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By Scott Wong (
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EQUAL PAY DAY - In a coordinated push today, Democrats across the Capitol will draw attention to this fact: Even in 2014, men still make much more than women. House Democrats will talk up gender pay disparities with reporters after caucusing this morning, while Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) steps before the cameras to pressure reluctant Republicans to back the Paycheck Fairness Act, a Democratic bill aimed at closing the pay gap between women and men. Not to be outdone, Nancy Pelosi will follow with a press conference of her own. Then after lunch, Appropriations ChairwomanBarbara Mikulski and other Democratic senators will take over the floor and talk about the issue some more.

President Obama's also doing his part to push the key midterm election issue: He'll sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their compensation to find out if they are underpaid. And the president will instruct Labor Secretary Tom Perez to require that contractors submit statistics on employee pay, including data by sex and race.

-- BUT OBAMA'S CRITICS are trying to turn the tables on the White House, Michael D. Shear and Annie Lowrey report for the New York Times: "President Obama on Tuesday will call attention to what he has said is an 'embarrassment" in America: the fact that women make, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns. But ... Mr. Obama's White House fares only slightly better. A study released in January showed that female White House staff members make on average 88 cents for every dollar a male staff member earns. The dueling statistics reveal the political sensitivities around a set of gender-related issues that could be critical in the midterm elections this fall. Those include
pay equity, family leave, preschool and child care."
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GOP'S ANSWER TO 'WAR ON WOMEN': WOMEN-- Anna Palmer reports for the hometown paper: "Republicans say the Democrats' 'war on women' line is fake. But their fear of it is real. More than a dozen female Republican lawmakers gathered last week with GOP operatives to hold a broad discussion on conservative ideas to empower female voters. The party launched a program earlier this year to place more women in Republican campaigns. And the three big national party committees have teamed up to respond to Democratic attacks. They even showcased women who work for the party at the top of their latest talking points.

-- "With the Senate up for grabs in 2014 and Democrats promising to make women's issues the centerpiece of the campaign, the GOP has spent the last year coming up with these new ideas to blunt a repeat of 2012, when key Senate races slipped through their fingers amid controversial Republican comments about rape. The strategy faces its first big test Tuesday, when a coalition of Republican committees will release its response to a Democratic push to make 'fair pay' a campaign issue designed to appeal to women. 'Republicans have a good alternative to the Democrats' deceptive war-on-women ploy, and we're mobilizing to ensure Republican elected officials and candidates are armed,' said
Republican National Committee national press secretary Kirsten Kukowski. ...

-- "Still, Republicans face significant hurdles, this year and in the long run. House Republican Conference Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the only GOP woman in leadership in either chamber. There are also fewer female Republican candidates running than in past election cycles. And, Republicans have had to teach their male candidates and incumbents how to talk to women - an embarrassing moment for the party when news broke of the tutoring sessions."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a7fa2d78f035acd5d02199949edd0d26bfd910e11f9cc8de3
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THIS WON'T HELP: MARRIED McALLISTER CAUGHT ON VIDEO KISSING STAFFER - The tiny (West Monroe, La.) Ouachita Citizen with a big scoop. Zach Parker and Sam Hanna Jr. report: "[GOP] Congressman Vance McAllister issued a statement Monday afternoon 'asking for forgiveness' after The Ouachita Citizen first reported McAllister was captured in a video recording passionately kissing and embracing a member of his congressional staff. ... 'I'm asking for forgiveness from God, my wife, my kids, my staff, and my constituents who elected me to serve. Trust is something I know has to be earned whether your a husband, a father, or a congressman. I promise to do everything I can to earn back the trust of
everyone I've disappointed.' ...

