POLITICO Playbook Daily Briefing
POLITICO Playbook's must-listen briefing on what's driving the day in Washington.
Episodes
April 30, 2024 • 9 mins
White House reporter and West Wing Playbook author Eli Stokols has been
reporting on the simmering rift between Joe Biden’s administration and
the New York Times, and the White House Correspondent’s Dinner this past
weekend introduced another layer. Stokols joins Playbook co-author Ryan
Lizza to discuss. Plus, MTG is a no-show in the House Monday night, and
the rest of the news you need to know today.
Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza...
Mark as Played
April 29, 2024 • 6 mins
Prior to last week’s congressional recess, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
appeared poised for battle to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson from his post.
But over the weeklong break, she didn’t offer any updates on the
mission. It has now been 38 days since Greene first filed that motion,
and she has gone completely quiet on her plans. What’s going on?
Playbook co-author Rachael Bade walks through some possibilities. All
that, and the rest o...
Mark as Played
April 26, 2024 • 10 mins
Former President Donald Trump had a huge day in two different courtrooms
on Thursday, but was only present for the one in Manhattan. David Pecker
took the stand as a key witness in the case, and he alleged Trump was
not the only prominent political figure for whom he caught and killed
stories. Legal reporter Ben Feuerherd takes Playbook co-author Ryan
Lizza through what it was like in the courtroom. All that, and
everything else yo...
Mark as Played
April 25, 2024 • 9 mins
Even by modern standards, this is a dizzying day of Trump legal news.
Today, he’ll return to a Manhattan court room where Judge Juan Merchan
could rule over whether he violated a gag order and former National
Enquirer chief David Pecker will resume his testimony in Trump’s
criminal trial. Meanwhile, in Washington, the Supreme Court will hear
oral arguments over Trump’s claims of presidential immunity from
prosecution related to his...
Mark as Played
April 24, 2024 • 9 mins
Late Tuesday evening, the Senate finally passed the long-awaited foreign
aid bill that also moves to ban TikTok, citing national security
concerns. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill in the coming
days. So, what does this mean for the popular social networking app, and
can anything save it? Tech policy reporter Rebecca Kern walks Playbook
co-author Eugene Daniels through some of the possibilities.
Mark as Played
April 23, 2024 • 9 mins
Can Joe Biden win Florida come November? It's unlikely, but the Sunshine
State might still loom large in Biden's campaign -- serving as perfect
fodder for why he needs to be reelected. When Biden travels there today,
he will denounce its red-tinged policies, especially the six-week
abortion ban set to take effect next week. Deputy national editor Zach
Montellaro joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to talk through it
all. Plus...
Mark as Played
April 22, 2024 • 9 mins
After every day last week was devoted to assembling a jury, the trial
involving allegations that Trump paid hush money to two women with whom
he was having affairs will begin today in Manhattan. Senior legal
affairs reporter Josh Gerstein chats with Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza
about what’s on his radar and District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s attempt to
“rebrand” the case.
Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza interviews Senior legal affairs...
Mark as Played
April 19, 2024 • 9 mins
Mike Johnson is close to notching a major legislative victory that may
come at an extremely high cost: His job as speaker of the House. The
foreign aid supplemental that’s been roiling the House GOP comes up for
a procedural vote today where it’ll need Democratic support to pass —
and if that vote on the rule passes, the underlying legislation will
also need Democratic votes to get through. That’s good news for Ukraine
and Israel. ...
Mark as Played
April 18, 2024 • 9 mins
After two days, the jury for Donald Trump’s criminal prosecution for
business fraud in New York is taking starting to take shape — and the
legal world is surprised by what it sees. Of the seven jurors impaneled
so far, two have something very important in common: They are lawyers.
That is deeply unusual, legal correspondent Betsy Woodruff Swan tells
Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels, and it could have interesting
implications for t...
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April 17, 2024 • 9 mins
On Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky became the second congressman
to publicly declare support for a motion-to-vacate attempt against House
Speaker Mike Johnson. The basis for all of the drama? The rising
tensions over the proposed foreign aid package. Playbook co-author
Rachael Bade joins co-author Eugene Daniels to walk through all the
nuances, and what comes next. Plus, what's next in the Trump hush money
trial, and could ...
