Tipsheet: GOP nears initial victory on tax reform

View in your browser     GOP nears initial victory on tax reform By Scott Wong and Naomi Jagoda   House Republicans are on the precipice of a big victory on tax reform, but the legislation still faces enormous hurdles before it can reach President Trump’s desk and be signed into law. Legislation is expected to receive a vote on the House floor this week after clearing the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee in a party-line vote with no GOP defections. Read the full story here     Trump clarifies Putin comments: 'I'm with our agencies' on election meddling By Brooke Seipel President Trump on Sunday clarified his comments on whether he believes Russia meddled in the U.S. 2016 presidential election, saying, "I believe in our intel agencies."  Read the full story here     CIA: Director 'stands by' Russian interference assessment By Mallory Shelbourne The CIA on Saturday said its director, Mike Pompeo, "stands by" the intelligence community’s declassified report that concluded Russia ran an influence campaign aimed at helping President Trump win the White House in 2016. Read the full story here     McCain: Nothing 'America First' about believing Putin on election meddling By Josh Delk Sen. John McCain said Saturday that there is "nothing 'America First'" about trusting the word of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following President Trump's meeting with the leader. Read the full story here       Trump on North Korea: 'We want progress, not provocation' By Josh Delk President Trump called for "progress, not provocation" with North Korea on Sunday in Vietnam, amid a growing nuclear threat from the country — a stark contrast from his past "fire and fury" comments. Read the full story here     Former Moore colleague: 'Common knowledge' that he dated high school girls By Max Greenwood A former colleague of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore said Saturday that it was "common knowledge" that the Alabama Republican dated high school girls when he worked in the Etowah County District Attorney's Office in the 1980s. Read the full story here     Moore is 'too Alabama' for Jeff Sessions in 'SNL' cold open By Brooke Seipel "Saturday Night Live" took on the sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama's GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore in its opening skit this week. Read the full story here     Speculation grows around Flynn and Mueller probe By Katie Bo Williams   Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s sprawling investigation has spawned a new guessing game in Washington centered on retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser. Read the full story here     Hickenlooper sees victory for centrists and model for Dems in Virginia By Rachel Roubein Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says Ralph Northam’s victory in Virginia’s gubernatorial race is a win for pragmatism — and a model for Democrats moving forward. Read the full story here     12-year-old suing Sessions over marijuana policy By Max Greenwood A 12-year-old girl in Colorado is suing Attorney General Jeff Sessions over what the lawsuit claims is an unconstitutional federal prohibition on medical marijuana. Read the full story here     The Democratic Party has finally hit rock bottom By Jen Kern OPINION | Between Fusion GPS and Uranium One, one can start to see how Americans don’t believe much of anything democrats have to say. Read the full story here     Senate bill tops House on business taxes but falters on income By Ryan Bourne OPINION | Senate Republicans have released a very different plan for major tax reform compared with the House’s efforts last week. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Questions about Russian meddling follow Trump to Asia By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin Questions about Russian meddling in the 2016 election have followed President Donald Trump overseas to Asia. Read the full story here     Reuters: Investigators probe Trump knowledge of campaign's Russia dealings: sources By Mark Hosenball and John Walcott Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has questioned Sam Clovis, co-chairman of President Donald Trump’s election campaign, to determine if Trump or top aides knew of the extent of the campaign team’s contacts with Russia, two sources familiar with the investigation said on Friday. Read the full story here     CNN: Trump seeks to strike diplomatic balance with Philippines' Duterte By Dan Merica   US President Donald Trump's knack for diplomatic flattery will be tested in the Philippines on Monday when he and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte meet for a state visit. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Trump team begins drafting Middle East peace plan By Peter Baker   President Trump and a group of advisers led by Jared Kushner hope to develop an American blueprint for resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Defiant Moore tries to rally support as prominent Republicans disown him By Elise Viebeck and Tom Hamburger Addressing a Post report in which four accusers — including one who was 14 at the time — claimed inappropriate behavior by him when he was in his 30s, the Alabama GOP Senate candidate attempted to frame the allegations as a political conspiracy perpetrated by the media and his political enemies. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.