The Playbook Podcast

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) hasn’t been in Congress for very long, but she’s transformed the way that Democrats are communicating with voters and energized her colleagues in the party.  Crockett is known for her willingness to frankly engage with Republican counterparts from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green all the way to President Donald Trump. And while some critics in the Democratic Party...

President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have been off touring Asia, seeking to firm up partnerships and open up trade with countries across the region. While Trump has already returned home, Carney is wrapping up his sojourn soon. White House reporter Megan Messerly and Ottawa Bureau Chief — and host of the new Playbook Canada podcast — Nick Taylor-Vaisey walk through what e...

Minutes before President Donald Trump headed into his long-awaited and widely watched meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he took to Truth Social to announce that the U.S. would “immediately” begin testing nuclear weapons. The U.S. has not conducted a test of nuclear weapons in more than three decades. But it’s unclear how much of a practical play this announcement by Trump was or whether i...

President Donald Trump is winding down his trip across Asia. Today, he meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for what many are expecting will be thorny trade talks. But in a way, everything now is a precursor to the big finale of the trip: Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns walk through what to expect. Plu...

President Donald Trump met with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the first time — with plenty of pomp — as he continues his trip around Asia. But while the president rubs elbows with dignitaries across the globe, Washington is facing day 28 of the government shutdown. Will lawmakers make any progress before the looming Nov. 1 cliff? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Ch...

Eight days remain until Election Day. Despite the off-year slate, a handful of races around the country are making headlines in tightening gubernatorial races and redistricting efforts. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss what voting in Virginia, New York, New Jersey and California could tell us about how both parties are approaching next year’s midterms — and...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is known for being a firebrand when it comes to his conservative, small-government principles. He’s also known for being a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, despite taking issue with some of the president’s policies. But Paul takes issue with being what he says is the only Republican willing to stand up to Trump and his latest moves which, according to Senator Pa...

President Donald Trump is headed to Asia later today for a trip filled with a host of meetings on the agenda. Most notably, Trump will meet in person with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week for the first time since 2019. Playbook’s Adam Wren and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss what to expect, and what makes this trip the riskiest of Trump’s second term.

President Donald Trump finds himself in the middle of two dizzying news cycles — one abroad and one back home. The White House has leveled new sanctions against Russia, with the goal of ending the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump is demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build his grandiose ballroom as he reshapes Washington in his own image. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bure...

Paul Ingrassia’s nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel is off. The withdrawal of Ingrassia’s nomination comes after POLITICO reported on text messages that showed Ingrassia say he has “a Nazi streak,” and that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” — which quickly caused several Republican lawmakers to voice their opposition. It marks one o...

President Donald Trump is once again testing the limits of the Justice Department. Today, lawyers representing Rep. LaMonica McIver will attempt to have the case against the New Jersey Democrat thrown out. McIver’s legal team is calling the charges political prosecution and saying she qualifies for legislative immunity — which is exactly what the Supreme Court granted Trump last year. Will Trump t...

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House today — but that is far from his only order of foreign policy business this week. The push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is ramping up, the work on holding the Gaza peace deal together continues and Trump’s going further in the Caribbean. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief...

Nationwide, state and local officials are pushing back against President Trump’s plans to send the National Guard into various Democratic-run cities for crime and immigration enforcement support. One of the top Democrats leading the resistance is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.  Trump has recently said that he believes Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be arrested for what he believes i...

President Donald Trump today is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the two expected to discuss arms as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. The meeting follows a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders agreed to soon meet again in person. Playbook’s Adam Wren and POLITICO White House and foreign affairs correspondent Eli Sto...

Monday will mark nine months since Inauguration Day, and President Donald Trump’s second term is only gaining momentum. Since January, Trump has bent the justice system to his will, sent the military into U.S. cities and challenged seemingly every precedent. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss how Trump has wielded power so far, and what to expect in the mont...

The Supreme Court today will hear arguments in a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act, which would drastically reshape next year’s midterms. Some conservatives argue that consideration of race in drawing district lines is discriminatory and unconstitutional. But advocates warn that without the Voting Rights Act, minority populations would not have adequate representation in American politics....

President Donald Trump is back in Washington today after a visit to Israel, where he delivered a speech touting the ceasefire that he helped broker. Now that the groundwork is laid, what’s next? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly walk through the path forward for the region, with much of the hard work still left to sort out. Plus, the latest phase of the U.S.-China t...

Dan Rayfield is Oregon’s attorney general — and the latest state-level politician to be thrust into the national spotlight by a legal clash with the Trump administration. In this instance, it’s over the federal government ordering troops into Portland, where protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been deemed rebellion by the president.  I would invite anybody to come to Oregon a...

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas based on the Middle East peace plan pushed by President Donald Trump was ultimately landed after Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff joined the key negotiators this week to push the plan over the finish line. Playbook’s Adam Wren and POLITICO national security reporter Eric Bazail-Eimil walk through how it all came together, what to watch in the day...

President Donald Trump last night announced that Israel and Hamas both signed off on the first phase of his peace plan. This isn’t just a momentous occasion for the people of Israel and Gaza, but it is also an opportunity for Trump to take a victory lap. White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns spoke with Trump last night and joins Playbook’s Jack Blanchard to discuss the implications and what comes n...

Former FBI Director James Comey is set to be arraigned this morning. The move, though hardly unexpected, marks a defining moment in the history of the justice system after President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed for Comey’s prosecution. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns break down where things go from here. Plus, National Guard troops are poised to deploy to anot...

Attorney General Pam Bondi is on Capitol Hill today for a high-profile hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among those poised to grill Bondi is Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who claims he is being targeted as an enemy of President Donald Trump. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns walk through what to watch from Bondi’s appearance. Plus, Trump says he’s not...

Communities in Chicago and Portland spent the weekend adjusting to President Donald Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard — but some of his moves are hanging in legal limbo. In Egypt, representatives from Hamas, Israel and the U.S. are set to hold talks on a Middle East ceasefire. Back in D.C., signs of a shutdown resolution are nowhere to be found as it stretches to six days. Playbook’s...

Kevin Hassett is the director of the National Economic Council and arguably the economist closest to President Donald Trump. Right now, he’s also one of the top advisers tasked with explaining the economic fallout of the government shutdown and forging a path forward. Hassett joins POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for this week’s episode of The Conversation, where he talks about the shutdown standoff on Cap...

It’s day three of the federal shutdown, and the Democrats are struggling to come up with a coherent and unifying message. Meanwhile, Republicans are encountering a shutdown-inspired divide of their own — this one centering on the role of OMB Director Russ Vought, and the political popularity (or lack thereof) of some of his undertakings. Playbook’s Adam Wren and POLITICO White House reporter Megan...