Subject: POLITICO Huddle, presented by RetireSafe: FRANKEN ANNOUNCEMENT COMING – House poised to pass CR – CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS MEET WITH TRUMP – Sexual harassment hearing today
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 07 Dec 2017 07:02:33 -0600
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12/07/2017 08:00 AM EDT

By Heather Caygle ([email-masked] or @heatherscope) 
 
With an assist from Daniel Lippman 
 
FRANKEN TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY - Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will make an announcement today following a report by POLITICO Wednesday of a former Democratic congressional aide who says Franken forcibly tried to kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006. "I was really startled by it, and I just sort of booked it towards the door, and he said, 'It's my right as an entertainer,'" the former staffer said in an interview. Three dozen Senate Democrats called on Franken to resign, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), after the allegations were reported. 
 
Franken is expected to announce his resignation today although his official Twitter account cautioned yesterday afternoon that he was still talking with his family and had yet to make a final decision. Seven women have accused Franken of groping or trying to forcibly kiss them. 
 
The deluge of Democrats, led by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), calling on Franken to resign wasn't surprising to female senators, who had been privately talking among themselves about the Franken allegations for weeks, Elana and Seung Min report. "In calls and texts, the female senators eventually came to an unstated agreement, according to another aide familiar with their discussions: The next credible story of misconduct in a credible news outlet would prompt them to call for Franken's resignation," they write. The POLITICO report "was the tipping point," according to the aide. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044b48d15d7119807f25fcc604278ea604edd89bd6f37b6d351aee63d5bc8e9a39a46a590309f012a83 
 
Schumer's struggle: Schumer's statement calling on Franken to resign came late in the day, after many Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had already weighed in. "Schumer quietly worked through the day to urge Mr. Franken to step aside," the New York Times reports. "According to a person familiar with the conversations, Mr. Schumer called Mr. Franken before any of his fellow senators went public with their resignation calls and later met with Mr. Franken and his wife in Mr. Schumer's Washington apartment." More from Yamiche Alcindor and Nicholas Fandos: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044684c41f39f4bb0b444cc88169a2af579193cece8032b0cb2ef79f4f33c4db1fe0f099b9d7d03b31a 
 
PK analysis: Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) was elected 25 years ago in the wake of the Clarence Thomas sexual harassment scandal. "For Murray and other lawmakers, the question now is whether, a quarter century after the first great reckoning of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, the culture will actually change more than it did then." More from the Washington Post's Paul Kane: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730448092f5a9712f8e513774a377a06a4f784f8e6f5e742756c8cd40e71f3359bde2a2549011cce4ee9e 
 
Franken's potential replacement: Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to appoint his lieutenant governor and close ally, Tina Smith, to Franken's seat if he resigns, Maggie Severns reports. Smith "has indicated no interest in running for Congress in the past and would not run for the remainder of Franken's term, which expires in 2020, in a 2018 special election. That would clear the way for a wide open Democratic primary next year if Franken steps down." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730444e8e6570400aa024b21a0ca21ef98219d9776cbb8876002d30d4bfc9a107a115f19fdedbbe42f005 
 
SHUTDOWN, WHAT SHUTDOWN? The House will vote later today on a bill to keep the government open through Dec. 22. House GOP leaders - after spending most of Wednesday huddling with conservatives - think they have enough votes to pass the stopgap without Democrats' help. "The House Republican Conference is broadly eager to avoid a distraction that might derail tax reform legislation. But they've been struggling to reach a truce to keep the government running," Rachael and Sarah Ferris report. Government funding runs out tomorrow and the bill still has to be considered by the Senate. 
 
The White House endorsed the bill Wednesday night, just hours after President Donald Trump preemptively blamed Democrats for a potential government shutdown when the real problem is GOP infighting. "Still, the administration reiterated its firm position that military and national security funding - including a border wall - 'must be prioritized' in a broader spending agreement later this month." The latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044486b095a46dda964b7f3f47c6b8a314e58d3ec8576c365d7cd76a25afa5744bbd673d6c08e5963aa 
 
Later today: The Big Four - GOP leaders Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan and Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi - will meet with Trump at the White House to talk about a long-term funding bill. The meeting starts at 3 p.m. 
 
From the Wall Street Journal: House Republicans are considering linking a debt ceiling increase to a long-term spending bill later this month, Kristina Peterson and Kate Davidson report. 
 
WELCOME TO FRIDAY-EVE. Thanks for reading Huddle on this Thursday, Dec. 7, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. 
 
JOIN POLITICO PLAYBOOK - LIVE: Join Playbook co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for a live taping of POLITICO Playbook. Featured guests include: Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times' "The Daily" Podcast, DCCC Executive Director Dan Sena and NRCC Executive Director John Rogers, and Rachael Bade, Seung Min Kim, and Annie Karni. Sixth and I - Dec 7 - Doors open 6:00 p.m. Get tickets here or watch the livestream here.
 
WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: I knew you guys were the best. The gif of Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the new dean of the House, barreling through a press scrum a few years ago was the big winner. 
 
