By Scott Wong (swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)
COBURN TO CUT SENATE TERM SHORT – Alexander Burns and Burgess Everett report for the hometown paper: “Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn confirmed Thursday night that he will not serve out his full Senate term and intends to step down after 2014 because of deepening health problems. In a statement, Coburn acknowledged that he is battling a serious recurrence of cancer and said he would continue to fight for his priorities during the remainder of his time in office. ‘Carolyn and I have been touched by the encouragement we’ve received from people across the state regarding my latest battle against cancer. But this decision isn’t about my health, my prognosis or even my hopes and desires,’ Coburn said. ‘As a citizen, I am now convinced that I can best serve my own children and grandchildren by shifting my focus elsewhere.’ …
– “The 65-year-old physician’s decision to resign marks a shift in his plans: In an interview earlier this month, he said he believed he was ‘plenty healthy enough to serve out my term,’ but acknowledged that circumstances could change. … Coburn’s departure from the Senate will cut short a nine-year career in the chamber and a longer tenure in Congress that dates back to the 1994 Republican revolution. An obstetrician by training, Coburn served six years in the House — often clashing with his GOP colleagues as well as Democrats and participating in attempt to depose then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich — before standing by a pledge to step down after three terms. …
– “Coburn has fought cancer on and off for years: In addition to the recurrence of prostate cancer that he announced in November, Coburn has also grappled with melanoma and colon cancer. He had brain surgery about six years ago as a result of a benign brain tumor. As of last week, he was facing the prospect of serious surgery that would require doctors to enter through the rib cage – a procedure serious enough that Coburn had already begun to discuss the possible ramifications for his Senate career with close family and friends.” http://politi.co/1j5GJ8P
The Oklahoman, A1 1-col lead: “COBURN PLANS TO RESIGN EARLY,” By Chris Casteel: “…Coburn’s decision could set off a major scramble among Republicans hoping to replace him. U.S. Reps. Tom Cole, R-Moore; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City; and Jim Bridenstine, R-Tulsa; will likely consider the race, along with Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Coburn timed his resignation so his replacement could be elected during the regular ballot process this year. It will be a very compressed time frame for a statewide race, particularly for those who don’t have statewide name recognition.” http://bit.ly/1dBhGLi PDF front page: http://bit.ly/1i57o84
– REPUBLICAN LEADER MITCH McCONNELL issued this statement: “Tom Coburn is without question one of the most intelligent, principled, and decent men in modern Senate history and a lasting credit to his beloved Oklahoma. … With his nearly 20 years of service in the House and later in the Senate, Tom has set a moral example for lawmakers at every level of government through his integrity, grit, and fearlessness in taking on problems others find either too difficult or too unglamorous.”
– PRESIDENT OBAMA, writing last year for TIME’s 100 most influential people: “The people of Oklahoma are lucky to have someone like Tom representing them in Washington — someone who speaks his mind, sticks to his principles and is committed to the people he was elected to serve.” The two developed an unlikely friendship when Obama was serving in the Senate: http://ti.me/1b7Tzhs
PROGRAMMING NOTE – Huddle will be off on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Have a great long weekend. We’ll see you back here on Tuesday.
LAWMAKERS PITCH BILL TO REVIVE VOTING RIGHTS ACT – Mike Lillis writes for The Hill: “A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would restore the voting protections shot down by the Supreme Court last year. Sponsored by Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the proposal attempts to ensure voters’ rights by requiring certain regions with a recent history of racial discrimination to secure federal approval before changing their election rules. The bill would reduce the number of states requiring federal pre-clearance from nine to four, leaving Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia still covered under that provision of the old law.” http://bit.ly/1gUK89j
OBAMA TO CALL FOR OVERHAUL OF NSA’S PHONE-DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM – Mark Landler reports for the New York Times: “President Obama will lay out plans on Friday morning to pull back the government’s wide net of surveillance at home and abroad, in a speech that administration officials say will stake out a middle ground between the far-reaching proposals of his own advisers and the concerns of the nation’s intelligence agencies. Mr. Obama is expected to outline plans to put more limits on the bulk collection of telephone calls; tighten privacy safeguards for foreigners, particularly heads of state; and propose a new public advocate to represent privacy concerns at a secret intelligence court. … But he will stop short of turning over the storage of phone data to a consortium of telecommunications companies, according to officials …” http://nyti.ms/1dBjpAm
– OBAMA delivers his remarks at 11 a.m. at the Justice Department.
THE ROGERS REPORT: CONGRESS OKs $ 1.1T SPENDING BILL – “A landmark $ 1.1 trillion spending bill cleared Congress Thursday evening after conservative resistance collapsed in the Senate and tea party favorite Ted Cruz dropped his insistence on a vote on funding for President Barack Obama’s health care plan,” David Rogers reports. “On back-to-back 72-26 roll calls, senators voted to cut off debate and then quickly adopted the bill, which keeps the government funded through September. Seventeen Republicans backed passage, but as with the December budget accord, a majority did not. The divisions show again how much the Senate –even more than the House—has become a partisan battleground. Once again Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opted to be a “nay” despite the overwhelming support of House Republicans for the measure.
