, who had just been elected to the Senate when the Newtown tragedy unfolded. 'I'm still a little bit ashamed of myself that I didn't do more work on this issue before Sandy Hook.' ... But addressing guns head-on remains a nonstarter for Republicans, even after mass shootings in their own communities."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=86f23954a0f3acc1ef6578e598a036cc2443031e6c96895b2da00f7fc7b1cf0f

SENATE STALLS ON NOMINEES - The chamber got going on some nominations late Wednesday, swiftly confirming eight ambassadors and teeing up a January vote on Luis Restrepo for the Third Circuit. But other key positions are mired in senatorial drama, as Burgess Everett and your Huddle author write: "Nineteen potential judges, a half-dozen ambassadors, a terrorism financing specialist and two high-ranking State Department nominees are awaiting confirmation votes on the Senate floor, a backlog that has this GOP-led Senate on track for the lowest number of confirmations in 30 years. The Senate Banking Committee hasn't moved on a single nominee all year."

--"The United States has been without an ambassador to Mexico since July, a glaring omission that's turning into an intraparty feud on the Republican side. Roberta Jacobson enjoys broad support among Democrats and Republicans, but presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) refuses to allow a quick vote on the floor because of her work normalizing relations with Cuba, which presents a difficult choice for [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=86f23954a0f3acc1db699dfed42d7529c87050a22c7628612e29cab880cad1da

SCOOP: MUKASEY, HAYDEN WANT NSA POWERS RESTORED - Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, ex-CIA Director Michael Hayden, and other top former national security officials wrote to Hill leaders this week, calling on them to include language in the must-pass spending bill to revive the National Security Agency's ability to collect key intelligence. Specifically, they want legislation from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) that would allow federal officials to access metadata that the NSA has already obtained, and require the government to keep the metadata for five years.

--They write in the letter, obtained by Huddle from a Republican source, to Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Thad Cochran and Hal Rogers: "We need to sharpen and enhance our capabilities, not maim them. It is impossible to overstate the urgency of the problem or the importance of this legislative solution." Read it here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=86f23954a0f3acc1be7ee49be9f1ea558db04994b211c6d3e1e0cfcbe3cb8f9f

'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND' OVERHAUL TO BECOME LAW - Lyndsey Layton for the Washington Post: "The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved sweeping legislation that resets Washington's relationship with the nation's 100,000 public schools, ending the landmark No Child Left Behind Act and sending significant power back to states and local districts while maintaining limited federal oversight of education. The 85-12 vote mirrored the bill's bipartisan passage in the House last week. President Obama plans to sign it into law Thursday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224ec79e37bfab609e9e5081fec4a08a7ff77ff5bea3cc56024

So many smiles here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af22477a47ce731a69b11c23e5cd9b3e89bbb63a6d9bfe847c54e

Some serious bipartisan lovefest: @PattyMurray: Thanks @SenAlexander for working w/ me to fix No Child Left Behind. You've been a great partner & I am thrilled we've reached this point -PM

@SenAlexander: Ranking Member @PattyMurray "gave me good advice, and I took it, and we now have a result, so I thank her for that." #ESSA #FixNCLB

FREE CANDY - That caught your eye, right? The National Confectioners Association is doling out seasonal candy at Union Station, Capitol South and Metro Center this morning to talk up the "unique role that candy plays in holiday traditions and celebrations."

TOP MCCARTHY AIDE OFF TO K STREET - Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer have the scoop: "John Stipicevic, one of the closest aides to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, is leaving Capitol Hill after nearly a dozen years to join the CGCN Group, a boutique Republican lobbying shop. Stipicevic, 32, was McCarthy's (R-Calif.) deputy chief of staff for floor operations and member services. In short, 'Stip,' as he is known on Capitol Hill, has spent a lot of time making sure Republicans were able to get legislation across the House floor."

