Politico Playbook Audio Briefing

It’s a swing state with an open U.S. Senate seat, several competitive House races, an open gubernatorial seat — oh, and a potential leading 2028 candidate serving as governor. You may call it a political wonk’s dream; we call it Michigan. This week, as the battleground state’s political stars descended on idyllic Mackinac Island, the trends that will likely define 2026 across the nation came into full view. Live from the Mackinac Policy Conference, Playbook contributing author Adam Wren and supervising editor Zack Stanton talk through what they learned about the direction the campaign is heading. That, and President Donald Trump goes to Pennsylvania to trumpet the new U.S. Steel deal, while some leading Democrats head to South Carolina for a trial run of potential 2028 campaigns.

President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda has largely relied on one central claim: that America faces a national emergency that justifies the president taking extraordinary measures. Yesterday, a federal court blew a hole in that rationale in a ruling striking down his tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners while teeing up yet another looming Supreme Court showdown. On issue after issue, the legal system has proven to be the one reliable restraint on Trump’s policy ambitions. And on issue after issue, the administration is eager to go to war against the judiciary. Where do those battles go from here? Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to map it out. That, plus Elon Musk’s DOGE days are over.

Even as President Donald Trump himself has a (relatively) quiet couple days, the gears of his administration continue to turn, and the pairing of his political and personal interests continues, brazenly and in the public. Today, Vice President JD Vance will deliver the keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas. A few hours later, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. will speak at the same event, which comes just one day after Trump’s media company announced it intends to raise billions to stockpile Bitcoin for its corporate coffers. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to talk through that, the president’s latest social media output, some notable 2026 maneuvering and an exciting announcement from Dasha.

The biggest story in Washington today isn’t really in Washington; it’s about how Washington is affecting pretty much every place else. With Congress out on Memorial Day recess, the focus in D.C. today is all international — from Iran nuclear talks to trade negotiations with the European Union to the war in Ukraine to Gaza to King Charles’ visit to Canada. And there is a fairly consistent through line connecting it all, chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns tells managing editor and author Jack Blanchard: Trump’s strategy of first destabilizing an institution or status quo and then seeking to reshape it. Where will it prove successful, and where will it come up short? We may get a few signs this week. That, and the rest of the news you need to know as the week revs back.

Revenge, the saying goes, is a dish best served cold. And this week, the Trump administration is serving up a veritable buffet. Whether blocking Harvard University from enrolling international students, launching a Federal Trade Commission investigation into Media Matters, or using the long arm of the DOJ to prosecute Democratic elected officials, President Donald Trump’s government is mounting a show of force against its perceived opponents. But how does this revenge tour align with what MAGA voters expected from Trump 2.0? Playbook supervising editor Zack Stanton breaks it down with contributing author Adam Wren. Plus, swing-district House Republicans are already seeing the political liabilities that come with voting for the sprawling reconciliation package, and a stunned Washington mourns two Israeli embassy staffers murdered in downtown D.C.

Tonight, Donald Trump goes where no president has gone before: to an invite-only dinner for investors in a cryptocurrency bearing his name. The unprecedented event is the latest in a pile of entanglements that raise serious questions about palm-greasing and profiteering — from deals for Trump-branded golf courses to the $400 million jet Qatar gifted to the administration for use as Air Force One. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard digs into it all with contributing author Adam Wren. Plus, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. releases its first MAHA Commission report, and the House GOP’s mammoth megabill takes a big step forward.

Former President Joe Biden is trying to lay low. But with the conversation in Washington dominated by the fallout from his cancer diagnosis and the continuing revelations from Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book “Original Sin,” his every move is fodder for more discussion — welcome or not. Playbook contributing author Adam Wren joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to dig into it all. Meanwhile, the GOP megabill continues to progress through the House, as GOP leadership eyes the legislative endgame. And South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at the White House to try and defuse Trump’s furor over the alleged mistreatment of Afrikaner farmers.

The year’s most anticipated book in Washington has finally arrived: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s “Original Sin” dropped overnight, just as Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive health as president is the topic dominating the D.C. discourse. And the din of that conversation is likely to only grow louder. Partly, that’s because the Biden story isn’t going away. But it’s also because Republicans are eager to keep the focus there rather than the politically risky proposed cuts to Medicaid that have now taken center stage in the debate over the House GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill. President Donald Trump heads to Capitol Hill this morning to try and win over Republican holdouts. Playbook contributing author Adam Wren joins managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to unpack it all. 

