Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)

RUBIO GOES ALL IN ON IMMIGRATION – POLITICO’s Manu Raju has a preview of the Florida Republican’s game plan: “Marco Rubio is preparing to go all in to support sweeping immigration legislation, offering himself up as the public face of a bill that will split the Republican Party — but that his allies hope will propel him to the front of the GOP presidential sweepstakes. After offering lukewarm support until now, Rubio is preparing to fully embrace a measure that is the most significant of his political career so far. The gambit could pay off in spades by crowning a leading presidential contender in 2016, or it could permanently damage the Republican’s brand with conservatives.

– “Rubio is planning a media blitz to promote the bill — which is expected to be released early next week — making the rounds on all of the Sunday political talk shows starting this weekend, wooing skeptical conservative radio hosts and pitching the plan to Spanish-language news outlets. The campaign is aimed at building public support for the far-reaching immigration bill that will dominate Capitol Hill’s attention for much of the year. …

– “Behind the scenes, the potential 2016 aspirant has already launched a lobbying campaign to convince conservatives that the plan will be tough on the border. The goal is to assuage GOP concerns over the pathway to citizenship that would be offered to the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants, allowing them to apply for citizenship after 13 years as the new enforcement measures take effect. The Florida Republican has privately briefed individual GOP senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee — including conservative skeptics John Cornyn of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah — about the soon-to-be-unveiled proposal, according to sources familiar with the matter. His staff has pitched the plan to conservative thought leaders, including at the National Review and Wall Street Journal editorial board as well as the columnist Charles Krauthammer, sources say.” http://politi.co/Zknfly

THE GANG’S immigration bill will include a new merit-based program for foreigners to become permanent legal residents based on their work skills, the NYT’s Julia Preston and Ashley Parker report. http://nyti.ms/ZlgS1q

NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, MOVE SENATE – Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in their latest “Behind the Curtain” column:  “When a lobbyist for families of Newtown shooting victims called the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to set up a meeting, the first response was a standard D.C. offer. They could get a meeting with her staff, and a quick and simple ‘hello’ from Collins herself, they were told. The families’ answer: Not good enough. According to their lobbyists, the families have a rule against staff-only meetings: they won’t do them. They insist on sitting down with the senators themselves.

– “That rule is just one of the ways that the Newtown families, political novices just a few months ago, are proving to be savvy, effective advocates as they promote the gun legislation that has finally begun to move through the Senate. The families are well-educated, and many are well-off. They have been polished and sharp on TV. They’re mostly non-political, but quite accomplished in their own fields. With access to money and media, they’re using persistence, visibility — and, most all, their unique moral authority — to help prod Senate action. They also have their own lobbyists — several of them, in fact. …

–“What started as a support group is now a lobbying force unlike any other to descend on Capitol Hill. The family members typically begin their pitch to senators softly, telling the story of the child that they lost. They gently say they could not have imagined themselves in this position, but they’re doing it to honor the memory of their children. They say they’re supporters of the Second Amendment, and just want to have a conversation. But there’s nothing subtle about the way some of them conclude their visits: by leaving behind a color card with a photo of their slain relative. Nicole Hockley, who introduced President Barack Obama in Hartford this week, hands senators a card with three photos of her son Dylan, who was 6 when he was gunned down. One frame shows him grinning, in a Superman shirt. ‘Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06 – 12/14/12,’ the card says. ‘Honor his life. Stand with us for change. NOW IS THE TIME.’” http://politi.co/10SJDFr

– More than a dozen family members of Newtown victims sat in the gallery and looked on as the Senate voted 68-31 to begin debate on a gun-control measures, beating back a GOP-led filibuster, Kasie Hunt reports for NBC News.  http://nbcnews.to/157VnZ8

TWO DEMOCRATS broke with their party and voted to filibuster the gun legislation: Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor.

SIXTEEN REPUBLICANS voted to begin debate on the bill: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee; Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire; Richard Burr of North Carolina; Saxby Chambliss of Georgia; Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; Susan Collins of Maine; Bob Corker of Tennessee; Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; John Hoeven of North Dakota; Johnny Isakson of Georgia; Dean Heller of Nevada; Mark Kirk of Illinois; John McCain of Arizona; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Roger Wicker of Mississippi. http://politi.co/155XEE3

– Thursday’s vote could be just the first of many on gun legislation, POLITICO’s John Bresnahan reports: “A vote could come as soon as Tuesday on the bipartisan proposal by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that would expand background checks to all commercial gun sales and close the so-called gun-show loophole, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a key player in the gun bill debate. … But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have yet to reach an agreement laying out all the conditions for the gun debate, including how long the fight could go on and how many amendments — and what type — can be offered. The Manchin-Toomey proposal will actually be offered as an amendment to an underlying Democrat-only gun bill, and without agreement from McConnell, it will be hard for Reid to get to a final vote on the gun package.” http://politi.co/1525UVv

– Roll Call’s John Gramlich has five gun-control amendments to watch next week, including measures on concealed carry, mental-health records and high-capacity magazines: http://bit.ly/Zlk6Sw

SUBURBAN GROWTH in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Virginia is forcing lawmakers to consider a new political calculus in the gun debate, Philip Rucker and Paul Kane write on A1 of the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/10YqS0J

LAWMAKER: NORTH KOREA CAN MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON MOUNTED ON BALLISTIC MISSILE – The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and L.A. Times all front stories about Rep. Doug Lamborn’s surprising revelation about Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities. Thom Shanker, David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt write for the NYT: “A new assessment by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm has concluded for the first time, with “moderate confidence,” that North Korea has learned how to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. The assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has been distributed to senior administration officials and members of Congress, cautions that the weapon’s ‘reliability will be low,’ apparently a reference to the North’s difficulty in developing accurate missiles or, perhaps, to the huge technical challenges of designing a warhead that can survive the rigors of flight and detonate on a specific target.