-- "McAllister, who campaigned for office last fall as a devout Christian and devoted husband and father, was caught in video surveillance two days before Christmas passionately embracing and kissing one of his congressional aides. The Ouachita Citizen obtained the video recording from an anonymous source. ... The incident occurred at roughly 1:39 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2013, inside McAllister's congressional office at 1900 Stubbs Ave., Suite B, in Monroe. The woman who McAllister, 40, was caught kissing for almost half a minute is ... McAllister's district scheduler."
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-- Never heard of the Ouachita Citizen? WaPo's Erik Wemple has more: "The bylines on the piece belong to Zach Parker, a 26-year-old news editor, and Sam Hanna Jr., who is the newspaper's publisher-cum-investigative reporter. (The Hanna family also owns and operates two other Louisiana newspapers.) The voicemail message at the Ouachita Citizen lists options for five employees, though Parker says the paper is up to six at this point. Circulation, he says, doesn't exceed 5,000. This community paper has been a "fixture" in Ouachita Parish, according to its Web site, 'since John Marion 'Jack' Reighney Sr. began publishing the West Monroe Churchman in 1924.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93aa012fbfc45f3e0bd5ccc559965572847ca9d0cfeba972411
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GOP STRATEGIST JOHN FEEHERY, writing in The Hill, says asks why not Rob Portman in 2016?
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HOUSE DEMS are launching online today their own take on the Paul Ryan budget,including economic studies, shareable graphics and headlines:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a2173d9e04d5d74e2b603f6bce885df4661ffe19c68c71d75
www.dems.gov/gopbudget . "It couldn't be more clear that the #GOPbudget plan is nothing more than an assault on America's seniors, students, workers and middle class families," a Democratic aide emails.

COLO.'S 6TH: OBAMACARE VS. GOP - In Aurora, POLITICO's Jake Sherman reports on what both parties consider the most competitive House race in the country: "The contest [between Republican incumbent Mike Coffman and Democrat Andrew Romanoff] is expected to be a magnet for outside money, and officials on both sides said the overall price tag for the entire campaign could exceed an extraordinary $25 million. That would make it one of the priciest campaigns in history, all for the support of the roughly 400,000 registered voters in this district that is roughly split among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

-- "This race will be a high-profile test of what offends voters more: Obamacare or the Republican Congress. Romanoff is running squarely against House Republicans' agenda, and Coffman is banking on the hope that voters will be sufficiently outraged about Obama's health plan to turn out on Election Day."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a60e3fb2891bed41ffe69a698c0f7d5179a946379be72aef6 Video by M. Scott Mahaskey:
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GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 8, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
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TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 10 a.m. and recesses from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. for weekly party caucus lunches. Sen. Harry Reid has filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the cloture vote is set for Wednesday.

The House also meets at 10 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 3 and 4 p.m. on the Baseline Reform Act. The House also will begin consideration of Chairman Paul Ryan's fiscal year 2015 budget.

AROUND THE HILL - Sen. Orin Hatch discusses the U.S. trade agenda at 8:30 a.m. at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra, Vice Chairman Joe Crowley and Rep. Rosa DeLauro hold a post-meeting availability on pay equity at 10 a.m. in the HVC-210 alcove. Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders hold a post-conference media availability at 10 a.m. in HC-8. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Chuck Schumer and Al Franken speak on fair pay at 11 a.m. in the Senate Studio. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen hold a pen and pad briefing to discuss the House Dem budget alternative at 11 a.m. in H-144.

Reps. Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman speak on Syria and Kessab at 11:30 a.m. at the House Triangle. Nancy Pelosi and women members of the House Democratic Caucus will hold a press conference to mark Equal Pay Day at 12:45 p.m. in HVC Studio A. Reps. Sandy Levin, Steny Hoyer, Xavier Becerra and others speak on unemployment insurance at 2 p.m. at the House Triangle. Democratic Reps. Lucille Roybal Allard, Judy Chu, Linda Sanchez, Donna Edwards and Michelle Lujan Grisham will visit women fasting for immigration reform, at 2 p.m. on the National Mall.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez holds a working coffee with Foreign Minister of Israel Avigdor Lieberman at 2:15 p.m. in S-116. Reps. Buck McKeon and Mike Turner speak on Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. military at 2:30 p.m. in HVC Studio A. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Cedric Richmond highlight the importance of the Jones Act to Louisiana's economy, at 2:40 p.m. in Dirksen 366.

YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN POLITICO & THE U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION tonight for the second annual Capital Soccer Classic at RFK Stadium, featuring an embassy tournament to celebrate the year of the World Cup, a congressional soccer match and staffer tournament. Featured participants include representatives from the embassies of Spain and Belgium and members of the Congressional Soccer Caucus. Admission is free and all are welcome:
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TRANSITIONS - BILL GHENT has been promoted to chief of staff for Delaware Sen. Tom Carper's Washington office. He replaces Jim Reilly who served in that role since 2007 and has landed a job with the American Wind Energy Association. Ghent joined Carper's team in April 2003, serving as communications director before being promoted to legislative director in 2007.Before that, Ghent was a journalist for eight years, covering Congress for various inside-the-Beltway publications, including National Journal's Congress Daily.He is a graduate of Trinity College in Connecticut and received a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

HOUSE SHRUGS OFF SENATE JOBLESS AID BILL - Lauren French reports for POLITICO: "The fate of expired unemployment benefits tied the Senate in knots for nearly four months. The response in the House: a nonchalant shrug. The bill's not high on the House agenda this week, and it won't be much higher when the House returns from a two-week recess at the end of the month. There is talk of amending the bill and sending it back to the Senate with provisions favored by Republicans - but even that seems to be on the back burner. That leaves the package in limbo, even as Democrats threaten to make it an election year issue - a threat doing little to spur House Republicans to action. ... It's a striking
position, given that six Senate Republicans joined Democrats on Monday to pass legislation that extends the jobless benefits for five months. ...for now, Boehner isn't budging, criticizing the way the Senate pays for the $10 billion bill and saying the legislation doesn't do enough to create jobs."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a93e0e429c318547f80692ed8dbe042f3523156c0c29b91f2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a93e0e429c318547f80692ed8dbe042f3523156c0c29b91f2

SENATE DEMS' AWKWARD DANCE WITH OBAMA - Paul Kane writes on A1 of the Washington Post: "Sen. Mark Begich has said repeatedly that he thinks President Obama is wrong about a host of policies, whether on oil drilling, the military or the environment. Begich also has made it perfectly clear that he has no interest in having his fellow Democrat out to his home state of Alaska, saying this year that he doesn't 'care to have him campaign for me.' But that doesn't mean he's not looking for the president's help. Begich has, in fact, submitted a long wish list to the Obama administration for agency decisions that he thinks would boost his reelection chances. Other Democrats have done so, too. In New
Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would like the administration to help expand access to the new health-care law. In Louisiana, Sen. Mary Landrieu has lobbied for help to keep open a federal call center. In Montana, Sen. John Walsh is fighting a decision to privatize land that could be used for hunting and fishing.

