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09/21/2015 07:56AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

BOEHNER IGNORES THE KNIVES. Never mind that his gavel hangs in the balance, and never mind that he's got one of the toughest autumns of his entire Speakership, ahead. John Boehner (R-Ohio) in an exclusive interview with Jake this weekend says he's keeping his nose to the grindstone, ignoring all the angry conservatives calling for his head: "With the government on track to shut down in less than two weeks and his conference consumed by speculation about whether he'll survive as speaker this fall, Boehner appears as though he is trying to ignore the drama and push through what his allies say is as aggressive a fundraising schedule as ever."

Quote of the day: "Garbage men get used to the smell of bad garbage. Prisoners learn how to become prisoners, all right? You can teach yourself to do anything, especially if you're committed to a cause. I came to Washington to fight for a smaller, less costly and more accountable government."

On the House Freedom Caucus members who are the most irked at him: "I don't think they understand I'm as conservative as they are. When I voted regularly, I had the most conservative voting record in Congress. And the idea that I'm the establishment, that I'm some RINO, is just laughable. It really is."http://politi.co/1j2hlGq

TWO GOP LEADERS CHALLENGED IN AVOIDING SHUTDOWN. AP's Erica Werner and Andrew Taylor have a look at the personal roadblocks testing both Republican leaders in their respective chambers as they seek to avoid shuttering the government. "For House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, any wrong move could throw his very future into question, opening him to a threatened showdown vote on the floor of the House over whether he can remain in his job. If that happens, there is no certain outcome."

"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., must contend with the ambitions of several GOP presidential candidates. One of them, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, has made it his business to oppose the Kentuckian at every turn, even taking to the Senate floor to accuse him of lying. Now Cruz is once again goading a group of House tea partyers who have wreaked havoc with the leadership in the past. Together they are demanding that must-pass spending legislation cut off all federal money for Planned Parenthood." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6b66220da266273c8cd0984051ec96a6af44545b20acf8b82

MEET THE 26 YEAR OLD WHO COULD CLOSE THE GOVERNMENT. Jennifer Haberkorn on Pro Health has the profile of the day: "If the U.S. government shuts down Oct. 1, it will be because of a chain of events set in motion by a 26-year-old and a video camera. Yet David Daleiden, the young Californian who masterminded the Planned Parenthood sting, isn't worried about whether the threat of a shutdown is the right way to go. He just wants the women's health provider that he says traffics in 'baby body parts' to be stripped of taxpayer support."

"The activist who has almost single-handedly - and in critics' view, unscrupulously - reshaped the national conversation on abortion says that instead of focusing on the political fallout of his videos, he's spending his time praying for the individuals he met during his 30-month probe of Planned Parenthood. 'I still consider Deb Nucatola a friend,' Daleiden said of Planned Parenthood's senior director of medical services, whom he secretly videotaped discussing fetal tissue donations while he posed as an executive of a biomedical research company. 'She was the one - of all of the Planned Parenthood representatives - that the investigators felt the most close to and frankly, that we're
actually the most concerned about,' he said. 'Right before this project came out, I had a Mass said for her.'"

"In a rare telephone interview Friday as the battle to defund Planned Parenthood ramps up, Daleiden revealed new details of how he set up his elaborate sting, which he considers a form of investigative journalism. For the first time, he signaled he is likely to comply with an expected invitation to testify before Congress, even though he is pleading the Fifth in a lawsuit brought by one of the organizations that he videotaped without their knowledge." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a60c2c11a97232a0bd9a6568a85c4bcf3bd5d5e99c10876a40

IT'S THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM. Thanks for reading Huddle this Monday morning, Sept. 21, 2015.Hope you rested up this weekend with the Packers or the Emmy's - because starting with the Pope's visit Thursday, we're in for a long haul of partisan spending bickering until Oct. 1. You can reach me here: rbade@politico.com, or Tweet: @RachaelMBade.

TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House is out until the Pope's address Thursday morning. The Senate returns to continue debating the motion to proceed to the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," but no votes until tomorrow.

COUNTDOWN TO THE SHUTDOWN: 10 days.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES BRACE FOR THE PAIN. Joe Davidson for The Washington Post: "A new report... 'Government Disservice'" by the Partnership for Public Service, aptly describes what Congress does [to federal workers] when it leads the country to the brink of a shutdown...That's getting close, yet an informal Washington Post survey indicates a number of staffers so far have heard nothing from their agencies.... That uncertainty has practical ramifications. 'My refrigerator went out, but I can't replace it until I know there is no shutdown because I need to save my cash to pay my normal bills if I don't get paid on time,' said Shirley Prichard, a Department of Homeland Security employee in
Missouri."http://wapo.st/1QsJvou

Maryland, Virginia State Dems: Spare Our Constituents. First in Huddle this a.m., a group of 46 Maryland and Virginia state lawmakers - all Democrats - will send Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a letter with one big ask: spare government workers, who predominately live in these two jurisdictions, from getting furloughed. "For these federal employees who have to balance mortgages, child care expenses, college debt, and pay for the groceries, getting furloughed or not knowing when their next paycheck will come is an unprovoked economic assault on Maryland and Virginia's middle class," the letter says.

POPE PREVIEWS...

"LAWMAKERS TO HEAR POPE, BUT WILL THEY LISTEN?" Kristina Peterson for The Wall Street Journal: "In 1994, Rep. John Boehner sent a letter to then-Speaker Tom Foley, urging him to invite Pope John Paul II to address Congress. More than 20 years and two popes later, the first pontiff to speak before a joint meeting of Congress later this week will be welcomed by the Ohio Republican, now the speaker himself. For Mr. Boehner, a devout Catholic, the visit from Pope Francis will mark a moment of personal fulfillment at a time when conservative attacks on Mr. Boehner's leadership threaten to end his long and tumultuous House career."

