Tipsheet: GOP seeks to stave off big Dem upset

View in your browser     GOP seeks to stave off big Dem upset By Ben Kamisar   CANONSBURG, Pa. — Republicans are rushing to avoid a crushing defeat on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where a Democrat looks poised to win an upset special election victory deep in Trump country six months before the midterm elections. President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., traveled to the district Monday in an attempt to boost Republican House candidate Rick Saccone, while Democrat Conor Lamb spent the last days before the election rallying the union workers who are seen as key to his victory. Read the full story here     House Dems see chance for big gains in Pennsylvania By Scott Wong and Mike Lillis New congressional district lines combined with retirements and political turmoil in the Trump era have Democrats hoping to make sizable gains in a lopsided delegation that now includes five Democrats and 13 Republicans. Read the full story here     House GOP ending Russia probe, says no collusion found By Olivia Beavers and Katie Bo Williams The House Intelligence Committee is shutting down its contentious investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the top Republican leading the probe announced on Monday. Read the full story here     Conservatives press for action on FBI bias By Katie Bo Williams and Olivia Beavers The probe, derided by Democrats as an effort to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller, has been hotly sought by conservative members. Read the full story here       White House insists Trump has not 'chickened out' on NRA By Jonathan Easley White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump “hasn’t backed away” from his support for expanding background checks or raising the age limit on gun purchases, although neither was addressed in a plan the administration rolled out Sunday night. Read the full story here     Trump blocks Broadcom deal over national security concerns By Harper Neidig President Trump on Monday blocked what would have been the biggest tech deal in history. Read the full story here     British spy drama echoes through Washington By Niall Stanage   The reverberations of an attempted murder of a Russian double agent in Britain are reaching American shores, sharpening questions yet again about President Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read the full story here     Dem unity shatters with debate on banks By Alexander Bolton The Senate Democratic Conference is splitting apart in an angry debate over a banking reform bill that has ended months of party unity in opposition to President Trump’s agenda. Read the full story here     Vulnerable Republican embraces Trump in NY By Melanie Zanona While insisting that she is not tied to the president, the freshman lawmaker at times sounds like a mini-Trump. Read the full story here     Utah GOP wrestles with party purity By Reid Wilson At issue is whether candidates seeking Republican nominations can gather signatures to appear on the primary ballot or whether they must compete in a caucus-convention process that allows hundreds of party activists to choose a nominee. Read the full story here     America faces growing number of complex national security crises By Michael Dempsey OPINION | I was asked at a conference recently what is one takeaway I have from my experience working on national security issues for the past three decades. Read the full story here     Do Republicans think record federal spending is what voters elected them to enact? By Rachel Bovard OPINION | Republicans are crafting an omnibus spending bill that, if reports are true, will be worse than any spending bill passed under President Obama. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Bowing to NRA, Trump abandons gun control promise By Michael D. Shear and Sheryl Gay Stolberg After a made-for-television moment in which he appeared to embrace expansive gun control, President Trump completed his walk-back on Monday. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump’s strong words on guns give way to political reality By Catherine Lucey and Jonathan Lemire Not two weeks ago, President Donald Trump wagged his finger at a Republican senator and scolded him for being “afraid of the NRA,” declaring that he would stand up to the powerful gun lobby and finally get results on quelling gun violence following last month’s Florida school shooting. Read the full story here     Reuters: With immigration on his mind, Trump heads to California By Steve Holland   President Donald Trump will bring a tough message on illegal immigration to California on Tuesday, taking aim at “sanctuary cities” in his first visit in office to the heavily Democratic state that has served as a base of resistance to many of his policies. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: ‘This visit is a political stunt:’ Trump’s California trip draws criticism from state leaders By John Wagner   While the move is being enthusiastically welcomed by Trump’s supporters, it is expected to draw protests on both sides of the border. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Democrats’ path to a November majority has hurdles By Gerald F. Seib Strong economic news and polling on GOP tax cut could impede the blue wave. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.