-- "In the post-earmark era,using the party's control of the federal bureaucracy to deliver local projects or delay new regulations that might stifle jobs has become a critical part of Democratic efforts to maintain control of the Senate. In close races, particularly in less populated states such as Alaska and Montana, incumbents are hoping that a few favorable agency decisions might secure the backing of key constituencies."
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'DOC' CASSIDY AIDS MAN ON PLANE - Bruce Alpert writes for NOLA.comand The Times-Picayune: "For a passenger on Southwest Flight 2157 Monday between New Orleans and Baltimore, it might not have been a big deal that a congressman was on board. But the passenger, who lost consciousness as the plane flew towards its destination, was no doubt happy the congressman also happened to be a physician. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, a physician by profession, along with another doctor on board, helped treat the passenger. The man, in his 50s from the New Orleans area, was a 'little bit cold,' and was having trouble breathing, Cassidy said. The two doctors couldn't register a pulse, and the
passenger's blood pressure was low. Cassidy and other doctor got the man's shirt off, laid him flat on the airline seats, and helped him regain consciousness. His pulse and blood pressure soon neared normal levels."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93af7a830b38c4807c3e03bfdea02da45d42035f6c2ef8c35f8
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SCOTT BROWN TO LAUNCH SENATE BID THURSDAY - Joshua Miller reports for the Boston Globe: "Scott Brown, who will formalize his bid for a New Hampshire US Senate seat on Thursday, is retiring from the National Guard after more than three decades, two of his advisers said. Brown, a colonel, will be honored at a retirement ceremony at the Pentagon on May 13, the advisers said. Since he won an upset US Senate special election victory in Massachusetts in 2010, Brown's military service has been an essential part of his political profile. But he has said it is much more than that, calling it a meaningful part of the sweep of his career. Brown, who joined the Massachusetts National Guard in 1979,
transferred to the Maryland National Guard in 2012. A lawyer, he has been serving both at the Pentagon and at the nearby National Guard Bureau headquarters. The former senator is set make his New Hampshire bid official at a campaign rally in Portsmouth on Thursday evening, according to an e-mail he sent Monday to supporters."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93ac8458170085eb6097ce8beb24e6a222eaf0cd1bf70efa26c
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AUTOPSY: WOMAN KILLED IN CAPITOL CHASE WAS SHOT FIVE TIMES - "Six months after a Connecticut woman was killed in a hail of police gunfire on Capitol Hill, the federal investigation remains under wraps, even as new information has surfaced showing she was shot multiple times from behind, including once in the head," Billy House reports for National Journal. "Three of the five shots that hit Miriam Carey, 34, entered through her back, and another struck her upper left arm, according to the official report of her autopsy, obtained by a lawyer for her family. An accompanying toxicology report shows that Carey, a dental assistant, had no drugs or alcohol in her system when she was killed. How
many of the shots were fired as Carey was still leading police in a car chase from the White House on Oct. 3-with her 14-month-old girl in the rear seat-was not detailed. The report also does not describe whether any shots were fired after her car came to a stop on Capitol Hill, nor does it list the sequence of her wounds."
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ONE SHINING MOMENT: SHABAZZ, CONNECTICUT DEFEAT KENTUCKY - Dan Wolken for USA Today: "The University of Connecticut, a basketball program left behind in conference realignment and ineligible for the NCAA tournament just one year ago due to academic sanctions, won its fourth and most improbable national title on Monday, beating Kentucky 60-54 at AT&T Stadium. Getting a clutch performance from senior guard Shabazz Napier and a lot of help from the Wildcats at the free-throw line, the Huskies were left standing at the end of a physical, ugly game and secured a number of historic markers, including becoming the first No. 7 seed to win it all. 'You're looking at the hungry Huskies,' Napier
told the crowd and TV audience. 'Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you ban us.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93ae3bf114382aed7936a8192e8396e9f552bc3f3f5c25e5978
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93ae3bf114382aed7936a8192e8396e9f552bc3f3f5c25e5978 Watch One Shining Moment here:
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-- A friendly wager: Connecticut Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal will be feasting on some Kentucky Derby-Pie from Kern's Kitchen in Louisville, courtesy of Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.

-- @ChrisMurphyCT celebrating the win at a D.C. bar:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c8c1d98eb7f0e93a30c89c2809d453abed451fa61dabbaa106439dd7366bc8a2
pic.twitter.com/83tiJjQTAb

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -Howard Bauleke was first to correctly answer that in 1984, Democrat Frank McCloskey was eventually seated by the House by a four-vote margin over Republican Rick McIntyre after several recounts.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Bauleke has today's question: Kansas last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1932. Who was he, and who defeated him for re-election six years later? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:swong@politico.com
swong@politico.com .

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