"But the pontiff who accepted his invitation is also expected to challenge Mr. Boehner and his fellow Republicans with a philosophy that cuts against some pillars of GOP ideology. Pope Francis' blunt warnings of the dangers posed by climate change, his critiques of consumerism and the market economy, and his more welcoming tone toward gay Catholics have left Republicans wary of what the pope might say in his Sept. 24 address to Congress..."

"Regardless of where lawmakers come down on his policies, few are expected to stand up the pope, whose appearance has become one of the hottest tickets in recent memory. House lawmakers will be able to hand out only a single guest ticket to watch Pope Francis from the House gallery, in addition to one seat and 50 standing room only tickets each on the Capitol's west lawn, where the speech will be broadcast on giant screens." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a67552b56608289b71b659def8e98bd2ecfd7a66768b6a9b7d

GOP TIES ANTI-ABORTION PUSH TO PAPAL VISIT. No surprise here, but Republicans are seizing on Pope Francis' visit to Capitol Hill to rally around their renewed anti-abortion cause, including a ban on terminated pregnancies after 20 weeks that's up for debate in the Senate this week. Seung Min and Pro Health's Jennifer Haberkorn take it away: "GOP lawmakers are tying their messaging to the teachings of the Catholic Church, which opposes the practice. And the presence of Pope Francis on Capitol Hill this week shines an even brighter spotlight on the legislation, which has long been a top priority of advocacy groups that oppose abortion.

"'It will at least increase awareness,' Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is Catholic, said of the pope's visit to the abortion-ban vote... Added Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) of the abortion-ban legislation: 'There's clearly an alignment [with the Catholic church] on the issue.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6e19f5027831a52d1715e9721843f8a38c2d8fd290204bf85

GOSAR'S NUMBERS TO GROW IN PROTEST? Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) announced Friday he'd boycott Pope Francis' speech in protest of his views on climate change. Will he be alone? Cristina Marcos for the Hill: "More than one lawmaker may end up boycotting Pope Francis's much-anticipated address to Congress on Thursday, according to the Republican lawmaker who announced he was skipping the speech...Gosar said he knows of at least one other lawmaker who would skip the pontiff's address in protest, but he declined to say who..."

"Spokespeople for Reps. Randy Weber (R-Texas) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) said their bosses plan to attend. And Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who famously hurled a snowball on the Senate floor earlier this year to argue against global warming, will be in the chamber for the speech. Weber and Yoho both cosponsored a resolution authored by Gosar this month to impeach Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. The measure accuses her of making false statements to congressional committees." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6590b762f86447b88ed76202d3d0ac94bcb8deae2d41c385b

Don't expect many, though. Lawmakers by and large were aghast at Gosar's announcement. Roll Call's Emma Dumain has more react in her piece on this matter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a693273628a640c8610d2cc203ced1838a79fc18f4e4d36ef8

GOP SWEARS MORE ACTION ON IRAN, DESPITE DEADLINE. Deb Riechmann for the AP: "It's a done deal, yet opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement won't go quietly. The 60-day congressional review period has expired... [But] Congress is poised to start cranking out legislation to reinstate sanctions or shore up what some lawmakers say is an ill-fated pact with a state supporter of terrorism. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has begun a series of hearings on the U.S. role and strategy in the Middle East that will examine the deal's implications. 'It's going to take a while...' said Corker, R-Tenn., who opposed the deal. 'It will be a complex piece of
legislation...'"

"One idea being discussed in Congress calls for shoring up oversight of Iran's compliance. Another measure would reauthorize the Iran Sanctions Act. The law was passed in 1996 to pressure foreign companies not to invest in Iran's oil and gas industries; it has since been expanded. Other legislation being weighed would strengthen security for Israel, which Iran has threatened to destroy, and for U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf worried about Iran gaining influence in the Mideast as a result of the deal."http://bit.ly/1V5aB6n

SUNDAY SHOW FLYAROUND - Jill Biden says she's on board if her hubby decides to run.http://cbsn.ws/1FoUHC9 Ben Carson takes the cake for Sunday's news stir, saying a Muslim shouldn't ever be president and stirring up a boatload of controversy. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a64b4f83d5cc24ff820d06ac14aaabb42c44244ea5c9931e3a Donald Trump was right behind him, refusing to condemn hate rhetoric used in a question he received from a supporter about when the U.S. will get rid of followers of Islam. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6a5caf908df94fee21a37fd7cdc474134929d42046dab483f Chris Christie (R) said the Pope is "wrong" on Cuba. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6ff83ecd7d0b95350ee3caff860a0d3d8f6529ad424ca8f1f In more substantive news, Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry said the US will take
in Syrian refugees. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6f1d65d9fab26f2fe81639127ac9cf6859c05d31aa50fc460

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER. Chris Armstrong was the first to answer that Jake Tapper, before he was famous, picked up Monica Lewinsky at her mother's place at the Watergate and took her to Roxanne's for a date before she and Bill Clinton's tryst made the headlines. He wrote about it for the Washington City Paper. Throwback: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fdd8e783292b67a6ae0760b2689e57e082aa27726b64c7931e629c31ddc1bc71

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Chris has today's question: In light of the location of Wednesday's debate, and the wind down of the baseball season: Who is the only president to call play-by-play during a baseball game? Bonus points if you name who he filled in for, and the game. Email rbade@politico.com.

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