| | | | The political world's eyes are on Georgia | | Democrats will take their last, best shot at picking off a Republican House seat -- and dealing President Donald Trump a major blow on Capitol Hill -- tomorrow in Georgia's 6th District House special election. The contest between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel is already the most expensive House race ever, with more than $50 million spent.
Why this race matters to Democrats: A win would give the party a crucial proof point that Trump's unpopularity is damaging Republicans up and down the ballot. That could help with everything from fundraising to candidate recruitment. It would signal that Democrats' strategy of focusing on Republican-held suburban districts in the midterms is wise. Most importantly, it'd be a huge psychic boost for the grass-roots.
Why it matters to Republicans: It would send the signal that GOP congressional leaders are on the right track, and that Republican lawmakers can separate themselves from Trump. This could stave off retirements from members queasy about tough re-election battles.
Trump weighed in late Monday with tweets attacking Ossoff for living just outside the district: | | Using Obama out of context: A pro-Trump group is using former President Barack Obama's words out of context in a last-minute radio ad in Georgia that is aimed at suppressing the African-American vote.
Polls close in Georgia Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
There's another special election tomorrow -- in South Carolina. It's an even more reliably Republican district, where the GOP's Ralph Norman is heavily favored over Democrat Archie Parnell. Former Vice President Joe Biden stepped in late, recording a robocall for Parnell. | | Health care watch: Moderates may lose a fight on Medicaid | | From CNN's Phil Mattingly and Lauren Fox: Senate Republicans might move forward with a plan to make even deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House's health care bill, which could be a major blow for Senate moderates.
According to Senate Republican aides familiar with the chamber's negotiations, leaders are weighing lowering the growth rate for the Medicaid program beginning in 2025. Essentially, from that point on, the money states receive for their Medicaid program would be calculated based on standard inflation, the consumer price index for all urban consumers, rather than medical inflation, which is more generous.
One aide stressed that no final decisions have been made, but the option is on the table and will be discussed this week as members attempt to coalesce around a final proposal. | | "It's a nightmare. Get away from my car if you see my car. ... I'm a horrible driver." -- Republican former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, on how he's adjusting to life out of office. | | | | Is White House press secretary Sean Spicer on his way into a new role? He's interviewing candidates to replace him, per Politico's Tara Palmeri. Among the candidates: Talk radio host Laura Ingraham and the Daily Mail's David Martosko. | | Here are the SCOTUS decisions you need to know about | | ... and they all happened this morning. - The Supreme Court unanimously struck down a North Carolina law that bars the use of commercial social networking sites, including Facebook, by registered sex offenders. More on that case here.
- The Supreme Court ruled former high-ranking officials in the George W. Bush administration, including former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former FBI Director Robert Mueller, could not be held accountable in claims brought by noncitizens after 9/11. The long-running civil rights lawsuit filed by immigrants in 2002 against the former Bush administration officials argued the plaintiffs were racially profiled and illegally detained after the attacks. More on that case here.
- The Supreme Court struck down part of a federal law that denies trademark protection of terms that disparage living or dead. The ruling could benefit the NFL's Washington Redskins, whose trademark was canceled based on the same law in a separate proceeding. More on that case here.
- AND this is important: The Supreme Court will take up the most important gerrymandering case in more than a decade. The case involves district lines in Wisconsin that challengers say were drawn unconstitutionally to benefit Republicans. The case could have a major impact on how district lines are drawn up nationwide. The court has said that too much partisanship in map drawing is illegal, but it has never said how much is too much. More on that here.
And this isn't everything for this week -- the Supreme Court will issue more decisions Thursday. Stay tuned. | | | A screenshot worth a thousand words: Monday's White House briefing was off-camera, with audio broadcasting forbidden. The administration termed it a "gaggle," which is a more informal setup, even though it took place in a format much like a formal briefing -- just with no cameras allowed. More from CNNMoney's Tom Kludt. | | 2 things you might have missed today | | The Cuban foreign minister says they will not buckle in the face of Trump's sanctions: In the first response by a Cuban official to a new, harsher Cuba policy unveiled by President Donald Trump last week, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the island's government would not buckle to the new sanctions. "We have the patience, the resistance" to wait out Trump, said Rodriguez, who delivered the remarks in Vienna, Austria, as part of a European tour. More from CNN's reporter in Havana, Patrick Oppmann.
Kushner heads to Jerusalem and Ramallah to talk peace: White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will arrive to Israel on Wednesday, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and then going to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. More from CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Madison Park and Jeff Zeleny. | | | In the midst of developing reports that President Donald Trump is under investigation by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller for possible obstruction of justice, the President has added a legal voice who is a familiar presence on conservative media: Jay Sekulow. ... A fundraising effort for Alexandria shooting victim Matt Mika has collected more than $20,000 to help cover his medical expenses. ... When it comes to transparency, there isn't much difference between the Trump and Obama administrations, according to outgoing Rep. Jason Chaffetz. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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