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07/06/2018 08:01 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

CABINET TURNOVER ADDS TO SENATE WORKLOAD -- The Senate can add yet another high-profile confirmation battle to its to-do list. With EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's resignation, the chamber will eventually have to confirm his replacement, in addition to VA secretary nominee Robert Wilkie and President Donald Trump's soon-to-be-announced replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Trump announced Pruitt's months-in-the-making exit via Twitter, praising the embattled EPA chief for doing "an outstanding job," despite the unprecedented series of scandals and investigations surrounding his run atop the agency. Deputy EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, who was confirmed by the
Senate 53-45 in April, will lead the agency in an acting capacity beginning Monday.

"Pruitt's critics were mainly jubilant -- though deeply suspicious of Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who is widely expected to pursue the same agenda of undoing former President Barack Obama's climate change agenda," Anthony Adragna, Alex Guillén and Emily Holden report. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to the news by calling Pruitt "the worst EPA administrator in the history of the agency." Even Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, cheered Pruitt's exit. "Thank God he's gone," Carper said. "This is a day to celebrate." Unless you're a Senate Republican.

"A handful of moderate Republican lawmakers called for Pruitt to be ousted early on, but congressional leaders supportive of his deregulatory agenda prevented the hot water Pruitt was in from increasing beyond a gentle simmer," they write. "Pruitt's support among Republicans began to wane after emails and testimony from close aides showed that Pruitt on multiple occasions had used EPA resources and personnel to carry out errands and search for a job for his wife, Marlyn." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b4295bd8b7af5ee2f0ef27c2e59449091d1b1cfca101db3fc004c7063ab427aca58842dd5041253e64e5d9d2bee002dd

Related: Full text of Pruitt's resignation letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ad46b71dc896413a031bd83aa1ab5291f68a75a3c198cae65a79f2361ebfe7247a0b7c5a61c46bea8107e52eda12edb "How Scott Pruitt blew it," by Alex Guillén and Andrew Restuccia: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ad46b71dc896413031dc75e0e0e76b6c76d3e98af02fc65b8bb5d9a21f84aac80b14eb2c2d328d8d52b14a80041af4a and "Environmentalists: Pruitt's replacement 'should scare anyone who breathes,'" from Eric Wolff: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9766e83de06e55cb5a9acc0b1292b56ddcfb93ddc25fc607fe1f3b65744b229d8d414f4b5e07f6963e023ec23de070a

FLASHBACK -- Burgess and Anthony Adragna reported in April that confirming a new EPA chief might be, well, impossible. "There's no question that GOP senators are growing tired of defending Pruitt," they wrote at the time. "But turning on him would likely backfire, as the shrunken Republican majority would struggle to confirm any EPA administrator, let alone another one as conservative and driven to overturn former President Barack Obama's environmental rules and regulations." From April 9: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9766e83de06e55c2768b06d6e7aed174377a6b76eea75a680c9b682ef90dcbaa1735ca3fcc6f53797af8e8dd1130109

SCHUMER'S SCOTUS CHALLENGE -- With the president set to announce his second Supreme Court nominee on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has a seemingly impossible task ahead of him: keeping his caucus united. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) are most likely to defect. The trio of red-state senators is up for reelection this year and supported the president's first Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch. "Keeping them in the Democratic fold -- in the face of withering pressure from a liberal base that expects nothing less -- amounts to the biggest challenge of Schumer's 18-month tenure as Democratic leader," Elana reports.

