The Playbook Podcast

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 Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns unpack it all.

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 Capitol Hill, when Americans should start feeling the benefits of Trump’s big tax bill and how the trade wars may affect the midterms. 

“The really striking thing is that the place where the tariff policy effects should be the worst is the time right now where we have almost 4 percent growth and low inflation,” Hassett says. “We're very, very optimistic about how this policy is working and what it's gonna look like.”

And, Hassett digs into the buzz surrounding whether or not he will be Trump’s pick to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. 

Plus, Shark Tank judge and investor Kevin O’Leary comes on the show to explain why he’s bullish on the TikTok deal news, bearish on the federal government’s investment in Intel and how he’s grading Trump 2.0’s economic performance so far.

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 Messerly discuss the state of play as the shutdown shows no signs of abating.

Washington may not agree on much at the moment, but there’s a broad consensus on at least one thing about the federal shutdown: There is, at this moment, no end in sight. Today, it’s all but certain that Republicans and Democrats will continue to lob barbs — and subpar memes — at one another. Meanwhile, outside the Beltway, Americans will feel the day-to-day consequences of an unfunded government. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns discuss the state of play. Plus, President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal faces an uncertain future, while Trump’s military push into major cities looks to continue.

Overnight, the federal government shut down as its congressionally approved funding lapsed. How long will it last? Who will the American public hold responsible for it? And what is going to happen to the government while a prospective solution gets sorted out? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White House bureau chief Dasha Burns walk through every angle.

Barring a last-minute deal, the federal government will shut down at midnight tonight. And at this hour, the two sides seem as far apart as ever. A meeting at the White House saw Democratic and Republican leaders dig in their heels and emerge while aiming fire at one another, confident that they can spin a shutdown as the other side’s fault. What does President Donald Trump think about all of it? Our very own Dasha Burns spoke with him last night and brings us the latest. Plus, Dasha and Jack Blanchard walk through what the president also had to say about his plans for the Middle East, and parse Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s big military meeting at Quantico today.

First came Los Angeles. Then, Washington, D.C. Now, President Donald Trump’s ongoing federal crackdown on big cities comes to Portland, Oregon. Last night, the city and state filed suit to block Trump from deploying 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the City of Roses. But in an era when the confrontation is the point, that’s a fight Trump is perfectly willing to have. Playbook’s Adam Wren and Dasha Burns walk through Trump’s Portland push and what it portends for other major cities. Plus, we’re two days away from a federal government shutdown, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House today as Trump pushes a new ceasefire plan.

James Talarico is a Texas state representative who’s recently announced his candidacy for US Senate. He’s a Democrat, but not afraid to criticize some aspects of his party. 

“National Democrats have talked about defending democracy or protecting institutions,” he said. “But, this democracy of ours doesn't work for a lot of people in this country. It doesn't work for a lot of people in Texas…. This is a deeply broken political system. And I'm not interested in defending it.” 

Talarico joined POLITICO’s Dasha Burns this week for an episode of The Conversation, in a wide-ranging conversation about his candidacy, his faith and what Democrats can learn from Beyoncé. 

Talarico caught national attention when he flipped a state House district outside Austin in 2018, and has grown in prominence on social media, where he boasts millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram. The former school teacher who’s studying to be a pastor is joining a crowded race to try to turn a Senate seat blue in Texas.

His faith has been one of the central aspects of his campaign. “My faith is why I went into public service. My granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas [and he] told me that Jesus gave us these two commandments to love God and love neighbor, which means that your faith is inherently public, right?,” he said. “That means that your faith should impact how you treat people out in the world. And really politics is just another word for how we treat our neighbors at the most fundamental level.”

When it comes to immigration, a Texas issue in the national spotlight, Talarico offered a metaphor to explain his approach. “People have a desire for a sane immigration system, a secure border that can ensure public safety and can ensure that the people coming here are coming to contribute to our communities and not threaten our communities,” he said. “We should treat our southern border like our front porch. We should have a giant welcome mat out front, and we should have the lock on the door.”

Last night, federal prosecutors in Virginia charged former FBI Director James Comey with obstruction and making a false statement to Congress. It comes just days after President Donald Trump publicly demanded that Attorney General Pam Bondi more aggressively pursue criminal charges against Comey and other political enemies. What does it mean for the rule of law and where does Trump’s retribution campaign go from here? Playbook’s Adam Wren and POLITICO White House reporter Myah Ward unpack it all.

President Donald Trump has found his next big foreign policy project: Peace in the Middle East. And where that’s a goal hat has vexed generations of presidential administrations, Trump believes he can force a breakthrough with a bit of help from his friends in the region. On Tuesday, Trump met with eight leaders of Arab or Muslim-majority nations in New York. Today, he welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the White House to talk about a nascent 21-point plan for peace in Gaza. Could Trump succeed where so many others have failed? Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns unpack it all. Plus, Trump’s efforts at lawfare drastically escalate.