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06/21/2017 08:01 AM EDT


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

With assists from Elana Schor and Seung Min Kim

GOP TAKES GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - Republican Karen Handel won Georgia's special election Tuesday, holding off Jon Ossoff, "the most well-funded House candidate in history, and deflating Democrats who yearned for a special election rebuke to President Donald Trump," Elena Schneider reports. Handel beat Ossoff 52 percent to 48 percent when the AP called the race, prompting an immediate round of gloating from Republicans on Twitter. Several Democrats, meanwhile, started lashing out, with some members and operatives saying the party has to change if they're ever going to take back the House. Elena with much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7fbd6ba649e29c8fdd2bfcbcaad49baba41f1de1cc2c2463c95b2bfabfc10eac90d4b58a480d21b6cd171755ad9186754

Tweet du jour: Rep. Seth Moulton: #Ossof Race better be a wake up call for Democrats - business as usual isn't working. Time to stop rehashing 2016 and talk about the future.

Four takeaways: 1. Republicans' favorite Democrat is still Nancy Pelosi ... 2. Both parties are pouring money into the House ... 3. Democrats are still trying to figure out how to tackle Trump on the trail ... 4. Watch out for open House seats in 2018. Scott Bland: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b79ecabe1269a50f4bb939b173527311452aed6205e731c7803f90df56ab1742fb44a9c26dedd8ebf378fa1616ecdccaa6

From Atlanta, Gabe Debenedetti with what we've learned after the first round of special elections in the Trump era: "After special election wins in Kansas, Montana, and finally the most expensive House race ever in Georgia on Tuesday, the GOP ends the opening stretch of Trump's presidency confident that Democrats' plans of a grand comeback have yet to get off the ground." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b72face537d52fa3fd41e4b909fe0a2deaa575f07882bdd316f7ed99b5a0d0ba0d7d8482b740755f34b068f9361721981c

The NYTimes take: "The apparent success of relentless Republican attacks linking Mr. Ossoff to the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, and her 'San Francisco values' also affirmed the efficacy of tying Democratic candidates in conservative districts to their brethren in more liberal parts of the country," Jonathan Martin and Richard Fausset report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7a2f7af6eb618d633a326f44431570ec38551577585acf88a72c84b82e351fd84be4e241f925942ac687304901c3d198a

Republicans also held onto the open seat in South Carolina with Republican Ralph Norman beating Democrat Archie Parnell 52 percent-48 percent Tuesday night, Kevin Robillard reports. Some Democrats reached out to your Huddle host shortly after the polls closed, complaining that the DCCC should've actually tried to be competitive in the district given the GOP margin of victory was similar to the Georgia race.

Stay tuned: House Democrats have their weekly caucus meeting this morning and we've already heard from multiple members, staffers and lobbyists who say there is serious heartburn about last night's results.

RUSSIA ACTION ON THE HILL - Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will testify before the House Intelligence Committee today on Russian meddling in the 2016 election and ways to protect future elections from foreign cyberattacks. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. but the committee posted his written testimony online yesterday: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b75910ec98e5b2618215aa07d44aae137492ae75f7ebf8dd1c41244a60ab3e8595a4222139aee8b0773f3252f94416fbe6 The Senate Intelligence Committee will have its own hearing on Russian interference at 9:30 a.m.

And special counsel Robert Mueller will be back on the Hill meeting with Senate Judiciary leaders today. Mueller met with House Intel leaders Tuesday to talk about how to make sure their investigations don't conflict and had a similar sit-down with top members of the Senate Intel Committee last week.

CBC LIKELY TO DECLINE TRUMP INVITE - The Congressional Black Caucus is expected to reject an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump, according to four sources close to the group. The Trump administration, sources said, has done nothing to advance the CBC's priorities since the group's executive board first met with Trump in March. And members are worried the request for a caucus-wide meeting would amount to little more than a photo op that the president could use to bolster his standing among African-Americans. "No one wants to be a co-star on the reality show," said one senior Democratic aide. Your Huddle host and Theo with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7368d4a8ac1cb27212afea34f8834c73124c96c91e8802a687c4788d896080292eddd701498fd7f6d41bd15e1b85b2cfe

COMING ATTRACTIONS - Frustrated House Republicans, looking to notch a few wins in the spending bill, are pushing GOP leaders to write a funding proposal filled with partisan goodies and hold a vote on the package this summer, Rachael reports. House Appropriations cardinal Tom Graves (R-Ga.) first proposed the idea and some appropriators are already moving full steam ahead to write the bill. While the proposal could buy GOP leaders goodwill with members, it will never pass the Senate and some top Republicans are worried about the embarrassment if the bill fails to clear the notoriously divided House GOP conference.