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. This news comes just days before the release of a hotly anticipated book that promises to reveal information about the former president’s alleged cognitive decline and the lengths that White House staffers and others in his inner circle went to conceal it. Also, President Donald Trump has a diplomatic double-header today with calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his latest attempt to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. National politics correspondent and Playbook contributing author Adam Wren joins Playbook managing editor Jack Blanchard to break it all down. Plus, House Republicans voted the Big Beautiful Bill out of the Budget Committee last night, increasing the likelihood of a floor vote before Memorial Day.

As a new book about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive health steamrolls its way through the Washington conversation, a new litmus test is emerging for Democrats with national ambitions: Did Biden, in fact, decline in mental acuity while in office?  National politics correspondent and contributing Playbook author Adam Wren joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to talk it through. Plus, President Donald Trump wraps up his Middle East trip, and the GOP mega-bill is teetering as hard-line conservatives force Speaker Mike Johnson to entertain major changes to the legislative package.

Today, the Supreme Court hears arguably the biggest case of the term. But precisely what is being decided is up for debate. There’s a constitutional question about birthright citizenship. And then there’s a procedural question with wide-reaching implications: Can lower-court judges block federal policies with nationwide injunctions? Depending on how the high court rules, one of the main impediments preventing President Donald Trump from implementing his policy agenda could disappear. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns talk through the case and survey the potential fallout. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin is a no-show for peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, and Trump’s Mideast trip comes to a close.

It’s Washington’s buzziest new book, and Joe Biden would probably prefer not to talk about it. And there’s a reason for that: It has ignited a ferocious discourse about the former president’s mental acuity and alleged decline and prompted uncomfortable questions for his former staffers and aides about who knew what and when. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns talk about the D.C. zeitgeist and how it all unfolded. Plus, Trump remains in the Middle East, where his Qatari jet fiasco is only picking up speed.

President Donald Trump’s well-known love of pomp and grandeur will be on full display today as he makes an official state visit to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s royal family is all too eager to woo Trump — especially as other regional powers, like Qatar, very publicly make entreaties — so they’ve pulled out all the stops for a major gathering of business leaders as well as a banquet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. What are insiders looking for from the trip? Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns unpack that and more. Plus, the “one big, beautiful bill” presses forward today on Capitol Hill and the administration braces for new inflation numbers this morning.

It’s the start of a frenzied week for Washington, as President Donald Trump embarks on his first overseas trip of his second term and congressional Republicans unveil sweeping new proposed cuts to spending and taxes (and, likely, Medicaid). Add in a few major geopolitical issues — the end of talks between U.S. and Chinese leaders in Geneva and the start of talks between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul — and you’re beginning to get the shape of it. What do you need to know about it all? Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns make sense of the news that will drive the day on this, the pilot episode of “The Playbook Podcast.”

It takes a lot to rip the news cycle away from President Donald Trump. But yesterday, that’s precisely what happened. Shortly after the president unveiled a major new trade deal with the U.K. — something the White House was eager to shine attention on — white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. Meet the new pope: Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV. And just as soon as his name was uttered, he was dragged into a partisan battle over his real or imagined personal politics. POLITICO national political correspondent Adam Wren joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to discuss.

Last night, President Donald Trump teased an announcement the White House had been waiting for: Trump’s first trade deal since his sweeping tariffs upended the global economy. Who answered Trump’s call? The United Kingdom, the latest chapter in the so-called “special relationship” between the two nations. What does it mean for Trump, for the economy, for the US-UK alliance and for Europe as a whole? Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns discuss. 

This morning, Vice President JD Vance will speak at a meeting of world leaders convened in Washington by the Munich Security Conference. The speech is amid a backdrop of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, a Russia-Ukraine war that is dragging on, and seemingly endless tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Back home, officials are bracing both for Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell’s decision on whether to cut interest rates — and President Donald Trump’s reaction to the announcement. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns unpack what they’re watching.

Today, President Donald Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the heels of his recent electoral victory. It’s their first time face to face, even as backlash to Trump in Canada helped propel Carney to power. Is it possible that the two men could actually find some middle ground? Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns discuss what to watch for as the two leaders face off.

If one issue has defined President Donald Trump’s second term, it is the economy. Markets continue to deal with tariff-induced whiplash, and people around the country are bracing for higher prices to hit home. But rather than denying the possible hits to people’s wallets, Trump has taken to projecting a new message: settle for less. Playbook managing editor and author Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns discuss. Plus, what’s next for Secretary of State Marco Rubio?

Mike Waltz is out as national security adviser (and in as UN ambassador). Elon Musk is eyeing an exit from DOGE. And President Donald Trump continues to plow ahead, now past his first 100 days in office. Do you see all of this action as the fruit of a busy, ambitious administration or as, well, chaos? The White House’s political fortunes may rise or fall depending on which answer prevails among the American electorate. POLITICO national political correspondent Adam Wren and Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton discuss.