The Hill's 12:30 Report — Sponsored by Delta Air Lines — Wildfire death toll hits 50 | GOP holds leadership elections | Freshmen lawmakers pose for class photo | Most diverse Congress in history | Romney, Ryan reunion | DOJ defends Whitaker's appointment | How Amazon HQ2 could change DC | How the midterms shook up the national map | National Pickle Day

2018年11月14日星期三

The Hill's 12:30 Report — Sponsored by Delta Air Lines — Wildfire death toll hits 50 | GOP holds leadership elections | Freshmen lawmakers pose for class photo | Most diverse Congress in history | Romney, Ryan reunion | DOJ defends Whitaker's appointment | How Amazon HQ2 could change DC | How the midterms shook up the national map | National Pickle Day | Boston getting its first Chick-fil-A

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THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

The California wildfires are the deadliest in the state's history.

THE LATEST:

The current death toll in the Northern California fires: 48 people have been killed in the Camp Fire in Northern California, but that number is expected to rise. About 200 people are still missing. https://nyti.ms/2Dl3f0i

The current death toll in the Southern California fires: Two people have died in the Woolsey Fire in Southern California. https://cnn.it/2PoMyIu

When the areas will get rain: Possibly early next week. http://bit.ly/2FmHz6G

How wildfires start: It can start with just a spark. "That spark, combined with tinder-dry forests and howling winds, can be all that's needed for a catastrophic wildfire to start. Once a fire ignites, the combination of heat, oxygen and fuel (trees, brush, etc.) can cause it to explode in size." http://bit.ly/2K2nKjD

Viral story: "See the Moment a Nurse Drives Through Flames to Help Patients During Deadly California Wildfire" The full story: http://bit.ly/2Dl98dU

FOOTAGE OF THE FIRES:

Yikes -- one of the scariest fire videos I've seen: Here are fire crews battling a fire on the side of a highway as drivers escape: http://bit.ly/2OInK9m

Aerial footage over Paradise, Calif.: Ugh, this is so sad. http://bit.ly/2DlJWnB

Livestream of the fire in Ventura County, Calif.: http://bit.ly/2QDgCwF

It's Wednesday. Back from jury duty, I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send comments, story ideas, happy thoughts and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com -- and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and on Facebook.

Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn

HAPPENING TODAY

This morning -- senators, meet your fearless leaders:

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was re-elected as Senate Majority Leader. http://bit.ly/2DEtxeT

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was re-elected as Senate Minority Leader. http://bit.ly/2OLzFmC

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was promoted to serve as Senate Republican Whip. http://bit.ly/2DEtxeT

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) will serve as Senate Republican Conference chairman.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will serve as Policy Committee chairman.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will serve as vice chairwoman of the GOP conference. http://bit.ly/2K4Y6Ld

Were any of these surprises?: Nope.

Keep in mind: Thune, Barrasso and Blunt each moved a step up the leadership ladder.

Happening at 1 p.m. -- House GOP leadership elections:

House Republicans are meeting this afternoon to elect their party leaders. The favorite for House Minority Leader: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the current House Majority Leader. McCarthy's challenger: House Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). https://cnn.it/2DE0iJk

OTHER POSITIONS:

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) is running unopposed for House Minority Whip. https://cnn.it/2DE0iJk

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is running unopposed for Republican Conference Chair. https://cnn.it/2DE0iJk

MEANWHILE FOR DEMS:

"Democrats in the Problem Solvers Caucus are proving to be the latest hurdle to Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) rise to the Speakership." http://bit.ly/2QI3K8v

ON CAPITOL HILL

We're not normal House members -- we're ~cool~ House members:

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Next year's Congress will be the most diverse in U.S. history, including a record number of women. "Many of the new Democrats are young and progressive, underscoring the generational and ideological divisions that are likely to pull at the conference over the next two years." http://bit.ly/2DEhqi8

For example -- wow: "There is a former N.F.L. linebacker, a climate scientist, and a rapper with a Harvard Law degree. There is one immigrant from Somalia and another from Ecuador. There are two former C.I.A. officials, an Air Force veteran, a former Navy helicopter pilot, and a retired Marine commander -- all of them women. Not to mention a pediatrician and a human rights advocate." https://nyti.ms/2PVHUkU

HAPPENING THIS MORNING:

