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07/14/2017 07:54 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

LIVING ON THE EDGE - Republican leaders rolled out their new health care bill Thursday - which does some to appease conservatives and little for reluctant moderates - and almost immediately, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) declared their opposition to even opening up debate. Several other Republicans said they were still undecided on next week's procedural vote.

One more vote kills the bill: Right now GOP leaders are "putting immense pressure on about half a dozen other Republican senators not to join them and topple the entire effort," Burgess and Jen Haberkorn report. "Another 'no' is enough to kill the bill, and would also likely lead to mass defections."

Watch list: Undecided Republicans include Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Rob Portman (Ohio), John Hoeven (N.D.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.). Heller, Capito and Portman, maybe the toughest to convince, met extensively with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Thursday afternoon alongside other holdouts, Burgess and Jen report.

Quote du jour: "The only thing more difficult than peace between Israel and the Palestinians is healthcare," President Donald Trump told reporters in a conversation released Thursday by the White House. The latest on Senate health care negotiations: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c716107d73d60c69d65a76613518b9a3417fe80e0c68739fbda5dc13faf668b10f6e6bb4fabbb70bd50bc48e00a1ff658dd07


Infographic: What's new, changed and eliminated in the latest draft, via Jason Millman, Sarah Frostenson and Lily Mihalik, http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c71619c3ec3338f1a817ea4a0272103a6ac310c9ea70fc2528d85618be043e2a1fb02a546a8791022c58ddc80f2106f0d96d0 Related story: Revised bill keeps Obamacare taxes, adds funding for lower-income enrollees and to fight the opioid crisis, via Paul Demko, http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161ae5d996eafba543ccbf3c925f81a2475d0cd3fcefd520697e0a97bd104f85069a57c6112e59bd280b1c0ccfa7e0138b0

Graham's backup plan: "A new health care proposal from GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham that would direct much of Obamacare's federal funding directly to the states could offer a starting point for Congress if the Senate GOP effort fails next week," Burgess reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161d3a986860a4ecb2baac6d96f84f01d4fca1ab6b2ed72e29ca097f2905b03b1c9a9826f7f15e24ec6e1649bbc70a50932

Polar payout: The GOP's new health care bill steers cash to Alaska, whose Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been holding off in supporting the bill. Bloomberg: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c716199240132aeeb8c2c06d81770206ed2332bd84a2f073c03fce9dfd907b3d6439038362a9c2562270b932dccc4fcdd7be3

SCOOP: SIMPSON NOT TESTIFYING NEXT WEEK - Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of the firm behind the infamous Trump dossier, will not testify next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Josh Dawsey and Kyle Cheney report. "The request for Simpson to appear was voluntary, and it's unclear whether the committee will seek to compel his testimony." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c716156ab272420c95a80f2bb99c29c837bd2334bf4c1d0134e5ac749146b4c590f428cf8761edabf79668021f2a3f8546b6e

You've got mail: Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday he's sending a letter to Donald Trump Jr. officially inviting him to testify about his meeting with a Russian lawyer as soon as next week. Grassley said he's willing to subpoena Trump Jr. if necessary. Austin and Bres: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161c62427daa58a1c6dd9e6779518d809a2d85c9eedb36a48e34280050585e96e919ca80fed4480242ccfa526cec362ccd1

Dems target Kushner clearance: Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, "has become the top target of Democratic outrage over the campaign's ties to Russia, with Democrats ramping up their calls for his security clearance to be revoked," Austin and Kyle report. "His security clearance must be revoked immediately," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared on Thursday. "You lie on a disclosure form, that's a crime. You do it multiple times, that's arrogant and a crime." Read: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c71613bc9a39f6d419213240f84e8f66b2565268ffc085836a89b884bd9ac2cb606f8336c8097032a82baf9899e263970cdc2

BRINGING OUT THE BUDGET BIG GUNS - GOP leaders are bringing in Vice President Mike Pence and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney to help muster support in the divided caucus for a fiscal 2018 budget, Rachael and Sarah Ferris report. "Republican leadership and House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black are hoping that Mulvaney will be particularly helpful in wooing his former colleagues and friends on the hard-line Freedom Caucus, where he was once a member." Black is expected to schedule a committee markup on the budget as soon as next week. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c716125ee15f6e1bf4a8d242c3e994b1b9e482219c0c05dff20a662481822092df61813bd097456395252c98a4be6713b383f

WHOA, WE MADE IT TO FRIDAY. Welcome to July 14 and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Richmond Times-Dispatch story on Corey Stewart challenging Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) next year was the day's winner.

HOUSE REJECTS TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AMENDMENT - The House on Thursday rejected controversial amendments to the NDAA bill, including a proposal to end the Pentagon policy of "providing gender-reassignment surgeries and other therapies for active-duty transgender service members," Mike DeBonis reports for the Washington Post. The amendment was rejected 209-214, with 24 Republicans joining 190 Democrats in opposition.

