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By Scott Wong (
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BUSINESS AS USUAL: THE UKRAINE-D.C. DISCONNECT - Our own Philip Ewing starts us off this morning: "Ukrainian government troops seized an airport from pro-Russian separatists in an 'anti-terrorist' operation covered on TV around the world on Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Washington, President Barack Obama phoned the University of Connecticut's basketball coaches to congratulate them on their recent tournament wins. There's a sense of unreality inside the Beltway as news networks broadcast images of armed, masked men carrying out military operations in the worst standoff between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. Yet business seems to continue as usual."
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THE FRONT PAGE - Wall Street Journal, 2-col. lead: "Ukraine Uses Military Force for the First Time." New York Times: "UKRAINE FALTERS IN DRIVE TO CURB UNREST IN EAST: ASKS THE U.N. FOR HELP: Few Options to Take On Separatists Backed by the Russians." Washington Post, 2-col. lead: "Ukraine begins counteroffensive: TROOPS SECURE AIRFIELD IN EAST: Kiev waging war against protesters, Moscow says." USA Today: "UKRAINE TROOPS SEIZE AIRFIELD: Takes first action in countering pro-Russian forces."

CRUZ'S PALMETTO STATE SKEPTICS - Our own Manu Raju files this dispatch from Charleston, S.C.: "It didn't take much for Ted Cruz to bring a crowd of conservatives to its feet here. By the time the Texas Republican senator finished speaking Tuesday night, an adoring audience hailed Cruz and his no-compromise, combative style of conservatism that has made him the scourge of the GOP establishment but a hero of the tea party. 'Liberty is under assault today like never before,' Cruz said, pacing the stage like a televangelist. But even in deep-red South Carolina, a well-received speech full of Cruz's signature flair is no guarantee that the firebrand politician could win the early primary state
in a run for his party's presidential nomination in 2016. ...

-- "And in interviews with activists and GOP leaders across the state, a common theme emerges: Cruz can clearly energize the far right, but he has yet to demonstrate he can pull together the necessary coalition of business-minded Republicans, libertarians, social and fiscal conservatives and moderate-leaning voters who are eager to see a Republican win the White House come 2016. 'Electability - that will be his challenge,' said Republican Lindsey Graham, South Carolina's senior senator. 'He's got to show he can put the patchwork together.' ...

-- "[P]lenty of people in South Carolina have doubts that Cruz could become a unifying Reagan-type figure for Republicans. For instance, Rep. Mick Mulvaney said the Texas senator 'fell flat' and "missed an opportunity" to show he can lead the country and the party out of the political wilderness when he spoke last May in Columbia, S.C., at the Silver Elephant Dinner. It was the first of Cruz's three appearances so far in the Palmetto State since last year. 'It was the same old, same old,' said Mulvaney, a Republican who represents the northern part of the state and was elected in the tea party wave of 2010."
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CLUB FOR GROWTH PRESIDENT CHRIS CHOCOLA says his group will fight to kill the "tax extenders" package. His Wall Street Journal op-ed: "A $250-a-year subsidy for those who commute to work using New York's 'bike share' program. Breaks for Broadway plays like 'Of Mice and Men' starring James Franco and Chris O'Dowd, up to $15 million per production. ... It's once again time for the annual special-interest orgy known as the 'tax extender' legislation, a giveaway bill that Congress plans to take up in the coming weeks.

-- "This is all a mistake. Congress needs to clean up the tax code and lower marginal rates across the board, but tax-extender legislation delays any serious reform. Congress should let the extenders expire permanently, and the Club for Growth, the free-market organization I run, intends to oppose the package. If a vote occurs, we'll likely include it on our annual congressional scorecard, which goes out to more than 100,000 of our members."
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PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN head to the Pittsburgh area today to tout $600 million in federal job training investments, Carrie Budoff Brown reports:
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BLOOMBERG PLANS $50M CAMPAIGN VS. NRA - Jeremy W. Peters writes for the New York Times: "Michael R. Bloomberg, making his first major political investment since leaving office, plans to spend $50 million this year building a nationwide grass-roots network to motivate voters who feel strongly about curbing gun violence, an organization he hopes can eventually outmuscle the National Rifle Association. Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, said gun control advocates need to learn from the N.R.A. and punish those politicians who fail to support their agenda - even Democrats whose positions otherwise align with his own. 'They say, 'We don't care. We're going to go after you,'' he said of
the N.R.A. ''If you don't vote with us we're going to go after your kids and your grandkids and your great-grandkids. And we're never going to stop.'' He added: 'We've got to make them afraid of us.'"
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THE BROTHERS CASTRO - "Texas Twins Campaign, but They Aren't Sure for What," By the NYT's Jason Horowitz: "Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio faced off in a televised debate on Tuesday against a Republican candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, even though Mr. Castro, officially anyway, is not running for anything at all. 'Sometimes I get impatient,' Mr. Castro said on a recent afternoon here. 'And I figure I have nothing else going on, so I might as well.' The mayor was joking, up to a point. Ever since he became the first Latino to give a Democratic National Convention keynote address in 2012, he and his identical twin brother, Representative Joaquin Castro, the Texas Democrat
who represents San Antonio, have sought ways to stay on the national radar.