--"'There is no person in this House that has as many relationships as he does,' McCarthy said in an interview Wednesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af22415c21815e9594d4167ce88b456a09f8e01456eeec5990bab

ICYMI: Provided that there are no trip-ups in passing the CR on Friday, the Dec. 11 deadline for funding the government will now be Dec. 16. Morning Consult: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224326fcb6e291847e49be555c6dfda020d854055c68dc85556

CROP FLOP: What exactly did Sen. Pat Roberts tell Sen. Ted Cruz during that fateful vote over crop insurance last week? Roberts joked that info would spontaneously combust if it ever become public -- then he opened up. "I just told Ted that the panhandle of Texas, they depend on crop insurance. And if you don't have that, you'll have a disaster bill that will cost more money ... and there was a little matter that there was a state called Iowa that he might want to think about." Cruz's explanation for switching the vote from cutting the insurance to keeping it has been that he thought he was on a different vote. Roberts said he thought Cruz had been planning to vote against the crop
insurance "and then he of course he looks around at who voted that way. But as it turned out all four contenders [voted for it]. Y'all said I collared somebody; we had meaningful dialogue." Here's the previous story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af2243f8fcc2183d800511fc4697b5cd49625ceac4ee3f030ff60

TODAY: 3rd Annual Women Rule Summit -- Join us for conversations with women who are leading change in policy, politics, and their communities. Panels will address how are women candidates and strategists changing the presidential race? What is the missing discussion around women and criminal justice reform? What are the untold stories of women innovators? Today, 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Livestream: www.politico.com/live

HAPPY THURSDAY, Dec. 10, 2015 and you're reading the Huddle, where we're really digging Sen. Joe Manchin's Bitmoji (https://goo.gl/e9RFYo) Please send your Bitmoji creation (as well as news tips, complaints, etc.) to skim@politico.com, or on Twitter at @seungminkim

My new followers include @larasisselman and @smsmith81.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is in at 10 a.m. and will have its only series of votes at 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on a series of suspensions. The Senate is in at 9:30 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Reps. Elizabeth Esty, Mike Thompson and Robin Kelly will hold a news conference on gun violence at 10 a.m. in SVC 202-203. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand will hold a news conference with New York Police Department commissioner Bill Bratton on the 9/11 responders bill at the second floor Russell rotunda at 11 a.m. Speaker Paul Ryan holds his weekly news conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Reps. Scott Rigell, Peter Welch, and Sens. Tim Kaine and Jeff Flake hold a news conference on the authorization of the use of military force at 12:30 p.m. in HVC Studio B.

Two key briefings are also on tap today on the San Bernardino shootings. House gets theirs at 1 p.m., while Senate is briefed at 3 p.m.

TV ALERT - A guest lecture hosted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called "Happy Chandler, Earle Clements and Thruston Morton: The Rivalry that Defined an Era and Launched a Career: will air Saturday at 5:10 p.m. on C-Span 3. The lecture was held last month at the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship in Lexington.

--Did you know that POLITICO Pro, POLITICO's premium news and information service, has a team of more than 100 policy-expert reporters? It's true, and because of this we're able to report and analyze at a granular level on topics (nearly 100 for each!) within each policy. Another bonus: Pro's service is totally customizable, meaning you select the topics within your policy area and receive updates based solely on your selection. Curious to see what we mean? Download a sample topic tag page here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224c0f7bb18090c004c7f99d1c6500e1c8e3c47287dcdd268d7

GOP: OBAMA MISLED ON BERGDAHL SWAP - The AP's Deb Riechmann: "Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee released a 98-page report Wednesday on its inquiry into the case of the so-called Taliban Five after lawmakers expressed outrage that the Obama administration did not give Congress a 30-day notice about transferring the detainees to Qatar, as required by law. The report also provided behind-the-scenes details about the Defense Department's work with the Qataris, who played the middleman in negotiating the swap with the Taliban." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224331e8deeff315936ee05751e840b00afcfa0fba683b60d13

FBI CHIEF DETAILS SHOOTERS' RADICALIZATION - The Hill's Julian Hattem: "The man and woman responsible for last week's killing of 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif., were radicalized at least two years ago, the head of the FBI said on Wednesday, raising new questions about how they managed to avoid federal detection. In an appearance on Capitol Hill, FBI Director James Comey said that Tashfeen Malik and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, had adopted extremist ideology and talked about committing violence before they had even met in person."