Muslim amendment: The House is expected to wrap up consideration of the NDAA today, but not before it votes on another controversial proposal from Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) that critics say is unconstitutional and unfairly targets Muslims. Franks' amendment calls on the Pentagon to identify "Islamic religious doctrines, concepts or schools of thought" that could be used by terrorist groups, Rachael and Bres report. Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) met with Franks to try to convince him to withdraw the proposal but the Arizona Republican defended his amendment in an interview. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c71615642bd46bdab6fd3d255b7efc4135e680714a49ef0362f58c354a7eeb97ba17dfb29a8783fc47f43d4407960a085c03e

LAWMAKERS CHEER RIGHT TO BARE ARMS - Female lawmakers on Capitol Hill will be celebrating the "right to bare arms" today during votes after Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) announced he's ordering a modernization of the chamber's dress code. Before Ryan's announcement, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) passed out flyers encouraging her fellow female colleagues to show their shoulders today in protest of long-standing rules that prohibit sleeveless dresses in the chamber and Speaker's lobby.

A spokeswoman for Speier said "sleeveless Friday" is still on and the lawmakers will gather on the Capitol steps for a group photo. See the flyer, designed by Speier herself, complete with the lawmaker's bitmoji in - you guessed it - a sleeveless dress: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161d20d5d4de6ed354e6978dcbb4c95acdcd1ea8b1ef1a9262e8381bd8956b9521c235a90f57c62835ec61dc8b53b2d33e8

FORMER STAFFERS INDICTED OVER NUDE PHOTOS - "Two former employees of Stacey Plaskett, Congress' delegate from the Virgin Islands, have been indicted in connection with the circulation of nude images of Plaskett and her husband," Kyle reports. Juan McCullum, one of the aides, allegedly obtained and distributed the photos after being tasked with taking Plaskett's iPhone in for repair. U.S. attorneys allege McCullum "created Hotmail and Facebook accounts under a pseudonym to distribute and post nude images of Plaskett and her spouse." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c71612a7cb542fce5ba10b6fbbaf8d60fea8c621bae614063a37ca4819b6d06d569dabe241ef9a5cb4a9189046726b3388918

COMING ATTRACTIONS: DEMS TO FORCE RUSSIA VOTES - Later this morning, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats will announce a new, coordinated strategy to force Republicans to cast votes on issues related to Trump campaign ties to Russia, Austin reports. Democrats plan to introduce a series of resolutions of inquiry, which are then referred to committees. If the committees do not take up the resolutions within 14 legislative days, any member can request a vote on the House floor. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161aca4046cdd1e4a55630ac9dc6a1a9be21deaa3d3f281422d70526ac9fddf2dedc0e8cdb28a2f2e066d66b8fb86201483

BETO CRUZES BY IN SECOND QUARTER - Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) outraised Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) by about $500,000 in April through June, giving him a boost in his first quarter as a Senate candidate. O'Rourke hauled in $2.1 million compared to $1.6 million for Cruz. But, as Abby Livingston reports, "Cruz still has a significant cash-on-hand advantage with $5.7 million, while O'Rourke is expected to report just shy of $1.9 million in cash on hand." The Texas Tribune: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161a0e003ca53f18b9a5641ae7141cb0e54a5366a02e379f4416f1eb2877724050bf0f4a2d2d0dd99dd2b49e03169f3886e

CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT MADE EASIER - The Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School is out with a new set of videos aimed at better training congressional staffers on how to conduct investigations. The tutorials - 5 to 10 minutes long - feature investigative staffers who worked for former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) when he was chairman of the Homeland Security Committee's investigations panel. Levin now leads the center, which holds training workshops and bootcamps for congressional staff. Watch the videos: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c716122ff5d0834740db9f74a819065bc5c5924a837b1020e8e5430f90701f3788655860909065b189455e9e5b857d179de3a

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Ron Boehmer starts a new gig today as communications director for Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Ron's heading there from Rep. Rosa DeLauro's (D-Calif.) office, which he left on Thursday. Haley Dorgan is leaving her job as press secretary for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) for a job as media director at the Women's Equality Center.

Brandon Gassaway is starting a new job at Conway Strategic where he'll be "working to elevate" minority voices in the media on policy issues in Congress, he wrote in a good-bye email. Gassaway left his role as communications director for Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) earlier this week.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 9 a.m. to complete consideration of the NDAA with first and last votes starting around 10:30 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45e77e858e8c7161eac6a6430cb88dd9abdde1be6cdb62414b5813b2bfc49428ec2b855b6934e1bd5ee1643b1340c9d9a95d87e8e47f66e8 The Senate is out.

AROUND THE HILL - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) hold a 9:15 a.m. press conference on congressional oversight of the Trump administration in HVC Studio A.

House GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) hold a press conference on the NDAA in HVC Studio A after last votes.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Carlton Huffman was the first to correctly guess that North Carolina Gov. William Holden was the first governor removed from office after facing backlash for targeting the KKK in his state.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Carlton with today's question: What famous general's father lost in a race for the Senate against the father of the California recall? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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