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10/25/2018 08:04 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL -- The morning after calling for unity, the president is back to attacking the media. He criticized New York Times reporters as "so-called experts on Trump" for reporting what he called "a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it." According to Matthew Rosenberg and Maggie Haberman, U.S. spy agencies learned that China and Russia were eavesdropping on Trump's cellphone calls. Trump, however, claimed he only uses government phones and has "only one seldom used government cell phone." The NYT report: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c251851a9062d383632f8b59490087273eddce16e1e38e59b4ae64e631c3862e7745a1467bd674229

In a separate tweet this morning, Trump again blamed the press -- this time for "[a] very big part of the anger we see today in our society." That anger, he said, "is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News." "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description," he continued. "Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!"

Related: "CNN chief rips Trump after suspicious device sent to network," by Jason Schwartz and Michael Calderone: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c204de7ba4358f5c230666a291d86114b03daa346a5e200e4bfef57de922cbdb8dbe08c9cf5967b61

WATERS, DWS TARGETED -- Authorities are looking for the serial bomber targeting Trump's political enemies. Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are among those targeted. "The hunt for a serial mail bomber began late Tuesday night when Secret Service personnel conducting standard mail screenings found a pipe bomb inside a plain manila envelope with a bubble-wrapped interior addressed to ... Clinton," The Washington Post's Devlin Barrett, Mark Berman and Cleve R. Wootson Jr. report. "Officials described the devices as attempted acts of terrorism and cautioned that the number of bombs
-- and intended victims -- could grow."

One package with an incorrect address to former Attorney General Eric Holder had a return address to Wasserman Schultz's Sunrise office. Wasserman Schultz, a former DNC chairwoman, said she won't be intimidated and will get back to working for her constituents. The FBI said investigators also found "two additional packages" addressed to Waters "that are similar in appearance" to the others. Waters said Capitol Police informed her that her D.C. office "was the target of a suspicious package." She expressed appreciation for law enforcement and condemned "any and all acts of violence and terror."

Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also decried the attempted attacks, though House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) insisted Trump's "words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence." "The Senate sergeant at arms sent a message to senators and their staffers advising them to be cautious when handling mail and reminding people not to bring unopened mail or packages from outside into their Senate offices," Barrett, Berman and Wootson add. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c5834b6d6eeaf29b6af2c57c7280d24b4fefdc4c22125bd18729ebc8a8767b178d186635b0d24023d

Related reads: "Trump decries 'political violence' after years of stoking it," from Andrew Restuccia and Gabby Orr: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb807eed796ffda88090d29d04bac74dceba86297f367c3dac92ed8bf641ff7a15e79bf5b3988523e4 and "House Republicans Launch New Anti-Soros Ad After Bomb Attempt on Billionaire Democrat Donor," per The Daily Beast's Will Sommer: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c7563edc5b5fc345d3ed05d8d030562fe8545ab7482654b0112ebd4656f72f5076ca5f5072a487047

TRUMP HOLDS MEDIA ACCOUNTABLE -- In his own words, the president behaved nicely last night at a political rally in Wisconsin. But he also challenged the news media "to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories." For his part, Trump did urge politicians to "stop treating political opponents as morally defective." "The language of moral condemnation and destructive routine, these are arguments and disagreements that have to stop," he said. "No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains... We should not mob people in public spaces or destroy public property."

"Multiple times during the speech, Trump called attention to his tone, indicating that he was doing his part to promote unity," Brent D. Griffiths writes. "Do you see how nice I am behaving tonight?" Trump asked the crowd at one point. "Have you ever seen this? We're all behaving very well, and hopefully we can keep it that way. We're going to keep it that way." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c2171c8454887eaff7e1d9957b9803357d21bce9d64a52e29b5c1a8ae2fa04d8bdff4de3c04006ba7

Related: "After Bomb Scares, Trump Tries Bipartisanship, Then Blames the Media," via The New York Times' Katie Rogers and Eileen Sullivan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6dd0acaf4d5f511c9adb5898403abfd3f756d0a55de39ea7b857bf7fca4501d4740e050c21082b3a3ae42a03f7e8beed

GOOD MORNING! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Oct. 25.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) op-ed noting that last week's restaurant encounter didn't ruin his meal and will not intimidate him was the winner.

President Trump says a red wave is coming on Election Day. Is he right, or will the tide turn blue? Compete against the nation's top political minds in the POLITICO Playbook Election Challenge by correctly picking the winning candidates in some of the most competitive House, Senate and gubernatorial races in the country. Win awesome prizes and eternal bragging rights. Sign up today!

