Tipsheet: GOP sees omens of a Dem wave in Wisconsin

View in your browser     GOP sees omens of a Dem wave in Wisconsin By Jonathan Easley   A surprise loss in a special statehouse election Tuesday night in Wisconsin has set off a new round of alarm among Republicans worried that they could face a Democratic wave in this year’s midterm elections.  Read the full story here     Listen: Rattled by Wisconsin loss, GOP looks toward upcoming races By Alexis Simendinger   Political shock waves jolted the GOP following its loss Tuesday in a special election for a Wisconsin state Senate seat. AM View talks with reporter Ben Kamisar about the GOP’s jitters. Listen to The Hill's podcast here     Shutdown drama grips the Capitol By Melanie Zanona House Republican leaders are within striking distance of securing enough GOP votes to pass a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, which would shift the funding fight to the Senate. Read the full story here     Dems harden line on stopgap measure By Alexander Bolton Senate Democrats are taking a harder line on backing a short-term funding measure that does not protect immigrants known as “Dreamers” from deportation.  Read the full story here       Durbin: Majority of Senate will support DACA deal By Jordain Carney Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Wednesday evening that a bipartisan immigration agreement has the support of a majority of the Senate.  Read the full story here     House panels to grill Comey’s former chief of staff on FBI probe of Clinton By Katie Bo Williams and Olivia Beavers A pair of House committees on Thursday morning will grill former FBI Director James Comey’s onetime chief of staff as part of an ongoing joint probe into the bureau’s handling of the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Read the full story here     Russian hackers move to new political targets By Morgan Williams Russia’s cyber operations against the United States are showing signs of accelerating even as lawmakers grapple with how to deter and respond to the threat. Read the full story here     WH delays spark fear for family planning groups By Jessie Hellmann The Trump administration is running months behind in supplying basic information on how organizations that provide birth control and other reproductive health services to low-income women and families can apply for federal family planning grants, raising new uncertainties over the program. Read the full story here     GOP looks to avoid PA upset By Ben Kamisar President Trump will touch down in Pennsylvania on Thursday, where he’ll make an appearance in the Pittsburgh-area district that’s home to the next high-profile special House election. Read the full story here     Lawmakers see path to bringing back earmarks By Cristina Marcos Lawmakers from both parties expressed support on Wednesday for reversing the House’s ban on earmarks, despite skepticism from key conservatives who originally pushed to end the practice nearly a decade ago. Read the full story here     Bitcoin's real story isn't the rampant speculation, but its untold potential By Steve Forbes OPINION | The key thing to keep in mind about bitcoin and hundreds of other so-called cryptocurrencies is that they are not yet real money. They are useless for doing transactions. Money that wildly fluctuates will never gain wide acceptance as a means of conducting commerce in the global marketplace. Read the full story here     March for Life should be about more than abortion By Patrick Carolan and Eli McCarthy and Maryanne Mueller OPINION | On Jan. 19, Washington, D.C. and states throughout the nation will host the 44th annual March for Life. As in years past there will be great media coverage about this annual event when many thousands of Catholics will march to protest abortion. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: One year in, Trump has broken all the rules By Gerald F. Seib Populist president has scrambled conventional wisdom on every level, with mixed policy results. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump claims credit for what is still mostly Obama’s economy By Christopher Rugaber President Donald Trump relentlessly congratulates himself for the healthy state of the U.S. economy, with its steady growth, low unemployment, busier factories and confident consumers. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Kelly calls some of Trump’s campaign pledges on immigration and wall ‘uninformed’ By Ed O'Keefe   In comments that put him at odds with the president, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly told Democratic lawmakers that the U.S. will never construct a physical wall along the entire stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and that Mexico will never pay for it. Read the full story here     Reuters: Trump administration bars Haitians from US visas for low-skilled work By Yeganeh Turbot   Haitians will no longer be eligible for U.S. visas given to low-skilled workers, the Trump administration said on Wednesday, bringing an end to a small-scale effort to employ Haitians in the United States after a catastrophic 2010 earthquake. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Presidential run-up pushes Democrats in Senate further left By Sheryl Gay Stolberg No fewer than six senators are eyeing the Democratic nomination in 2020, with each angling to get to the left of the others. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? 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