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02/10/2016 08:19 AM EDT


By Lauren French (lfrench@politico.com or @laurennfrench)

AS THE GOP ESTABLISHMENT LOOKS ON. Alex Isenstadt from New Hampshire, "For the establishment wing of the Republican Party, the picture just keeps getting bleaker. Far from winnowing the crowded field of mainstream GOP contenders and allowing it to unify around a standard-bearer, New Hampshire thrust it further into chaos. Marco Rubio, after taking steps last week to coalesce the backing of the party's upper echelons, saw his momentum halted in the state, which punished him for delivering an overly scripted debate performance. The establishment lane is now more crowded than ever, with Rubio, Jeb Bush, and New Hampshire runner-up John Kasich heading for a brutal fight in South Carolina - a
state known for its rough-and-tumble political culture. Chris Christie, who was also competing for establishment support, is reassessing his campaign's future. All of this, many in the mainstream wing of the GOP worry, is excellent news for one man: Donald Trump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b74230d2ab9e6e63a59d82834a918b370d30adffed2831a30300

LOVE AND SUPPORT, JUST SHY OF AN ENDORSEMENT. Burgess Everett reports, "Harry Reid clearly wants Hillary Clinton to be the next president. Yet he hasn't endorsed her, even as she struggles to ward off a resilient Bernie Sanders. The move has befuddled Republicans and Democrats alike. But the canny Senate minority leader has his own logic, naturally. He believes that a rowdy face-off between Clinton and Sanders supporters could stoke Democratic registration in his booming home state - and give the retiring senator's preferred replacement for his seat, former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, a much-needed boost in a tough general-election campaign. Indeed, Reid's neutrality
isn't necessarily out of respect for his Senate colleague Sanders or because he has doubts about Clinton. His final order of business as Senate Democratic leader is to mobilize his vaunted political machine back home to keep his seat in Democratic hands." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742f49c53c9b57a25dc27ce2dbd1103389d6869add2f01e0242

RYAN HUDDLES WITH BUDGET MEMBERS. Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan report, "Four top Republicans - including Speaker Paul Ryan - huddled with a group of rank-and-file lawmakers on Tuesday night, including members of the Budget Committee, as the GOP leadership tries to figure out a way to advance its own spending plan out of committee, according to multiple sources. Ryan (R-Wis.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) met with the members at 9 p.m. in the Capitol, according to multiple sources involved in the meeting. All members of the Republican leadership are working to wrangle enough votes to
pass the budget out of Rep. Tom Price's (R-Ga.) Budget Committee. It's a heavy lift, as conservatives such as Virginia Rep. David Brat are urging top Republicans to cut $30 billion from the previously agreed to budget deal from last year." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742f3bd357ab73c4e84fb1cd277104dcfdb289e9f08067202c3

** Sponsored by ACAP, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans: ACAP believes everyone with Medicaid and CHIP coverage deserves the highest quality of care. But the quality of care delivered in fee-for-service Medicaid is unknown, leaving federal and state governments no way to compare and improve quality across all delivery systems. Congress should address this by enacting S. 2438, the Medicaid and CHIP Quality Improvement Act. For more information: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b74257668a8a9e51b2441dff7f6722ddc5c3cd2faaf82c876761 **


HAPPY WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10, 2016 and welcome to the Huddle. Your Huddle author is a big Colonials basketball fan so we're going to use this sacred space to say #raisehigh. You can find me at lfrench@politico.com and @laurennfrench on Twitter.

AROUND THE HILL - Democratic Caucus Chairman Becerra, Reps. Joe Crowley and Dan Kildee will discuss the 2017 budget and the Flint water crisis at HVC-215 at 10 a.m. -- Speaker Paul Ryan and the GOP leadership team will hold a post-conference media avail at HC-5 at 10 a.m. -- House Democrats will hold a Steering and Policy Committee hearing on the Flint water crisis at 2 p.m. in HVC-210.

ED SAYS GOODBYE. The longtime staffer emails reporters: "I walked through the saloon swinging doors of the Senate Periodical Press Gallery (U.S. Capitol Building, Room S-320) for the first time in October 1990. George Mitchell and Bob Dole were the Senate Leaders. It has been my honor to serve on your Senate gallery staff for over 25 years and as your director for over 15 years. It has been challenging and rewarding to witness much of the modern history that you and your colleagues covered throughout the years. After much thought and consideration, I have decided to retire from the Senate and move on to new and exciting challenges. My official final day is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10,
2016."

