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By Scott Wong (
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BOSTON PAPERS: WARREN REPRESENTED MINING CORPORATION -- Both the Boston Globe and Herald have stories out this morning detailing Democrat Elizabeth Warren's work helping a bankrupt steel firm avoid paying into a health care fund for retired coal miners. Noah Bierman writes for the Globe: "US Senator Scott Brown has attacked Elizabeth Warren in recent days for her legal work on behalf of Travelers Insurance in an asbestos case, asserting that it undermines her reputation as a consumer advocate. ...Warren also helped write a petition to the US Supreme Court for LTV Steel in the 1990s, assisting the former industrial conglomerate in its fight against a congressional requirement that it pay
millions of dollars into a fund for its retired coal miners' health care.

-- "Her advocacy on behalf of a large corporation, opposing a mandate to pay for the health benefits of blue-collar retirees and their families, would seem to undercut her image as a middle-class champion, the central message of the Democrat's Senate campaign against Brown, the Republican. But Warren's campaign argues that the retirees' benefits were not in danger, even if LTV had won its legal battle. And it argues that she was fighting for a principle that could protect less powerful people who have claims against bankrupt companies. Warren had a small role, the campaign said, making about $10,000 to write a Supreme Court petition. Warren, through her campaign, declined an interview
request."
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BOSTON HERALD FRONT PAGE: "COAL-ATERAL DAMAGE: Lawyer Liz helped company try to duck paying benefits to miners." Image:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632f02dccb3c1a942a24f043139700c3879b133e1df86c93347
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632f02dccb3c1a942a24f043139700c3879b133e1df86c93347 Story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e6329ed391ccf93e832d174e11587e20dedc5516a2c5d214bf86
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GLOVES COME OFF IN BROWN-WARREN FIGHT -- Washington Post's Karen Tumulty writes on A1: "The most closely watched Senate race in the country has taken a sharp turn off the high road. As Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and challenger Elizabeth Warren (D) enter the final phase of their exceedingly tight race, each is seeking to undermine the other on the very traits that had been considered their greatest political strengths: his independence and her character. Brown is suggesting that the woman who made a national reputation as a fierce advocate for the middle class and consumers is a phony. Warren, meanwhile, is urging Massachusetts voters to look beyond their affection for Brown to consider the
votes he has cast and the national consequences of an election that could help return the Senate to Republican control.

-- "Brown on Monday launched the most brutal salvo yet in a campaign that until recently was notable for its civility. His new television ad highlights the controversy over Warren's unproved claim that she is of Native American heritage. It also raises the possibility - also unproved, and denied by those involved in hiring her - that she claimed minority status for professional advancement. The 30-second spot resurrects what Republicans call the 'Fauxcahontas' flap, which had died down since erupting last spring. At the end of the ad, an interviewer asks Warren whether anything else will come out about her, and the Harvard Law School professor replies, laughing, 'You know, I don't think so,
but who knows?'"
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--Brown, an Army National Guard colonel, is threatening to sue Massachusetts for delays in sending ballots to soldiers overseas. Here's a letter from Brown's attorney to the secretary of the commonwealth:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e6322d33e0dffb7ca8b518f39f77e6345009a38a3ac4f754b84c
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LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL REFUTES GRIMM'S TAMPERING CLAIM -- Alison Leigh Cowan and William K. Rashbaum report for The New Times: "The campaign headquarters of Representative Michael G. Grimm on Staten Island was broken into over the weekend, and a computer server containing 'confidential campaign files and polling data' was erased, the campaign said in a statement. The break-in was discovered by staff members arriving at the office on Sunday morning, the campaign said. Mr. Grimm, a Republican who is seeking re-election in November to a second term, labeled it a 'politically motivated crime' and an 'assault on democracy.'

