Tipsheet: McConnell keeps firm grip on immigration debate

View in your browser     McConnell keeps firm grip on immigration debate By Alexander Bolton   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who promised what was expected to be a free-for-all immigration debate, is keeping his hand firmly on the wheel. The Senate is indeed tackling immigration, but McConnell on Tuesday indicated the debate will conclude at the end of this week. So unless there is a bipartisan breakthrough over the next 48-72 hours on an issue Congress has tried to resolve for more than a decade, immigration reform will once again fall short. Read the full story here     Senate hits wall on immigration By Jordain Carney   The Senate’s immigration debate is hitting a wall before it even gets started. Read the full story here     Listen: White House, FBI disagree on Porter timeline By Alexis Simendinger The Hill’s Jordan Fabian discusses the shifting White House narrative about an ex-aide’s security clearance and the impact on chief of staff John Kelly; later, a look at two big hurdles the Senate will face if immigration legislation emerges. Listen to The Hill's podcast here       The Memo: Frustrated Republicans urge White House to turn the page By Niall Stanage Controversy consumed the White House again on Tuesday when sworn testimony from the director of the FBI contradicted previous administration statements regarding Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned last week amid accusations of domestic abuse. Read the full story here     White House plays defense after FBI testimony By Jordan Fabian FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday contradicted the White House’s account of its handling of domestic abuse allegations against former top Trump aide Rob Porter, setting off a new round of controversy for the embattled administration. Read the full story here     Intel chiefs warn of Russia threat to 2018 midterms By Morgan Chalfant Top U.S. intelligence officials warned a Senate panel on Tuesday that they expect Russia to meddle in the 2018 midterm elections. Read the full story here     Mulvaney remarks on Trump budget plan spark confusion By Naomi Jagoda The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said that Mick Mulvaney would vote for President Trump’s budget proposal if he were still in Congress after the OMB director suggested he would not during a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Read the full story here     Trump's lawyer says he paid adult film star out of his own pocket By Brett Samuels President Trump's personal lawyer told The New York Times on Tuesday he paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to an adult film star, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with President Trump. Read the full story here     Schiff: We're not going to revise Democratic memo By Brett Samuels Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday night that members of his party won’t revise their countermemo, despite requests from the White House to do so. Read the full story here     Dems vie to win back blue-collar voters in pivotal Pa. race By Ben Kamisar Pennsylvania’s pivotal House special election will give Democrats an early chance to see if they can win back the white, blue-collar voters who have drifted away from the party. Read the full story here     Congress can and should stop Trump's plan to banish more immigrants By Kristine de Pena and Samuel Hammond OPINION | Unless Congress intervenes, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to cause a massive disruption to current U.S. immigration policy in the guise of protecting the American taxpayer, according to a newly leaked draft regulation. Read the full story here     Rice’s odd memo: Did Obama withhold intel from Trump? By Sharyl Attkisson OPINION | In his final weeks in office, did President Obama suggest withholding national security information from the lawfully elected incoming president of the United States and his team? Read the full story here     The Associated Press: GOP women frustrated by Trump’s approach to abuse charges By Laurie Kellman and Steve Peoples The Trump White House’s handling of abuse charges against men in its midst is frustrating prominent Republican women as the party’s yearslong struggle to attract female voters stretches into the 2018 midterm elections. Read the full story here     Reuters: Second US judge blocks Trump administration from ending DACA program By Dan Levine A second U.S. judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to end a program that protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children from deportation. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Corker reconsiders retirement, but he must win over Trump to do it By Jonathan Martin Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee is having second thoughts about retiring. But without President Trump’s support, he is unlikely to win the nomination. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: Even with Steve Bannon sidelined, GOP is split in Senate primary fights By Janet Hook   Republican candidates face fundraising difficulties and heated competition for party’s nomination. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Once-sleepy state races heat up as Democrats score a series of surprising wins By David Weigel   Democrat Margaret Good’s win Tuesday night in Florida's 72nd state House district marked the 36th red-to-blue switch in a legislative race since the start of 2017. While some Republicans admit worry, others insist the trend is overstated and simply a reflection of Democrats heavily outspending the GOP. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? 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