Your 2018 Midterms HQ: The countdown is on. Policy professionals know the 2018 midterms represent more than keeping track of winners and losers. The outcome of high-stake contests could dramatically alter the course of policymaking across the country. Go beyond election night with POLITICO Pro's 2018 Midterms HQ. Read More.

FIRST IN HUDDLE -- A national immigration rights group is launching a mid-six-figure ad campaign against Republicans in the final sprint to Election Day. iAmerica Action and its local partners are focused on mobilizing Latino and Asian-American Pacific Islander voters with a digital video and static ad campaign and a massive peer-to-peer texting campaign. The move comes as the president has escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric to galvanize his base. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. These are animals," the president intones in the 15-second ad, titled "Our Voices."

Over video of Latinos and AAPIs, a narrator says: "No matter what they say about us, our voice will decide what America will look like: a place for all or a place for some. Our vote is the answer. Go vote." The ads will run in California's 10th, 25th, 45th and 48th Congressional Districts; Virginia's 10th Congressional District; Florida's 26th Congressional District; Colorado's 6th Congressional District; Nevada's Senate race; and Nevada and Georgia's gubernatorial races.

A second ad targets Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.). It accuses him of voting to jail immigrant children and fund the president's border wall. "And on issues important to us, no matter what Mike Coffman says," the narrator says as an image of the congressman morphs into an image of Trump, "what he does is exactly like Donald Trump." The texting campaign will reach more than a half-million Latino and AAPI voters in California's 10th, 21st, 25, 45th and 48th Congressional Districts; Florida's 26th Congressional District; New York's 11th Congressional District; New Jersey's 7th Congressional District; and statewide in Nevada, Colorado, Florida and Georgia. The "Our Voices" ad:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cbcb35532cd2f788cea37fff8255f1a325ff4a37bdd9ba0c512b1fbfdace2f4704add668bce55b0355 and the Coffman ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb6324d8ee34b25930d6324ca4d3b7bc218e2c94698dfb5a41461706e4ada00478b9dafc3e7db7e290

Related read: "In a Florida Swing District, an 'Inconvenient' Republican Holds On," by The New York Times' Patricia Mazzei: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb0ba94ab1113151c579f6d09e20c0162ff945e8200762e6cd39df9bfb739d8b393d5c9613646f208e

RESCUE EFFORT -- A constellation of GOP groups -- including the NRCC's independent expenditure unit, Congressional Leadership Fund and America First Action -- are pouring millions of dollars into TV ads to protect Republicans in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, North Carolina and Virginia. "It's a last-minute effort that Republican operatives say will shore up lawmakers in seats that once leaned Republican but have become increasingly competitive," Rachael and Elena Schneider report. "It's also a troubling sign for the GOP's prospects of keeping the House." The rescue missions are mostly in districts where Republicans have won easily in the past. Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb9e5d32c569d5793f522181b930cb11cd2bdb7184284aa104267c309fc1b60bd08df3c042348f36f5

OBAMACARE REPEAL VOTE COULD COST GOP -- Vulnerable Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) asked GOP leaders to invest in a nationwide TV ad that could run in competitive districts to defend House Republicans' vote to repeal Obamacare last year. Leaders told him it would be too expensive, so he's on his own. "For weeks, ... Grothman had been getting pummeled by his Democratic opponent for voting to curb protections for people with pre-existing conditions -- most recently with an attack ad depicting a little boy with an oxygen mask over his face gasping for air," Rachael and Elana report.

"House Republicans are increasingly worried that Democrats' attacks on their votes to repeal and replace Obamacare could cost them the House," they continue. "While the legislation stalled in the Senate, it's become a toxic issue on the campaign trail for the House Republicans who backed it." The bill that passed the House allowed states to opt out of provisions protecting the elderly and the sick from higher premiums in effort to lower costs for everyone else. And the Trump administration is pushing a lawsuit to repeal Obamacare, even though the president tweeted that "Republicans will totally protect people with Pre-Existing Conditions" just yesterday. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cbd12284fa177a0b371eab70e9f6b171a7e1786948018c4c9d348705f607e04d75435ec7453846acdc

