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| I'm taking bets: how long until we hear about this from the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account? I give it until 2 p.m.: |
 | | Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) took to the Senate floor to blast President Trump. Credit: Screenshot | |
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| During a Senate floor speech, GOP Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) rebuked President Trump's attacks on the press, urging his colleagues to publicly push back against the rhetoric. Excerpt: "The 'enemy of the people' was how the president of the United States called the free press in 2017. ...It is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president used words infamously spoken by Josef Stalin to describe his enemies," Flake said. Why this is big: Flake's speech marks one of the strongest Republican rebukes of Trump from the Senate floor. Keep in mind: Flake is retiring after 2018. http://bit.ly/2DGo04J |
| WHO WAS THERE: |
| Two senators were present: Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Why this is important: Senators do not normally sit in and listen to other senator's speeches. The speech was also carried live on CNN and C-SPAN. http://bit.ly/2FOLR2D |
| FULL TRANSCRIPT: |
| http://bzfd.it/2mHsAYq |
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It's Wednesday. I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook. |
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| To view the 12:30 Report online --> http://bit.ly/2DoQDpj |
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Talk to meh: |
| Via The Associated Press's Jonathan Lemire, "Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon will meet with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators ... Bannon is expected to be interviewed by prosecutors instead of testifying before a grand jury. He is expected to cooperate with the special counsel, the person said. It's unclear when the interview will occur." Why this is newsy: Yesterday, Bannon met with House Intelligence Committee for 10 hours, but he refused to answer questions about his time at the White House and on the presidential transition team. http://bit.ly/2DHyvEJ |
| WHY THE WHITE HOUSE ISN'T THRILLED WITH THE HOUSE INTEL COMMITTEE: |
| Via CNBC's Eamon Javers, The White House thought the House Intelligence Committee would only ask about the presidential campaign, not about Bannon's time in the White House. "Then, hours into Bannon's closed door testimony, Bannon's lawyers informed the White House from Capitol Hill that the questions would extend beyond the scope of what the White House understood the agreement to be. At that point, the White House told Bannon not to answer any further." http://cnb.cx/2DdwvmB |
| DURING YESTERDAY’S MEETING: |
| Bill Burck, an attorney for Bannon reportedly relayed questions to the White House in real time while Bannon was testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. Who he was communicating with: The White House counsel's office via phone to check on whether it would allow Bannon to answer certain questions. http://bit.ly/2Ba6Zgx |
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| LATEST WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | |
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Btw, it's very unclear how this will get resolved...: |
| Lawmakers warned yesterday that the chances for a government shutdown are greater than at any other time since a 16-day closure in October 2013. Republicans latest proposal: Offer a plan that would fund the government for another month (sigh) while extending the popular Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years. http://bit.ly/2DIVob7 Why this might not work: Republican leaders will need Democratic votes in the Senate -- and possibly the House as well. Democrats are refusing to make any commitments until they strike an immigration deal. Republicans are hoping funding CHIP will sweeten the deal for Dems. http://bit.ly/2Dea8O6 The possibility of a shutdown: "It's pretty close to 50-50," Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) said. |
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| Why Republicans need Democratic votes: |
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Tidbit -- the Mueller investigation would continue through a shutdown: |
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| OP-ED |
| Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon argues that avoiding the self-inflicted wound of a federal shutdown isn't hard. http://bit.ly/2DqymYQ |
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North Korea, South Korea, West Korea, East Korea: |
| Via The New York Times's Choe Sang-Hun, "North and South Korea agreed on Wednesday to field a joint women's ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics next month, and to have their athletes march together at the opening ceremony under one flag." Coming from the North: "The North will send 230 supporters to the Games, and negotiators agreed that supporters of both Koreas would root together for athletes from both countries." http://nyti.ms/2DcKjxO The Winter Olympics start in three weeks and a day! Op-ed: In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pushed for stronger economic sanctions on North Korea. Excerpt: "We've spent nearly three decades wondering what North Korea would do next. It's time for North Korea to fear what America will do next." http://bit.ly/2EPA5UA |
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Yes, I think we can all agree a hearing would be a fantastic idea: |
