The Playbook Podcast

In the final weeks toward the midterms, can Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed earn favor from some Black and Jewish voters who have felt skeptical of his campaign? Then the other stories animating Washington: Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces a potential revolt from new progressive candidates preparing for Washington, a new poll reveals the top concern of voters (hint: it's not the economy), and Kat...

President Trump is privately calling allies, soliciting their opinions about his once untouchable chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Playbook has exclusive reporting on sharks circling around Wiles – and the names Trump is floating to possibly take her place. Then the other stories animating Washington: Trump’s deal with Putin has Zelenskyy feeling betrayed, Bernie Sanders and AOC are hitting the campai...

Top Republicans are quietly preparing for a midterm wipeout, shifting resources to save the Senate. Then the other stories animating Washington: new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has a shaky start, more Republicans are breaking with Trump ahead of the midterms, and Keke Palmer asks Kamala Harris: are you running in 2028?   For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Pl...

Three weeks out from the midterms and Democrats in some of the most competitive races are walking tall towards Election Day. Purple state candidates Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Chris Pappas are touting what they see as easy wins, but how far will their confidence take them? Then the other stories animating Washington: Democratic donors lament Kamala Harris' “wasted year,” U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kim...

Dasha sits down with Rep. Byron Donalds, the Florida Republican nominee for governor, for a special midterms edition of the show.  As Republicans face headwinds over affordability and rising costs tied to the war with Iran, Donalds explains how he can support President Trump while still disagreeing with him. He says Trump doesn’t want “yes men” and that he’s “allowed to have my own viewpoint”...

Rep. Byron Donalds is making a play for Black voters in a new ad shared exclusively with POLITICO. What does his campaign tell us about the battle for Black voters this midterm election — and what are Democrats doing to win this voting bloc back? Then the other stories animating Washington: James Talarico has been sidelined by the flu and a South Carolina Democrat responds to anti-transgender...

Knives are out for MAGA Inc.’s top two globetrotting advisers, Chris LaCivita and James Blair. Does this open the duo to take the fall if a blue wave materializes in November? Then the other stories animating Washington: Marco Rubio sounds presidential in Athens, despite saying he doesn’t have plans to run in 2028, Mike Rogers takes aim at Trump in his latest ad and a political kink controver...

Republicans appear on the verge of losing the Latino voter coalition that helped carry President Donald Trump in 2024. But that doesn’t mean they’re embracing Democrats. Then the other stories animating Washington: several tech companies fund Trump’s effort to accelerate AI, Abdul El-Sayed taps into Flock anxieties in a new attack ad against Mike Rogers, and the Kansas Senate seat is now a toss-up...

Nearly a decade after leaving the White House, Barack Obama is still one of the Democratic Party’s most powerful political assets. Then the other stories animating Washington: Open AI CEO Sam Altman faces heat after his POLITICO interview, a suspected pneumonic plague case in Russia has U.S. officials watching closely, and what Trump's latest Truth Social posts say about the GO...

In audio from a private meeting obtained by Playbook, Ken Paxton tells donors he’s never felt less in control of a campaign, as he trails Democrat James Talarico in Texas. Plus in other news: Sam Altman says he’d love to see less money in politics, even as AI money floods the midterms and Pete Buttigieg tests a message that sounds a lot like a preview of 2028.  F...

In this special midterms edition of “The Conversation with Dasha Burns,” Adam Hamilton, the pastor and Democratic candidate challenging Sen. Roger Marshall, sits down with Dasha at a campaign office in Kansas to discuss why he thinks the race is competitive – and why he believes a moderate, bridge-building approach can win over voters in this deeply Republican state. Hamilton talks about the cost...

A Democratic pastor running for Senate in Kansas says Kamala Harris should stay in California, told Chuck Schumer he is a liability and is taking the "woke" label head on. Playbook hears from Adam Hamilton and what his campaign could tell us about the Democrats' appeal to the heartland. Then the other stories animating Washington: Sen. Thom Tillis’ unfiltered texts to the...

