GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, May 10, where the double-fly-in-day weeks are not a personal favorite.
PRIMARIES PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA AND NEBRASKA Mountain State: Redistricting slashed a House district from West Virginia, which has set up a bruising member-on-member primary fight between Republicans David McKinley and Alex Mooney. Trump has backed Mooney, while Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin endorsed McKinley. Cornhusker State: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) was convicted in March of lying to authorities about illegal campaign contributions and resigned his House seat soon after. But his name is stuck on the ballot for Nebraska's 1st District, even though he is no longer a candidate. State Sen. Mike Flood is looking to replace Fortenberry, but keep an eye on how many voters cast ballots for a guy who's no longer in the race. Trump called for a Republican to challenge GOP Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, but the incumbent is expected to hold on in Tuesday's primary. On the Democratic side, mental health clinical supervisor Alisha Shelton is going up against state Sen. Tony Vargas. Read more: GOP member-vs.-member fight tops Tuesday primaries, from Stephanie Akin and Chris Marquette at CQ Roll Call; 3 primary contests to watch Tuesday in West Virginia and Nebraska, from Elana Moore at NPR REPUBLICANS SPLIT ON NEXT STEPS — After nearly a week of singular focus on the origins of the draft Supreme Court opinion that signals a toppling of Roe v. Wade, Senate Republicans are starting to acknowledge a post-Roe future. Their plans for what to do with that future are fractured and incomplete. Some want to leave abortion policy up to states, other hope to pursue more modest restrictions and some are intent on installing an outright ban on abortion nationwide. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). is in the "let's legislate" camp: "There's no secret, I want to protect every single child. So if there's an opportunity to be able to move, protect more children if we can, I'm going to do it," said Lankford. But with the filibuster, he acknowledged that "There's a big difference in voting for and actually moving legislation." Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who is up for reelection this year, favors state control: "I'm definitely advocating: Let the states handle this," he told Marianne and Burgess. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), said that if Roe is struck down, he doesn't see the need for federal legislation: "I don't think it's really an appropriate topic for Congress," he said, despite supporting a 20-week abortion ban in the past. Marianne and Burgess took the temperature of Senate Republicans Monday. Come for the smart story, stay for this kicker: Summing up the mood of the majority of the conference, Graham said Monday: "Call me in 2025." FUNDRAISER FLUB — A pair of lobbyists pitched donors on a chance to chat with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) about Washington's NFL team and its owner, Dan Snyder. But tying fundraising efforts with specific legislative actions is a red flag. Krishnamoorthi abruptly canceled a fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday night after POLITICO's Daniel Lippman approached his office with questions about the event and that pitch from lobbyists Mike and Tom Mantos. PROTECTION FOR SCOTUS SPOUSES, KIDS— The Senate approved a bill last night by unanimous consent that would protect Supreme Court justices' families, as protests swell at justices' homes following the disclosure of a draft opinion that would upending abortion rights. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced the legislation last week that gives the Supreme Court of the United States Police the authority to provide around-the-clock protection to family members. It is the type of protective detail that a select group of high ranking lawmakers and executive branch officials get. Read the bill text. "We must act to ensure Justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members," Cornyn said in a statement. While protests have centered in recent days on the court's conservative justices, Coons pointed to the high profile exposure Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's daughter received during Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. "If the families of Supreme Court Justices have the same profile and exposure as the highest ranking officials in our government, they deserve the same level of protection. We must take threats that come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum against Supreme Court Justices seriously, and that makes this bill an unfortunate necessity," said Coons. RELATED: Alito's home draws latest abortion-rights demonstration after Roe opinion breach, from Nancy Vu who was on the scene last night. Also: Josh Gerstein and Anthony Adragna dug into fishy reports that a Supreme Court justice had to flee his home and got to the bottom of the claim that's ricocheted across the web. |
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