– “The giant package, which Obama has pledged to sign, is very much a product of that same budget agreement last month. But if December set the limits on spending, this bill now spells out where the dollars will go. And as such, it sets a new template for appropriations for the remainder of the president’s second term.” http://politi.co/1dqCvq7
– A WOMAN, Barbara Mikulski, once again was at the center of this major legislative deal. On A1 of the Washington Post, Ed O’Keefe takes another look at women’s growing influence on Capitol Hill: http://wapo.st/1ac8NaF
WEINSTEIN, STREEP TO TARGET NRA IN ‘THE SENATOR’S WIFE’ – Greg Gilman reports for TheWrap: “Harvey Weinstein promised that an upcoming film he’s making, starring Meryl Streep, will make the National Rifle Association ‘wish they weren’t alive’ during an interview with Howard Stern earlier this week, and now it has a title. A Weinstein Co. spokeswoman told TheWrap on Thursday that the film will be called ‘The Senator’s Wife.’ ‘I think the NRA is a disaster area. I shouldn’t say this, but I’ll tell it to you, Howard. I’m going to make a movie with Meryl Streep, and we’re going to take this head-on,’ Weinstein told Stern on Wednesday. ‘And they’re going to wish they weren’t alive after I’m done with them.’ Weinstein described the film as a ‘big movie like a ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,’’ which he hopes will make audiences think: ‘Gun stocks — I don’t want to be involved in that stuff. It’s going to be like crash and burn.’” http://bit.ly/1dB5vwk
– SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TEXAS) fired back at Weinstein, calling the studio head a hypocrite for using violence in his own films. “Citing Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 film ‘Kill Bill’ — which Weinstein produced — the Texas senator said the sword fight at the end of the movie is ‘one of the most epically violent scenes.’” POLITICO’s Lucy McCalmont: http://politi.co/1j7Lper
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, JAN. 17, 2014, and welcome to The Huddle, your-play-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.
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TODAY IN CONGRESS – Both the House and Senate have adjourned through next week for the January recess. They return the week of Jan. 27.
AROUND THE HILL – Rep. Frank Wolf speaks on the Omnibus Appropriations bill at 1 p.m. in HVC Studio A.
FEINSTEIN DEFENDS HILLARY ON BENGHAZI – Ginger Gibson writes for POLITICO: “Sen. Dianne Feinstein is strongly defending former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from criticism in the wake of a Senate report that condemned the State Department for not averting a preventable attack on a U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. ‘I want the record to be clear: I condemn any effort to use this report for political purposes,’ said Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She was referring to remarks from Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) on the Senate floor on Thursday that were critical of the role Clinton, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, for not doing enough to prevent the attack.” http://politi.co/1eWFxSy
GATES, REID SQUABBLE OVER NEW BOOK – POLITICO’s Philip Ewing has the story: “Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired back at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday night, quipping that ‘it’s common practice on the Hill to vote on bills you haven’t read, and it’s perfectly clear Sen. Reid has not read the book.’ Reid faulted Gates’s book in an interview with The Associated Press earlier in the day, charging Gates had denigrated him, Vice President Joe Biden and others ‘just to make a buck.’ But Gates said he plans to donate most of what he makes to charities that work with wounded troops, and encouraged Reid and others to actually read his new memoir.” http://politi.co/1av7huA
FRIST’S MISERABLE FLIGHT – Michael Cass writes for The Tennessean: “Apparently being a multimillionaire former Senate majority leader doesn’t guarantee smooth access to the sky. Bill Frist, the former U.S. senator from Tennessee, went on a Twitter rant against United Airlines this afternoon, complaining that he was bumped from a first-class seat and then seated next to a very noisy bathroom.
Bill Frist, M.D. @bfrist: United Air @United miserable service again. SanFran sold me and confirmed a seat then took it away: Flt 1486 today
@bfrist: I can confirm that the toilets on this @united flight work! My seat vibrates with each passenger’s visit!
@bfrist: I also appreciate what @united is doing to keep the plane’s weight down. Bathroom walls this thin have got to be fuel-saving!
@bfrist: Thanks @united. Connection made; all is well. But do you refund passengers for selling seats that don’t exist? http://tnne.ws/1czTx1H
PELOSI PLACES WAGER ON NINERS GAME – Either way, someone will be eating well after Sunday’s San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks matchup. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democrats in Washington state’s Congressional Delegation have made a friendly wager over the much-anticipated NFC championship game. From the leader’s office; “If the Seahawks win, Pelosi will provide the Washington delegation with San Francisco sourdough bread from Boudin’s Bakery and chocolate from Ghirardelli and TCHO. If the 49ers win, Pelosi will receive Theo’s chocolate from Congressman Jim McDermott, Brown & Haley Almond Roca toffees from Congressman Adam Smith, Fischer fair scones from Congressman Denny Heck, craft gin from Everett’s Bluewater Distilling in Congressman Rick Larsen’s district, Woodinville wine and smoked salmon from Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, and apples from Amy’s Decadent Chocolates courtesy of Congressman Derek Kilmer. … ‘Seattle may try to keep our fans out of their stadium, but they will not keep the 49ers out of their end zone,’ Pelosi said.”
THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – We’ll give credit to two winners: Shelby Boxenbaum correctly answered that Bruce King served as New Mexico governor during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, while our own White House editor Dan Berman answered that Bill Clinton served as Arkansas governor during those same three decades. Other correct answers were Bill Janklow of South Dakota, Edwin Edwards of Louisiana, Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts and Jim Hunt of North Carolina.
TODAY’S TRIVIA – Bruce Tannahill has a follow-up question: Who served as governor of the same state in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me atswong@politico.com.
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