-- "Very few doubt that the mayor, the bigger political personality of the two, is angling for the vice-presidential spot on the 2016 Democratic ticket and that his brother is positioning himself for a potential run for statewide office, or against Senator Ted Cruz, the Republican Tea Party hero, in 2018. 'Democrats have to put up somebody strong in 2018 in that Senate race,' Representative Castro said, 'whether it will be me or not.'"
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HAWAII GUV APOLOGIZES FOR QUESTIONING INOUYE'S DEATHBED LETTER -- Mark Z. Barabak reports for the L.A. Times: "Four days after questioning a death-bed letter at the center of Hawaii's heated U.S. Senate race, Gov. Neil Abercrombie apologized to the widow of its ascribed author, the late Sen. Daniel Inouye, and others he offended. But he stuck to his key assertion Inouye told him the choice of a successor was his alone to make. 'I apologize to the late Sen. Inouye, his wife, Irene, his family, friends, and former staff for the comments I made concerning the letter,' Abercrombie said in a statement issued late Monday. 'I regret that my comments were interpreted as hurtful and disrespectful to
them. That was certainly not my intent. Sen. Inouye was, without a doubt, one of the finest leaders in Hawaii's history, and a mentor to me.'

-- "Under Hawaii law, Abercrombie had the choice of three candidates to succeed Inouye, a fellow Democrat, who died unexpectedly in December 2012. He spurned Inouye's favored successor, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, and selected his lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz. Hanabusa and Schatz are now running neck-and-neck in the Aug. 9 Democratic primary."
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HONDA'S LATEST HURDLE: HE CAN'T VOTE FOR HIMSELF - Carla Marinucci writes for the S.F. Chronicle: "Seven-term Rep. Mike Honda faces some real challenges as he seeks re-election to his Silicon Valley congressional seat - one of the most unusual being that he can't vote for himself. That's because Honda, a longtime resident of San Jose, doesn't live in the 17th Congressional District he represents. It's perfectly legal - but as fellow Democrat and former Obama trade representative Ro Khanna tries to wrest the seat away, there's the potential for it to become political ammunition. The Santa Clara County registrar of voters office confirms that neither Honda's residence,
nor his congressional field office, nor his campaign office are located in the 17th district. Since district lines were redrawn in the 2010 apportionment, the congressman has been a constituent of Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose. His offices are also in Lofgren's neighboring 19th District."
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GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 16, 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 - Both the House and Senate are out for their two-week Easter recess. They'll return the week of April 28.

AROUND THE HILL - Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Louise Slaughter hold a conference call on President Obama's upcoming trip to Asia, at 9:30 a.m. RSVP to Sara Lonardo at 202-225-3661.

SOME KEY SENATE DEMS AHEAD IN MONEY CHASE - Rebecca Balhaus and Brody Mullins report for the WSJ: "Democratic candidates in some of the most competitive Senate races are raising more money than their Republican opponents, some of whom also are being forced to spend cash on primary races, fundraising reports released Tuesday show.

-- "In Kentucky, the Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell edged the Senate majority leader in fundraising for the first quarter of the year. It marked the second time that Alison Lundergan Grimes had outraised Mr. McConnell in the last three reporting periods.

-- "In Georgia, Democrat Michelle Nunn raised more money than each of the five leading Republican candidates vying to face her for Georgia's open Senate seat. And Louisiana's Sen. Mary Landrieu brought in more money than her Republican opponent. ...

-- "In North Carolina, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan raised $2.8 million in the first quarter-more than twice as much as her likely GOP challenger-and has $8.3 million in the bank. But one conservative group, Americans for Prosperity, already has spent more than $7 million on television ads in the state attacking Ms. Hagan for her support of the Affordable Care Act. ...