With 24 Democratic seats up this year, including 10 in states Trump won in 2016, the caucus is rarely unified on an issue. No Democrat voted for Republicans' tax cuts in December, but Obamacare repeal is the last issue Senate Democrats stuck together through in an all-consuming fight. Schumer "has preferred to take a hands-off approach to his moderate members, rather than twisting arms on big votes," Elana notes. "Yet it's far from clear that will work this time. ... After taking some heat from the left during this year's bruising immigration and CIA confirmation battles, Schumer is emphasizing unity to his party's agitated activists." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9766e83de06e55c0d4dda772bfd6e06ab73214d3a077601c710365c9ca2429c9e0d02094f026db177fdbadc3264e9a4

Schumer and Trump spoke briefly by phone Tuesday. He urged the president to tap Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee, to unite the country and warned that nominating a jurist hostile to Roe v. Wade and Obamacare would be "cataclysmic." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) team found that laughable, as evidenced by a gif it posted on Twitter of Michael Jordan laughing. From the Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9766e83de06e55c69a770a21078b6901da01a3e6535dc041d06582035a63b3d632f6166b89eb2cbfcdd6708f371c9cb

Related reads: "Trump pushing for another reality-show reveal of Supreme Court pick," via Andrew Restuccia: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2ad46b71dc89641384fc3ea3efbb6fab36c59d03e0bc6357788bb37ae1ba4eb99b5915935512215b23bba258dbeee414 "Kethledge gets 11th hour push as potential consensus pick for Supreme Court," per Christopher Cadelago, Eliana Johnson and Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0c7b0cc014a095f333a8553018526c475bcb11fc157e9c07e1356b4678c927501b8290ea85ee238ae719d390a032e305 and "Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Front-Runner, Once Argued Broad Grounds for Impeachment," by The New York Times' Mark Landler and Matt Apuzzo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3fca40d0c522291044f836fe9ac8fdcc32afa827c75e4f16d268f15d7951f797d309da24919c6fe6f344af043b625611

HAPPY FRIDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this July 6.

** A message from Wells Fargo: Buying a home for the first time can be both exciting and overwhelming. For Homeownership Month this June, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage leader Liz Bryant shares a few ways to simplify the process: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0c7b0cc014a095f3ee3344d8f2275e4c2d980512dfeda5e4606b2fa8566e071642cc686d98b3c58e4d1a69fb33be9402 **

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rachael and Bres' interview with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who rejected claims from former Ohio State University wrestlers that he knew about ongoing sexual abuse from the team doctor when he coached there, was the winner.

TWO MORE WRESTLERS CLAIM JORDAN KNEW OF ABUSE -- A fourth former Ohio State University wrestler told NBC News that Jordan participated in conversations about team doctor Richard Strauss' sexual abuse. Shawn Dailey said he was groped a half-dozen times by Strauss in the mid-1990s when Jordan was an assistant coach. He said he was too embarrassed to report it directly to Jordan but maintains he was aware at the time. "Dailey spoke out two days after NBC News reported that three former wrestlers who were coached by Jordan ... accused the GOP congressman of turning a blind eye to Strauss' alleged abuse and then lying about it," Corky Siemaszko reports. "Jordan denied knowing anything about the
abuse and continues to do so." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3fca40d0c522291027bb8b132a5089342791a2acdbc2e9b910063cb5b85cc23f891802ebec54feb524be0cf919f3f469

A fifth former wrestler, former UFC world champion Mark Coleman, told The Wall Street Journal that Jordan knew of the abuse but didn't respond to allegations. "There's no way unless he's got dementia or something that he's got no recollection of what was going on at Ohio State," Coleman said. A spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said the allegations are "serious" but that Ryan would let the investigation play out. Trump told reporters he didn't believe the former wrestlers "at all." "I believe Jim Jordan 100 percent," Trump added. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3fca40d0c5222910965750ec61686af88a9ddd9ad3334b713dcaa31e8c903cf1f353d58651c641d36f6346c5f29c49e2

SCOTUS TAKES CENTER STAGE IN MISSOURI -- Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will likely oppose the president's Supreme Court pick. And her GOP opponent for reelection is unsurprised. "She's been wrong on every single court nominee since she has been running for the Senate or in the Senate," said Josh Hawley, the state attorney general and former constitutional lawyer who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts. The high court, Hawley insists, "is the defining issue of this campaign."

