The Playbook Podcast

Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Mazie Hirono threatened to block Biden picks who aren't part of a minority group. They backed off that threat yesterday — but it reveals a lot about the dynamics in Washington right now. 

Biden's next big legislative push is starting to take shape. Here's what you need to know about his infrastructure plans.

Biden's semantic battle du jour: whether to use the word “crisis” to describe the thousands of migrants streaming to the southern border during a still-raging pandemic. Plus: The president and VP meet with Asian American leaders in Georgia today. 

We have an exclusive look at what Biden's chief of staff told powerful progressives about where the administration’s headed — on immigration, taxing the rich, the minimum wage and more.

Republicans will argue in a letter today not only that Biden’s move was unsanctioned by Congress — but that it exacerbated the border crisis.

Here’s how the party’s progressive base is framing it for Senate Dems: Get rid of the filibuster, or allow Republicans to disenfranchise millions of Black and brown voters who put President Joe Biden in office.  

It might’ve been the most poignant moment yet of Biden’s seven-odd weeks in office. Plus: the latest on the spending bill that finally became law yesterday, and a scoop on the Trump-GOP fundraising drama.

It didn’t happen with Covid relief. But President Joe Biden says he really, really wants to go bipartisan on infrastructure. Here's why that's even less likely than GOP stimulus cooperation.

If you’re still confused about where Joe Manchin is on the filibuster, you’re far from alone. Plus: The House is teeing up the massive Covid relief bill for final approval today. 

A new Biden nomination could seriously shake up Washington’s approach to Big Tech. Plus: This could be the big day for Covid relief.

After a dramatic weekend — and no, we're not talking about the Harry and Meghan special — there's one last hurdle for the Covid aid package: a final vote in the House. 

The Senate is set to kick off a vote-a-rama on amendments to the Covid-19 package today — and Republicans are vowing to make it as painful as possible for their Democratic counterparts.

Neera Tanden has left the building. So who's next for Biden's budget chief? Plus: What to watch for on Covid relief in the Senate today.

Democrats are looking at a serious hangover once they celebrate getting Covid relief signed into law — courtesy of the Senate filibuster. Here’s Playbook’s handicapping of a few Democratic proposals coming down the pike.

After weeks in relative isolation at Mar-a-Lago without Twitter, Trump emerged at CPAC on Sunday ready to let loose. Here’s what we learned from his first big post-presidency speech.

The Senate referee has officially made her call: It’s a no-go on raising the minimum wage through Biden’s Covid bill. After this crushing blow for progressives, we walk through four possible paths forward.

All eyes are on Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who is expected to rule as soon as today on whether a $15 minimum wage can be tucked into Biden's Covid relief bill. Plus: Two other big stories we're watching today. 

Today, Congress finally gets its first chance for answers about the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Plus: Playbook has the scoop on an anti-Big Tech crusader poised to join the Biden administration.

The drama of Ted Cruz returning from sunny Mexico — chastened and apologetic for fleeing Texas while 3 million of his constituents remained without power — was a kind of throwback to an era when politicians could be embarrassed.

Today is the big reveal for President Biden’s immigration bill. Here's what's inside — and why the final version might look a lot different from what's unveiled this morning. 

Here are our superlatives from Joe Biden’s first town hall since he took office — from harshest toss under the bus to biggest progressive slap-downs.

Donald Trump may have been acquitted for a second time over the weekend. But despite that gripping impeachment-trial presentation laying out the ex-president’s role in the Capitol rampage, the GOP remains the undisputed party of Trump.

Reliving Jan. 6 was always going to be hard for senators. Emotions ran high in the chamber during the impeachment managers’ presentation Wednesday, as senators saw just how close the mob, egged on by then-President Donald Trump, came to finding them. No senator appears to be struggling with the trial as much as Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, who switched his vote Tuesday and declared the impea...

McConnell's signaling to Republicans to vote with their conscience, but only one has changed sides so far. Even after Trump's lawyers left Republicans shaking their heads. Listen here for the top 6 takeaways from Day 1 of the impeachment trial. Politico Playbook: https://www.politico.com/playbookTransition Playbook: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook

Democrats are torn over strategy as they kick off the second impeachment of Donald Trump, with impeachment managers feeling muzzled by party leaders.