– “The assessment’s existence was disclosed Thursday by Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado, three hours into a budget hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. General Dempsey declined to comment on the assessment because of classification issues. But late Thursday, the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., released a statement saying that the assessment did not represent a consensus of the nation’s intelligence community and that ‘North Korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile.’” http://nyti.ms/16RtqCR

– Defense hawk Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the North Korean dictator a “clown” and a “fool” on Fox News Thursday night, saying the U.S. can “take out” his nuclear capabilities if he fires a test missile. http://politi.co/ZlawyS

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Just form a team in your office and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. Winning teams will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams   

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @Katy_Brock and @Cabananatuan.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ANITA FORD, a senior web producer at POLITICO who’s endured countless early morning wake-up calls and worked behind the scenes to produce The Huddle each day since I took over a year and a half ago. Today marks her final Huddle as she moves on to bigger things, and we wish her the best! Email her at: aford@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate is out today. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on a bill requiring the National Labor Relations Board to halt all activity until the legal issues surrounding the legitimacy of President Obama’s recess appointments are resolved.

AROUND THE HILL — Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform holds a Countdown-to-Tax-Day press conference at 10 a.m. in H-137, featuring speakers House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and Reps. Kevin Brady, Devin Nunes, Tom Price and Reid Ribble.

Sen. Ben Cardin holds a town hall with employees at 11:15 a.m. at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Cato Institute hosts a Capitol Hill briefing titled “After the Arguments: What’s Next for Marriage Equality?” at noon in Rayburn B-369.

PROGRESS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL RESIGNS AMID McCONNELL BUGGING FALLOUT – Kevin Robillard reports for POLITICO: “Pressure is growing Thursday afternoon on a liberal super PAC in Kentucky accused of surreptitiously recording a strategy session held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Jacob Conway, the Jefferson County Democratic Party’s executive committee member who originally accused Progress Kentucky of making the recording, told NBC News he was on his way to talk to the FBI about the allegations. And the group’s treasurer confirmed he had quit his position after the audio was published. ‘At this time based on advice of both friends and counsel, I will be not be making a public statement available until everything has been reviewed by an attorney at this time,’ Douglas L. Davis told NBC News. ‘I have resigned my position as treasurer and did not and do not condone any allegations of illegal activity that might have taken place.’

– “Conway told Louisville’s NPR affiliate earlier Thursday that two Progress Kentucky employees bragged to him about recording the meeting through a door in McConnell’s office. Conway said Shawn Reilly and Curtis Morrison told him they snuck into McConnell’s freshly-opened campaign office February 2, not long after McConnell held an open house for GOP activists and media members. They heard the meeting going on through a closed door and recorded it. … McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton told the radio station the door in question has a large gap at the bottom and a vent the duo could’ve recorded the meeting through.” http://politi.co/ZPqq3C

– Reilly, the group’s executive director is denying he engaged in any illegal activity, The Hill’s Alexandra Jaffe reports: http://bit.ly/ZQTms2

DEFICIT GANG OF EIGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD? – Ginger Gibson reports for POLITICO: “Republican and Democratic senators are considering resurrecting a gang of deficit-busting lawmakers with an eye on a grand bargain with President Barack Obama. The bipartisan effort would come on the heels of the immigration Gang of Eight that is on the verge of announcing a sweeping immigration overhaul, and a breakthrough agreement on gun control between Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). In fact, it seems reining in the deficit is the only thorny issue left in Washington that hasn’t seen a recent bipartisan breakthrough despite an aggressive outreach campaign by Obama to lawmakers. …

–“A revival of the group could see the return of veteran negotiators like Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.). But they could also tap new blood like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Johnny Iskason (R-Ga.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), or budget supercommittee members Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Toomey.” http://politi.co/1525Y7w

WALDEN’S ‘CHAINED CPI’ REMARK SPLITS GOP – Jonathan Strong writes for Roll Call: National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden touched a nerve Wednesday when he savaged the entitlement changes in President Barack Obama’s budget as a ‘shocking attack on seniors.’ But while conservative groups expressed outrage and top House leaders, including Speaker John A. Boehner, said they disagreed with Walden, it’s the lack of fallout for the Oregon Republican that may be more revealing. The debate Walden’s remarks has set off inside the GOP shows many Republicans harbor deep-seated fears about publicly supporting the entitlement cuts they supposedly back and have demanded Obama and other Democrats embrace since taking control of the House in 2011. ‘Walden is doing the right thing for the 30 seats that control the majority of the House, and that’s what the mission of NRCC chair is,’ said Brock McLeary, the president of Harper Polling and a former top political hand at the NRCC. …

–“On Thursday, Boehner said, ‘I’ve made it clear that I disagree with what Chairman Walden said. He and I have had a conversation about it. This is the least we must do to begin to solve the problems of Social Security.’ Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said his boss “thinks that chained CPI should definitely be on the table” and noted that, like Boehner, Cantor had also spoken to Walden.” http://bit.ly/XH4EF9

– Angered by Walden’s position, the conservative Club for Growth is now looking for a primary challenger to take him on in 2014, Kate Nocera reports for POLITICO: http://politi.co/ZPEOsO

THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Bradley Dlatt was first to correctly answer that Thomas Jefferson signed legislation in 1806 providing funding for the National Road, previously known as the Cumberland Road, the first highway to be built by the federal government. The road started in Cumberland, Md.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Howard Kipnes has today’s question: Which U. S. president was the first to appear on television, and what was the event he was attending? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Since 1990, Komen’s investments have helped drive down breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. by 33% thanks to participants like you. Represent your state and keep the momentum going. Form a team in your office today and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. The largest congressional team and top fundraising team will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams

POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle

Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)

RUBIO GOES ALL IN ON IMMIGRATION – POLITICO’s Manu Raju has a preview of the Florida Republican’s game plan: “Marco Rubio is preparing to go all in to support sweeping immigration legislation, offering himself up as the public face of a bill that will split the Republican Party — but that his allies hope will propel him to the front of the GOP presidential sweepstakes. After offering lukewarm support until now, Rubio is preparing to fully embrace a measure that is the most significant of his political career so far. The gambit could pay off in spades by crowning a leading presidential contender in 2016, or it could permanently damage the Republican’s brand with conservatives.

– “Rubio is planning a media blitz to promote the bill — which is expected to be released early next week — making the rounds on all of the Sunday political talk shows starting this weekend, wooing skeptical conservative radio hosts and pitching the plan to Spanish-language news outlets. The campaign is aimed at building public support for the far-reaching immigration bill that will dominate Capitol Hill’s attention for much of the year. …

– “Behind the scenes, the potential 2016 aspirant has already launched a lobbying campaign to convince conservatives that the plan will be tough on the border. The goal is to assuage GOP concerns over the pathway to citizenship that would be offered to the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants, allowing them to apply for citizenship after 13 years as the new enforcement measures take effect. The Florida Republican has privately briefed individual GOP senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee — including conservative skeptics John Cornyn of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah — about the soon-to-be-unveiled proposal, according to sources familiar with the matter. His staff has pitched the plan to conservative thought leaders, including at the National Review and Wall Street Journal editorial board as well as the columnist Charles Krauthammer, sources say.” http://politi.co/Zknfly

THE GANG’S immigration bill will include a new merit-based program for foreigners to become permanent legal residents based on their work skills, the NYT’s Julia Preston and Ashley Parker report. http://nyti.ms/ZlgS1q

NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, MOVE SENATE – Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in their latest “Behind the Curtain” column:  “When a lobbyist for families of Newtown shooting victims called the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to set up a meeting, the first response was a standard D.C. offer. They could get a meeting with her staff, and a quick and simple ‘hello’ from Collins herself, they were told. The families’ answer: Not good enough. According to their lobbyists, the families have a rule against staff-only meetings: they won’t do them. They insist on sitting down with the senators themselves.

– “That rule is just one of the ways that the Newtown families, political novices just a few months ago, are proving to be savvy, effective advocates as they promote the gun legislation that has finally begun to move through the Senate. The families are well-educated, and many are well-off. They have been polished and sharp on TV. They’re mostly non-political, but quite accomplished in their own fields. With access to money and media, they’re using persistence, visibility — and, most all, their unique moral authority — to help prod Senate action. They also have their own lobbyists — several of them, in fact. …

–“What started as a support group is now a lobbying force unlike any other to descend on Capitol Hill. The family members typically begin their pitch to senators softly, telling the story of the child that they lost. They gently say they could not have imagined themselves in this position, but they’re doing it to honor the memory of their children. They say they’re supporters of the Second Amendment, and just want to have a conversation. But there’s nothing subtle about the way some of them conclude their visits: by leaving behind a color card with a photo of their slain relative. Nicole Hockley, who introduced President Barack Obama in Hartford this week, hands senators a card with three photos of her son Dylan, who was 6 when he was gunned down. One frame shows him grinning, in a Superman shirt. ‘Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06 – 12/14/12,’ the card says. ‘Honor his life. Stand with us for change. NOW IS THE TIME.’” http://politi.co/10SJDFr

– More than a dozen family members of Newtown victims sat in the gallery and looked on as the Senate voted 68-31 to begin debate on a gun-control measures, beating back a GOP-led filibuster, Kasie Hunt reports for NBC News.  http://nbcnews.to/157VnZ8

TWO DEMOCRATS broke with their party and voted to filibuster the gun legislation: Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor.

SIXTEEN REPUBLICANS voted to begin debate on the bill: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee; Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire; Richard Burr of North Carolina; Saxby Chambliss of Georgia; Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; Susan Collins of Maine; Bob Corker of Tennessee; Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; John Hoeven of North Dakota; Johnny Isakson of Georgia; Dean Heller of Nevada; Mark Kirk of Illinois; John McCain of Arizona; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Roger Wicker of Mississippi. http://politi.co/155XEE3

– Thursday’s vote could be just the first of many on gun legislation, POLITICO’s John Bresnahan reports: “A vote could come as soon as Tuesday on the bipartisan proposal by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that would expand background checks to all commercial gun sales and close the so-called gun-show loophole, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a key player in the gun bill debate. … But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have yet to reach an agreement laying out all the conditions for the gun debate, including how long the fight could go on and how many amendments — and what type — can be offered. The Manchin-Toomey proposal will actually be offered as an amendment to an underlying Democrat-only gun bill, and without agreement from McConnell, it will be hard for Reid to get to a final vote on the gun package.” http://politi.co/1525UVv

– Roll Call’s John Gramlich has five gun-control amendments to watch next week, including measures on concealed carry, mental-health records and high-capacity magazines: http://bit.ly/Zlk6Sw

SUBURBAN GROWTH in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Virginia is forcing lawmakers to consider a new political calculus in the gun debate, Philip Rucker and Paul Kane write on A1 of the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/10YqS0J

LAWMAKER: NORTH KOREA CAN MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON MOUNTED ON BALLISTIC MISSILE – The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and L.A. Times all front stories about Rep. Doug Lamborn’s surprising revelation about Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities. Thom Shanker, David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt write for the NYT: “A new assessment by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm has concluded for the first time, with “moderate confidence,” that North Korea has learned how to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. The assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has been distributed to senior administration officials and members of Congress, cautions that the weapon’s ‘reliability will be low,’ apparently a reference to the North’s difficulty in developing accurate missiles or, perhaps, to the huge technical challenges of designing a warhead that can survive the rigors of flight and detonate on a specific target.

