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02/08/2019 08:01 AM EDT

By MELANIE ZANONA (mzanona@politico.com; @MZanona)


BORDER TALKS CHUG ALONG -- Congressional negotiators say they may not reach a border security deal until Monday, though they're still hopeful they can reach an agreement and avoid a shutdown one week from today. The two sides have been furiously trading offers, with Democrats now acknowledging there will be some funding for physical barriers like fencing. "This is the most positive I've been or I've seen in the talks since, oh gosh, maybe ever ... since last fall," said Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).

In another positive sign, President Donald Trump has shifted his tone, though it's unclear what he's willing to sign or if he will still try to use executive action to build the wall. "We'll see what happens, but I certainly hear they're working on something, and both sides are moving along," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll see what happens." Just days ago, Trump had dismissed the border talks as a "waste of time."

But if lawmakers can't finalize a proposal by Monday, there may not be enough time for it to pass both chambers. However, there has been some bipartisan chatter about a stopgap spending bill, though the sides disagree on length. Appropriator David Price (D-N.C.) said there could be a yearlong funding patch, while Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters the GOP would be open to a very short-term bill "if we're close, and it looks like there's serious, honest negotiations going on." Much more from Burgess, Heather and Sarah: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd1567476491334412e1482775d62f770a7c1040a5d81eb7c6226875af6080ee9acaef91860fa9f66ac71

Related: "Trump cornered on border wall," by Eliana Johnson, Burgess and Gabby Orr: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156064293e7d9ef530bdb15ee94f3aaa338e60731fc13cf07a607fda87748cacef1561aa26c216196eb

DINGELL DIES AT 92 -- Former Rep. John Dingell, the longest serving member in Congress and a political giant, has passed away after a battle with prostate cancer. The Michigan Democrat was 92. During his 59 years in the House, Dingell played a key role in passing the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the 2010 Affordable Care Act, to name a few. Dingell, the son of a lawmaker, rose to power through the Energy and Commerce Committee, which he chaired for over a decade. "If it moves, it's energy, if it doesn't, it's commerce," Dingell once quipped. He is survived by his wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell. Bres and Jake Sherman with the obit:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156a90dccf377c027971212da258ce2b3bf43177cafc242ab737ba76f4688b093226f05c0403d9a135a

The tributes: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) called Dingell a "beloved pillar of the Congress and one of the greatest legislators in American history." Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) pointed out that his original family means "blacksmith" in Polish. "Nothing could be more fitting for a man who hammered out our nation's laws," she said. And E&C Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) recalled the lawmaker's infamous "Dingellgrams", or written demands for answers. "No administration official or corporate executive wanted to be on the other end of a Dingellgram," he said. More reaction here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156917d7be34f0e8e51f83470a3268c850d30d470815e67f284991fbfab32b09c2798cecdee29a0a22b

WHIT-LASH -- After a tense back-and-forth, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has agreed to appear in front of the House Judiciary Committee today in what is expected to be a blockbuster hearing. Whitaker had refused to testify unless Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) dropped a subpoena threat, which Republicans decried as partisan overreach. Initially, Nadler refused, saying he needed the subpoena in his back pocket in case Whitaker - who has been critical of the Russia probe - tried to invoke executive privilege or not show up. But eventually, Nadler relented.

What Democrats want to ask: whether Whitaker consulted with the White House about his decision not to recuse himself from the Russia probe, if he has been briefed on the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and whether the president has ever discussed firing anyone who works in the office of the Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Andrew with the latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156a93d979bb2297360bf5384cfee6877f95077f9ed86d3c58b5645ed7ce0df1fe9ee13efedbf6b8f67

And adding to the drama, four House committee chairmen wrote a letter to Whitaker this morning saying they have obtained information that shows he failed to return "thousands of dollars" to the victims of an alleged scam by World Patent Marketing, where Whitaker was on the advisory board. The letter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd1569d036b951a17642c77e59ba3b98a2e4319d5a2bf03e9012059d389771b9d43cdcca7bc71eb335d94

Related: "Trump's attorney general nominee clears Senate Judiciary Committee," from Marianne: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156706ae1f75de0a2da6ed834463e8bb208dde28b41accf99f547fb2cc362beebc723890d6d3548a66b

IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Feb. 8, where we hope you do yourself a favor and listen to this sweet voicemail message that Dingell left his former staffer Christopher Schuler, describing a BuzzFeed story that he got a kick out of.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Huffington Post's report on how Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) treats her staff was the winner.

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DEMS EYE TRUMP TOWER PHONE RECORDS -- The House Intelligence Committee is preparing to issue a subpoena to get their hands on phone records surrounding the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting, reports The Hill. The meeting, which involved Trump campaign officials and a Russian lawyer, is at the heart of the Russia investigation. Donald Trump Jr. made blocked calls before and after the session, with some speculation that the calls were made to his father, but CNN reported that he was communicating with business associates. More from Olivia Beavers: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd15674210de8ce82b60c09bcba63861a3a486bb4ca564af0de902745396b41b7de955de0311642b08286

LIVING THE (GREEN) DREAM -- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) unveiled their blueprint for a "Green New Deal" to tackle climate change, which is quickly becoming a new litmus test in the Democratic party. Their goal: get to 100 percent renewable electricity, create a federal jobs guarantee program and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors.

