Subject: POLITICO Huddle, presented by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: DEMS EAGER TO MOVE ON FROM OMAR CONTROVERSY -- Trump scrambles to stamp out Senate GOP rebellion -- GILLIBRAND STRUGGLES TO SECURE NY ENDORSEMENTS -- House to vote on Mueller resolution next week
From: "POLITICO Huddle" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 08 Mar 2019 07:04:01 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

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03/08/2019 08:02 AM EDT
        
By MELANIE ZANONA ([email-masked]; @MZanona)

        
TURNING THE PAGE -- The House passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in response to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), with Democrats eager to move on from a painful issue that has consumed and divided their caucus. And in a fitting end to the dramatic week, leadership had to make last-minute adds to the measure after several minority groups felt left out. 

But will the effort be enough to soothe the tensions? There were already signs to the contrary on Thursday. Several Jewish members said they were frustrated with how the resolution was handled. "I wish we had had a separate resolution about anti-Semitism," said Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.). "I think it was wrong not to have it." And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) sent out a fundraising email warning that pro-Israel activists were coming after her, Omar and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

Republicans, however, managed to take some of the heat off Democrats after 23 GOP lawmakers voted against the anti-hate resolution because it was watered down. Some Republicans privately groused that their colleagues were over-analyzing the situation. "Huge, self-inflicted black eye for the GOP," tweeted GOP strategist Doug Heye. "You'd think Republicans could get it right on something so easy, but nope." More from Heather, Sarah and your Huddle host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f3e5be5753bd60008d4906acf3329686520536338c8eff07f90924d3f9fa82d7d4432835e3d85e5d49cd13e15a40da40 

Related reads: "Omar bails out Trump," by Eliana Johnson and your host: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0b52f02178c3ef8475fc98cd596086a477e74ee8eef54fd2b4edfc3d799e83662c8c5abc86daa722c2d32e049eeaeeb4 and "Jim Clyburn's leadership tested as he defends a colleague accused of anti-Semitism," from Emma Dumain of McClatchy: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=45cb205d93f6411d9bd209e90bf15e99f6a89b3bf8986380c34282de59c7af538f1f5c446a374a2ca1093d2d6884849a

TRUMP CONTAINS THE FIRE -- With a rebuke of his national wall emergency on the horizon, President Donald Trump has begun working behind the scenes to keep GOP defections to a minimum. And he's making some progress, report Burgess and Eliana Johnson. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who both got calls from the White House over the weekend, have said they would oppose a House-passed resolution to kill the national emergency. And while there are still enough Republican defectors to put it over the finish line, the more hands-on approach from Trump underscores his growing frustrations with the GOP's response to the declaration. More: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=487989628423618fda25b29e164670b4846e2dbb23d4942059cd3a156357b7cdbced4bf8a21a0dc31eae1be824c63a6d 

T.G.I.F.! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, March 8, where we are anxiously waiting to see which awful 90s band gets a shoutout on the House floor today after lawmakers debated the merits of Nickelback yesterday.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Andrew and Bres's story on how Democrats are wary of targeting Trump's children in their investigations was the big winner.

** A message from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: We're Clamping Down on Drug Price Hikes. Did you know Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) save patients and health plans $123 per prescription? Learn how PBMs advocate for patients and payers at OnYourRxSide.org.** 

HUNTING FOR ENDORSEMENTS -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is struggling to lock down early presidential endorsements from her home state - and it isn't for lack of trying. The 2020 hopeful has been working to curry favor with her colleagues in the House, inviting them to dinners, drinks and lunches. But she has yet to secure a single endorsement from the sprawling New York delegation, where members are still waiting to see whether other contenders from the Empire State jump into the race. It's a stark contrast to neighboring Sen. Cory Booker, who won the support of the entire New Jersey Democratic delegation shortly after his presidential launch. Elena Schneider and Laura
 Barr&oacute;n-L&oacute;pez with the dispatch: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=74cb8a7a6a68a6117aa223eae6bbae91d12c661400bcbe76996e3dccbaf0917af72f0aba85809ddfc3d0a7a3304609f6 

Related: "Sherrod Brown will not run for president in 2020," from Daniel Strauss: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=34730a7bd716759f425fb708a6e6fad58d2f66c091ddf8d8dfe0235499234f747eb0268b2f23a20532a2c370b7061e16 

