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By Burgess Everett (@burgessev or
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com )

TRADE TWO-FOR -- Obama's way: A week ago the White House wouldn't even confirm to us the existence of a meeting with pro-trade Democrats, forget naming who was there (we still figured it out). On Tuesday after the failed trade vote, the White House blasted out the list of 10 Democrats called into President Barack Obama's Cabinet Room to get their act together on trade. "The president took his time, spending 90 minutes to explain why they needed to get their act together. He said he didn't really care about the Chinese currency manipulation bill or anything else that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other Democrats were insisting had to be packaged together to let the
fast-track bill, known as Trade Promotion Authority, move forward. Do the bills, don't do them - whatever. Just give him TPA, he said, showing even less interest in internal Senate machinations than he usually does." Edward-Isaac Dovere and my story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282df85a29fb51b9674d84c12d4e204574de5894439be6808744
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282df85a29fb51b9674d84c12d4e204574de5894439be6808744

What did Democrats get? Policy-wise the deal struck with Republicans doesn't give them much beyond guarantee two votes today on the African Growth and Opportunity Act and customs enforcement with currency manipulation language. Particularly regarding the customs bill, if it passes today the House may ignore it. Republicans say that Democrats got rolled, but Democrats will argue they've now made things much harder for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get his straight PATRIOT Act extension by the end of the month. My story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d465bb906840b9215e044df9486e9ccd76c0ac6401ca711c2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d465bb906840b9215e044df9486e9ccd76c0ac6401ca711c2

BITTER JAM: The House is going to try to jam the Senate with the USA Freedom Act, which eliminates bulk data collection and is loathed by McConnell and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr. And House members have big arguments on their side: A 338-88 vote yesterday, a ticking clock and a feeling that the Senate can't or won't pass a clean extension. 'We're not taking up the House bill,' Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, another defender of the NSA, told reporters Wednesday. 'The program as designed is effective, and members are reluctant to change things that are effective just because of public opinion.' National Journal:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d7b1259704750587527024ce4b1a5a557e3a6fa5ce10004ba
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d7b1259704750587527024ce4b1a5a557e3a6fa5ce10004ba

Talking the talk? Sen. Rand Paul called up Manu Raju to blast Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio but also hinted again at a talking filibuster on the PATRIOT Act. "We will see what unfolds," he said. "We plan on being very active."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282dea13be6332c9aeb2ff62086dfbb3bfa4c1e97bb213a06889
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282dea13be6332c9aeb2ff62086dfbb3bfa4c1e97bb213a06889

DEFENSE HAWKS TAKE FLIGHT: Our defense guy Jeremy Herb profiles House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry as the man in the middle of a defense spending food fight. "As the debate rages on, few are expecting him to be anything but quiet and reserved. Some Armed Services staffers have taken to calling him 'The Ninja' - silent but effective. Thornberry's low-key demeanor is particularly striking compared to John McCain, his Senate Armed Services counterpart famous for his bombast, short temper and willingness to go it alone and force others to come along. While McCain will shoot from the hip with reporters firing questions at him, Thornberry's first instinct when he gets a question to
which he doesn't know the answer to is to shrug and say: 'Oh, I don't know.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282da2abd1a8edb391621561e4f6f944d03b9d8fd993927e7f70
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282da2abd1a8edb391621561e4f6f944d03b9d8fd993927e7f70

For the record: I fully encourage our politicians to shoot from the hip.

CODEL RAI$E$ LOTS OF QUE$TION$: "The state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan secretly funded an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference in Baku, on the Caspian Sea, in 2013 for 10 members of Congress and 32 staff members, according to a confidential ethics report obtained by The Washington Post. Three former top aides to President Obama appeared as speakers at the event. Lawmakers and their staff members received hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of travel expenses, silk scarves, crystal tea sets and Azerbaijani rugs valued at $2,500 to $10,000, according to the ethics report. Airfare for the lawmakers and some of their spouses cost $112,899, travel invoices show. The State Oil Company
of the Azerbaijan Republic, known as SOCAR, allegedly funneled $750,000 through nonprofit corporations based in the United States to conceal the source of the funding for the conference in the former Soviet republic."