– “The assessment’s existence was disclosed Thursday by Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado, three hours into a budget hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. General Dempsey declined to comment on the assessment because of classification issues. But late Thursday, the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., released a statement saying that the assessment did not represent a consensus of the nation’s intelligence community and that ‘North Korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile.’” http://nyti.ms/16RtqCR

– Defense hawk Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the North Korean dictator a “clown” and a “fool” on Fox News Thursday night, saying the U.S. can “take out” his nuclear capabilities if he fires a test missile. http://politi.co/ZlawyS

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Just form a team in your office and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. Winning teams will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams   

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @Katy_Brock and @Cabananatuan.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ANITA FORD, a senior web producer at POLITICO who’s endured countless early morning wake-up calls and worked behind the scenes to produce The Huddle each day since I took over a year and a half ago. Today marks her final Huddle as she moves on to bigger things, and we wish her the best! Email her at: aford@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate is out today. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on a bill requiring the National Labor Relations Board to halt all activity until the legal issues surrounding the legitimacy of President Obama’s recess appointments are resolved.

AROUND THE HILL — Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform holds a Countdown-to-Tax-Day press conference at 10 a.m. in H-137, featuring speakers House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and Reps. Kevin Brady, Devin Nunes, Tom Price and Reid Ribble.

Sen. Ben Cardin holds a town hall with employees at 11:15 a.m. at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Cato Institute hosts a Capitol Hill briefing titled “After the Arguments: What’s Next for Marriage Equality?” at noon in Rayburn B-369.

PROGRESS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL RESIGNS AMID McCONNELL BUGGING FALLOUT – Kevin Robillard reports for POLITICO: “Pressure is growing Thursday afternoon on a liberal super PAC in Kentucky accused of surreptitiously recording a strategy session held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Jacob Conway, the Jefferson County Democratic Party’s executive committee member who originally accused Progress Kentucky of making the recording, told NBC News he was on his way to talk to the FBI about the allegations. And the group’s treasurer confirmed he had quit his position after the audio was published. ‘At this time based on advice of both friends and counsel, I will be not be making a public statement available until everything has been reviewed by an attorney at this time,’ Douglas L. Davis told NBC News. ‘I have resigned my position as treasurer and did not and do not condone any allegations of illegal activity that might have taken place.’

– “Conway told Louisville’s NPR affiliate earlier Thursday that two Progress Kentucky employees bragged to him about recording the meeting through a door in McConnell’s office. Conway said Shawn Reilly and Curtis Morrison told him they snuck into McConnell’s freshly-opened campaign office February 2, not long after McConnell held an open house for GOP activists and media members. They heard the meeting going on through a closed door and recorded it. … McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton told the radio station the door in question has a large gap at the bottom and a vent the duo could’ve recorded the meeting through.” http://politi.co/ZPqq3C

– Reilly, the group’s executive director is denying he engaged in any illegal activity, The Hill’s Alexandra Jaffe reports: http://bit.ly/ZQTms2

DEFICIT GANG OF EIGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD? – Ginger Gibson reports for POLITICO: “Republican and Democratic senators are considering resurrecting a gang of deficit-busting lawmakers with an eye on a grand bargain with President Barack Obama. The bipartisan effort would come on the heels of the immigration Gang of Eight that is on the verge of announcing a sweeping immigration overhaul, and a breakthrough agreement on gun control between Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). In fact, it seems reining in the deficit is the only thorny issue left in Washington that hasn’t seen a recent bipartisan breakthrough despite an aggressive outreach campaign by Obama to lawmakers. …

–“A revival of the group could see the return of veteran negotiators like Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.). But they could also tap new blood like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Johnny Iskason (R-Ga.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), or budget supercommittee members Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Toomey.” http://politi.co/1525Y7w

WALDEN’S ‘CHAINED CPI’ REMARK SPLITS GOP – Jonathan Strong writes for Roll Call: National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden touched a nerve Wednesday when he savaged the entitlement changes in President Barack Obama’s budget as a ‘shocking attack on seniors.’ But while conservative groups expressed outrage and top House leaders, including Speaker John A. Boehner, said they disagreed with Walden, it’s the lack of fallout for the Oregon Republican that may be more revealing. The debate Walden’s remarks has set off inside the GOP shows many Republicans harbor deep-seated fears about publicly supporting the entitlement cuts they supposedly back and have demanded Obama and other Democrats embrace since taking control of the House in 2011. ‘Walden is doing the right thing for the 30 seats that control the majority of the House, and that’s what the mission of NRCC chair is,’ said Brock McLeary, the president of Harper Polling and a former top political hand at the NRCC. …

–“On Thursday, Boehner said, ‘I’ve made it clear that I disagree with what Chairman Walden said. He and I have had a conversation about it. This is the least we must do to begin to solve the problems of Social Security.’ Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said his boss “thinks that chained CPI should definitely be on the table” and noted that, like Boehner, Cantor had also spoken to Walden.” http://bit.ly/XH4EF9