RELEASE THE REPORT -- House Democrats will bring a measure to the floor next week expressing support for making special counsel Robert Mueller's report public, reports Andrew. The fast-tracked effort comes amid reports that Mueller may be wrapping up the Russia probe soon, and Democrats want to ratchet up pressure on the Justice Department to make the findings available to both Congress and the public. While the resolution is largely symbolic, it could put many House Republicans on the spot. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bdf0c2a8350a2e0900257d8195fe81d2226ecb7eb18810dbbace2a93b00e671c7adc9984376423ae9c70efe2c2dfde5 

Related: "Manafort gets 47 months in prison for financial fraud," from Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ae049186a3e4daf582b7f1d4f6aa3e202efe16b808cda2c965a5d2fb75e4d7ebbba43f6fa71d885cffc49916b3f43f6a 

COMING ATTRACTIONS -- The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing later this month on narrow gun control legislation, reports CNN, which is a big deal in the GOP-controlled chamber. But the hearing won't focus on the pair of gun control bills just passed by the House. Instead, it will focus on the "extreme risk protection" or "red flag" laws that exist in some states and have some bipartisan support. "I haven't really looked at the House package, but this is to me the area where we can come together," said Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). More from Elizabeth Landers: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b293c33eba5c329a94b0396075c4a4bc46c09d33ab5c5465aef4d5efda3622eec4f56eff62d3db2f9a093cd14ac9f659 

POD BLESS AMERICA -- The conservative House Freedom Caucus has launched their own weekly podcast, which will be helmed by former talk radio host Rep. Jody Hice (R-Texas.). The episodes will feature "Freedom Caucus members, as well as congressional allies and grassroots leaders, for policy discussions on debates of the day and upcoming legislative initiatives," according to a press release. Their first guest: Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). (No word on if they've scored sponsorships from SeatGeek or Sugar Bear Hair yet.)

WEEKLY WINNERS AND LOSERS -- Another dramatic week on Capitol Hill, another chance to reflect on the winners and losers. Here are our picks for who came out on top and who landed on the bottom.

W: Trump's judicial nominations. The Senate confirmed three circuit judges this week, bringing the total to 34 in just two years. The president has now appointed around 20 percent of the Circuit Court seats in the country, and that number is only expected to grow when the Senate speeds up its confirmation rules.

L: House leadership. On the Democratic side, leaders struggled to respond to the Omar controversy, while Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) himself landed in hot water for insensitive comments about the holocaust. And GOP leadership stepped on their own messaging with the anti-hate resolution, with Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) splitting from the pack to vote against it.

**Watch LIVE on Saturday, March 9, as POLITICO heads to SXSW. POLITICO is excited to be the exclusive media and content partner at THE EXPERIENCE, an interactive and dynamic space crafted by Dell Technologies on the sidelines of South by Southwest. Programming in Austin, Texas, will extend the important conversations taking place at SXSW and feature candid discussions with influential leaders on some of today's most pressing topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Women in leadership and the 2020 election.**
          TRANSITIONS         
Franz Wuerdfmannsdobler, deputy chief of staff to Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), is leaving the Senate after two decades to head to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Mike Ricci, who was communications director to former-Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), is joining Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan as communications director.
          TODAY IN CONGRESS         
The House gavels in at 9 a.m., with votes expected between 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=601c3abee33db309d0ccb9d8c1fbfe2b406c4ba2d2bd2adaa117a9fda0c9c7d8e150c165508ca1eac2a7f8f7ff1dd5e4 The Senate is out until Monday.
          AROUND THE HILL         
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats hold a press conference ahead of passage of H.R. 1 at 9 a.m. on the East Front Steps.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds a weekly press conference at 12 p.m. in HVC Studio A.
          TRIVIA         
THURSDAY'S WINNER -- Allen Wiseley was the first to correctly guess that Sen. Francis Warren of Wyoming was the last Civil War veteran in the Senate. He was governor of Wyoming when the state became the first to have women's suffrage in its constitution in 1890, hence its motto of equality.

TODAY'S QUESTION -- From C-SPAN's Steve Scully: When were the most flags flown over the United States Capitol - and what was the occasion? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: [email-masked].

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

** A message from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association: The core mission of PBMs is to be the primary advocate for consumers and health plans in the fight to keep prescription drugs accessible and affordable. PBMs negotiate on behalf of consumers, and are able to keep a lid on overall costs for prescription drugs with market-based tools that encourage competition among drugmakers and drugstores, and incentivize consumers to take the most cost-effective and clinically appropriate medication. Learn more at OnYourRxSide.org.**
    
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