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COOL McCONNELL GETS PASSIONATE: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rarely directly intervenes in an issue that divides his caucus, like how to handle the three expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act. Typically the majority leader sits back, takes the temperature of his ideologically diverse caucus and lets them work things out before wading into a fraught debate. But he's ditched that dispassionate approach on the lapsing surveillance laws, telegraphing his opposition to the House's reforms for weeks, ever since he introduced a clean, 5.5-year extension in April that made clear where he stands on the matter. The result has become something of legend already: Over the weekend, every
potential short-term or long-term solution on the matter failed, partially because McConnell whipped so hard against the House's USA Freedom Act.

Responsible vows threatened: Now as he eyes a pivotal eight-hour Senate session in just three days, McConnell's rare personal intervention into the law threatens to blow up his vows of laying a groundwork of responsible governance for his party's 2016 nominee -- which could just be Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator that's fought McConnell vociferously on the matter of anti-terrorism tools. The tactics have House Republicans (Rep. Ribble: "I don't know what his strategy is here") and Senate Democrats (Sen. Coons: "I genuinely do not understand Majority Leader McConnell's strategy") scratching their heads. But even Senate Republicans that disagree with his views on the PATRIOT Act are confident
that McConnell will find a way out. "He respects the will of the Senate and the will of its members," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), "the Senate will be driving toward consensus."
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No love from Lexington: The Herald Leader has a tough editorial on McConnell's handling of the law, calling it a "misstep" and criticizing the strategy of waiting until the deadline to make moves. "It's puzzling that McConnell hasn't had committees hammering out a compromise all year."
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'RUSSIAN ROULETTE': The Obama administration is certainly getting into the heated rhetoric game. Top officials are issuing increasingly grave warnings about the future of the United States's anti-terror program if Congress fails to pass something on Sunday, likening it to a lethal game of chance. "Whether it's a period of hours or days, what you're doing essentially is playing national security Russian roulette," a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday. The Hill:
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IRAN TO COME BACK ON HILL: Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker is planning a "significant set of hearings in June" on the Iran nuclear deal, to get his committee as prepared as possible and set the stage for Congress to level a motion of approval or disapproval against any such agreement ahead of the June 30 deadline. The idea is to get the Senate to do its homework and discuss matters beyond Arak, Fordow and covert operations, making members conversant in the complexities of an international nuclear deal. But it's also intended to nudge the Obama administration's negotiators as they hear what the Senate will -- and will not -- accept. "You want people in the Senate to be prepared
and to know what are the important things and the unimportant things. But you also probably want those hearings to sort of shape, to be effective and helping as the negotiators are hearing things coming out of people in the Senate on Iran. Hopefully it has some kind of positive effect on what they're discussing," Corker told us in an interview. "I want them to make a good deal. And one of the reasons that these hearings in June will be important will be let's talk about what a good deal is."

Last call for Wendy Sherman: If Corker wants to bring the lead negotiator on Iran to the Hill while she's still in the administration's employ, he'd better act fast. Wendy Sherman, the undersecretary of state for policy, is planning to leave shortly after the June 30 deadline, per the New York Times:
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LaTOURETTE'S BATTLE: Former Rep. Steve LaTourette was always a bit of a pain for House leadership, an outspoken, pro-union moderate quick with a quip, a quote, and often some good information. But the jovial Ohio Republican, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, is leveling a serious charge against his doctors in Congress, pursuing administrative claims against the federal government and accusing the congressional medical office of negligence. He says he was never told by congressional doctors to seek a follow-up for his gastrointestinal pain, and now LaTourette's "prognosis remains uncertain yet grave, with no definitive predictions with regard to life expectancy," according to the papers he
filed Friday in Washington. Zoe Tillman for the National Law Journal:
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The sun is shining and the birds are singing. Welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where we laugh heartily at your suggestions that we might have a "relaxing recess." Please send tips to
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com and follow along on Twitter @burgessev.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Bros in polos testing the outer limits of the recess dress code.

GRAHAM GIVES IT UP: Sen. Lindsey Graham is exiting the Air Force reserves, a decision prompted by him nearing the mandatory retirement age of 60. "I'm going to miss it an awful lot, and I wouldn't leave if they weren't making me." Manu has the scoop:
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DOJ OPPOSES MENENDEZ MOVE: The Department of Justice is fighting Sen. Robert Menendez's efforts to move his corruption trial from Newark to D.C. In a filing this week, DOJ said "the New Jersey Democrat 'ignores' the indictment's allegations he accepted things of value in his home state and demonstrates a 'lack of seriousness' about the charges he faces ... Members of Congress have been indicted in the past, DOJ lawyers state, and they have been tried in places other than D.C. without the 'severe' disruption predicted by Menendez. For example, Reps. James Traficant, D-Ohio; Mario Biaggi, D-N.Y.; and Michael G. Grimm, R-N.Y., were all tried and convicted back home." Roll Call's Hannah Hess:
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KINZINGER FIRES AT CRUZ: Building on his "decline of Rand Paul" column earlier this week, Dana Milbank is now taking aim at Sen. Ted Cruz's positions on Syria, and he's got just the House Republican to help him do it. "I was reminded of Cruz's hypocrisy this week by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who served three tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as an Air Force pilot. Kinzinger, who favors a muscular foreign policy, was one of a small group of House Republicans leading the effort to give Obama authority to bomb Syria in 2013 - but they were undone when Cruz began declaring that bombing the Syrian regime would make the United States 'al-Qaeda's air force.' 'I think Ted Cruz
bears some responsibility for not enforcing the red line,' Kinzinger [said]. 'The Republican support began crumbling the more Cruz spoke. His words implied that anyone who voted for strikes would be acting as an agent of al-Qaeda.'"
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BANK SHOT: After two years with Fidelity Investments, Sam Mahler is heading to Sen. Mark Kirk's office to work on banking and financial services issues.

BURNING UP THE CONGRESSIONAL WIFI: Sen. Rand Paul's gone and given Us Weekly an exclusive 25 things we don't know about him, including that he cuts his own hair and enjoys mowing the lawn. "A rare hobby of mine: composting! Because of my composting, I guess I qualify as a 'crunchy-con.'"
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Not so much: Some Ted Cruz supporters made something that people are calling a "rap song" in support of the Texas presidential candidate, but with a beat that was probably made on an 80s Casio and lyrics that sound like someone put a dictionary in a blender, we'd rather not insult the genre.
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WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Bill Sklar was the first to answer that Oscar Lopez Rivera will mark his 34th year in prison this Friday May 29th, making him the longest held political prisoner in a U.S. prison.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Barrett Thornhill has today's question: "When the Senate was formed, this man tried to to create the position of 'Usher of the Black Rod.'" Who was the man and what was the position eventually called? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
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