The names: "Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Ruben Hinojosa (D-Tex.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), Leonard Lance (R-N.J.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Ted Poe (R-Tex.) and then-Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Tex.)." Washington Post:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282dc87017beb478a403761150e33a9dc6fdb686347281988107
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282dc87017beb478a403761150e33a9dc6fdb686347281988107

SHELL GAME: "Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he's not offended by jokes that compare him to a turtle. 'I loved it,' McConnell said in response to a question about how he feels when 'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart likens him to a turtle." The Hill:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d564308f715fcb554289dcf68c9ca6473a1f54768582a00fa
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d564308f715fcb554289dcf68c9ca6473a1f54768582a00fa

FOR D.C. SPORTS FANS: Just pretend this ridic John Wall pass was the only thing that happened last night:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d967859cf95e42a3fa62047570c8b17f389d24baa1fddbe42
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d967859cf95e42a3fa62047570c8b17f389d24baa1fddbe42

IT'S A GETAWAY THURSDAY INDEED. And welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where Sen. Tom Cotton is shocked and appalled to learn that I've had three knee surgeries. Please send tips to
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com and follow along on Twitter @burgessev.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate is in at 9:30 a.m. and will take two trade votes at noon on African Growth and Opportunity Act and customs enforcement. The Senate will vote at 2 p.m. on opening debate on the TPA vehicle. The House is in at 10 a.m. and will vote on approving the Iran nuclear review bill, sending it to the president, and NDAA and a ton of amendments.

AROUND THE HILL - At 10 a.m. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey hold a conference call on ailing infrastructure.At 10:45 a.m. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will hold a press conference in HVC Studio A, following at 11:30 a.m. by House Speaker John Boehner in the same place. At noon Rep. Rosa DeLauro will lead a TPP presser on the House triangle.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's Julian Hattem and his story about the House blocking amendments to the USA Freedom Act.

GRAYSON SPITS HOT FIRE: The Tampa Bay Times got Rep. Alan Grayson on the horn about the dissonance between Grayson's anti-Wall Street rhetoric and his hedge funds in the Cayman Islands. "'When I set up my investment funds I set it up like everyone else,' Grayson said, complaining about the Tampa Bay Times looking for 'some stupid, bull---- story. ... You want to write sh-- about it, and you can't because not a single dollar of taxes has been avoided' ...Asked whether it was appropriate for a member of congress and potential U.S. Senator to set up an investment fund with an eye toward soliciting foreign investments in the future, Grayson scoffed. 'Are you f------- kidding? I set up a
fund that might solicit foreign investors....I have no present intention of soliciting foreign investors,' he said. 'Your perception issue is bull----.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d3a75c9feb4dd345f2c0499b0ff7867dd526ff3cc587e1e4d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d3a75c9feb4dd345f2c0499b0ff7867dd526ff3cc587e1e4d

Calls bull on Tester: Our friends Marc Caputo and Elena Schneider report that Grayson swore at DSCC Chairman Jon Tester too when Tester told him that the establishment was backing Rep. Patrick Murphy. "It's clear that the Montana senator tried to pressure Grayson to stay out of the Senate race because Democratic establishment figures believe he's unelectable in a statewide race. 'You're making a mistake,' Grayson said, likening Murphy to a piece of excrement. 'When I'm a senator, it's going to be hard to work together.'... After the conversation, sources said, Tester made up his mind not only to support Murphy but to publicly endorse him and steer more money to his campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d6792ccd5940ce362e6f50566f99694a42c35d16d7e16305d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d6792ccd5940ce362e6f50566f99694a42c35d16d7e16305d

CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE, OPTICS: It was a good day to have intrepid transpo reporter Heather Caygle on the Capitol Hill scene following Tuesday night's Amtrak crash in Philly. "House Republicans voted Wednesday to chop about a fifth of Amtrak's budget, less than a day after a deadly train crash that Democrats pointed to as a prime example of the dangers of shortchanging the nation's transportation needs. They also rebuffed Democrats' attempts to provide money for an advanced speed-control technology that federal investigators later said would have prevented the crash. 'Based on what we know right now, we feel that had such a system been installed in this section of track, this accident
would not have occurred,' National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt told reporters."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d39c13a765d351d65a136cf9b0a54b81d810ec806d76312cb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d39c13a765d351d65a136cf9b0a54b81d810ec806d76312cb

Huh: Heather reports that the Senate delayed introduction of a rail bill on Wednesday after the crash. Why didn't the House delay consideration of the spending bill for at least a few days?

GOP LEADERS TRY TO KEEP IRAN BILL CLEAN: So the House ended up closing the door on conservatives itching to make the Iran nuclear review bill more strict today when it comes to the House. That bill instead is going to be considered under suspension and is likely to head to the president by the end of the day. In an attempt to placate those conservatives, House leaders will bring up a separate measure cranking up sanctions on Hezbollah. "A GOP leadership aide said that instead of voting on the amendments, the House will vote on a bill passed by the last Congress giving the Treasury Department 90 days to toughen sanctions against any U.S. financial institution that aides the terrorist group
Hezbollah or its media arm." Jake and Lauren:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d366974a6651f2d3f5b4bbebf2840061eafbeb0c0c75910c7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d366974a6651f2d3f5b4bbebf2840061eafbeb0c0c75910c7

OUT FRESH TODAY: Sen. Mark Kirk is the first GOP incumbent out with an ad this cycle, dropping $250K on ads, per my colleague Steven Shepard. The ad focuses on Kirk's recovery from his stroke. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d9b9e4a718dd857f2ee919ed57a1582c7042f0dbae26b27a9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d9b9e4a718dd857f2ee919ed57a1582c7042f0dbae26b27a9

CONGRESS REALLY NEEDS ANOTHER DEADLINE: So say Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Kevin Brady, who want the entire tax code to expire at the end of 2019. "This approach will allow us, as a nation, to collectively decide what the new tax system should look like. There are many competing alternatives but having a set date to end the current tax code will drive the issue and the debate to the top of the national agenda." USA Today op-ed:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d6521a1e1f6fd9e69c608c107b2210ca760bd63a06db82df9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d6521a1e1f6fd9e69c608c107b2210ca760bd63a06db82df9

MAN OF STEEL: Roll Call's Matt Fuller has the definitive look at Boehner-land's Michael Steel, off to Jebbier pastures imminently. "Brendan Buck, a former Boehner press aide who worked alongside Steel and now is with Ways and Means Chairman Paul D. Ryan, acknowledged Steel leaves 'awfully big loafers to fill.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d491ff7852346cb7fd6fbcd08eb8c2f712419c8948b10d0a2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d491ff7852346cb7fd6fbcd08eb8c2f712419c8948b10d0a2

How to fill the loafers: An actual fashion guide to Steel:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d198be6d7b6d9fe035d9b9ce8fdd41a683a9353417c33680a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d198be6d7b6d9fe035d9b9ce8fdd41a683a9353417c33680a

BACON ME CRAZY: Because you need something to get you through the morning, you can watch via WaPo Sen. Jeff Flake struggle to get a selfie with a pig. Yes, Flake gets down on the ground to get that pig at eye level.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d553cc9ea46e3ab33c33c4bf6a9d37a9a6444b14cd000e870
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e5493141dac7282d553cc9ea46e3ab33c33c4bf6a9d37a9a6444b14cd000e870 \

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Jonathan Orr was the first to answer that Tiber Creek used to run through downtown D.C. and was filled in the late 1800s.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Jonathan has today's question for local trivia week: What year did D.C. return the original territory ceded by Virginia to form a portion of the District of Columbia. And how much land did that include?The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com

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