-- "The Democratic fundraising advantage doesn't extend to all states. In Montana, Republican Rep. Steve Daines outraised Democratic Sen. John Walsh by more than $200,000 and has $2.2 million in cash on hand-more than three times Mr. Walsh's amount. ... Republican Dan Sullivan outraised Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, pulling in $1.3 million compared with the senator's $1 million. Mr. Begich holds the advantage in cash on hand, with $800,000 more in the bank than Mr. Sullivan, who will face three other Republicans in an August primary."
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-- FAUX FOOTAGE OR FAUX OUTRAGE? -- POLITICO's Darren Goode gets to the bottom of all the GOP outrage over Mary Landrieu's reenactment of a Senate hearing in her latest campaign ad: It "immediately drew snarky reactions from Republicans for including a reenactment of a July 2013 hearing in which she had led the charge for steering more federal drilling revenue to states like Louisiana. 'Maybe Mary Landrieu is training for a post Senate career in Hollywood,' National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brad Dayspring said on Twitter. ''Let's fake a Senate hearing!'' added Doug Heye, deputy chief of staff for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). ''No one will ever notice.' Um ...'
As Democrats quickly pointed out, though, Landrieu wouldn't have been allowed to use the actual hearing footage. Senate rules prohibit 'the use of any tape duplication of radio or television coverage of the proceedings of the Senate for political campaign purposes.'"
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HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE CHAIR CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS "spent more on legal fees in those three months than [her Democratic challenger] raised overall. FEC reports show she paid $42,322 to a Washington, D.C., law firm handling her response to an ethics investigation started by a complaint from a former employee." The Spokesman-Review:
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CORKER REACHES ACROSS THE AISLE - POLITICO's MJ Lee and Burgess Everett report for the hometown paper: "At Gene Sperling's goodbye party last month, Timothy Geithner, Larry Summers and Jack Lew toasted the president's economic adviser at the Old Executive Office Building before migrating to the W Hotel's rooftop lounge, where they were joined by a lonely Republican guest - Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker. The funny thing is, he fit right in. These days, a room full of Democrats isn't such an unusual place to spot Corker, the energetic 61-year-old former mayor of Chattanooga. Corker has become a central negotiating figure in Washington's biggest policy debates, which often means bucking fellow
Republicans in the name of compromise - a contrarian role Corker admits he's come to enjoy. ...

-- "Over the past year, Corker has faced off against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on the Senate floor over a failed GOP strategy to defund Obamacare, openly chided his party over its aversion to International Monetary Fund reforms and closely collaborated with President Barack Obama's top advisers, like Sperling, to try to tackle the herculean task of housing finance reform. It's not exactly a recipe you'd find in the conservative cookbook. 'You look at the things you do here and you've gotta say we don't do a lot of political calculations,' Corker said of his work. 'We try to call 'em like we see 'em.'"
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W.VA. MAN INDICTED FOR THREATENING MANCHIN - AP: "Federal prosecutors say a 49-year-old Barboursville man has been indicted on charges he threatened to kill U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin says Steven Anthony Major was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in Charleston. He is accused of making four separate threats to kill Manchin. The threats allegedly occurred from March 17 through March 20. Major was arrested on March 21 after prosecutors said he made calls to the West Virginia Democrat's Charleston and Washington, D.C., offices. The government says Major identified himself and also made violent threats against Manchin family members. Major faces up to 10 years in prison
if convicted on each count."
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HILL POLICE CHIEF: WE'RE NOT THE 'MEDIA POLICE' - Hannah Hess reports for Roll Call: "Capitol Police Chief Kim C. Dine clarified that his officers are not the "media police," following a March 28 police-press run-in that nearly resulted in the arrest of a journalist. Dine also apologized for the incident, in which an officer briefly detained BloombergBNA's Ari Natter and demanded Natter's driver's license and Social Security number, after the reporter allegedly jostled the cop while trying to ask Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy a question. In an April 10 meeting with Heather Rothman, chairwoman of the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents, and press
gallery staff, Dine said he wished the incident had been better handled, according to sources in attendance."
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D.C.'S NEW ROCK STAR -- J. Freedom Du Lac writes for the Washington Post: "The FedEx truck arrived before daybreak Tuesday, backing up to the loading dock at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The police escort - which rolled with the semi from Hagerstown, Md., more than an hour from the Washington Mall - indicated a very special delivery. So, too, did the custom wrap on the trailer. 'Delivering history: The Nation's T. rex,' it said next to a painted Tyrannosaurus rex. ... 'It's like Christmas morning,' declared dinosaur curator Matt Carrano.

-- "The Nation's T. rex, discovered by a Montana rancher near Fort Peck Reservoir in 1988 and owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, is on loan to the Natural History Museum for 50 years. It will replace a life-size T. rex replica that's been displayed in the Natural History Museum's dinosaur hall since 1999, shortly after the Smithsonian lost out on Sue, the world's most famous dinosaur fossil, at a hotly contested auction."
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TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - John Clark was the first to correctly answer that a sudden rainstorm helped save the Capitol from complete destruction after the British set fire to it on August 24, 1814.
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TODAY'S TRIVIA - Clark has today's question: Who was the first U.S. president to command a military unit during his term of office and what was the conflict? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
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