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POLITICO Huddle - Akin asks for forgiveness, He still leads McCaskill, Piers Morgan disses Akin, Obama talks sequester, NRCC beats DCCC in fundraising, Richest on the Hill, Quayle gets Speedo, Trivia

By Seung Min Kim (
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

IN NEW AD, AKIN ASKS FOR FORGIVENESS - The embattled Missouri Republican is out with a new ad this morning, signaling that he may not be going anywhere in his bid to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill - despite calls from across the GOP to hit the road. The 30-second spot shows Akin talking directly to the camera, apologizing (again) for his remarks and reiterating that the "fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy." Per POLITICO's Alexander Burns, Strategy Group for Media produced the ad - the same company that aided Akin in the primaries.

--The full script: "I'm Todd Akin, and I approve this message. Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize. As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault, and I pray for them. The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is, rape has many victims. The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness.' Watch the ad:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4c2cc45ca52cbaf71d1bdf9711cbbf1392bddca76b3f4bc3e
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MAYBE WHY AKIN WON'T BUDGE - A new poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling finds that in the aftermath of Akin's "legitimate rape" remarks, he's still holding a tight lead against McCaskill. In a survey of 500 likely Missouri voters on Monday night, Akin has the edge against McCaskill, 44-43. Voters aren't happy with Akin's comments - 75 percent of those polled said they were inappropriate, versus 9 percent who said they were appropriate - but those remarks haven't don't much to move the needle in the race, according to the poll. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. "GOP voters dislike McCaskill so much they're not going to vote for her no matter what
their nominee does," PPP says. "Independent voters haven't moved at all either ... The lack of movement speaks to a couple of things. One is the hyper polarization these days in American politics. Voters just aren't inclined to vote cross party lines with their voters regardless of the circumstances. And the other thing it speaks to is McCaskill's continued unpopularity."
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PIERS MORGAN: AKIN A 'GUTLESS LITTLE TWERP' -Lesson learned: Piers Morgan won't be a happy man if you abruptly cancel an appearance on his show. Akin had been scheduled to be interviewed on the CNN show Monday evening - capping off the long day of will-he-or-won't-he speculations on whether he'll withdraw from the Senate race - but he suddenly skipped out at the last minute. That led to live shots of an empty chair, where Akin was supposed to have sat. 'Congressman, you have an open invitation to join me in that chair whenever you feel up to it because if you don't keep your promise to be on the show, then you are what we would call in Britain, a gutless little twerp,' Morgan said.
POLITICO's Manu Raju:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d464fae842effbea0d044c369afab9267ca7d38e47acf2d2f2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d464fae842effbea0d044c369afab9267ca7d38e47acf2d2f2 . The video, from Mediaite:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d43eabfc31209d12bdc0e0c5c4ab3bc9019da94f4a032cb43a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d43eabfc31209d12bdc0e0c5c4ab3bc9019da94f4a032cb43a

TWITTER TRAFFIC -- @AkinEmptyChair: I am not going to SIT out this Senate race

--POLITICO's Alexander Burns notesthat Akin is just the next in a long line of Senate candidates this cycle who have fumbled and bumbled - including Rick Berg in North Dakota, Shelley Berkley in Nevada, Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, and Richard Mourdock in Indiana:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d42a2584920baca23b79e734a3cd2c2d025162722e662bc81e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d42a2584920baca23b79e734a3cd2c2d025162722e662bc81e

--ICYMI,a wrap-up of Monday's Akin action from POLITICO's Jonathan Martin, John Bresnahan and your Huddler:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4138e4b3ba0a5f446cb538daca0a3b79645a467321c9654ed
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4138e4b3ba0a5f446cb538daca0a3b79645a467321c9654ed

--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch spells out the deadlines to withdraw and the replacement process:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d47bc0389ccb3b3c10631caaf405fd93a030b500d495839327
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d47bc0389ccb3b3c10631caaf405fd93a030b500d495839327

--The television journalist who interviewed Akin in that now-infamous interview tells Talking Points Memo that he "dropped the ball" and "screwed up" by not following up on the lawmaker's controversial remarks:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d47c374a4b9a09f99784a07cf6338f99b4d697e27aeacd84d6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d47c374a4b9a09f99784a07cf6338f99b4d697e27aeacd84d6