--"The revelation from Comey raises new questions about how the couple's communications evaded detection by U.S. intelligence agencies. It is also sure to increase scrutiny on procedures for the fiancee visa that Malik, who is Pakistani, used to enter the country. The K-1 visa has already come under the microscope on Capitol Hill but is likely to be scrutinized with new vigor now." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224f0a7764b1da3919d6fd45d1590944a0462f0093c37738f2c

--The Wall Street Journal's Damian Paletta reports on a new Senate bill that calls on social media companies and other firms to hand over information that could be connected to potential terror threats: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af22470b8dee2dcbe9d2b43abe5f4791d42145b8d0eef3b03f185

--Defense Secretary Ash Carter, testifying elsewhere on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, said the Islamic State is not contained strategically, telling lawmakers: "The reality is we're at war. That's how our troops feel about it because they're taking the fight to [ISIS] every day." CBS News: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af2240c0b77bbaf0648330a5e35465438c41c264be28a65cca96c

SANCHEZ LAUNCHES LEADERSHIP BID - Roll Call's Emma Dumain: "Elections for leadership positions are still a year away, but Rep. Linda T. Sánchez is laying the groundwork for her campaign. The California Democrat and chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus circulated a letter to each of her colleagues Wednesday asking for their support in her bid to be the Democratic Caucus vice chairwoman for the 115th Congress. 'Over the next several months I will work to earn your support to be the next Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus,' Sánchez wrote in her letter, obtained by Roll Call." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af2247955b053a236c889784afddf036052dd11873171829a57f2

REPUBLICANS JOCKEY FOR STEERING SLOTS - POLITICO's Lauren French has the list of House Republicans trying to land a seat on the powerful Steering Committee: Reps. Susan Brooks of Indiana, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, John Culberson of Texas, Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, Darrell Issa of California, Steve Pearce of New Mexico, Mike Rogers of Alabama, David Schweikert of Arizona, Jason Smith of Missouri, Fred Upton of Michigan and Ted Yoho of Florida. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af22463c745cbf4fbd8913dd61211a7e09ffcf614e77c06e60368

FREEDOM CAUCUS STILL NEEDLING BOEHNER - John Boehner is gone from Capitol Hill, but that's not stopping the likes of Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who are demanding that Congress strip Boehner of his post-speakership perks. Matt Fuller for HuffPo: "While Jones and Massie both contended this wasn't about Boehner, it was difficult Wednesday not to detect at least some frustration that it was a particular Ohio Republican who would be benefiting from the office."

--"Both lawmakers took shots at Boehner, saying that he was going to Florida to play golf, not serve the taxpayers, and Massie made the point that Boehner in particular didn't need an office to wind down his affairs for five years." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af224f3ef0ba3c2ee1d0f414bf0542bcb72b3b107041859d4bd3b

COTTON'S CHRISTMAS CHEER - The junior senator from Arkansas provides some valuable public service for the good boys and girls waiting for Santa this Christmas Eve, per CNN: Sen. Tom Cotton "asked Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whether or not NORAD would be retooling its defense resources for the 60th year in order to track Mr. Claus ... 'Can you assure the boys and girls of this country that NORAD and the Air Force is fully prepared to track Santa once again?" Cotton asked."

--" 'I don't have a complete intelligence report, senator, but I understand that the reindeer have been in fact fed their quantity of oats and are prepared for the delivery of all of those gifts to those who have been nice and not naughty,' Selva said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=254f318fb96af2244b651b83ef8e236421844a4fa908f0e02fe27461671376fb

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Jeremy Berkowitz was the first person to correctly answer that Duke University conducted the so-called "shrimp fight club" study that was criticized in Sen. Jeff Flake's "Wastebook." Extra credit goes to Grant Dubler who remarked: "I'd answer, but the first rule of shrimp fight club is don't talk about shrimp fight club."

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Jeremy has today's question: Name the state, year, and candidates of the first U.S. Senate race where the two major party candidates were both women. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail skim@politico.com.

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