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11/23/2015 09:29 AM EDT


By Lauren French (lfrench@politico.com or @@laurennfrench)

GRASSLEY STEPS UP INVESTIGATIONS INTO CLINTON WORLD. Rachael Bade and Annie Karni report, "Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is amping up his investigation into Hillary Clinton's email setup and the special work status of one of her top confidantes - just as the Democratic presidential front-runner's allies are accusing Grassley of using his oversight authority to hurt her campaign. Grassley (R-Iowa) took two new steps last week. On Wednesday, he issued a letter to former Clinton aide Heather Samuelson, who screened Clinton's emails as secretary of state to initially determine which ones would be turned over to the government and made available publicly, and which ones were deemed
private and would later be deleted. Among other things, the missive, obtained by POLITICO, asked what level of security clearance Samuelson had at State; several hundred of Clinton's emails, which she routed through a private server, have since been deemed classified." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=60bdbcf24f526aee4b4c42a26322ec698bc211a79a58a3e4389318f81f8091a8

FCC IS FAILING TO COLLECT ON FINES - AND CONGRESS IS STARTING TO TAKE NOTICE. Alex Byers has the story, "The FCC has yet to collect more than $100 million in fines it's announced against companies in the past two years, sparking criticism from members of Congress who say the agency is chasing headlines without following through on enforcement. Among the outstanding cash: about $100 million in penalties proposed in 2013 against nearly a dozen companies accused of defrauding the FCC's Lifeline low-income phone subsidy program, as well $35 million against a Chinese company for allegedly selling illegal wireless jamming equipment in June 2014, according to a POLITICO review of agency records."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=60bdbcf24f526aeeca3de3693243fa2a0fe1b9339b0f2325c325fd5149a5886b

CONYERS PREPARES FOR 27TH TERM. Todd Spangler with Detroit Free Press reports, "U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, already the longest-serving active member of Congress and the longest-serving African-American congressman in U.S. history, will run for a 27th two-year term next year, looking to extend a legislative tenure stretching back to the Civil Rights era... With the announcement, Conyers, 86, made clear that he has no immediate intention to cede a seat he has held with few serious challenges since 1965, despite some recent opposition. In 2014, he faced the Rev. Horace Sheffield for the Democratic nomination in the predominately Democratic district, beating him handily. For 2016,
Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey has already indicated she will test the political waters against Conyers, though defeating him could be an uphill battle given his stature in progressive circles and enormous name recognition." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=727c7dbd2c1e93722d175ad472c65a973a1f3481d1a998afa87e3506bf7765a2

WELCOME, it is Monday, November 23, 2015. Thanks for reading Huddle, which is coming to you from the snow-covered lands of Northern Illinois (Peter Roskam's 6th congressional district, to be specific) this week. You can find me at lfrench@politico.com and @laurennfrench on Twitter.

TODAY IN CONGRESS: Not a single thing.

BREAKING OVER THE WEEKEND: VITTER LOSES GOV. RACE, WON'T SEEK ANOTHER SENATE TERM.... From FoxNews, "Louisiana GOP Sen. David Vitter won't seek reelection in 2016, after losing the state governor's race Saturday. The two-term senator lost to state Democratic Rep. John Bel Edwards in the runoff election....The Democratic victory was as much about Vitter's flaws as a candidate as it was about Edwards' strengths. Edwards painted the race as a referendum on Vitter's character and suggested the senator didn't measure up in such a competition...In the final days, Vitter sought to rally Republican voters by drawing policy distinctions with Edwards and making Syrian refugee resettlement an issue in
the state campaign. But it didn't work." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=60bdbcf24f526aeea39b4b7b6cc0cb08f167157bbc3666d4881fca20f0bbcfdd

....WHAT IT MEANS FOR 2016. Kevin Robillard has the story, "Vitter's exit will set up an open-seat race in 2016, and the Republican side of the field is chock-full of potential candidates. GOP Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming, state Treasurer John Kennedy, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle could all make bids. The Democratic picture is less clear: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is the most obvious candidate, but he passed on a gubernatorial bid this year. Louisiana has all-party primaries....One thing is clear: After a big loss in a damaging gubernatorial contest, Vitter's decision to step aside increases Republicans' chances of holding
his Senate seat. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=60bdbcf24f526aeeb48dbd0bbf3a86e2282c9942f9b38763edb2698bbac7806a

CLYBURN DONATES PAPER TO ESTABLISH CIVIL RIGHTS CENTER. From the Associated Press' Susanne M. Schafer, "South Carolina native and No. 3 House Democrat James Clyburn is sending his congressional papers to the University of South Carolina to help establish a new research and education center on civil rights... The 75-year-old congressman is formally announcing the donation Monday morning. Clyburn said he thinks students and citizens demonstrating for civil liberties today will be buoyed by learning of the courage shown by the average men and women - black and white - who struggled for years to achieve equality." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=727c7dbd2c1e9372d669385617bde748a3d8938a1e7c1100f2091ce81ec5d484

GABBARD, ROHRABACHER VISIT PARIS AFTER ATTACKS. Big Island News reported on the trip, "Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard traveled to Paris Friday with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California....While in the city, Congresswoman Gabbard and Congressman Rohrabacher offered condolences and met with senior level government leaders who updated them on counter-terrorism security related issues, including the visa waiver program....On Friday morning, Congresswoman Gabbard met with French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Political Director Nicolas de Riviere and National Assembly Member Jean-Francois Cope. The meeting included topics of the visa waiver program, intelligence gathering, the tracking of
European foreign fighters, and the military strategy to defeat ISIS." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=60bdbcf24f526aee058ffa495897b8303a627cd2182be2f8684789454ce9ed63

HUDDLE SIDEBAR: Ignore the hometown vibe of that story. It's always good to know when lawmakers jet overseas, especially after high-profile terrorist attacks, and the trip is the first congressional delegation to visit France after Islamic extremists killed scores of people less than two weeks ago. Another delegation of lawmakers is expected to attend the Paris climate talks in Paris next month. Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, was also one of just 47 Democrats to support a Republican-authored bill to beef up screening requirements for Syrian and Iraqi refugees entering the U.S.

FROM THE SUNDAY SHOWS: FEINSTEIN SAYS OBAMA APPROACH ISN'T 'SUFFICIENT TO BEAT ISIS. Cory Bennett reports for the Hill, "The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat on Sunday pressed the White House to move more aggressively against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "I don't think the approach is sufficient to the job," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation." Feinstein's comments come in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed about 130 people and wounding hundreds more. ISIS has taken credit for the deadly plot." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=727c7dbd2c1e937241722b96309df3ec6feed58e6510f15279722fd93b586d60

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Andrew Smith was the first to correctly answer that John Tyler was the only Senate pro tempore who later became president.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Andrew Smith has today's question. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. George Washington first declared "A Day of Public Thanksgiving" on November 26, 1789, however, his predecessors took liberties in celebrating the holiday at varying dates and even months. Which president, and when did he sign, the resolution that established Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November?

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