--POLITICO's Austin Wright takes a look at how the Akin-McCaskill battle and the aftermath of Akin's remarks could shake up the House and Senate Armed Services panels:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d43cad1e789d60abd9e7a8bdce5bb7007eb73c89afc56fe328
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OBAMA TO CONGRESS: FIX SEQUESTER - In an interview with the Virginian-Pilot, President Barack Obama underscored his demands for lawmakers to avert the across-the-board cuts to defense and domestic spending that'll hit starting in January, doing so by a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. He also fought back against recent Republican criticism that he bears the responsibility for the sequester even existing in the first place: 'We ran two wars on a credit card and that contributed to our deficits. We had, at the same time, big tax cuts, many of them going to the wealthiest Americans ... The only thing that's standing in the way of us solving this problem right now is the
unwillingness of some members of Congress to ask people like me - people who've done very well, millionaires, billionaires - to pay a little bit more, in part, to preserve the freedoms that we hold dear. There's no reason we can't get a deficit-reduction package that takes sequestration completely off the table.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4e25d406e86f611e2f6160c4ac7e24097df5ac93fe17250fd
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4e25d406e86f611e2f6160c4ac7e24097df5ac93fe17250fd

--The sit-down was part of a White House effort to reach out to military communities; Obama also did interviews with news organizations in San Diego, Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk, Va.

--The GOP pushes backin a statement from Republican Sens. John McCain and Kelly Ayotte - among the loudest in their party to warn of the looming cuts: "Since the failure last fall of the Congressional 'Super Committee' to agree on $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, President Obama has been AWOL in trying to avert the catastrophic impacts of nearly $500 billion in across-the-board cuts in the defense budget. The President's comments today demonstrate that he is content to wait until after the November election to engage in discussions to resolve this pressing national security issue. By refusing to lead, President Obama shows that he is willing to risk our nation's security for purely
political purposes."

--Former House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) writes in an op-ed for the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader that details the "disastrous" effects of sequestration, but he also gives off this spark of optimism: "I have every confidence that cooler heads will soon prevail, and that Congress will reach a historic compromise that will save us from the blind budget cuts no one really wants."
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JOIN POLITICO LIVE -At 8:30 a.m., our own Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan will host "POLITICO LIVE: Driving the Day" with Glenn Thrush joining the show to discuss his new e-book "Obama's Last Stand," on the president's struggling reelection efforts. Also expect more on skinny-dipping members of Congress and Akin's controversial remarks. Tune in:
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GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 21, 2012, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news. Please send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, corrections, and more Akin apology ads to
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com , and follow me on Twitter at @seungminkim.

My new followers include, but are not limited to @_AllPolitics and @aeh728.

TODAY IN CONGRESS- Both the House and Senate are on their summer recess and don't return until Sept. 10.

ROLLING IN THE DOUGH:The Hill is out with its annual list of the richest members of Congress, with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) topping the list again. The newspaper also finds that the top 50 list leaned toward Republicans, with 31 on the list coming from the GOP. The top 10 includes McCaul, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio). All 50 lawmakers on one page:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4bf1b65a25db0243e4d276f7989611a6ccd9aa487cdc007f7
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NRCC BESTS DCCC IN FUNDRAISING: Roll Call's Abby Livingston: "The NRCC raised $11.7 million and ended the month with $48.9 million in cash on hand, while the DCCC raised $8.2 million and closed the month with $36.2 million in cash on hand. Last month, the NRCC topped the DCCC in fundraising. For the cycle to date, the DCCC has maintained the fundraising edge."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d40668342d2dccc737bf07aec0358d3bff46c8265bdd999a12
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REID, BOXER CUT CHECKS FOR SENATE DEMS -- POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer: "The checks from Reid ($250,000) and Boxer ($200,000) came from their leadership PACs and were the first time the senators personally aided Majority PAC ... [it] spent $2.7 million on independent expenditures in July, opposing Republican candidates Richard Mourdock in Indiana, John Brunner of Missouri, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. Richard Berg of North Dakota. The group also made expenditures opposing Republican candidates Josh Mandel of Ohio, Eric Hovde of Wisconsin and and former Sen. George Allen (Va.)."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4b4b56713788eb3f6972cefdf525e3eb0527c2588d16c09c9
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KERREY TALKS AND TALKS ON GAY MARRIAGE: New York Times columnist Frank Rich wonders why in the world Bob Kerrey would repeatedly bring up his support of gay marriage as he campaigns for the Senate seat in Nebraska, and Rich writes: "[H]ere's the thing: he's 68. This race to reclaim the Senate seat that he held from 1989 to 2001, after which he retired from politics and relocated to New York, could be his last. And if he's going to go down, he told me, he wants to go down fighting for what's right and for what he truly believes. That means making a pitch for gay marriage. 'What I usually say is, 'Let me talk to you about the issue of homosexuality,' ' Kerrey said over a drink here Saturday
night. And then he indeed talks to voters about it, telling them that people are born the way they are and deserve a full complement of civil rights, including the right to marry. It's that simple. 'People who are opposed to it are going to have to be explaining to their grandkids: why, why, why was that the rationale?' he said. 'We're going to be embarrassed in 25 years.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4259aba4f8afba2083e7d44a52586749940ed06bd0b3c2fcb
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PALIN BACKS YOHO: The veterinarian who surprisingly defeated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) last week in the Florida primaries is getting some conservative star power in his race, POLITICO's Kate Nocera reports: "Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed veterinarian Ted Yoho in his bid for a House seat in Florida's 3rd district on Tuesday. 'Underdog candidates like Ted aren't running because it's easy, and they don't plan on going to Washington to just 'go along to get along.' No, these underdogs are running to fight for sudden and relentless reform and they know the hard work it will require to make it happen," Palin said." The seat is expected to stay in Republican hands this
November.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4f919cb03afae9b0246493c719dcf899ac45548fc09489c88
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4f919cb03afae9b0246493c719dcf899ac45548fc09489c88