SEXUAL HARASSMENT HEARING TODAY - The House Administration Committee will convene its second hearing in less than a month today to examine how sexual harassment policies are handled on Capitol Hill. "Multiple congressional aides and lawmakers tell CNN that the top focus on Thursday will be the settlement process as it was set up by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and is carried out by the Office of Compliance," MJ Lee and Sunlen Serfaty report. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044a957143aaf37ce86b20c1569eda767bf9f6f6de571110a7a433f5289d221c7fedd344b96b3f3df2c 
 
MAGAZINE MUST READ: HOW CONYERS LOST HIS WAY - Rep. John Conyers' resignation Tuesday "is an ignoble and overdue end to what has been, by any measure, a momentous public life," Zack Stanton writes. "Yet even as many black Detroiters saw Conyers as their champion against the elite and powerful few, Conyers-or, perhaps more accurately, those he surrounded himself with-sought to entrench themselves in the VIP class he once scorned." Much, much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e7304452d26961eaf32e6bf4e62abc9f3ca18426ebb911e9fb1442e9ac24728b3551db1bb167596e7b14f6 
 
Conyers' son arrested for domestic violence: "John Conyers III, a Detroit hedge fund manager named as a possible successor to his scandal-rocked father, Rep. John Conyers Jr., was arrested in Los Angeles this year on suspicion of domestic violence, but prosecutors declined to charge him," NBC News scoops. Andrew Blankstein and Alex Johnson with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044ac1766f4f5654b1ed6ff2d5abbd5182dc642eeada6299a41a50aca4de7141e5f94a09dd280867022
 
Conyers III told CNN he was "caught off guard" by his dad's endorsement and still hasn't decided whether he will run for the House seat. Sophie Tatum, Nia-Malika Henderson and Scott Glover: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044b3699ce810e87352b47e07eb062d274ecf61f48bfeb3bde291a2a99d230f2b0a339e229b753e27be 
 
TUNE IN - FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify before the House Judiciary Committee today starting at 10 a.m. You can read his prepared statement here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044bf4e9d36ada1226689d14791c9dd3caae41a54d367f0076370fbefdbbb5cf95d6e7d2fda70998b53 And House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte has asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify next week. "Rosenstein's hearing comes as Republicans express concerns over possible bias in [Robert] Mueller's investigation. Reports last week said the special counsel had removed a veteran FBI agent from his team for sending anti-Trump text messages," the Hill's Brett Samuels reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044b47d1a7dc7e2c59eccb8cb3b7437b6f977adc02467f89f5bb85a16b16cd55a9f1a98620898f47df7 
 
WHAT SCHUMER IS READING: HE'S RUNNING - Former Gov. Phil Bredesen will run for Senate in Tennessee after being heavily courted by Democrats following GOP Sen. Bob Corker's retirement announcement. "His entrance in the Senate race means there will be a contested primary next August, something attorney and political newcomer James Mackler was hoping to avoid," Cari Wade Gervin reports for the Nashville Post. "Bredesen has not faced a seriously competitive race since 2002, when he narrowly beat out Republican Van Hilleary for governor, and the campaign landscape has changed dramatically even since his last race in 2006." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730445a5202297fe1e21e20ade56cac41a845190b05b3a6832bd269115569dc441f4d56493203c0f45834 
 
THIS GUY MIGHT BE RUNNING TOO - Trump wants controversial Maine Gov. Paul LePage to challenge Sen. Angus King in the 2018 election. "White House officials have been in touch with LePage's political team in recent weeks," Josh Dawsey reports. And "LePage's name came up again Tuesday at a White House meeting on Senate candidates, the officials said, as Trump and his team went through a list of states and races - including Arizona, Missouri and Maine - looking at individual candidates and poll numbers." The Washington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730449673ea4a01fd2c353059d919ca901e85f843b31e76987ab0ae95b251bf5d6a8b329ed71ab980017f 
 
THIS WON'T BE CONTROVERSIAL AT ALL - House Republicans are eyeing entitlement reform next year as a way to "tackle the debt and the deficit," Speaker Paul Ryan said. "Speaking to Ross Kaminsky on his talk radio show, the Wisconsin Republican said Wednesday that the House would be working to reform health care entitlements in 2018, calling them 'the big drivers of our debt,' during a discussion about the Republican tax bill," CNN reports. Trump promised not to touch entitlements as a presidential candidate but has recently said he wants to tackle welfare reform next year. 
 