New House members posed for a class photo on the Capitol steps. Photo -- it was very chilly out: http://bit.ly/2PwoxiL

^Lol: "Overheard from one member-elect: 'I'm dying! It's 80 degrees in my district.'" http://bit.ly/2DFBLnb

TIDBIT -- AWW, A ROMNEY-RYAN 2012 REUNION:

Here's video of Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah) walking into House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) office on Capitol Hill. Keep in mind: Ryan was Romney's running mate during the 2012 presidential race. Watch -- it's heartwarming: http://bit.ly/2Q2rHtY

NEW DIGS:

Newly elected senators have temporary offices on Capitol Hill. Photo of Romney's office: http://bit.ly/2DBhtv7

HOW THE MIDTERMS RESHAPED THE NATIONAL POLITICAL MAP:

Via The Hill's Reid Wilson: http://bit.ly/2Q53PWZ

Criminal justice, please step up:

Via The Hill's Jordain Carney, "A bipartisan group of senators involved in talks has reached a deal to pair a House-passed prison reform bill with a handful of sentencing reform measures, according to two GOP aides. Advocates hope to get legislation to the president's desk by the end of the year." http://bit.ly/2TeiAFu

BUT IMMIGRATION, YOUR NUMBER PROBABLY WON'T BE CALLED:

An immigration deal during the lame-duck session of Congress is becoming less and less likely. Why: 2020 politics. "Democrats say they are content to take the issue into 2020, when Democratic voters are projected to turn out in larger numbers and two pivotal Senate races will be fought in states with large Hispanic populations: Arizona and Colorado." http://bit.ly/2OJkFWC

IN LOCAL NEWS

A D.C. man with ties to the Pittsburgh shooting suspect was arrested:

Via The Washington Post's Spencer S. Hsu and Peter Hermann, 30-year-old Jeffrey R. Clark Jr., who described himself as a white nationalist, was arrested on a gun charge after family members alerted him to police. Keep in mind: Clark allegedly told family members that the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting "deserved it." Oh and: "Court papers said Jeffrey Clark posted a picture of the suspected gunman spattered in what appears to be blood and wrote, 'This was a dry run for things to come.'" https://wapo.st/2PVNcg8

IN OTHER NEWS

Nah, he's good brah:

In a new memo, the Department of Justice defended Matthew Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general. http://bit.ly/2z9mLK8

What sparked this memo: "Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and other legal scholars have argued that Whitaker's appointment is unlawful under a department statute, which vests the full authority of the office to the deputy attorney general if the office of attorney general becomes vacant."

From the memo: "As all three branches of government have long recognized, the President may designate an acting official to perform the duties of a vacant principal officer, including a Cabinet office, even when the acting official has not been confirmed by the Senate."

How Amazon HQ2 could affect the D.C. area:

Via The Hill's Sylvan Lane and Reid Wilson, "The arrival of 25,000 highly skilled tech workers and millions of dollars in planned investments [for Amazon's new Northern Virginia headquarters] is likely to accelerate the steady development of the gentrifying capital area."

Here are five ways the Washington, D.C. area could be affected: http://bit.ly/2Pu3DRm

Meanwhile in New York -- srsly?:

Talk of the media world -- who can enter the White House:

Via The Hill's Jordan Fabian, "The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back against CNN's request to immediately reinstate reporter Jim Acosta's press pass, arguing that reporters do not have a Constitutional right to enter the White House. The claim came in a Justice Department legal filing hours before a federal court hearing on CNN's lawsuit over the White House's decision to pull Acosta's press pass after a heated exchange with President Trump last week during a news conference." http://bit.ly/2zb6Nzv

REACTION FROM NEWS OUTLETS:

Fox News and a number of media outlets announced support for CNN's lawsuit to reinstate Acosta's press pass. From Fox News President Jay Wallace: "FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter's press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized," Wallace said in a statement. http://bit.ly/2z8P6k1

Tidbit -- Fox News took a Twitter break:

The official Twitter account for Fox News hasn't tweeted since Nov. 8. See for yourself: http://bit.ly/2OGAeON

A possible reason: Via The Hill's Joe Concha, Fox is reportedly protesting Twitter's "lack of responsiveness regarding content associated with a protest outside of host TuckerCarlson's home." But keep in mind: Fox News hasn't publicly said why the news outlet hasn't been tweeting. http://bit.ly/2QJradx