The debate is expected to come up during Republicans' closed-door meeting this morning. Much more from Rachael: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b758c5899f7f3eecebde3a916ecc6536dc07e5ed8f605ec401dd9c07a5be24da2d48c5d33d2ec8855dfa8fed63057ee0d3

BUCKLE UP, THIS WEEK IS NOWHERE NEAR OVER. Welcome to Wednesday, June 21 and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Seung Min's story on Senate Judiciary leaders planning to meet with special counsel Robert Mueller today was the winner.

WILL THE SENATE REPEAL OBAMACARE? Senate Republicans are planning a pivotal meeting Thursday to start whipping votes for their Obamacare repeal. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is still far short of the 50 votes he needs for passage and even some Republicans are griping about the rush to vote (there's still no bill) and the lack of transparency, Burgess and Jen Haberkorn report. "McConnell himself wouldn't guarantee passage on Tuesday, or even commit to a vote next week, though that is his plan. ... There is no formal whip count right now, though leadership is aware of two moderates, at least a trio of conservatives and a half-dozen senators from Medicaid expansion states
who need to be placated." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b711c24594e06e7f550da2a41eed635e21d16ecc1b22dc80f2ec442c1cd21b0b9f58392c54712389d442ab71e7142d9c26

Quote du jour: "No, not have I met any American that has," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) responds when asked if he's seen the Senate GOP's healthcare plan. "I'm sure the Russians have been able to hack in and have gotten most of it." Bloomberg's Laura Litvan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b78b5f5a577097991b82afbb377e48d9e0a39bc0cc9081609f6c151cd1a7a4a6040060d90776b6f514c4ac5f6a9ae5f196

And don't miss: The ways McConnell can get to 50 votes (with pictures), via Jen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7e461bf0c3f294149e6fee34134ab2fc5340e8cfcd10427c142909cf12b3ffa4f61dd7a8a9bc654b560c644de5530e59c

Exclusive: Dems RSVP 'Yes' to GOP healthcare meetings - Senate Democrats are planning to take Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) up on his assertion that the GOP's closed-door talks on repealing Obamacare "are open to anybody." Senate Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Patty Murray (Wash.), along with nearly 30 other Democrats, have signed RSVP cards in the hopes of getting access to the Republicans' health care process. Democrats plan to deliver their cards to Thune today with a digital media campaign, the latest step in their series of creative gambits to force the unknown contents of the GOP's bill into the public eye.

Health care hypocrisy watch, Pence edition -Democrats have had a field day unearthing examples of Republicans who called for more transparency during the drafting of the ACA -- a stark contrast with the GOP's current process. The latest, via Democratic oppo group American Bridge, is a January 2010 statement from then-Rep. Mike Pence: "It is simply wrong for legislation that will affect 100 percent of the American people for generations to come to be cobbled together behind closed doors by one party, one White House and a group of special interests," the current vice president said at the time.

CUE THE 'AWW'S' - Ivanka Trump was on the Hill Tuesday morning meeting with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to discuss paid leave and tax credits for families, Ian Kullgren reports. A Republican source told Huddle that a major focus of the GOP lawmakers' meeting with Trump was to figure out how to include an expanded child tax credit part of overall tax reform efforts. But the best part of the hour-long confab (in Huddle's opinion) was when Rep. David Schweikert's (R-Ariz.) young daughter, Olivia, crawled into Sen. Mike Lee's (R-Utah) lap and promptly fell asleep. The adorable photo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7697e4ed582ebd4861d9cfb17edd769ce17bf784e882915ed8befc38d08a6ca446c65dcd3ed7506ef0a6ea77d0083239e