TRUMP JR. CITES 'ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE' - Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday cited attorney-client privilege to avoid telling lawmakers about a conversation he had with his father about a meeting the younger Trump had with a Russian lawyer during summer 2016. "Though neither Trump Jr. nor the president is an attorney, Trump Jr. told the House Intelligence Committee that there was a lawyer in the room during the discussion, according to the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Schiff said he didn't think it was a legitimate invocation of attorney-client privilege." Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044321c00d30cb3e9fdff34aaa1bb0cea971e837f0bf7fc86cbebdbefa3bc45efd50d259c9d5899b30b 
 
Related read: "Flynn texted partners about nuclear plan during inauguration, whistleblower says." More from Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730446eff2a1b70cc163b03451e874f77bfe9be6cac4ada52be5636ae60d12b8d31208f11d013a892d38a 
 
HOUSE PASSES GUN BILL - The House passed legislation on Wednesday to permit concealed carry license holders to conceal a handgun in other states, the first time Congress has taken action on a gun bill since Trump was sworn into office, Bres reports. "Six House Democrats crossed the aisle and voted for the measure, while 14 Republicans opposed it," he notes. The bill probably won't go anywhere in the Senate as Democrats in the upper chamber remain strongly opposed to the plan. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044a562e787db4a263a427f653d98a6ba2948afd35e24993071e17675ad1ec0194e07a946dc2f1222aa 
 
SEE YA LATER ALLIGATOR - House Democrats' campaign arm scrubbed freshman Rep. Ruben Kihuen's (D-Nev.) name from its 2018 frontline program after he was accused of sexually harassing a campaign staffer, the Hill reports. "Kihuen, who represents a top swing seat, was one of 19 Democratic House members who were named as the most vulnerable incumbents in 2018 who would receive financial assistance through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee." DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) has said Kihuen should resign. Lisa Hagen with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e73044456495b794ea8972798ff21326e84e557c073a0750e7007dfe2197d78d6cd16a1d86a4a9301733c7 
 
IMPEACHMENT VOTE FAILS - House Democrats overwhelmingly joined Republicans on Wednesday to defeat an attempt to impeach Trump, Kyle reports. "But 58 Democrats supported the bid to consider impeachment over the objections of House Democratic leaders, who viewed the measure as a distraction in a Republican-controlled Congress." Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) sponsored the impeachment resolution. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730440c75ad6dfe4ee7c1218ec58368fb286cbd1007a928937aec9fd96bbfe220d60573f7e29e5d9e6470 
 
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - David Polyansky, Sen. Ted Cruz's chief of staff, is leaving the Hill to return to Houston, Texas. Polyansky will be staying on as a senior adviser for Cruz's re-election campaign in 2018, Seung Min scoops. "Pre Shah, currently Cruz's chief counsel, will take over for Polyansky as the senator's chief of staff. Cruz's legislative director, Steve Chartan, will become deputy chief of staff while keeping his legislative duties," she reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e7304461893484f5046a817ec876e048e1b3807050a9bf4971ba1b47ae03d3b0a8127f76dc3b9a18b76921 
 
Doug Calidas has started as senior economic adviser for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). He previously was chief counsel for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). George Fistonich has started as senior policy/advocacy manager at the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He previously was senior policy adviser for Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

** A message from RetireSafe: When Medicare patients pickup their medicines at the pharmacy, the cost at the register is often higher than the drug's actual price. That's because deep manufacturer-negotiated discounts and rebates end up in the pockets of the middlemen instead of patients. Help fix this problem. Support CMS' new proposed rule. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730445d80bd9d013ae8086f1d0e0ed529ed2b5b4bb8bf209348d041da3e205718cf9c02d86f982a9cd352 **
 
TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate gavels in at 10 a.m. with Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) expected to deliver his farewell speech at 11 a.m. At 12:30 p.m. the Senate will vote on Interior Assistant Secretary nominee Joseph Balash. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first votes at 1:30 p.m. and last votes around 4 p.m. 
 
AROUND THE HILL - House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) hold a press conference on disaster aid for Puerto Rico at 10 a.m. in 234 Cannon. 
 
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Reps. Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), John Larson (D-Conn.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) hold a press conference at 10 a.m. in HVC 201 on gun violence in light of the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre 
 
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds her weekly press conference at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) hold a press conference on the GOP tax plan's potential impact on health care at 11 a.m. in S-115. 
 
Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) hold a press conference on the Alzheimer's research postal stamp at 11 a.m. in SVC-212.
 
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) holds his weekly press conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. 
 
WEDNESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Bruce Mehlman was first to guess that Iowa Rep. Gilbert Haugen was the last Republican to serve as dean of the House until Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) assumed the position this week. Haugen was dean of the House from 1929 until 1933. (h/t Greg Giroux for the question inspiration)
 
TODAY'S TRIVIA - This lawmaker was the solo dissenting vote on a declaration of war against this country following this deadly Dec. 7 attack. Who is the lawmaker and what is the country? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email-masked].
 
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** A message from RetireSafe: When Medicare patients pickup their medicines at the pharmacy, the cost at the register is often higher than the drug's actual price. That's because deep manufacturer-negotiated discounts and rebates end up in the pockets of the middlemen and not the patients. CMS' new proposed rule for Medicare Part D is trying to fix this problem. Help Medicare patients pay less for their medicines and support the proposed rule. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7fc65ef5d5e730445d80bd9d013ae8086f1d0e0ed529ed2b5b4bb8bf209348d041da3e205718cf9c02d86f982a9cd352 **
 
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