Mark as Played
April 16, 2024 • 7 mins
After stalling for months, House Speaker Mike Johnson finally has a plan
to tackle aid to Ukraine and Israel — and it amounts to the trickiest
legislative issue of his speakership. Among its provisions? Turning
foreign aid into loans, using frozen Russian assets to assist
Zelenskyy’s government and — if that weren’t enough — a TikTok ban.
Playbook co-author Rachael Bade breaks it all down.
Mark as Played
April 15, 2024 • 9 mins
Donald Trump will appear in court today for the first day of his hush
money trial in Manhattan. Ankush Khardori, former federal prosecutor at
the Department of Justice and senior staff writer at Politico joins
Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza to walk through what to expect. Plus, all
eyes are on Iran on Capitol Hill, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
could take up the newly-reauthorized FISA as soon as tonight.
Playbook co-author Rya...
Mark as Played
April 12, 2024 • 10 mins
Donald Trump has been outspoken in his belief that he has been martyred
by the U.S. justice system, especially in the lead-up to his hush money
trial Monday. But as legal editor James Romoser has uncovered, Trump
might be on to something with the idea that the justice system is
two-tiered; what he hasn't mentioned is the extent to which it favors
him. Romoser joins Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels to break it all
down. Plus, Eugen...
Mark as Played
April 11, 2024 • 7 mins
Is Mike Johnson’s time as speaker limited? After weeks of delay, Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate — a procedural move that would
oust him from the House’s top spot — seems to be coming to a head, just
at Johnson’s moment of maximum vulnerability. And this time, House
Democrats won’t be able to save him. Congress reporter Anthony Adragna
joins Playbook co-author Rachael Bade to break it all down.
Playbook co-author R...
Mark as Played
April 10, 2024 • 8 mins
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to provide a new
centerpiece of sorts for the administration's Indo-Pacific strategy
during his visit to the U.S. today, with a main goal of countering the
footprint of China in the region. DC-based China correspondent Phelim
Kine walks Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza through the nuances. All that,
and everything else you need to know today.
Mark as Played
April 9, 2024 • 9 mins
Donald Trump’s new video outlining his stance on abortion rights offered
the clearest reminder yet that he is being simultaneously pulled in two
opposing directions. He wants the credit for appointing the conservative
justices who overturned Roe and wiped away constitutional protections
for abortion. What he very much does not want is the electoral albatross
that comes along with that reality. The result is a muddle that is
unlikel...
Mark as Played
April 8, 2024 • 8 mins
After the two-week spring recess, Congress will return to a plethora of
work, including the debate surrounding FISA, the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act. In the coming days, House Speaker Mike Johnson will
finally bring to the floor a reauthorization of this foreign
surveillance law. But with Republican infighting over FISA and a pair of
contentious amendments being pushed by privacy hawks eager to limit the
ability to gather...
Mark as Played
April 5, 2024 • 8 mins
In a phone call yesterday with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, President
Joe Biden made two central demands: First, to allow the flow of
humanitarian aid; second, to empower negotiators to broker a cease-fire
and hostage deal. If that sounds like a marked change in Biden’s
posture, it is: The killings this week of seven aid workers with World
Central Kitchen seems to have fundamentally shifted the calculus at play
for the U.S. in Ga...
Mark as Played
April 4, 2024 • 8 mins
House Republicans are fighting again. That’s not a story in and of
itself. But the stakes are. There is disagreement over both whether and
how to fund Ukraine aid, and nobody is happy about it. “This isn’t a
Republican speaker we have right now; this is a Democrat speaker,” Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene told Tucker Carlson, slamming Mike Johnson while
explaining her motion to oust him as House speaker. Can the chaos be
tamed? White H...
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On Tuesday, it was confirmed that seven aid workers — including one
American — were killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza. The workers were
with World Central Kitchen and traveling in clearly marked vehicles in
an area designated safe for transporting aid. President Biden has
condemned the attack, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
said the attack was in error. But will this be a turning point in how
the U.S. approache...
Mark as Played
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