ARIZONA SUPER PAC DINGS QUAYLE: National Horizon, an Arizona-oriented super PAC that's gone after Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) in his primary fight against Rep. David Schweikert, sent Quayle a gift on Monday - but one that probably wasn't well-received. "Dear Congressman Quayle," the super PAC writes in the letter to the freshman lawmaker. "Please accept with our ... best wishes the enclosed Speedo swimsuit for your use on any future junkets to the Holy Land!"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4fda02a6c7349c1948e0406e004be56e9cbe485c85c5b51d6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4fda02a6c7349c1948e0406e004be56e9cbe485c85c5b51d6

--Quayle's response to the late-night dip, to KPHO in Phoenix: "I was properly attired. I had shorts on and went in very briefly, very quietly. I was never a part of any group that jumped into the water. It was something that I wanted to do by myself in an individual capacity ... I entered for 30 seconds. I was able to feel the Sea of Galilee and take that vial back home with me so we can baptize our daughter with it."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4ccc444671d6e20e3c11ff18bc607941cdea66dd5387347ac
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JACKSON JR. GETS KUCINICH VISIT: Rep. Dennis Kucinich was the latest visitor to check up on Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who is being treated for bipolar disorder at the Mayo Clinic. The Ohio Democrat's office uploaded this photo of the two lawmakers talking in front of a giant get-well card signed by their congressional colleagues:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d46f23a762583b7eb3dee075040817d8821d5eb2a87f31eb11
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MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Tom Flanagin of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's office does it again: He was the first to correctly answer that Grover Cleveland was the only president to have a child born in the White House, and that child's name was Esther. (Many Huddle readers answered Ruth, but she was born in 1891, when Cleveland was not in the White House)

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Who was the last Senate candidate who had won his or her party's nomination to withdraw from the race? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:skim@politico.com
skim@politico.com .

WEATHER - Partly cloudy and highs in the lower 80s, with a 30 percent chance of afternoon showers, according to ABC7's Bob Ryan.

NATS LINE - The Nats defeat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in a game that stretched past midnight at Nationals Park. The wrap-up, via the AP: "Thanks to Chad Tracy's hard-hit infield single in the 13th inning and alert baserunning by Danny Espinosa, Washington beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Monday night to take a six-game lead in the NL East ... Ian Desmond led off the 13th with an infield single off Cristhian Martinez (5-3) before Espinosa tried to bunt and hit into a forceout. Kurt Suzuki then hit a slow roller for an infield hit, allowing Espinosa to take third. 'Once I saw everybody break, I hit second. I saw there was no one at third, I kept rolling,' Espinosa said. With the infield in,
Tracy hit a ball to Braves second baseman Dan Uggla. Instead of either trying to get Espinosa at the plate or attempting to turn a double play, Uggla fumbled it, and Espinosa scored the game-winner."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89b2db6ff9ef47d4bc592796b9cf23019a37a5ec92764425c0f23c18edb4306d
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