But Pelosi raised eyebrows for seemingly undercutting the effort in an interview with Politico a day earlier. "It will be one of several or maybe many suggestions that we receive," Pelosi said. "The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they're for it right?" The speaker also announced her picks for a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, shortly before the Green New Deal's rollout. But the lead sponsors dismissed the notion of any party divisions and had nothing but praise for Pelosi. More from Zack Colman and Anthony Adragna: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156586f0b4e87e14c6adc04d336a1c654ef4edec6e834f6a4a0e64c1aa71fe91ce9c6676cdd7d6de7e1

Related: "Liberals worry Pelosi may pivot away from a bold drug price plan," by Sarah Karlin and Adam Cancryn: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd1567faa2961fb7fa3d645fb7704abd50f0e22de4ad4d83ee4c4a46dcd5f05962518c075741de8a19742

VIRGINIA DEMS SPEAK OUT -- The entire Virginia congressional delegation put out a joint statement on the series of controversies that have rocked the state's legislature. But they did not call for the resignations of Lt Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who is accused of sexual assault from a decade ago, or Attorney General Mark Herring (D), who admitted to wearing blackface. "We will continue in dialogue with one another and our constituents in the coming days, and evaluate additional information as it comes to light," the lawmakers said. Some in the group have, however, called on Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to step aside after a racist photo in his medical school yearbook surfaced.

Separately, an emotional Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) told your Huddle host that she thought the accusations against Fairfax were "heart-wrenching" and reminded her of similar stories she's heard from women in her life. Maggie Severns and Anita Kumar have more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd15632197442e62fc36dffea47765795cc41fa656d9446f8f50e3624233ad975d58280125c69ba288a9c

STEYER'S IMPEACHMENT PRESSURE -- Tom Steyer is taking his multimillion-dollar campaign to impeach Trump to the next level. The liberal megadonor is planning on targeting three powerful committee chairmen, Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), as well as pressuring rank-and-file members on the committees that would be involved in impeachment proceedings. He may even go after Democratic leaders, creating new headaches for leadership as they try to tamp down early impeachment talk. More from Laura Barrón-López: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156cdd96ca83cce0f26600a0a37b77460f78fe7da3c2d2ddc50f0f9989b053e5e520a950d9600574990

Related campaign news: "Georgia Rep. Rob Woodall won't seek reelection," from your Huddle host and Laura: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd156c891b54f28f127bda4b7a8d9b5c943340bc3fd9381dce47e28786bf9a9c660c72299192688302ade

NEW SHUTDOWN POLLING -- First in Huddle: The Navigator Research project, a band of Democratic pollsters and progressive leaders, is out with new polling today on the government shutdown. Among some of the most interesting findings: 71 percent of Americans heard a lot about the shutdown, underscoring how it dominated the news cycle. Only 32 percent of respondents would support shutting down the government again, even if it's for a cause they believe in. And 53 percent of Americans blame Trump and the GOP over Democrats for the shutdown.

SPOTTED: A bearded former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) at the White House. 2020 hopefuls Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Amtrak.

WEEKLY WINNERS AND LOSERS -- Starting today, Huddle will bring you a round up of "winners and losers" every Friday. Here are our picks for this week...

Winner: Female lawmakers, who had a big (and viral) moment in the spotlight during Trump's State of the Union address after he highlighted the record-breaking number of women serving in Congress.

Loser: The Virginia statehouse, where the three highest ranking officials are under pressure to resign as they battle two blackface controversies and a sexual assault allegation.
TRANSITIONS
Joshua Bradley is now the confidential assistant to DHS Assistant Secretary of Border, Immigration, and Trade Policy Michael Dougherty. He previously was legislative assistant for Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas).

Lauren Soltani, a former legislative director for Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), will join the legislative group of Washington Council Ernst & Young as a manager.

Kirsten Hartman is now deputy chief of staff for Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.). She previously was director of communications and media relations for the National Restaurant Association and was communications director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) before that.

Peter Winkler has left as district director for Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-Pa.) and is now running a small tax practice he's had for decades. He also served as district director for Rep. John E. Peterson (R-Pa.)
TODAY IN CONGRESS
The House gavels in at 9 a.m., with first and last votes expected at 10:45 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9053f8fe949cd1562a8b98eb8fdb35dfe86ed3582cba8088ce4f5518ecbf48e0261a5e55f5130b7ba873c12b896d7024 The Senate is out until Monday.
AROUND THE HILL
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds a press conference at noon in HVC Studio A.
TRIVIA
THURSDAY'S WINNER -- Bill Pascoe was the first to correctly guess that Alice Paul was a cofounder of the National Women's Party, organized the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade and was jailed for two months in 1917 (which included a hunger strike) for protesting in front of the White House.

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From Bill: What is the nickname of the only professional athlete @realDonaldTrump follows on Twitter? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: mzanona@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

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