DEBT, TAXES OR REGULATIONS. RYAN TAKES A POLL. The speaker asks his Twitter followers what the mountain on President Barack Obama's budget means: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b74222b39256a86cd0b291f0cfb449b2c5ce1086bfc5f124cbc9

YOUNG COULD BE KICKED OFF INDIANA SENATE BALLOT. Scott Bland reports, "GOP Rep. Todd Young may not have submitted enough valid petition signatures to qualify for Indiana's Republican Senate primary, putting his rising political career in jeopardy and changing the outlook for an open Senate seat that Republicans expected to hold easily. To win spots on the primary ballot in Indiana, Senate candidates must get at least 500 registered voters in each congressional district to sign nominating petitions. But multiple hand counts of Young's petitions conducted by the Indiana Democratic Party found just 498 valid signatures from Indiana's 1st District, and the party now plans to challenge Young's
eligibility for the ballot." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742d4106dd94540e52a0b85a4b1cb7e2bfa2e9da2ee096fcfbd

PHARMA BRO LAWYER SHOOTS BACK AT CONGRESS. Benjamin Siegel with ABC News reports, "The lead lawyer for former pharmaceutical company CEO Martin Shkreli is firing back at lawmakers on Capitol Hill after his controversial client was sharply questioned at a hearing last week on drug prices, defending his client's tweet that referred to members of Congress as "imbeciles." In a letter published online by the New York Law Journal, Benjamin Brafman, a defense attorney who has represented musicians Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Michael Jackson, accused the House Oversight Committee -- which subpoenaed Shkreli -- of ordering the "Pharma Bro's" appearance to "publicly humiliate him."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742bd99d1a2caf1ce6c1a7266d4182ca00646efe21c0fe7feb8

HOW CONGRESS PLANS TO STOP IRAN. Karoun Demirjian with the Washington Post, "The Iran deal's opponents couldn't pick apart the nuclear pact before it was implemented, but just weeks later, lawmakers are regrouping to come after Tehran in every other way they can. In this week alone, lawmakers will gather for at least five separate committee meetings specifically dedicated to reviewing Iran's actions ranging from its compliance with the nuclear pact to its dedication to locating and freeing still-missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Top United States intelligence officials were grilled on Tuesday for their take on the threat posed by Iran in two
additional hearings." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b7425a96b0c621bc4793f0dbf2972ee2d9af91733dfabc0d022b

RYAN: THE VOTES AREN'T THERE FOR TPP. Vicki Needham with the Hill, "House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that there are not yet enough votes in Congress to pass President Obama's sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal. Ryan also said lawmakers have a long list of issues on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was completed in October and signed by the United States and 11 other nations last week in New Zealand. 'There are enough concerns about this agreement, some that I also have, where I don't see enough support for it right now,' Ryan [said.]" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742a4c56605f43a88cf0e7aae468ce484bc927e0b4ea284c387

SENATE PREPARES NORTH KOREAS SANCTIONS VOTE. Richard Lardner for the AP "The Senate is considering hitting North Korea with more stringent sanctions in the wake of Pyongyang's satellite launch and technical advances that U.S. intelligence agencies say the reclusive Asian nation is making in its nuclear weapons program. The bill that senators are expected to vote on Wednesday targets North Korea's ability to access the money it needs for developing miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles to deliver them, according to the legislation's backers. The House overwhelmingly approved a similar measure last month and there is strong bipartisan support in the Senate for the North
Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742e3a93827430820a4653096c2d97f6a78bb683f0f57c4e589

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - We stumped you.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Rob has today's question - a redux: What two current U.S. senators have won on game shows? Name the lawmakers and the shows. The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail lfrench@politico.com

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says "Sign Up." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b742e2cdbc279e440dd7d5c00314c6d52bce27d0076f4e3d6072

** Sponsored by ACAP, the Association for Community Affiliated Plans: Medicaid and CHIP form the backbone of coverage for tens of millions of low-income and disabled Americans. But we don't have a clear view of the quality of care delivered through fee-for-service Medicaid. Ask your member of Congress to reward states that provide high-quality Medicaid and CHIP coverage by cosponsoring S. 2438, the Medicaid and CHIP Quality Improvement Act. It will allow for apples-to-apples comparisons on quality - and provide incentives to spur improvement. For more information: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6010b1d25e4b74257668a8a9e51b2441dff7f6722ddc5c3cd2faaf82c876761 **

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