"If the pre-nomination clash between McCaskill and Hawley is any sign, the Supreme Court confirmation battle over Trump's high court nominee will reverberate in Missouri more than any other Senate battleground this year," Burgess reports from Marshfield. McCaskill voted against Neil Gorsuch, and Republicans and Democrats expect the same result this time around. A "no" vote, however, would play right into the hands of Hawley, who wants to paint her as a member of the "resistance." "The timing of Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement could not have worked out better for Hawley, who is being vastly outraised and outspent by McCaskill and her Democratic allies," Burgess adds. "Missouri has
morphed ... into a reliable Republican vote at the presidential level, though its Senate contests are often competitive." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3fca40d0c5222910b61aedeaa804b49c0f681566d377a583fee796f91e64074889568b6018a862a5041f0a62a54ac40b

TRUMP ATTACKS TESTER, ET AL. -- Sen. Jon Tester's (D-Mont.) welcome wagon didn't insulate himself from sharp attacks during the president's rally in Great Falls. Tester welcomed Trump to the state by purchasing a full-page ad in a dozen-plus newspapers thanking him for signing bills he sponsored or co-sponsored. The president's response? "It's time to retire liberal Democrat Jon Tester," he told the crowd at a rally to boost state Auditor Matt Rosendale. "Trump slammed Tester for voting against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, voting against a major tax cuts bill and for voting no on legislation to ban late-term abortions," Matthew Nussbaum reports.

"How did he get elected?" Trump wondered aloud. "You can right your wrong in November." In a campaign-style speech that included attacks on President George H.W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the president also made time to go after Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). He claimed Waters' IQ is in the "60s" and suggested he would get ancestry kit for "Pocahontas," his derisive nickname for Warren, while sarcastically invoking the #MeToo era. Warren advised Trump to "focus on fixing the lives you're destroying" by separating migrant families at the southern border. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c97ef5dc15b0cfcef874a078ad336240ea1a2740585418d9a751a020f8c24e5f705cc0f7d0b2626847cc2f470784dd2

Speaking of migrant families, HHS says under 3,000 children are still separated from their parents at the border. Dan Diamond's report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c97ef5dc15b0cfc96f84da6694fdf153ab9bbd55799223f53b898bb251cff2407794a243233959b7fb50c884e59e256

RYAN TO CAMPAIGN FOR WISCONSIN SENATE CANDIDATE -- House Speaker Paul Ryan will appear at a rally for Republican Wisconsin Senate candidate Leah Vukmir today. Ryan endorsed Vukmir, a state senator, last week. "Vukmir is among five Republicans seeking a spot on the November ballot, but analysts consider Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson her most formidable GOP opponent," the Washington Examiner's Susan Ferrechio reports. "Nicholson has the backing of the conservative group Club for Growth as well as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Either candidate will have a difficult time winning in November. The Cook Political Report rates Sen. Tammy Baldwin's (D-Wis.) seat "likely Democrat." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c97ef5dc15b0cfc19a840037d894ee8b56ad1e2273f4d4d5c855f95e49cf63b085d26fe8d39124c6fe88ef87dd14337

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Casey Burgat was first to correctly guess that there were 59 members at the beginning of the 1st Congress in 1789.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Casey: Harvard has famously produced the most presidents, with five future commanders in chief receiving undergraduate degrees and three others earning advanced degrees from the college. But who was the first future president to graduate from a non-private school, and what was the college? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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** A message from Wells Fargo: Retired U.S. Army veteran Dominic Perrotte and his family of Hampton, Virginia, were recently awarded the deed to their mortgage-free home at the White House Correspondents' Association Brunch by Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation. Wells Fargo is proud to support the foundation's Homes4WoundedHeroes program by donating homes for veterans, with more than 350 homes donated to veterans in all 50 states and more than $100 million donated to military community causes since 2012.
A Pittsburgh native, Dominic served in Afghanistan and Iraq and received a Purple Heart after being injured in combat. The foundation also provided Dominic and his family with three years of family and financial mentoring to help them prepare for long-term homeownership.
Learn more about Wells Fargo's work to support the military community: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0c7b0cc014a095f3ee3344d8f2275e4c2d980512dfeda5e4606b2fa8566e071642cc686d98b3c58e4d1a69fb33be9402 **

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