SANCTIONS BILL HITS SNAG - The Senate's Russian sanctions bill has hit a snag in the House, prompting Democrats to accuse Republicans of purposefully slowing the legislation down at the request of the White House. House staffers said they flagged the bill for a "blue slip" violation, Mike DeBonis and Karoun Demirjian report. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused Republicans Tuesday "of concocting a 'procedural excuse to hide what they're really doing: covering for a president who has been far too soft on Russia.'" The Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b75a3344bfb75539e82121b9a889fd6737f7302f7f2e057d2cbe7f89620ac961e1df98e7d25c63ee61df3bf6e380409e3e


THE DEBT CEILING, COMING TO A VOTE NEAR YOU - Senate Republicans are planning a July vote to raise the debt ceiling, hoping to settle the issue before Congress heads home for the August recess and decouple it from any September funding fights. But House Republicans - eyeing a possible Obamacare repeal vote in July if the Senate passes a bill -- are worried the two issues could become entangled, making two difficult votes even tougher, Burgess, Rachael and Bres report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b72d26c9c448ba9e0e2d5620d944fcfc2f8f5de1a110d229bd738b30ba323cc7704680cffce39cc1e094692ac8dc272934

LET'S PLAY BALL - Ticket sales for tonight's congressional women's softball game have soared since last week's horrific shooting during a GOP baseball practice, Roll Call reports. Tickets are $10 and proceeds go towards breast cancer prevention. "As of Monday, the women's softball game had already sold more than a thousand tickets and had raised $263,000 for the game's charity, the Young Survivors Coalition," Alex Gangitano reports. "Organizers said the game is on track to be sold out." The Bad News Babes (the press team) take on lawmakers starting tonight at 7 p.m. Roll Call with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7f502a1033ae37d09cd30b0d8c31d182bd4e2d697678a6a08a6d24675c8d4c48200917f9f644047f2417819600136b9a6

CORKER OPEN TO NORTH KOREAN TRAVEL BAN - Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker said Tuesday Congress should consider "making it illegal for Americans to travel to North Korea, a day after the death of a U.S. college student who had been imprisoned there," Austin reports. "Corker's Foreign Relations gavel gives him major sway over legislation dealing with U.S. travel abroad, and his remarks mean Congress is likely to at least explore the issue."

WOMEN RULE PODCAST - In the latest episode of Women Rule, actress Allison Williams joins POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown to discuss the evolving role of women in entertainment and her "fascination" with the Trump era. The 29-year-old actress says she doesn't believe that Girls could have taken place under the current administration, and that the show needed to happen while President Obama was in the White House. "I think there was a luxury to existential peace and calm that allowed the girls to live the lives they did," Williams tells Brown. Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 10 a.m. with first votes at 1:30 p.m. and last votes at 4 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9ece7d9f3e7531b7d993ebfca1877afc13804ee135875b835275f820b8970a370ec63fa455ad99a88fa7e2d353e9b4051579ac76f4caee85 The Senate meets at 12 p.m. with two roll call votes, including confirmation of Sigal Mandelker to be Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, at 6 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL - House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) hold a press conference after the weekly GOP meeting at 10 a.m. in HC-8.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (N.Y.) and Vice Chair Linda Sanchez (Calif.) hold a post-caucus press conference at 10:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) host a pen and pad with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at 11:15 a.m. in 1416 Longworth.

Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Alcee Hasting (D-Fla.) participate in briefing with the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus at 12:30 p.m. in 340 Cannon. Montana Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte will be sworn in at 1:30 p.m.

Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Val Demings (D-Fla.), Donald McEachin (D-Va.) and Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) sign a "commitment to civility" in light of last week's congressional baseball shooting at 2 p.m. in the House triangle. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) holds a press conference on health care at 3:30 p.m. in the House triangle.

The Democratic Women's Working Group, led by Reps. Lois Frankel (Fla.), Brenda Lawrence (Mich.), and Jackie Speier (Calif.), hosts a meeting on paid family leave at 3:30 p.m. in 2253 Rayburn.

Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Al Franken (Minn.), Joe Manchin (W.V.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.) and Catherine Cortez-Masto (N.V.) hold a meeting on the impact of the GOP's Obamacare repeal on rural communities starting at 3:30 p.m. in SVC 203.

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Patrick Boland was the first to correctly guess that a statue of St. Junipero Serra sits in Statuary Hall, a place once used for Sunday services in the 1800s.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Patrick with today's question: Who was the first female member of Congress to succeed her husband in the House after he passed away, what was her husband's name, what state was she from, and when was she elected? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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