– Angered by Walden’s position, the conservative Club for Growth is now looking for a primary challenger to take him on in 2014, Kate Nocera reports for POLITICO: http://politi.co/ZPEOsO

THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Bradley Dlatt was first to correctly answer that Thomas Jefferson signed legislation in 1806 providing funding for the National Road, previously known as the Cumberland Road, the first highway to be built by the federal government. The road started in Cumberland, Md.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Howard Kipnes has today’s question: Which U. S. president was the first to appear on television, and what was the event he was attending? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Since 1990, Komen’s investments have helped drive down breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. by 33% thanks to participants like you. Represent your state and keep the momentum going. Form a team in your office today and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. The largest congressional team and top fundraising team will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams

POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle

Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

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(swong@politico.com or @scottwongDC)

RUBIO GOES ALL IN ON IMMIGRATION – POLITICO’s Manu Raju has a preview of the Florida Republican’s game plan: “Marco Rubio is preparing to go all in to support sweeping immigration legislation, offering himself up as the public face of a bill that will split the Republican Party — but that his allies hope will propel him to the front of the GOP presidential sweepstakes. After offering lukewarm support until now, Rubio is preparing to fully embrace a measure that is the most significant of his political career so far. The gambit could pay off in spades by crowning a leading presidential contender in 2016, or it could permanently damage the Republican’s brand with conservatives.

– “Rubio is planning a media blitz to promote the bill — which is expected to be released early next week — making the rounds on all of the Sunday political talk shows starting this weekend, wooing skeptical conservative radio hosts and pitching the plan to Spanish-language news outlets. The campaign is aimed at building public support for the far-reaching immigration bill that will dominate Capitol Hill’s attention for much of the year. …

– “Behind the scenes, the potential 2016 aspirant has already launched a lobbying campaign to convince conservatives that the plan will be tough on the border. The goal is to assuage GOP concerns over the pathway to citizenship that would be offered to the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants, allowing them to apply for citizenship after 13 years as the new enforcement measures take effect. The Florida Republican has privately briefed individual GOP senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee — including conservative skeptics John Cornyn of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah — about the soon-to-be-unveiled proposal, according to sources familiar with the matter. His staff has pitched the plan to conservative thought leaders, including at the National Review and Wall Street Journal editorial board as well as the columnist Charles Krauthammer, sources say.” http://politi.co/Zknfly

THE GANG’S immigration bill will include a new merit-based program for foreigners to become permanent legal residents based on their work skills, the NYT’s Julia Preston and Ashley Parker report. http://nyti.ms/ZlgS1q

NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, MOVE SENATE – Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in their latest “Behind the Curtain” column:  “When a lobbyist for families of Newtown shooting victims called the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to set up a meeting, the first response was a standard D.C. offer. They could get a meeting with her staff, and a quick and simple ‘hello’ from Collins herself, they were told. The families’ answer: Not good enough. According to their lobbyists, the families have a rule against staff-only meetings: they won’t do them. They insist on sitting down with the senators themselves.

– “That rule is just one of the ways that the Newtown families, political novices just a few months ago, are proving to be savvy, effective advocates as they promote the gun legislation that has finally begun to move through the Senate. The families are well-educated, and many are well-off. They have been polished and sharp on TV. They’re mostly non-political, but quite accomplished in their own fields. With access to money and media, they’re using persistence, visibility — and, most all, their unique moral authority — to help prod Senate action. They also have their own lobbyists — several of them, in fact. …

–“What started as a support group is now a lobbying force unlike any other to descend on Capitol Hill. The family members typically begin their pitch to senators softly, telling the story of the child that they lost. They gently say they could not have imagined themselves in this position, but they’re doing it to honor the memory of their children. They say they’re supporters of the Second Amendment, and just want to have a conversation. But there’s nothing subtle about the way some of them conclude their visits: by leaving behind a color card with a photo of their slain relative. Nicole Hockley, who introduced President Barack Obama in Hartford this week, hands senators a card with three photos of her son Dylan, who was 6 when he was gunned down. One frame shows him grinning, in a Superman shirt. ‘Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06 – 12/14/12,’ the card says. ‘Honor his life. Stand with us for change. NOW IS THE TIME.’” http://politi.co/10SJDFr

– More than a dozen family members of Newtown victims sat in the gallery and looked on as the Senate voted 68-31 to begin debate on a gun-control measures, beating back a GOP-led filibuster, Kasie Hunt reports for NBC News.  http://nbcnews.to/157VnZ8

TWO DEMOCRATS broke with their party and voted to filibuster the gun legislation: Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor.

SIXTEEN REPUBLICANS voted to begin debate on the bill: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee; Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire; Richard Burr of North Carolina; Saxby Chambliss of Georgia; Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; Susan Collins of Maine; Bob Corker of Tennessee; Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; John Hoeven of North Dakota; Johnny Isakson of Georgia; Dean Heller of Nevada; Mark Kirk of Illinois; John McCain of Arizona; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Roger Wicker of Mississippi. http://politi.co/155XEE3

– Thursday’s vote could be just the first of many on gun legislation, POLITICO’s John Bresnahan reports: “A vote could come as soon as Tuesday on the bipartisan proposal by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that would expand background checks to all commercial gun sales and close the so-called gun-show loophole, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a key player in the gun bill debate. … But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have yet to reach an agreement laying out all the conditions for the gun debate, including how long the fight could go on and how many amendments — and what type — can be offered. The Manchin-Toomey proposal will actually be offered as an amendment to an underlying Democrat-only gun bill, and without agreement from McConnell, it will be hard for Reid to get to a final vote on the gun package.” http://politi.co/1525UVv