-- "But a law enforcement official said on Monday night that police experts had examined the campaign's computer systems and concluded that nothing had been erased or tampered with.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while windows at the headquarters had been shattered by pieces of a roadway barrier, there was no evidence that an intruder had been in the office. 'At this point, there is no indication that it was anything other than an act of vandalism,' the official said."
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LAWMAKERS SAY NO TO TWITTER - "Fifty-six members of Congress have not joined Twitter, the social media platform that has become a force in politics," Alicia M. Cohn writes for The Hill. "Now that the majority of lawmakers, pundits, White House officials and think tanks are using Twitter with gusto in their daily messaging wars, it's rare to find a political player who does not tweet. But for a variety of reasons, six senators and 50 representatives are just saying no. Although a handful of congressional offices reported that they had not ruled out signing up for Twitter in the future, others deferred to a committee account rather than setting up a handle. Some said that they do not see the
micro-blogging site as an effective tool to talk about policy. And although the majority of the tweet-less lawmakers are over the age of 60, the holdouts aren't all of the same generation. Reps. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), for example, are both in their 30s."
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WaPo, A1, "In GOP recipe, too little Ryan for conservatives' taste," By Felicia Sonmez and David A. Fahrenthold: "Conservatives had hoped that Mitt Romney's choice of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.) as his running mate would make Romney act more like Ryan - bold, specific, confident. Instead, in the six weeks since Ryan became the GOP vice presidential nominee - and particularly in the three weeks since the Republican National Convention - there has been mounting concern among Republicans that the pick has made Ryan look more like Romney - vague, cautious and limited to preset talking points. Dissatisfaction with the trajectory of the campaign seems highest among Ryan's
most ardent backers. They view Romney's campaign as having doubled back to a cautious strategy, avoiding Ryan's trademark big ideas, and hoping President Obama will beat himself."
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GINGRICH TO GOP: BACK AKIN - Today marks the deadline for Rep. Todd Akin to drop out of the Missouri Senate race. But it's clear he has no intention of doing so, POLITICO's Manu Raju reports from Kirkwood, Mo.: "Newt Gingrich thundered into this sleepy St. Louis suburb Monday to demand that Mitt Romney and the Republican establishment put their weight behind Todd Akin's embattled candidacy, warning that their hopes of a Senate majority will be imperiled if they don't. Stumping through the six-term congressman's district, the former House speaker had some tough words for a Republican Party that has all but abandoned Akin after he said last month that 'legitimate rape' rarely leads to
pregnancy.

-- "Republican leaders have a 'moral obligation' to get fully behind Akin, Gingrich said. He warned it would be 'historically irrational' to sit out a crucial race and that a 'monied establishment' should not lecture Missouri voters about a nominee who fairly won his primary battle. When Akin wins, Gingrich predicted, they would invite every 'idiot naysayer' in Washington to the victory party.

-- "Gingrich's defiant posture was meant to energize conservatives worried that the internal civil war over Akin would cost their party a sure bet: defeating first-term Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in the fall. It was also intended to put the onus squarely on GOP leaders, since a Tuesday deadline for Akin to withdraw is about to pass. 'This is a winnable race,' Gingrich said. ... Added Akin: 'For about the hundredth time or so, I am in this race.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e6321c4167946f8705fbeae7ad5e3f2c6d19451f898a4b291c8e
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NEW RULES ROIL CALIF. RE-ELECTION RACES - The NYT's Norimitsu Onishi reports from Pleasanton, Calif.: "Running against the Vietnam War, Representative Pete Stark entered Congress the year Richard M. Nixon was re-elected president. Since then, ensconced in Democratic strongholds here in the Bay Area, Mr. Stark was easily re-elected 19 times. But Mr. Stark, 80, the dean of California's Congressional delegation, is facing a serious challenge for the first time. That is because Eric Swalwell, a fellow Democrat who became a city councilman less than two years ago in Dublin, his hometown near here, came just a few points behind Mr. Stark in the primary Now Mr. Swalwell gets to carry the fight
into November - thanks to a new primary system in California under which the top two vote getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. ...

-- "[S]ome of the most competitive House races are taking place across this state, often in nontraditional form. They are pitting two members of the same party against each other in seven other districts. In two of those, two Democratic incumbents are facing off, most notably Representatives Howard L. Berman and Brad Sherman, both influential veterans, who have spent millions of dollars in a battle for a seat in the San Fernando Valley. In January, at least 9 out of California's 53 Congressional districts will be represented by newcomers."
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QUICK READS

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who's playing Barack Obama in Mitt Romney's debate prep, says the president will be "formidable":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632170698ec2c46e89527d57ff80fa29c81cc54b730da2152fd
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632170698ec2c46e89527d57ff80fa29c81cc54b730da2152fd

Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said Obama's handling of foreign policy looks like "1979 Tehran":
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WaPo columnist Walter Pincusdetails a day in the life of a dysfunctional Senate:
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GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
mailto:swong@politico.com
swong@politico.com . If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include but are not limited to @theaseanwatch and @txmed.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Both the House and Senate are out on the campaign trail and won't return until after the Nov. 6 election.