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is making his case for 2028. Playbook speaks to the governor on why he thinks a red-state Democrat has a competitive edge and what sets him apart from potential Republican 2028-er, Vice President JD Vance. Then the other stories animating Washington: Sen. Eric Schmitt’s post hearing fallout continues, AI turns its back on President Donald Trump and mosquitoes make Trump’...

The race for governor in Nevada is an early proving ground for the Democratic Party’s next generation as 2028 hopefuls descend on the state. Then the other stories animating Washington: A Republican senator’s attempted gotcha of Jack Smith goes spectacularly sideways, Sherrod Brown has a new attack ad in Ohio featuring some decidedly non-Midwestern language and Kristi Noem files for divo...

The 2018 midterms had the Squad. Now, a new generation of progressive insurgents is already organizing its successor: “the Bloc.” But what happens when they run headlong into House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries? Then the other stories animating Washington: President Donald Trump heads to red states to campaign ahead of the midterms, critics question who the MAHA S...

"Front Row Joes" were some of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters, traveling across the country on his campaign trail. Now some are disillusioned with his presidency. We asked some of them why. Then the other stories animating Washington this morning: New polls show Abdul El-Sayed running ahead of Mike Rogers, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Sca...

In this special midterms edition of “The Conversation with Dasha Burns,” Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor of Texas, sits down with Dasha at her campaign headquarters in Austin to talk about why she believes the race against Greg Abbott is newly competitive — and the lessons Democrats should take for 2028.  In the interview, Hinojosa discusses her pitch to working Texans, her p...

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu joins POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin at Mosca’s Restaurant for a wide-ranging conversation about President Trump, the future of the Democratic Party and whether he might run for president in 2028. Landrieu discusses why he believes Joe Biden should not have sought reelection, how Democrats lost working-class voters, the rise of the Democratic Socialists of Ameri...

Could the Lone Star State’s Senate race be the tipping point for Democrats? Playbook's Adam Wren and Megan Messerly take a deep dive into Texas politics. Then the other stories animating Washington: a new U.S. government-funded Trump TV ad is on the DC airwaves and Abdul El-Sayed signals a female nominee for 2028. Plus a 200 second interview with politi...

Republicans brace themselves for a potential midterm blowout – while Democrats see a clearing in the smoke. One thing for certain, GOP candidates and their teams are forced to make some tough choices given the bleak road ahead. Then Playbook’s Dasha Burns, Will Steakin and Megan Messerly unpack Sen. Bernie Sanders’ new AI ban, why Angela Paxton broke&nb...

President Donald Trump will roll out the literal red carpet this evening for President Xi Jinping, kicking of the Chinese leader’s three-day Washington stint with an AI-star-studded dinner. But what progress can the two world leaders actually make on AI? Then Playbook’s Dasha Burns, Megan Messerly and Ali Bianco unpack Sen. Jon Husted’s recent rema...

This episode was originally published on Sunday, September 20. We re-published due to a platform issue. There are no changes to the content. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his reelection bid to a Trump-endorsed challenger, joined Dasha to discuss the future of the Republican Party and reflect on how to make Congress more effective as he enters his final months in office. Cassidy, a physician...

Six weeks before Republicans ask voters to reject socialism and communism, President Trump is spending the week embracing socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani and preparing to welcome China’s communist leader, Xi Jinping. Playbook’s Dasha Burns and Will Steakin break down the Republican reaction. Plus Playbook unpacks Mike Rogers recent ad denouncing the Iran war, what new polli...

It’s U.N. General Assembly week and Mike Waltz is in the spotlight again. Is his role as U.S. ambassador a springboard to higher aspirations? POLITICO's senior foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi joins to discuss. Plus a source in the intelligence community is calling one of Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s senior advisors a “walking counterin...

AI is quickly becoming a 2028 litmus test for Democrats. Playbook spoke with some of the party’s potential presidential contenders grappling with the latest wave of AI doom. Then the other stories animating Washington: Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar sends a message to President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy gets candid about RFK Jr. Plus Democratic strategist Rob Flah...