– Roll Call’s John Gramlich has five gun-control amendments to watch next week, including measures on concealed carry, mental-health records and high-capacity magazines: http://bit.ly/Zlk6Sw

SUBURBAN GROWTH in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Virginia is forcing lawmakers to consider a new political calculus in the gun debate, Philip Rucker and Paul Kane write on A1 of the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/10YqS0J

LAWMAKER: NORTH KOREA CAN MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON MOUNTED ON BALLISTIC MISSILE – The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and L.A. Times all front stories about Rep. Doug Lamborn’s surprising revelation about Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities. Thom Shanker, David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt write for the NYT: “A new assessment by the Pentagon’s intelligence arm has concluded for the first time, with “moderate confidence,” that North Korea has learned how to make a nuclear weapon small enough to be delivered by a ballistic missile. The assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has been distributed to senior administration officials and members of Congress, cautions that the weapon’s ‘reliability will be low,’ apparently a reference to the North’s difficulty in developing accurate missiles or, perhaps, to the huge technical challenges of designing a warhead that can survive the rigors of flight and detonate on a specific target.

– “The assessment’s existence was disclosed Thursday by Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado, three hours into a budget hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. General Dempsey declined to comment on the assessment because of classification issues. But late Thursday, the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr., released a statement saying that the assessment did not represent a consensus of the nation’s intelligence community and that ‘North Korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile.’” http://nyti.ms/16RtqCR

– Defense hawk Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the North Korean dictator a “clown” and a “fool” on Fox News Thursday night, saying the U.S. can “take out” his nuclear capabilities if he fires a test missile. http://politi.co/ZlawyS

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Just form a team in your office and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. Winning teams will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams   

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @Katy_Brock and @Cabananatuan.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ANITA FORD, a senior web producer at POLITICO who’s endured countless early morning wake-up calls and worked behind the scenes to produce The Huddle each day since I took over a year and a half ago. Today marks her final Huddle as she moves on to bigger things, and we wish her the best! Email her at: aford@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate is out today. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on a bill requiring the National Labor Relations Board to halt all activity until the legal issues surrounding the legitimacy of President Obama’s recess appointments are resolved.

AROUND THE HILL — Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform holds a Countdown-to-Tax-Day press conference at 10 a.m. in H-137, featuring speakers House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, and Reps. Kevin Brady, Devin Nunes, Tom Price and Reid Ribble.

Sen. Ben Cardin holds a town hall with employees at 11:15 a.m. at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Cato Institute hosts a Capitol Hill briefing titled “After the Arguments: What’s Next for Marriage Equality?” at noon in Rayburn B-369.

PROGRESS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL RESIGNS AMID McCONNELL BUGGING FALLOUT – Kevin Robillard reports for POLITICO: “Pressure is growing Thursday afternoon on a liberal super PAC in Kentucky accused of surreptitiously recording a strategy session held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Jacob Conway, the Jefferson County Democratic Party’s executive committee member who originally accused Progress Kentucky of making the recording, told NBC News he was on his way to talk to the FBI about the allegations. And the group’s treasurer confirmed he had quit his position after the audio was published. ‘At this time based on advice of both friends and counsel, I will be not be making a public statement available until everything has been reviewed by an attorney at this time,’ Douglas L. Davis told NBC News. ‘I have resigned my position as treasurer and did not and do not condone any allegations of illegal activity that might have taken place.’

– “Conway told Louisville’s NPR affiliate earlier Thursday that two Progress Kentucky employees bragged to him about recording the meeting through a door in McConnell’s office. Conway said Shawn Reilly and Curtis Morrison told him they snuck into McConnell’s freshly-opened campaign office February 2, not long after McConnell held an open house for GOP activists and media members. They heard the meeting going on through a closed door and recorded it. … McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton told the radio station the door in question has a large gap at the bottom and a vent the duo could’ve recorded the meeting through.” http://politi.co/ZPqq3C

– Reilly, the group’s executive director is denying he engaged in any illegal activity, The Hill’s Alexandra Jaffe reports: http://bit.ly/ZQTms2

DEFICIT GANG OF EIGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD? – Ginger Gibson reports for POLITICO: “Republican and Democratic senators are considering resurrecting a gang of deficit-busting lawmakers with an eye on a grand bargain with President Barack Obama. The bipartisan effort would come on the heels of the immigration Gang of Eight that is on the verge of announcing a sweeping immigration overhaul, and a breakthrough agreement on gun control between Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). In fact, it seems reining in the deficit is the only thorny issue left in Washington that hasn’t seen a recent bipartisan breakthrough despite an aggressive outreach campaign by Obama to lawmakers. …

–“A revival of the group could see the return of veteran negotiators like Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.). But they could also tap new blood like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Johnny Iskason (R-Ga.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), or budget supercommittee members Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Toomey.” http://politi.co/1525Y7w

WALDEN’S ‘CHAINED CPI’ REMARK SPLITS GOP – Jonathan Strong writes for Roll Call: National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden touched a nerve Wednesday when he savaged the entitlement changes in President Barack Obama’s budget as a ‘shocking attack on seniors.’ But while conservative groups expressed outrage and top House leaders, including Speaker John A. Boehner, said they disagreed with Walden, it’s the lack of fallout for the Oregon Republican that may be more revealing. The debate Walden’s remarks has set off inside the GOP shows many Republicans harbor deep-seated fears about publicly supporting the entitlement cuts they supposedly back and have demanded Obama and other Democrats embrace since taking control of the House in 2011. ‘Walden is doing the right thing for the 30 seats that control the majority of the House, and that’s what the mission of NRCC chair is,’ said Brock McLeary, the president of Harper Polling and a former top political hand at the NRCC. …

