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03/15/2016 09:06 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (Rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

ON THE RECORD - "Via Legislative Side Doors, Bernie Sanders Won Modest Victories." Jennifer Steinhauer on page A1 of the N.Y. Times today: "As Democrats cobbled together a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration law three years ago, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was clear about one thing: His party could not suffer a single defection. But one naysayer remained - Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who ... once again did not like provisions in the new bill that he thought would displace American workers. And he had a price, a $1.5 billion youth jobs program... [He] got his wish..."

"[T]he jobs program amendment was a signature Bernie Sanders move. He is a self-described democratic socialist who has spent a quarter-century in Congress working the side door, tacking on amendments to larger bills to succeed at the margins, generally focused on working-class Americans, income inequality and the environment. Mr. Sanders is not unlike Tea Party Republicans in his tactics, except his are a decaf version." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eac55e4876530a4ae24f26e02c4bf4164314e147d2b453f8554

HILL REPUBLICANS TORN ON TRUMP VIOLENCE. More awkward conversation for the GOP establishment on the Hill, per Burgess: "Capitol Hill Republicans don't want violence at Donald Trump's rallies, but they also don't want to tell the business mogul what to do. As the GOP presidential field likely narrows this week, elected Republicans aren't just divided over whether to back Trump... They're also split over how to respond to incidents of violence and a hyper-charged atmosphere at Trump's events."

"In interviews on Capitol Hill Monday, no Senate Republican leader would directly blame Trump for the melee at an event in Chicago on Friday as well as recent confrontations in Ohio and North Carolina. Several of them agreed that Bernie Sanders supporters were likely behind the violent atmosphere at Trump's campaign events, even as they urged the candidate not to exacerbate it.... Republicans are in a tough spot as worries grow that Trump's campaign events could devolve into chaos: Wary of antagonizing the likely GOP nominee and his legions of voters, but also not wanting to give Trump a pass, for allowing tensions to fester at his rallies that could take an uglier turn."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eac0cb5a48694d550e91a7783154a145b119eecb0757c2ecd5b

Then there's this across the Rotunda: "Ryan condemns violence at Trump rallies," per Jake: "House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday the violence at Donald Trump's rallies is "very concerning" and said candidates need to take "responsibility for the environment" at their political events. The comments, made during a radio interview with WRJN, a local station in Wisconsin, were Ryan's (R-Wis.) most forceful comments on the tone and unrest at Trump's political events." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eac445c7d4706f8769d9364d791dcc6d742fca4c64c1b362e35

DEMS FEAR W.H. SCOTUS PROBLEM - "Hill Democrats getting antsy waiting for SCOTUS pick." POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton and Josh Gerstein on internal worries in the party: "Democrats on Capitol Hill are getting impatient with President Barack Obama's deliberations over his Supreme Court nominee, fearing a delay beyond this week could signal a problem. The White House has refused to offer a specific timeline beyond promising to give the Senate 'ample time' to advise and consent to the nominee before the high court's next term starts in October."

"On Monday, Press Secretary Josh Earnest again said the nomination won't necessarily come before Obama leaves on Sunday for his five-day swing through Cuba and Argentina... Earnest did not respond to a question about whether there was a problem with the vetting process. And any foot-dragging from the White House could also give Republicans an opening to advance a narrative that Obama is struggling to recruit a Supreme Court nominee who will almost inevitably be rejected by the Senate." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eacee57d9685315b5d8585267f92139516369f4c5d8dccd4830

-- "Democrats to link court vacancy to late-term abortion bill." Seung Min reports: "Senate Democrats are trying to turn the GOP's refusal to move on the Supreme Court vacancy into the latest episode of the 'war on women.' Led by some of their most senior female members, Senate Democrats will take to the floor Tuesday to launch a new messaging offensive that ties the battle over replacing Justice Antonin Scalia to a GOP-led hearing on late-term abortions scheduled to occur later Tuesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eacfa4257ca623d956b3a27412006d88f224aef328b120d00cd

SUPER TUESDAY PART II? It's March 15, 2016 and you're reading Huddle, POLITICO's all-things-Congress morning tip-sheet, where we've got a bunch of news for you - though primaries in Ohio, Florida and three other states are driving the conversation. Comment? Ping me at: rbade@politico.com or on the Twitters: @RachaelMBade

TODAY IN CONGRESS. House votes between 1:15-2:15 p.m. and 3:45-4:45 p.m. The Senate is back at 10 a.m. and breaks between 12:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. for weekly caucus lunches.

AROUND THE HILL. At 10 a.m. House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Joe Crowley and Reps. Zoe Lofgren and John Yarmuth have a media availability on the GOP budget. Speaker Ryan and GOP leaders, meanwhile, hold their post-conference meeting media availability. At 10:30 a.m., Grammy-award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda from the Broadway show Hamilton will join House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, several additional House Democrats and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Richard Blumenthal to call for action to address Puerto Rico's debt crisis in the Senate Small Business Committee hearing room.

At noon, Friends of Ireland hold a luncheon with Obama, VEEP Joe Biden, Speaker Ryan, and the Irish Prime Minister. (They depart at 1:30 p.m. if you want a picture on the east front House steps.) At 1 p.m. Reps. Raul Grijalva, Keith Ellison and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will reveal their own version of a budget. Dr. Christopher Krebs and Dr. Christine Lindquist, authors of a trend-setting survey into sexual assault on college campuses, will hold a staff briefing in the House and Senate at 11 a.m. in 562 Dirksen and 2 p.m. at 402 Cannon.