| The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the false Hawaii missile alert. When: "In the coming weeks." http://bit.ly/2Dlpd3R |
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A controversial Aziz Ansari story: |
| Over the weekend, a 23-year-old photographer shared a story anonymously on Babe about a date she had with actor Aziz Ansari. The gist: She said "she was repeatedly 'pressured' by Ansari to have intercourse, which they didn't, and to perform oral sex, which she did. The woman told Babe she used verbal and non-verbal cues to communicate she was 'distressed.' Following the encounter, Ansari arranged for an Uber to pick her up, she said." Her account sparked controversy and a debate about consent and the #MeToo movement. http://cnn.it/2FPlDgM |
| ANSARI RESPONDS: |
| "We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual," Ansari wrote in a statement. "The next day, I got a text from her saying that although 'it may have seemed okay,' upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned." http://cnn.it/2FPlDgM |
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| ON ONE SIDE: |
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HLN host Ashleigh Banfield blasted Ansari's accuser for a "reckless" claim. Watch: http://bit.ly/2EPphpy |
| ON THE OTHER SIDE: |
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Why Ansari is getting so much blowback. |
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Is this a tomorrow problem or a 2020 problem?: |
| Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer's (N.Y.) efforts to unify Democrats and prevent a shutdown are complicated by lawmakers with presidential hopes who are pushing for a hard-line stance against any short-term spending measure that doesn't protect certain young immigrants from deportation. Who specifically: Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.) have signaled they will not support a short-term spending bill that leaves the fate of these immigrants, often called Dreamers, up in the air. http://bit.ly/2DGFwpm |
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This briefing is brought to you by...McDonald's. McDonald's: I'm Lovin' It: |
| President Trump's military physician yesterday credited the president's genes for his "excellent" health despite his reported fast food habits and lack of exercise. "It's called genetics. I don't know, some people have just great genes," Navy Rear Adm. Dr. Ronny Jackson said at the White House press briefing after delivering the results of Trump's physical. http://bit.ly/2mFxkxM On his health: The doctor said Trump is in "excellent health and is mentally fit for office. http://bit.ly/2BaktIT |
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Haha, this video is pretty great: |
| Video of Sen. Hatch removing his "glasses": |
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| The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C., attending an event in the U.S. Capitol in a few hours. This week: Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is scheduled to testify in the Russia investigation. White House communications director Hope Hicks is scheduled to testify as soon as Friday. 1:30 p.m. EST: First votes in the House. 3 p.m. EST: President Trump attends a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) at the U.S. Capitol. 4:45 p.m. EST: Last votes in the House. Thursday: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is hosting an infrastructure summit. Details: http://uscham.com/2DoQulK Saturday: The one-year anniversary of President Trump taking office. |
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| 1 p.m. EST: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders gives a press briefing. Livestream: http://bit.ly/2rez3iR 8:45 a.m. EST Thursday: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) speaks at a Center for Strategist and International Studies event on military readiness. Details and livestream: http://bit.ly/2mAMZyg |
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| Today is National Hot Buttered Rum Day. |
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Oh. Come. On. People. I'm so worried for humanity: |
| Keep hearing references to eating Tide laundry detergent pods? Well, here's the back story: Teens have been daring each other to take the "Tide pod challenge." *massive eye roll* So Tide partnered with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski for a PSA warning customers not to eat Tide pods. I hate that I had to even write that last sentence. Full back story: http://wapo.st/2mNK1aG How widespread is this: In the first 15 days of 2018, there have been 39 reports of teenagers intentionally eating pods. http://ti.me/2mHCZmP |
| Watch the Gronk PSA: |
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| Tide pod jokes have been the viral meme of 2018. Here are a few: |
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*Cue the Shark Tank intro music* dun dun dun dun dun http://bit.ly/2EQhkAd |
| BuzzFeed has a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the filming of Shark Tank. For example: Contestants have to meet with an on-set psychologist after filming and each pitch actually lasts more than an hour but is cut down to eight minutes. It's pretty interesting if you watch the show: http://bzfd.it/2EN8SSr |
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| And to get you in a good mood, here's a viral video of a school in Puerto Rico celebrating when the power came back on after 112 days. The kids' reactions are so great: http://abcn.ws/2mF5QIt |
I'm seriously excited to let you know that the 
