Subject: POLITICO Huddle, presented by Freight Rail Works: HOPES FADE FOR A BORDER DEAL -- Dems renew efforts to release Mueller report -- STACEY ABRAMS TO DELIVER SOTU REBUTTAL -- Mnuchin accused of conflicts of interest
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 06:59:43 -0600
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01/30/2019 07:57 AM EDT
        
By MELANIE ZANONA ([email-masked]; @MZanona)

        
LETS MAKE A BORDER DEAL -- The hopes for a sweeping immigration deal are about as high as the temperature outside right now - and the talks haven't even formally started yet. Congressional negotiators are scheduled to sit down for the first time this afternoon to start hashing out a border security package, while Republicans on the conference committee are expected to head to the White House for a meeting with Trump on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

What both sides are expected to offer: Democrats' opening bid will likely include several billion dollars for border security, including technology and extra law enforcement agents, but no new wall. And Republicans are expected to pitch the same price tag that Trump has been demanding: $5.7 billion.

But there are already signs of doubt in the Capitol about the prospects for an agreement. Democrats have ruled out including protections for young undocumented immigrants in any deal. Progressives are making clear they wouldn't support funding for any new forms of physical barriers, such as fences. Republicans have gotten mixed signals in the past about what exactly the president is willing to sign. And Trump tweeted this morning that lawmakers are "wasting their time" if they aren't talking about a wall or physical barrier. Much more from Rachael and Burgess: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bb2ba3ec4b7ba9d831ed6d24871b445276b0b96b7246455993b8f39c2f2e451134d803bc11126ed3063e45f76fec0ad6  

Related read: "House Democrats taunt GOP with vote to oppose shutdowns," from Sarah: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bb2ba3ec4b7ba9d8b915d90dcd125a6315f3c8f5bd038bc329aa32e58aa6f992c2f31f4545ac3d1f27a18d234ada87f8 

RELEASING THE RUSSIA REPORT -- With chatter growing that the Russia probe might be wrapping up soon, Democrats are racing to ensure that special counsel Robert Mueller's final report is made public. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said his committee will "certainly" subpoena the department if the document is not released. And Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) delivered a presentation during a closed-door caucus meeting yesterday on what actions they can take to force the report to become public.

The idea has some notable buy-in from several top Republicans. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is sponsoring legislation to require the special counsel report to be disclosed to both Congress and the public, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he wants the report to be as "open" as possible. "I think it ought to be as fully open and transparent, whatever the recommendation is, as possible," he told reporters. Andrew with the latest: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bb2ba3ec4b7ba9d81d76a7aeea58604991b59a7c29b5ca60831f146da9a992d5b55926db43a86f0e331e5cd42cc1d7a1 

SOTU UPDATE -- Democrats tapped Stacey Abrams to deliver their State of the Union response next Tuesday. Even though Abrams lost her bid to become the nation's first black female governor last year, the former Georgia state lawmaker is seen as a rising star in the party. The announcement comes amid reports that Democrats are aggressively recruiting Abrams to run for a Georgia Senate seat in 2020. More from Marianne: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bb2ba3ec4b7ba9d87e186ed13ebc9a6a607c0095babcffdd22a1dfa49c506d5ea6ed803662b684c687196d3d75332fa2 

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Jan. 30, where your host is sending warm, warm thoughts to everyone in the Midwest today.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's report on how at least one Democrat has floated the idea of encouraging a primary challenge to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the big winner.

** A message from Freight Rail Works: The Department of Transportation expects total freight demand to grow 37% by 2040 - and only one industry is spending billions of dollars annually to build the freight transportation network of the future. Learn how freight rail's private investments are creating a safer, cleaner and cost-effective solution for today and tomorrow. www.aar.org/freight-rails-investments **

DEMS NEXT OVERSIGHT TARGET: MNUCHIN -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is the latest Trump Cabinet member to come under fire from Democrats, who are raising ethical concerns that he may have a conflict interest in the administration's decision to ease sanctions on Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Two senior Democrats are seeking more information on Mnuchin's connection to a donor who is a major investor in Deripaska's aluminum company and stood to benefit from the lifted sanctions. A spokesman for the Treasury Department called the insinuation "absurd" and said Mnuchin has no "business relationship" with the donor, per Kenneth P. Vogel of The New York
 Times. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f58f67d0b807c55db925ea2f359512ed3638e5937022c72a239ecc92211ed2c8209eb2d53c0966b97b 

In other oversight news, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is refusing to testify in front of Congress next week. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee invited her to discuss the hot topic of border security, after Nielsen declined previous hearing requests due to the government shutdown. "Your decision... is unreasonable and unacceptable. I strongly urge you to reconsider," Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said to Nielsen in a letter.

MCCONNELL REFUTES TRUMP ON SYRIA -- McConnell plans to offer an amendment to a Middle East policy bill that would caution against withdrawing troops from Syria or Afghanistan, firing off an indirect warning shot at Trump. While Republicans have been mostly reluctant to stand up to the president, foreign policy seems to be the one area where they are willing to publicly break with him. The Senate will continue considering the underlying measure today. More from The Hill's Jordain Carney: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f5d29061c1388ebd5382143c42052ff482f94db6fb02cad1742a1b110fbe4c6132b20e1ae9c12f0af0 

Related: "U.S. intelligence chief breaks with Trump on North Korea, Iran, ISIS," by Rebecca Morin and Nahal Toosi: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f5f54e10ef306ffcb2cf2a0fd7962d60137c66a2a986f470e670b15c0d21b08321b6dd36f60854d0eb and "A Growing Chorus of Republican Critics for Trump's Foreign Policy," via Peter Baker of The New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f514ec443b21eab631bf85ba8116a40e78bb7163bc24a812de43ebac17bbd1faea3d492b9513dc9a83 

DEMS DEFEND TLAIB, OMAR -- Democrats are rushing to defend freshman Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from accusations on the right that they are anti-Semitic. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday that he doesn't "accept that premise," while Democratic Conference Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called them "thoughtful colleagues on a wide variety of issues." Tlaib and Omar, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, have faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans over their views toward Israel. 