–“On Thursday, Boehner said, ‘I’ve made it clear that I disagree with what Chairman Walden said. He and I have had a conversation about it. This is the least we must do to begin to solve the problems of Social Security.’ Rory Cooper, a spokesman for Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said his boss “thinks that chained CPI should definitely be on the table” and noted that, like Boehner, Cantor had also spoken to Walden.” http://bit.ly/XH4EF9

– Angered by Walden’s position, the conservative Club for Growth is now looking for a primary challenger to take him on in 2014, Kate Nocera reports for POLITICO: http://politi.co/ZPEOsO

THURSDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – Bradley Dlatt was first to correctly answer that Thomas Jefferson signed legislation in 1806 providing funding for the National Road, previously known as the Cumberland Road, the first highway to be built by the federal government. The road started in Cumberland, Md.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Howard Kipnes has today’s question: Which U. S. president was the first to appear on television, and what was the event he was attending? First to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** On the Hill? Then join the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure ‘State of Pink’ Challenge, a little friendly competition to support the fight against breast cancer. Since 1990, Komen’s investments have helped drive down breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. by 33% thanks to participants like you. Represent your state and keep the momentum going. Form a team in your office today and then come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 11. The largest congressional team and top fundraising team will be recognized on Race Day. Learn more. http://globalrace.info-komen.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hq_gr_2012_about_hill_teams

POLITICO – Top 10 – The Huddle

Rubio goes all in on immigration, NEWTOWN VICTIMS BECOME POWERFUL LOBBY, Lamborn spills bean on N. Korea nukes, Progress Ky. official resigns, Walden faces backlash

Lawsuit Tries to Ban Dark Money Groups From Funding Political Ads

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This story first appeared on the ProPublica website.

A former Illinois congressional candidate and a government watchdog organization have teamed up to sue the Internal Revenue Service, claiming the agency should bar dark money groups from funding political ads.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by David Gill, his campaign committee and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, is the first to challenge how the IRS regulates political spending by social welfare nonprofits, campaign-finance experts say.

As ProPublica has reported, these nonprofits, often called dark money groups because they don’t have to identify their donors, have increasingly become major players in politics since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in early 2010.

 

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Politics | Mother Jones

Lawsuit Tries to Ban Dark Money Groups From Funding Political Ads

Will Al Jazeera’s Dimming Shed More Light on Elite Middle Eastern Plans?

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SHADE the Motion Picture – An Ambellas & Bermas Film — Watch NEW Trailer 3

By Anthony Wile
The Daily Bell
February 18, 2013

… One and a half years ago, Suliman, 42, re-set his watch to German time, having become disenchanted with Al-Jazeera. And it wasn’t just because the broadcaster seemed less interested in reports from Europe. Rather, Suliman had the feeling that he was no longer being allowed to work as an independent journalist. – Der Spiegel

We can see from the above that a tone has been set. We referred to this in our article, “Reuters Article Promotes Middle East Directed History, Warns off Qatar?” about an unusual wire article that criticized Qatar and its media outlet, Al Jazeera, as well. This was odd, given Qatar’s alliance with the West, specifically with the United States.

This tiny, wealthy country has been an ally of the US for decades. Top US officials have supported the hereditary emirate run by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he removed his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup – one evidently and obviously supported by both Britain and the US.

Today, Qatar supports the US Central Command’s Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. It was the jumping off point for the Iraq invasion in the early 2000s. It is a tiny country with just 250,000 native citizens but its influence is outsized because of its great oil and gas wealth and because of its intimate ties to Western elites.

It is Qatar troops, heavily armed by the US, that today serve as proxies in Libya – some 5,000, we’ve heard. And Qatar is heavily involved in stoking the US-supported “rebellion” in Syria, as well. Qatar is where a Taliban office is scheduled to be located, one that will provide a nexus for “peace” talks regarding Afghanistan. Qatar is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will hold its first national legislative elections in 2013.

Qatar owns and runs the international news service, Al Jazeera. The US was likely behind Qatar’s move to build Al Jazeera initially, along with the British. When the network was launched, about 100 BBC reporters who had been on strike in Saudi Arabia reportedly resigned en masse and went to work for the fledgling operation. It was a Western-influenced network from the beginning.

The tiny kingdom of Qatar, then, is inextricably intermingled with British and US influence in the Middle East. Like the Arab Emirates, Qatar is a kind of test tube for Western and Islamic trends, a Western experiment in how to mingle the two cultures.

We can see the same process at work in Dubai, where that country’s leaders are busily at work creating an economic system that is both Islamic and Western. As this evolution is continued, what works is gradually made available to the larger Arab world.

In truth, what’s occurring is that top Western elites are creating, step by step, an amalgam of Western and Islamic cultural features that will eventually allow a seamless integration between East and West. This is apparently part of a larger one-world program that will facilitate the global government that is surely an elite goal.

But there is more to this program than economic integration. While such efforts proceed tirelessly, the so-called “war on terror” continues, necessary to reshape Western society just as Middle Eastern society is being reshaped.

The war on terror continually militarizes Western societies, allowing for draconian legislation that is stripping the West of thousands of years of hard-won understandings about how to build and maintain civil societies. East and West are both being manipulated in terms of societal evolution, presumably with the idea of an incremental merger.

But in the meantime, the war on terror continues and a certain level of hostility must be maintained. Perhaps this explains the confrontational tone that is now creeping into the Reuters articles. As much as Qatar serves the purposes of Western elites, so it also must be positioned as the “enemy,” along with Al Jazeera itself.

