Tipsheet: Dems search for winning playbook

View in your browser     Dems search for winning playbook By Amie Parnes   Democrats are feeling increasingly confident about their chances of winning back the House and Senate in the 2018 midterms.  After a surprising victory in Alabama’s Senate election last month, the party felt like it had momentum. Decisions by a pair of high-profile House GOP incumbents, Reps. Darrell Issa (Calif.) and Ed Royce (Calif.), to announce their retirements has only left the party feeling more confident.  Read the full story here     Listen: Trump and lawmakers face DACA and budget dramas, and more of today’s news By Alexis Simendinger President Trump and lawmakers have a lot to settle before a deadline Friday to keep the government open. Listen to The Hill's podcast here     GOP leaders face most difficult shutdown deadline yet By Melanie Zanona Republican leaders are facing their toughest challenge yet in keeping the government open, as lawmakers race to secure more money before current funding runs out at the end of the week. Read the full story here     Trump attacks 'Dicky Durbin' over 's---hole' remarks By Jacqueline Thomsen President Trump blasted Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Twitter Monday, claiming the senator “totally misrepresented” his comments after Durbin said Trump called Haiti, El Salvador and African nations “shithole countries.” Read the full story here       Durbin: WH should release any tapes from 's---hole' meeting By Jacqueline Thomsen Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called for the White House to release any recordings it might have of a bipartisan immigration reform meeting during which President Trump called some nations “shithole countries.” Read the full story here     MLK III compares Trump to George Wallace By Olivia Beavers Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son on Monday compared President Trump to former Alabama Gov. George Wallace (D) amid backlash over Trump's controversial "shithole countries" remark, The Associated Press reported. Read the full story here     Al Sharpton torches Trump in MLK Day op-ed By Morgan Chalfant   Rev. Al Sharpton heavily criticized President Trump in an op-ed marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day, accusing his administration of “undoing the progress” of the civil rights movement and emboldening racist ideologies. Read the full story here     Fifth Dem announces plan to boycott Trump's State of the Union By Olivia Beavers Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on Monday announced she plans to boycott President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress at the end of the month, joining a handful of other Democratic lawmakers who are skipping the annual event. Read the full story here     Poll: Only 1 percent of Trump voters side with Bannon over president By Jacqueline Thomsen Only 1 percent of Americans who voted for President Trump say they back former Breitbart News head Stephen Bannon in his recent feud with Trump, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. Read the full story here     Court battle brewing over work rules for Medicaid By Rachel Roubein and Peter Sullivan Advocacy groups are gearing up to sue the administration, arguing that it doesn’t have the power to allow work requirements and other rules for Medicaid without action from Congress.  Read the full story here     Steady American leadership is key to success with China and Korea By Max Baucus OPINION | During my time in office, the Obama administration “pivoted” to Asia in an acknowledgment that this region of the world would be of paramount importance to U.S. trade and national security. Read the full story here     In North Korea talks, Tillerson needs women at the negotiating table By Christine Ahn OPINION | Secretary Rex Tillerson will be sitting at a table with 20 foreign ministers Tuesday discussing how to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.  Read the full story here     The New York Times: Shutdown talk casts uneasy shadow across the aisle By Jonathan Martin, Michael D. Shear and Sheryl Gay Stolberg Acrimony after President Trump’s incendiary comments last week has made it less likely that Congress will reach a spending and immigration deal by Friday. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Inside the tense, profane White House meeting on immigration By Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker Hours before last week’s meeting, Trump suggested he was ready finalize a bipartisan agreement aimed at “dreamers.” But then he suddenly changed his position, from dealmaking to feuding, and the fight has left congressional leaders unsure of whether they will eventually reach a deal. Read the full story here     Reuters: Ex-Trump chief strategist Bannon meets with House panel on Russia By Sarah N. Lynch   President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday with a U.S. House of Representatives committee that is probing whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: US warned Jared Kushner about Wendi Deng Murdoch By Kate O’Keeffe and Aruna Viswanatha   Officials said the businesswoman could be trying to further Beijing’s interests, people familiar with the matter say. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: North Korea scoffs at Trump’s ‘nuclear button’ tweet By Eric Talmadge North Korea’s state-run media say U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet about having a bigger nuclear button than leader Kim Jong Un’s is the “spasm of a lunatic.” 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.