With Melanie Zanona.

HOUSE GOP MOVES ON – It only took 15 minutes for House Republicans to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as their conference chair. Choosing a new one might be more complicated.

Republicans will hold their candidate forum this evening and the election on Friday morning. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the moderate New York Republican turned Donald Trump ally, emerged as an early favorite for the job and had endorsements from top GOP leaders and Trump. She could run unopposed, just as Cheney did several years ago. But there are signs that could change.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is weighing a bid for conference chair as conservatives fret their party is moving too fast towards a “coronation” of Stefanik. He’s declined to say whether he was considering an official bid for the position, saying “let’s see what happens over the next 24 hours.” But his spokesperson said in a statement that they’re not “ruling anything out.”

But Stefanik, who addressed the Freedom Caucus at a Conservative Partnership Institute dinner last night, isn’t just getting grief from the far-right. During a Zoom call with the moderate Tuesday Group, Stefanik was pressed repeatedly on whether President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, sources tell Mel. Stefanik replied that Biden is president, but said there are voter irregularities that need to be addressed.

All the hand-wringing suggests Republicans are nervous about potentially experiencing some buyer’s remorse with whomever they choose. But Stefanik is still considered the front-runner, and she’s already miles ahead in her whip operation. Plus, she has been assuring members she would not buck leadership on big votes and doesn’t plan to stay in the role beyond 2022.

Amid the intra-party drama, Stefanik can count on one major conservative ally - Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. Asked about the misgivings about Stefanik’s previous voting record, Jordan said she was supported by Trump and top Republican leaders, plus she had the highest ratings from the NRA and the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List.

“Pretty good, right?” he said.

Not good enough for others. Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), another Freedom Caucus member, called Stefanik “liberal” and said he would not vote for her.

And don’t forget that while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told CNN’s Ryan Nobles that “competition is good” for the conference, he is the one who orchestrated the fast-moving campaign to swap Cheney for Stefanik (more on that below). McCarthy also notably refused to bow to pressure from hard-liners to delay the election. Still, some members just want an alternative candidate to at least register their opposition to Stefanik.

The latest from Mel:https://politi.co/3biUCnd

OUST-HER: The move to remove Cheney happened quickly, in the span of just over a month. But there are a lot of newly unearthed details of how her removal from the House GOP’s number three spot came about, which Olivia and Melanie report in their bird’s eye view of what happened.

Here are some nuggets:

A colleague warned Cheney shortly before taking the stage with other members of leadership in Orlando that she would be asked about Jan. 6, Trump, and the future of the party. They counseled her to avoid splitting with the party and pivot. Instead, she doubled down, a decision that altered her political trajectory.

GOP members began having discussions about ousting Cheney — and potentially replacing her with Stefanik — at the GOP retreat in Orlando, which then increasingly gained steam at the NRCC event in Key Biscayne, Fla., just a few days later.

Stefanik quickly emerged as the early favorite with McCarthy and other leaders throwing their weight behind her. Members say she was considered the front runner in discussions, phone calls were made, and then she started running.

Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) wanted to run for the job and had told McCarthy so, but was discouraged after the California Republican told her Stefanik is already running, and that she would have to give up her spot as the ranking member on the House Ethics Committee.

More from Olivia and Mel: https://politi.co/3bo5eRI

Related reads: “Republicans’ Overthrow of Liz Cheney Risks Worsening Their Headaches,” from the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin: https://nyti.ms/33HfIqZ | “Scrum of challengers awaits Cheney after House GOP ouster,” by the AP’s Mead Gruver: https://bit.ly/3bpp5jr

BEHIND THE SCENES (LITERALLY) – Photographer David Hume Kennerly spent the last several days with Cheney, who he’s known since she was 8 years old. Take a look: https://cnn.it/3fguEBL

HAPPY THURSDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this May 13. Your Huddle host has theshrimp of the land on his mind.

WEDNESDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The Daily Beast’s story on the four women saying Matt Gaetz’s wingman Joel Greenberg pressured them to have sex was the big winner.

POLICING STATE OF PLAY – Lawmakers held another in-person meeting on police reform, but they’re still getting hung up on the same issues as before. This makes it more unlikely they’ll meet Biden’s late-May deadline to cut a deal.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the lead House sponsor on Democrats’ plan, met with Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for about an hour in Scott’s office yesterday afternoon. But coming out of the meeting, it seemed they were still hung up on the legal doctrine of qualified immunity, which shields police officers from lawsuits.