SEQUESTER 'GANG' WARNS LEADERS - Janet Hook reports for the Wall Street Journal: "Six Republican and Democratic senators are urging their party leaders to find a way to avert the spending cuts slated begin Jan. 2, a rare bipartisan warning that that the so-called sequester could have a 'devastating impact' on defense and domestic programs. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.,Nev.) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee and four other senators said Monday they wanted to 'send a strong signal of our bipartisan determination to avoid or delay sequestration and the resulting major damage to our national security,
vital domestic priorities and our economy.' The letter does not include any specific recommendations on deficit reduction plans to avert the $110 billion in spending cuts. But the letter is a fresh sign of growing congressional anxiety about the year end fiscal clash."
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REID ROLLS DICE ON INTERNET POKER -- Steve Freiss reports for POLITICO: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was trying to brand fellow Nevada Sen. Dean Heller a failure earlier this month when he wrote that passing an online poker bill was 'the most important issue facing Nevada since Yucca Mountain.' Yet in doing so, Reid also elevated a controversial piece of legislation that is iffy at best to a defining element of his own legacy - as significant as ridding the state of a nuclear waste repository. The effort to legalize Web poker and ban all other forms of Internet gambling by year's end is about to test Reid's much-touted ability to deliver for his state. If he does not succeed, the fear
is that the nation will see an explosion of unrestrained, unrestricted Internet gambling of all types that could badly cut down on gambling junkets to Las Vegas and cut into the state's tourist revenue. 'We're trusting that Harry knows what he's doing,' a top casino company executive told POLITICO. 'If he doesn't, we are so screwed.'"
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PANDORA SHARES RISE AFTER NEW LEGISLATION - AP: "Shares of Pandora Media Inc. rose Monday after a group of federal lawmakers introduced a bill that could lower the royalties the online radio service pays to artists and their record labels. THE SPARK: Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, and Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, on Friday introduced a bill called the 'Internet Radio Fairness Act' in Congress that could lower Pandora's costs significantly. Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate by Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632daa666a21d23e202e8f4506cba1ba197dc4ce8ea56cfeb6a

DCCC CANCELS 2ND WEEK OF ADS FOR KISSELL - Joshua Miller reports for Roll Call: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee canceled a second week of advertising in [North Carolina Rep. Larry] Kissell's 8th district. Roll Call has learned that the DCCC's independent expenditure arm canceled a reservation for advertising in the Charlotte media market from Oct. 9-15. This comes after the DCCC canceled a reservation from Oct. 2-8, as first reported by Roll Call. ... Kissell faces a tough race against former Congressional aide Richard Hudson (R). Democrats in North Carolina have privately had significant worries about Kissell, and the DCCC pulling the reservation has only added to Tar Heel
operatives' concerns."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e632294d15c9d5498b1e74553db2ce7ccad7f19355bf5dc5fc92

TOM GRAVES WINS KEY SUPPORT IN RSC RACE - Jake Sherman reports for POLITICO: "Georgia Rep. Tom Graves cleared a key hurdle to become the next chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee. The second-term lawmaker won the endorsement of the group's founders in his battle against Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the first step in winning the organization's top spot, according to several sources with knowledge of the endorsement. It's one of the most unique - and clubby - aspects of House Republican politics: the founding members and former chairmen of the in-house conservative group interview the candidates vying for the organization's chairmanship and recommend their choice for a full
RSC vote."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e6329712d94d82b8791c2d5f2a7a27057b20115f1ab44da1da26
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5073d2decec6e6329712d94d82b8791c2d5f2a7a27057b20115f1ab44da1da26

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Neil Townsend was first to correctly answer that Teddy's losing streak in the Presidents Race at Nationals Park this 2012 season is 0-83. When do you think Teddy will win his first race? Email me your answer and I'll publish some of them tomorrow.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Townsend poses this question: On September 25, 1789, the First Federal Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution.Articles three through 12, known as the Bill of Rights, became the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.The original proposed second amendment , dealing with the compensation of lawmakers, was rejected at the time but was eventually ratified in 1992 as the 27th amendment.What was the concern of the original first amendment, which also had been rejected?

First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:swong@politico.com
swong@politico.com .

WEATHER - Sunshine with clouds in the afternoon and highs in the mid-70s, according to ABC7's Adam Caskey.

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