July 14, 2025: Why Trump’s Epstein headache won’t go away
For years, prominent voices from Trump world have agitated for the release of all files in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in prison. Which is a big part of the reason why the blowback is so ferocious to last week’s announcement from AG Pam Bondi that no further documents will be released in the case. If they thought that would end the story, they were wrong: Trump’s hyper-loyal base isn’t satisfied with the departments’ findings, and they’re taking it out on Attorney General Pam Bondi and other senior administration officials. What sets this issue apart for the base, and will Democrats be able to capitalize on this fracture? Playbook contributing author Adam Wren and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns walk through it all.
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From The Conversation: Trump's Border Czar Tom Homan
Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, is a longtime immigration law enforcement official now tasked with helping implement the administration’s massive deportation campaign. In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, Homan explains what will be done with the $170 billion recently passed by Congress to help the effort, defends the tactics of ICE agents, and has a message for those who say undocumented farmworkers should be spared. “People who say ‘don't arrest workers,’ they don't understand the whole ugly underbelly of illegal immigration the way I do,” he tells Burns.
Plus, on the one year anniversary of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, PA, journalist Salena Zito shares her first-hand account as described in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland.”
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July 11, 2025: Welcome to phase two of the Trump presidency
There has been a quiet shift in President Donald Trump’s Washington. Halfway through the first year of his second term, Trump can boast a list of successes, most recently the passage of the sweeping Republican megabill. Now, Washington’s attention is starting to pivot to the midterms. And what comes next for the president is less clear. He won’t be on the ballot in 2028, but in many ways he will in 2026. How is the White House navigating these new political straits, and how are they calculating which fights they want to pick? Playbook editor Zack Stanton and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss.
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July 10, 2025: Has Trump had enough of Putin?
Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia, where the ASEAN Foreign Ministers summit is underway. On its surface, the Rubio-Lavrov meeting isn’t necessarily notable. But it comes as a seismic shift is underway in President Donald Trump’s approach to Russia and Ukraine — and as he seems to have finally reached the limit of his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Russia continues to attack Ukraine, Putin is putting Trump’s reputation as an expert negotiator — and his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize — on the line. Playbook author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns discuss how this could play out, and what it means for the future of Ukraine.
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July 9, 2025: SCOTUS aids in MAGA's DC makeover
Yesterday, the Supreme Court eased the way for President Donald Trump to proceed with his plans to fire tens of thousands of federal workers by executive order. The implications for Washington — and the nation — are vast. But will the win — and the ensuing makeover of the bureaucracy — satisfy a disgruntled MAGA base? Playbook author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns talk it through. Plus, a peek at the growing daylight between the White House and members of Trump’s Cabinet.
POLITICO’s Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns bring their fresh insight, analysis and reporting to the biggest story driving the day in the nation’s capital.
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