There is nothing else that makes much sense. Qatar and its leading family serve Western interests and surely can be deposed at any point if such interests are unhappy. And yet … here we have an article in Der Spiegel, another bought-and-paid-for elite mouthpiece that bangs on at length about how Al Jazeera is diminishing as a Western-style news station and becoming a Qatari organ of royal propaganda.

The Der Spiegel article is quite definitive on this point. Here’s more:

Suliman is not the only one who feels bitterly disappointed. The Arab TV network has recently suffered an exodus of prominent staff members. Reporters and anchors in cities like Paris, London, Moscow, Beirut and Cairo have left Al-Jazeera, despite what are seen as luxurious working conditions in centrally located offices. And despite the fact that the network is investing an estimated $ 500 million (EUR375 million) in the US, so as to reach even more viewers on the world’s largest television market – one in which its biggest competitor, CNN, is at home.

Al-Jazeera has over 3,000 staff members and 65 correspondent offices worldwide – and viewers in some 50 million households throughout the Arab world. But it also has a problem: More than ever before, critics contend that the broadcaster is following a clear political agenda, and not adhering to the principles of journalistic independence.

Such accusations have been leveled against Western broadcasters as well, of course. But the charge would place Al-Jazeera on a par with Fox News – which pursues the agenda of conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch in the US – rather than CNN.

Indeed, the Arab programming of Al-Jazeera – which means “the island” in Arabic – was launched in 1996 with a noble goal: It aimed to serve as an objective medium in a world of rigorous censorship.

The network broadcast messages from Osama bin Laden, prompting outraged criticism from the US, where it was referred to as a “terror network.” At the same time, it was the only Arab medium that regularly invited Israeli politicians to debates. Its correspondents didn’t hesitate to call former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a “dictator” – and Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak a “wimp.” What’s more, the network’s journalists reported on dissidents, including members of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, who were forced to rot in prison for years under Mubarak’s regime. Such courage and informative journalism earned Al-Jazeera a number of awards.

Since the Arab Spring, though, many former dissidents have risen to power across the region – and these fledgling leaders often show little respect for democratic principles. Al-Jazeera, however, has shamelessly fawned upon the new rulers.

Today, when Egyptians protest against President Mohammad Morsi and the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Jazeera is often critical of them, in the style of the old pro-government TV station. Conversely, according to ex-correspondent Suliman, Al-Jazeera executives have ordered that Morsi’s decrees should be portrayed as pearls of wisdom. “Such a dictatorial approach would have been unthinkable before,” he says. “In Egypt we have become the palace broadcaster for Morsi.”

This is damning stuff, but perhaps I can offer an idea of what is going on behind the scenes. Al Jazeera has just purchased Al Gore‘s Current TV for some US$ 500 million. The failed news channel was earning horrible ratings but had nonetheless managed to penetrate some 40 million US households. Al Jazeera can build on this penetration and the Emir of Qatar intends to do just that.

Al Jazeera officials have reportedly advertised for over 150 staffers to fill ten new US bureaus. This state of affairs has captured the attention of the US’s beleaguered journalistic community, which has barraged Al Jazeera with 8,000 job applications.

All of this is taking place with the active – or at least passive – approval of the US government. If Al Jazeera is growing more parochial and confrontational in its coverage, well … it doesn’t seem as if anyone is too concerned from a legislative standpoint.

Perhaps a finer game is being played here. Al Jazeera is apparently in the early stages of being re-demonized. This has happened before. The Bush administration portrayed Al Jazeera as a mouthpiece for Arab interests, with George Bush at one time mumbling that he wanted to set Al Jazeera’s corporate headquarters afire.

Those earlier attacks faded away but now seem to be reigniting. Is it possible that Al Jazeera’s role in the US is going to be as a kind of Middle Eastern Pravda? The station will be allowed to broadcast in the US but the content of its broadcasts shall be anti-US and even anti-Israel.

Iran’s Press TV was just further restricted in the US, as it has been in Britain. But Press TV often reports on “real news” stories that discomfit the Anglosphere‘s propaganda apparatus. What if a Middle Eastern news service could be introduced into the US that catered to Western stereotypes about the Middle East and yet behind the scenes was malleable?

What if, in other words, Western interests were able to introduce an anti-Western news service into the West that was controlled by them?

This fits in with the way top elites work, after all. Whether it is a social movement, a legislative effort or outright war, the top elites attempt to manage both ends so as to secure an outcome that is supportive of their goals and objectives (ever-closer world government).

This is currently the only explanation that makes real sense to me, though I may be missing something and am certainly open to other interpretations. When the USSR’s Pravda newspaper was at its height, it was regularly compared unfavorably with US mainstream media. Of course, we know that US mainstream media is ever more tightly controlled but it certainly can be made to look less so when contrasted with a journalistic effort that is even worse.

This may be what is behind the current, growing demonization of Al Jazeera, a network controlled out of Qatar but entirely amenable to Western influence. If Al Jazeera is expanding in the US and evincing a more blind allegiance to Middle Eastern authorities, well … that’s because Western officials have likely decided to tolerate or even encourage such a trend.

It could be that articles currently criticizing Al Jazeera are setting a framework for renewed media wars between East and West. If so, this should provide us with valuable insights into both the progress of the Middle East and the “war on terror” that is now being pursued there and in the West, as well. The Al Jazeera network itself may be obscured from a journalistic standpoint but the very act of that obscuring may shed light on the Middle East’s larger reshaping.

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Will Al Jazeera’s Dimming Shed More Light on Elite Middle Eastern Plans?