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01/18/2019 08:08 AM EDT

By SARAH FERRIS (sferris@politico.com; @sarahnferris)


With help from Melanie Zanona

GROUNDED: President Trump struck back at Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an explosive way on Thursday - killing her long-planned trip overseas to visit troops in Afghanistan with just a few minutes' notice. Trump's move blindsided Pelosi and her deputies: Their luggage was already loaded, and senior lawmakers were sitting on the bus to take them to the airport when the White House blasted out a tersely written letter to the Washington press corps about the previously secret trip. That press release made it to reporters' inbox even before Pelosi herself knew the trip had been cancelled. Read the letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c153632e25e8205c1168587b92bb8f42680a5140efe467fcc389f3175da0274f29f93973b767ba6409b10

On day 28 of a government shutdown, the very public - and intensely personal - war between the two leaders has the feeling of a schoolyard spat, and there's no end in sight to the bitter standoff. The White House insisted that the trip cancellation was unrelated to Pelosi's decision to effectively disinvite Trump from delivering his State of the Union address. But even some of Trump's own allies on Capitol Hill saw it as a blatantly political move. "It's like tit-for-tat," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). "I thought what she did was petty and vindictive and this certainly doesn't elevate the debate." As Pelosi retreated back to her office Thursday afternoon, she and other Democrats began
plotting their next move, but have so far have said nothing publicly. It could be a high-stakes game for the Trump administration: with Pelosi newly vested with oversight powers that could make life difficult for the next two years of Trump's presidency. More from Bres, Rachael and Heather: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c153602d364b8c8d7ca75de19229d999642d3de31306101bed2e35b761d1b88f3031eee490264a88fe256

MEANWHILE, most of Congress has left town for the long weekend, virtually guaranteeing that the government shutdown drags into its second month. The unprecedented stalemate has dampened the mood in the Capitol, as lawmakers of both parties realize the futility of bargaining among themselves, without a spark of talks going on between Trump and Pelosi. In the words of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.): "We are in this horrible purgatory between heaven and hell." More from Burgess and Heather: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c153667db5f4fc1011082ae182b7ff9cc1e69006ffe5b006f3d9a27b073c22eeec36b1a757845d7ec66b1

Related read: The abrupt cancellation of the Democrats' overseas trip stunned the lawmakers who were already waiting aboard the government-issued bus for the airport - turning the "bus to nowhere" into a stakeout on wheels for nearly three dozen jacketless reporters across the Capitol grounds. Andrew Desiderio has the dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c1536e279bbe00f26b85ae728a51399abef76e207eef6cebe9597aa3580d9856b3d1ba38e022cbd65597e

COHEN GETS COLD FEET - President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is reportedly rethinking his trip to the House Oversight Committee next month, citing intimidation from Trump himself. Cohen - who's been sentenced for multiple crimes related to his work with Trump - had agreed to testify Feb. 7, but a close adviser suggested Thursday that he's reconsidering, per Reuters: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c153656333775441a582e3c6937710e68f9f5be0b38496a3a63ba82b06a76c958f3499de14a22c287cad0

The change of heart comes just before Thursday night's Buzzfeed bombshell that Trump instructed Cohen to lie to Congress about his personal business negotiations in Moscow. Earlier Thursday, The Wall Street Journal scooped that Cohen had paid a tech company to help rig a poll for Trump ahead of his presidential bid - which Cohen himself confirmed on Twitter.

The House Intelligence Committee has already vowed to investigate, as dozens of Democrats pounced on the BuzzFeed report. One Judiciary Committee member, Rep. Ted Lieu, tweeted in all caps: "THIS IS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE." Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) went further: "If the @BuzzFeed story is true, President Trump must resign or be impeached."

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SMITH APOLOGIZES AFTER FLOOR OUTBURST - It was the kind of rowdiness rarely seen on a House floor on a flyaway Thursday: Dozens of Republicans had erupted at Democratic leaders over a procedural mishap. A fired-up Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) yelled, "Go back to Puerto Rico" to the other side of the chamber, where Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) stood in the well of the House. Democrats - including Cardenas himself - took it as a direct shot at the congressman's Hispanic heritage, while Smith said it was aimed at every Democrat who jaunted to Puerto Rico last weekend. But the story has a cordial ending: By Thursday night, Smith personally phoned Cardenas to apologize, and the two made plans to
eventually meet in person. More from Jennifer Scholtes, Caitlin Emma and your host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c1536a3ac5c290109ea64490050f0464d7b2a50055b6bec452854336c9cf2aadca7854197afa0081f4021

T.G.I.F! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, where we're still counting the number of news cycles in the last 24 hours. A quick programming note: we're off Monday, Jan. 21, and we hope you are, too. Huddle will be back on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's report on Pelosi's carrot-and-stick approach to her Speakership was the winner.