“Right now, especially on the House side, our position is that qualified immunity has to be eliminated,” Bass said after. Asked about Bass’ comments, Scott said “I’m on the exact opposite side.”

Democrats’ bottom line, she said, was “we want to see these shootings stop. How is that going to happen if officers are not held accountable? Qualified immunity is one instance. The ability to prosecute an officer is another.”

Congressional leaders have declined to commit to Biden’s deadline, and Booker admitted after the meeting it “is going to be hard.”

They’ll keep trying anyway. “Our conversations were constructive and we’re going to stick with it,” Bass said. She indicated they had “a very fruitful discussion” on other sticking points like the transfer of military equipment to police. And your Huddle host is told Bass even held a bipartisan negotiation on the House floor with Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Pete Stauber (R-Minn.).

Related: “Police reform talks hit familiar stumbling block” by the Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/2SO9jbu

TROUBLE IN THIS (NEW)HOUSE – As the dust settles from Cheney’s ouster, another pro-impeachment Republican is facing trouble at home. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), is taking heat back in his district for his vote. Trump’s advisers have Newhouse’s race in the crosshairs and primary challengers are lining up, McClatchy’s David Lightman and Francesca Chambers report.

Their full story:https://bit.ly/3eFBGkD

AWKWARD – Comments by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) in a hearing yesterday raised more than a few eyebrows. After Radhika Fox, the nominee for the EPA’s department of water, gave her opening statement, Inhofe praised her and tried to make a joke.

“I will look forward to working with you. And if you don’t behave, I will talk to your Daddy,” he said. Fox’s father was sitting behind her during the hearing.

An Inhofe spokesperson said he was “always moved” by nominees’ family stories and was “especially touched” by Fox’s tribute to her father. “He made a lighthearted joke at the end of his questioning to recognize her father again since he was present for the hearing.”

More on the moment from Tulsa, Okla., ABC affiliate KTUL-TV:https://bit.ly/3eHX88L

DRAMA OFF THE FLOOR – A confrontation off the House floor yesterday between Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has pushed Ocasio-Cortez to raise security concerns.

According to two Washington Post reporters who saw the exchange, Greene accused Ocasio-Cortez of supporting “terrorists,” which prompted Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson to say she hoped congressional leadership and the House Sergeant at Arms would take “real steps” to keep Congress safe.

This isn’t the first time a progressive Democrat has raised concerns around Greene. Earlier this year, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) moved her office away from Greene after another contentious exchange over masks.

The full story from the Post’s Marianna Sotomayor:https://wapo.st/3tJ8y06

QUICK CLICKS – “Newly obtained bodycam footage shows moment DC police officer attacked by pro-Trump rioters” by CNN’s Zachary Cohen:https://cnn.it/3uLnUlY | “White House is said to quietly push change to D.C. statehood bill” by the NYT’s Charlie Savage and Emily Cochrane: https://nyti.ms/2RPuHMW

IT’S 2019 ALL OVER AGAIN – After a two-year impasse, former White House counsel Don McGahn will finally testify before the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors after House Democrats and the Justice Department revealed an agreement in a court filing Wednesday night.

The Judiciary Committee said they expected McGahn to appear for a “transcribed interview,” where he’ll respond to questions about former “Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, allegations of obstruction of justice, and former President Trump’s attack on Mr. McGahn’s credibility.”

More from CNN’s Katelyn Polantz: https://cnn.it/3uM1bWZ

SEEING RED(LINES) – Top congressional leaders met Wednesday with Biden on infrastructure and emerged without having answered any of their key questions. They haven’t agreed yet on the definition of infrastructure, let alone how to pay for it. There’s a long road ahead before a bipartisan deal is possible, and likely many more meetings.

But even as both parties can’t agree on what infrastructure is, Republicans have drawn a major “red line.” Democrats have proposed an increase in corporate taxes as a way to pay for parts of his infrastructure package, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said following their meeting “We’re not interested in re-opening the 2017 tax bill. We both made that clear with the president. That’s our red line.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), on the other hand, is sticking to a July 4 deadline for passing a bill. Minutes after she returned to the Hill from the meeting, she reiterated her plan to pass a bill by July 4. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has insisted the final bill be big and bold.