Related read: "AOC's far-right fan club," via Ben Schreckinger: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f52105f57796744332786cb49f6ce83330b737104b2535bcd1a409831c4c8542db0a7449b187d46e6f 

TRUMP VS. "DA NANG DICK" -- Trump renewed one of his favorite derogatory attacks on Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal this week. "How does Da Nang Dick (Blumenthal) serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee when he defrauded the American people about his so called War Hero status in Vietnam," Trump tweeted. But given that Blumenthal is not running for president and is hardly a household name, why is the commander-in-chief picking a fight with the senior senator from Connecticut? Burgess and Gaby Orr get to the bottom of the beef: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f5eddc27b529a91ba6263c502b7eddc24691f68a86c4e438edbdc3ea27d04adf0e285a1638314030be 

THE BILL TO BAN FUTURE BLAKE FARENTHOLDS -- Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) has introduced legislation to ban ex-members from lobbying if they haven't paid back taxpayer money used to settle sexual harassment claims. The bill takes direct aim at former Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), who spent $84,000 in taxpayer money on a sexual harassment lawsuit before resigning from Congress and taking a high-paying job on K Street. And in case it wasn't clear, the bill even has an aptly named title: the Bad Lawmakers Accountability and Key Emends (BLAKE) Act. More from Jennifer Bendery at The Huffington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f54900efabe28730a6c71c9d2dee09f3f1fe53c12e3364d312dc9496610fe1b720a7a4b644db5ae767 

GWEN MOORE ANNOUNCES CANCER DIAGNOSIS -- During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on ObamaCare, Wisconsin Democrat Gwen Moore revealed Tuesday that she is being treated for cancer. Moore, who called her prognosis "excellent" and "manageable," used the moment to praise the health care law and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. More from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f5e5c2424e0f138a7730b8b621299895ff962b1de97dde982f28cd58cc26bf244bdc1cd271f46ea8f4 

Get "Freezin' for a Reason" on Saturday with Special Olympics DC. POLITICO is thrilled to partner with the "Polar Plunge," an annual event that supports more than 1,600 Special Olympics DC athletes on Saturday, Feb. 2. Attendees will enjoy ICE YARDS festivities, including icy cocktails and local D.C. brews, fun activities, live music, an ice bar, food from neighborhood restaurants, D.C.'s largest group shotski attempt and so much more! Visit dcpolarplunge.org to register as an individual, as a team or join an existing team and take the plunge.
          TRANSITIONS         
Zack Roday will be communications director for the Energy and Commerce Republicans. Roday was most recently communications director for the Republican Attorneys General Association, and previously served as spokesman for former Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) national political organization.

Sarah Matthews will now serve as press secretary for the Energy and Commerce Republicans. Matthews previously served as E&C Republican press secretary for the Energy and Environment subcommittees.

Adam "Buck" Buckalew will now serve as director of coalitions for the Energy and Commerce Republicans as well as the Republican deputy chief counsel for the Health Subcommittee. Previously, Buckalew was a professional staff member on the Health subcommittee.

Nicole Hager will join the office of Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) as a press secretary. Hager was previously a press secretary and acting communications director for the Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
          TODAY IN CONGRESS         
The House gavels in at 9 a.m., with first votes expected at 9:45 a.m. and last votes expected at 12:30 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f344cff811ccf3f5672e2accc56193aded14b798a75aee070038239f67d0553b695fcfd85fd2ab89119da9c07c8923a9 The Senate meets at 12 p.m. to resume consideration of S. 1.
          AROUND THE HILL         
Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) holds a press conference to introduce the Social Security 2100 Act at 8:45 a.m. in HVC-200.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) hold a press conference to reintroduce the Paycheck Fairness Act at 9 a.m. in the Rayburn Room.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) hold a press conference on the Rebuild America's Schools Act at 12 p.m. in HVC-200.

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) hold a press conference on a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen at 12:15 p.m. in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery.

The House-Senate Conference Committee on Department of Homeland Security funding meets at 1:30 p.m. in HC-5.
          TRIVIA         
TUESDAY'S WINNER --  Marshall Yates was the first person to correctly guess that Richard Nixon applied to become an FBI agent after law school, but ultimately never served in the Bureau - the reasons for which are still up for debate. 

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From Ken: Which U.S. president made his own suits, as well as his wife's dresses, while living in the White House? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email-masked].

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** A message from Freight Rail Works: America's freight railroads spend an average of $25 billion a year on infrastructure, equipment and innovation - all at no cost to taxpayers. What does America get out of it? A cleaner environment, a cost-effective solution to get American goods to market nationally and beyond, and a boost in economic activity that amounted to $220 billion in 2017 alone. Learn how the future of freight transportation is working for America today. www.aar.org/freight-rails-investments **
    
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