Related: "Trump tries to blame Democrats as his own administration chips away at Obamacare," from Dan Diamond: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb0952aa481260db5e00302329333c0d5f13f1692e084adeb275919d5d4c79e1cf54e599c918a2eb1e and "Trump to propose sweeping changes to Medicare drug prices," via Sarah Karlin-Smith and Dan Diamond: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cbcbad3783a2a4026dab54237d634992a25e08dc73faa2e32bb3f48a511588aee771045b9041be1915

REALITY CHECK -- Despite the president's rhetoric, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said it's "highly unlikely" that Congress will pass a new tax cut this year. The retiring Republican "expressed unfamiliarity with Trump's proposal this week of a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class,"Burgess writes. "Hatch said he could not comment on any new tax cut proposal and said he has not seen details regarding what the president has been referring to this week." Hatch hasn't discussed a tax cut vote with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whose office said it had no scheduling announcements.

"In September, the House passed a bill making permanent the temporary tax cuts for individuals included in last year's tax reform law," Burgess adds. "The Senate has declined to take it up because it cannot garner 60 votes and some Democrats in difficult campaigns would likely have voted for it to blunt criticism for opposing last year's tax reform law." Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) signaled that he would work with the administration to pursue Trump's new tax cut if Republicans keep their House and Senate majorities. Hatch didn't make a similar commitment but said he'll do his best "not to mess it up" if it's taken up in the lame duck. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cbf2ad0a4d533d55f59818aa5b1698a8992f45b831a2738e66edce28034f1d9eb250f71d483f74c7a3

THE RACE FOR ASST DEM LEADER -- There has never been a race for assistant Democratic leader -- until now. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) created the position as a soft landing spot for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) after Democrats lost the House in 2010. But with Democrats projected to reclaim the majority, and Clyburn poised to move up to a higher position, Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) are running for what's "shaping up as a proxy battle for the future of the party and a referendum on its current leader," National Journal's Daniel Newhauser writes.

"Though it is apparent only when reading between the lines, this race is at once bolstered by the caucus's frustration with Pelosi's historic stay in power and weighted with expectations that one of the two candidates could soon be House speaker," he adds. But "there is really no road map for what an assistant leader does. As a consequence, the candidates have been advancing expansive and intriguing visions for the post that conveniently double as blueprints for the future of the party--not to mention subtle rebukes of Pelosi's reign." Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb14b274a4fbbaa667562b3ce319e9d112c43216f7847513806ea341a5efd472da89d5081266c6ff5b

COMING SOON -- Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) will decide whether he will run for governor by Dec. 1. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards is seeking a second term. But "Kennedy would be a formidable candidate, maintaining high approval ratings with voters," The Associated Press reports. The Senate's most quotable member said he loves his job but finds it "hard to stomach what is happening in Louisiana right now." Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone has already filed paperwork declaring his candidacy and is willing to spend $5 million of his own money in his campaign. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb8318e590138c10e0a5baa698038c4f1e507598f82f7c0d1ee93d9d3849522bea9b658b8e3f8cffe1

GOP CANDIDATE THREATENED -- Law enforcement is investigating a threatening letter sent to GOP congressional candidate Jay Webber's place of business. "What the f--- is wrong with you ... scumbag?" the typed letter reads. "You BETTER hope that you don't win! Or else. How many kids do you have... 7? Unlucky 7. ... Time to get out of politics." Webber, a five-term state assemblyman running in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, said he won't be intimidated. "Criticizing a candidate on the issues is part of politics," he tweeted. "Threatening my children is not. We are thankful for the support of law enforcement as we work to find whoever is behind this gutless act." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f38c3c94126bb8cb52bd56a84a3eda83a10b84db08d36aa661fdf47d37eef666ec18465511ad4b0a8d7c23f00fea9f19

TRANSITIONS -- Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) is joining the faculty of Southeastern University as a distinguished professor of political science to launch the American Center for Political Leadership. Ross will teach political science courses, hold seminars on civic engagement and town halls, and help lead the ACPL's research focus.

Robert Story Karem, assistant Defense secretary for international security affairs, is joining Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) leadership office as national security adviser. Karem will advise McConnell directly on national security, foreign policy, defense and intelligence community matters. He will also advise GOP senators and staff.

Mitria Wilson is joining the Credit Union National Association as senior director of advocacy and counsel. She was previously senior counsel for the House Financial Services Committee's Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee.

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- David Gilliland was first to correctly guess that Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is the only current member of Congress who took part in the Iran-Contra investigation.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From David: In the last "Year of the Woman" election in 1992, a record-setting 24 women were elected to the House for the first time. Only three of those women were Republicans. Who are they? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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