As my colleagues point out, this meeting and another between Biden and Senate Republicans today will be critical to informing how they move forward. They don’t quite have the votes yet to go it alone and pass a massive bill through reconciliation, but they want to see if they could first cut a bipartisan infrastructure deal and then put other priorities in another bill.

More from Sarah, Burgess, and Laura Barrón-López: https://politi.co/2SE3HQU

FIRST IN HUDDLE – Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), and Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin have been named honorary chairs of NewDEAL, an organization supporting rising Democratic stars in state and local government across the country. They’ll have a two-year term and will address the organization’s leaders and partners at its virtual Ideas Summit later this month.

“One lesson I learned during my 10 years in county government is that state and local officials solve problems,” said Coons, who got his start in county government in Delaware.

MANCHIN MOVEMENTS – With Democrats’ sweeping elections bill deadlocked after a contentious committee session, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) proposed another path forward.

In an interview with ABC’s Rachel Scott, he said he supported advancing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore key protections from the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Though some Democrats believe it stands a better chance of passage than H.R. 1, a sweeping piece of elections legislation panned by Republicans, it’s still unclear how Lewis-named legislation gets enough Republican votes to break a filibuster.

“I believe Democrats and Republicans feel very strongly about protecting the ballot boxes, allowing people to protect the right to vote, making it accessible, making it fair and making it secure, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, if we apply that to all 50 states and territories, it’s something that can be done -- it should be done,” Manchin said.

He had cosponsored the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the last Congress along with fellow moderate Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

It’s not just moderates who are pushing for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. As your Huddle host and his colleaguespreviously reported, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus have urged their party to shift its strategy and push the legislation named for the late congressman and civil rights champion forward.

Read more from Rachel Scott and Allison Pecorin:https://abcn.ws/3hnz3pl

JIM KLOBUCHAR DIES AT 93 – Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.) father, a longtime journalist, died Wednesday at the age of 93. In a statement, the senator said: “Even to the end, as he lived the final chapter of his life with Alzheimer’s, he was still singing songs and telling incredible stories to my sister Meagan and me. He loved our state. He loved journalism. He loved sports and adventure. And we loved him.”

Read this touching obituary from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Kevin Duchschere: http://strib.mn/33FXyGk

TRANSITIONS

- Jacqueline Thomas is now press secretary for Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas). She previously was deputy press secretary for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

- Alifair Masters is now finance director for Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-Texas) reelection campaign. She previously was VP at HM Consulting.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House meets at noon for legislative business.

The Senate convenes at 11:00 a.m.

AROUND THE HILL

9:00 a.m. The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress holds a hearing on recruiting, empowering, and retaining a diverse congressional staff.

10 a.m. House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee holds a virtual hearing on Immigration and Customs Enforcement resource management and operational priorities. ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson testifies.

10 a.m. House Science Research and Technology Subcommittee holds a virtual markup of H.R. 2225 (117), the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, which is the panel’s alternative to the Endless Frontier Act.

10:15 a.m. DHS Secretary Mayorkas testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on DHS’ actions to address unaccompanied minors at the southern border.

10:30 a.m. USTR Katherine Tai testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee on the Biden administration’s 2021 trade policy agenda.

10:45 a.m. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference.

11:30 a.m. Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Tom Suozzi take part in apanel discussion with the USA TODAY Network Atlantic Group on repealing the SALT deduction cap.

1:00 p.m. Reps. Steve Stivers, Elissa Slotkin, and others will highlight the passage of H.R. 1448, the “Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act.”

1:30 p.m. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discuss infrastructure with Senate Republican committee leaders Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

2:00 p.m. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Jackie Speier, Sylvia Garcia, Veronica Escobar, Jason Crow, Adam Smith (WA), and others will be joined by the family of Vanessa Guillén and their attorney for the reintroduction of the “I am Vanessa Guillén Act.”

TRIVIA

WEDNESDAY’S WINNER: Pat Bieze was the first person to correctly guess that the five following presidents with the best stock market (DJIA) returns over their first 100 days were FDR (75%), Taft (13.8%), Biden (9.3%), Johnson ( 9.2%), and George H.W. Bush (8.0%).

TODAY’S QUESTION: From your Huddle host: Who was the first president to write a biography of another president?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to [email protected].

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

Follow Nicholas on Twitter: @nicholaswu12

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