NO DEEPSEEK — House staffers are being urged not to use the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek due to concerns about malicious software, Ben and Meredith report. In a notice to staffers, the House Chief Administration Officer said it is reviewing the technology. NOMINEE HEALTH CHECK — After a day of tough hearings, it’s still unclear if Tulsi Gabbard can get confirmed as director of national intelligence. HHS secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might have hit a speed bump, but it seems like Republicans are sticking with FBI director nominee Kash Patel. Here’s where things stand: GABBARD — Trump’s pick for national intelligence director, likely the most vulnerable of his remaining nominees, didn’t do much to ease Republicans’ concerns, especially after refusing to call Edward Snowden a traitor multiple times. Gabbard also said she was in favor of using warrants to carry out Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to ensure searches are “justified.” Sen. James Lankford, who previously said he would support Gabbard, told reporters Thursday evening that “there are a lot of questions” after she failed to call Snowden a traitor. Sen. John Curtis also expressed concerns. Sen. Susan Collins still won’t say how she’ll vote, though she appeared satisfied with Gabbard’s responses to her questions about Snowden and Hezbollah. Sen. John Cornyn said he would “consent” to Gabbard’s appointment — albeit in a backhanded way, adding that Trump had the right to pick his Cabinet. KENNEDY — Trump’s nominee to lead HHS may find that his confirmation chances come down to Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy, our colleagues Chelsea Cirruzzo, Daniel Payne and Laurn Gardner report. The former gastroenterologist pressed the HHS nominee on his past doubts of vaccines, asking him to answer “yes or no” to whether hepatitis B and measles vaccines cause autism. He seemed unsatisfied with Kennedy’s answer and said he might reach out to him over the weekend to talk about it more. PATEL — Don’t expect Republicans to jump ship, though he’s clashing with Democrats. Patel declined to disclose what he testified before a grand jury investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents, distanced himself from Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons and wouldn’t say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Notably, Patel took a different view on FISA from Gabbard, saying that surveillance warrant requirements under Section 702 aren’t practical. FENTANYL CRACKDOWN — The House is poised to vote on legislation next week that would lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl dealers, our Ben Leonard reports. The HALT Fentanyl Act from Rep. Morgan Griffith seems on track to head to Trump's desk — the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on their version Tuesday, there's enough Democratic support to avert a filibuster, and it passed the House with some bipartisan backing in the last Congress. Best of Politico Pro and E&E:
THE BEST OF THE REST Mitch McConnell had polio as a child. It could cloud RFK Jr.’s nomination, from Rachel Roubein, Liz Goodwin and Lena H. Sun at the Washington Post. Molinaro, Congestion Pricing Foe, to Lead Federal Transit Agency, from Nicholas Fandos and Ana Ley at the New York Times. JOB BOARD Rep. Eric Swalwell promoted Benjamin Burnett to legislative director. Anneliese Slamowitz is now a legislative assistant for Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán. She previously was a legislative aide for former Sen. Jon Tester. Austin Walton is joining The Internet & Television Association as VP of government relations. He previously was policy adviser to Sen. Eric Schmitt. The Senate Sergeant at Arms is looking for a risk threat management analyst, a technology solutions architect, an administrative coordinator and cybersecurity principled specialist. HAPPY BIRTHDAY National Security Adviser Michael Waltz…Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Russell Fry (R-S.C.) (40) and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) (50) … Ali Zaidi … David Plotz … former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt … Nic Pottebaum … Chris Marklund … Barbara Slavin … former Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.), Larry Kissell (D-N.C.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), and Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) … David Thomas … Sam Dorn … BGR Group’s Erskine Wells … Fred Karger… Kripa Sreepada of Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-Ore.) office and the Senate Finance Dems … Rational 360’s Jacqueline Thomas (30) … Tricia McLaughlin … Michael Kempner of MWW TRIVIA WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Josh Taylor correctly answered that Kono Taro interned for then-Democratic Rep. Richard Shelby. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Josh: What was the purpose of the first bill signed by Trump during his first term? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com.
| 