MICA UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: "GOP lawmaker's 'meals with constituents' draw scrutiny." Scott Wong for The Hill: "Democrats are raising questions about hundreds of thousands in campaign cash longtime Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) spent on lunches and dinners with constituents over the past 18 years of his legislative career. Since 1998, the former House Transportation Committee chairman has spent more than $230,000 on hundreds of 'meals with constituents,; campaign records reveal. That includes $10,000 at restaurants hundreds of miles from home in New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Illinois, South Carolina and North Carolina. Democratic campaign officials say Mica categorizing so many of his meals as
'meals with constituents' is a dubious practice that could constitute a violation of House Ethics rules. They allege that Mica, 73, has been feeding at the trough of campaign donors, not taxpayers." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eacdf1bbd95a179af4eeee4e30bf5d346b47534940a0da84885

DOWN THE BALLOT: "Ohio to Choose Among 15 Potential Successors to John Boehner," per the N.Y. Times' Carl Hulse: "The second most important primary in Ohio on Tuesday might be the race to replace former Speaker John A. Boehner. Fifteen - yes, 15 - Republicans are on the ballot to succeed Mr. Boehner, who left Congress in October under pressure from conservatives who had bedeviled him since he became speaker in 2011. The winner of Tuesday's Republican primary will almost certainly become a new member of Congress after the June 7 special general election: Mr. Boehner's southwest Ohio district is the very definition of rock-ribbed Republican. The new lawmaker will have to run again in
November." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eac752b35d67d93dfa522381d9136304c48bcf8517d494be803

THREE SENATE RACES TO WATCH TODAY. Borrowed from our friends over at POLITICO's Morning Score: "Senate races: Illinois and Ohio are top targets for Democrats looking to retake the Senate this year, but the Democratic primaries in each race aren't expected to be too competitive. In Illinois, Rep. Tammy Duckworth is expected to triumph over Andrea Zopp, a businesswoman and former prosecutor. Zopp scored an early endorsement from Bill Daley, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, but she hasn't been able to compete with Duckworth's superior name recognition and fundraising. In Ohio, former Gov. Ted Strickland will likely defeat P.G. Sittenfeld, a young Cincinnati city councilman.
And in North Carolina, former state Rep. Deborah Ross is expected to beat two lesser-known challengers.

FREEDOM CAUCUS REJECTS LEADERSHIP BUDGET. Matt Fuller for Huffington Post: "From the basement of a Capitol Hill restaurant, Tortilla Coast, Freedom Caucus members took an official position against the $1.07 trillion budget that's scheduled for a committee vote on Wednesday. The conservatives took issue with the top-line spending number, arguing that Republicans should go back to the $1.04 trillion level under automatic spending cuts known as sequestration that were set in 2011. At least 30 members of the roughly 40-member Freedom Caucus voted to formally oppose the budget. Those 30-some members are vital for the Republican budget. Without their support, the document would lack a majority of
House votes, since the spending blueprint typically gets no Democratic backers." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c3f5257bf2706eacb5c4047a58fc3861b9e64126311691222057ff9e2e07df5e

"HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING IS ATROCITIES AS GENOCIDE." The AP's Matthew Lee and Richard Lardner. "Ratcheting up the pressure on the Obama administration, the House has overwhelmingly approved a resolution that condemns as genocide the atrocities committed by the Islamic State group against Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. The non-binding measure, passed Monday by a vote of 393-0, illustrated the heavy bipartisan support for action on Capitol Hill. Secretary of State John Kerry is leaning toward making a genocide determination against the Islamic State and could do so as early as this week, when a congressional deadline for a decision has been
set." apne.ws/1S0RKtR

DEM FIELDTRIP! "Pelosi, 16 House Democrats to join Obama trip to Cuba." Lauren French with the read on tagalongs to the first POTUS trip to Cuba in 88 years: "Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and 16 other House Democrats will join President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Cuba this month... Reps. Karen Bass, Cheri Bustos, Sam Farr, Rosa DeLauro, Barbara Lee, Charles Rangel, Kathy Castor, David Cicilline, Steve Cohen, Jan Schakowsky, Peter Welch, Alan Lowenthal, Jim McGovern and Lucille Roybal-Allard. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra of California will also travel to Cuba along with Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee."

LEWIS ENDORSES JAWANDO IN CROWDED MARYLAND HOUSE RACE. Lauren French writes in: "Civil rights icon John Lewis announced his endorsement of Will Jawando - one of the five candidates jockeying to replace Rep. Chris Van Hollen in the eighth district in Maryland. It's a major pick up for Jawando, who is also African-American and will need heavy turnout from black voters in the Democratic primary if he were to secure a victory. 'Will Jawando is the progressive leader we need in Congress. Will has the knowledge and ability to get things done on day one for working families in Maryland and across the nation,' Lewis said. 'He will be an advocate and ally on the issues that matter most to our
community; reducing gun violence, protecting our right to vote, and securing equal pay for equal work.'

"Lewis rarely gets involved in contentious primaries and Jawando is the Georgia Democrat's second-only endorsement of the 2016 cycle behind Hillary Clinton, the campaign said. Jawando is facing popular state politicians and two candidates with deep-pockets because of fundraising prowess and personal wealth. The district is heavily Democratic so the winner of the April 26 primary will likely win the general."

SO LONG, FAREWELL: After nearly a decade working for five U.S. senators, most recently Sen. Bob Corker on Foreign Relations, Tara DiJulio is leaving the Hill to join GE's global public affairs staff.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER: Andrew Gibson was the first to answer that Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley both served in the 23rd Ohio Infantry during the Civil War - and later became President.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from our winner: The Articles of Confederation called for the election of a President (though largely ceremonial), years before George Washington was elected under the Constitution. Who also has claim to the title of first President of the United States. Email me: rbade@politico.com

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