REP. STEVE KING FUNDRAISING OFF BACKLASH: Embattled Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is using congressional backlash to his recent racist remarks in an attempt to raise money for what is presumably his 2020 reelection campaign. "The unhinged left has teamed up with Republican 'NeverTrumpers' and is pulling out all the stops to destroy me," King wrote in a campaign email to his supporters. More from The Des Moines Register's Robin Opsahl: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a33861dfc4abc925841b402dda4e189601700488cd4f545ef068f8c5b3ef434d1fedd9dce64306b0f6

CRACKDOWN ON HILL SLEEPERS? - Key House Democrats say they're eying a ban on lawmakers living out of their offices, or could at least start charging rent. House Democrats, led by those in the Congressional Black Caucus, have long been opposed to D.C. office-dwelling, which one critic, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), described to McClatchyDC as "living in public housing" tax-free. The practice has been popular with penny-pinching Republicans over the years, with famous examples like ex-Speaker Paul Ryan. Action is unlikely any time soon. But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who leads the House Administration Committee, vowed to tackle the issue later this year. The tricky part? Enforcement, she says. More
here from McClatchy's Kate Irby and William Douglas: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fedde249530c1536ab085dcbe7fc276e391ff741c2e646cb17b583cd45fa3c8df69fe7a550493aaa2c5e0e92b4a0e7cf

Flashback: House Democrats called for an ethics investigation into Capitol office-dwelling back in March.


FRUSTRATED FRESHMEN STRIKE BACK - The historic freshman class is growing restless with the month-long government shutdown, which has consumed the start of their congressional careers and overshadowed the Democratic takeover of the House. Now, they're using their star power and social media skills to take matters into their own hands. A group of newly-elected members, who huddled on Tuesday to map out a strategy, have been leading marches to the Senate, delivering special order speeches on the House floor and even debuted a new hashtag: #WheresMitch. "This class was sent here to shake things up," said Rep. Joe Neguse, a 34-year-old Democrat from Colorado. "We're not going to sit idly by."
More from Mel: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a37378c46c10307ecea788c885750140c4cdbeff968c0f93fb032300889e374499392039ca54284631

Related read: "The queen of the online clapback imparts wisdom to her elders," from Roll Call's Clyde McGrady: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a34b7164be2531bedd5daaef718bc0320787c0d37b32d92aff944c5d827c35bf86e8cbd79a9930704f

THE SENATE'S 2020 RECRUITMENT DRIVE - Senate leaders of both parties have quietly cranked up their recruitment efforts in an informal kickoff to the 2020 campaign cycle. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has personally courted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider running for an open Senate seat in Kansas, the Washington Post's Sean Sullivan and Josh Dawsey report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a381f014a5b5ba1e1bc8f4cb7cfe191e81d0a7fdd43e13c78a3f50b051f84a66f1c23f7d5375a86615 Pompeo has long been viewed as the GOP's top choice.

On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is working to enlist Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) to run for the Arizona Senate seat long held by John McCain, The Hill's Alex Bolton and Scott Wong report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a3dcd0b51b01ce06a701d34af16071dd149aeecdae7a8feb90663b5f796b9e0f295820ba4a377d3de8 Astronaut-turned-activist Mark Kelly is also considering a run in Arizona, and has even identified a potential campaign manager, The Hill's Reid Wilson reports.

SENATE MULLS RULES REVAMP - Republican senators are weighing an overhaul of the chamber's rules in order to speed up certain presidential nominations, The Washington Post reports. The idea was kicked around at an off-campus retreat at Nationals Park on Thursday. Currently, senators can debate nominations on the floor for up to 30 hours following an initial procedural vote, but the Senate GOP is considering shortening that timeframe down to two hours for "noncontroversial nominees," like candidates for district court. Reminder: just 433 out of 704 Senate-confirmation slots in the Trump administration are filled. More from Seung Min Kim and Paul Kane:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=43da13ed825396a3572d034a3f49b36388dd423033eeb23c655cf6114f26b0058c4f1fd6c367c54f2cffef2e153b4a5b

The Davos World Economic Forum Annual Summit is already upon us next week. Follow what's happening at one of the most exclusive global forums through our Davos Playbook newsletter, kicking off January 19, sign up here, it's free.


TRANSITIONS
Rachel McCleery is joining Ford Motor Company as a government and policy communications manager. She previously worked for the Democratic staff on the Senate Finance Committee as a chief communications advisor and deputy policy director.
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House gavels in at 10:30 a.m. for a pro forma session. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. to resume consideration of S. 1, but no votes are expected.
AROUND THE HILL

Nada.

TRIVIA

THURSDAY'S WINNER - Bruce Mehlman was the first to correctly guess that there are two female senators -- Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) -- who represent states that have never elected a female lawmaker to the House of Representatives. (The other states that have never had a woman in the House: North Dakota and Vermont.

TODAY'S QUESTION - From Bruce: How many members of the House have been serving since before Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: mzanona@politico.com.


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