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PODCAST

The Playbook Podcast

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.

news politics

All Episodes

14:59

July 11, 2025: Welcome to phase two of the Trump...

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/11

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

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12:27

July 10, 2025: Has Trump had enough of Putin?

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/10

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

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14:23

July 9, 2025: SCOTUS aids in MAGA's DC makeover

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/09

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

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16:05

July 8, 2025: MAGA turns on its own

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/08

After a few weeks during which things seemed to go more or less as the Trump administration had hoped, MAGA world is suddenly in revolt. Yesterday, the Justice Department announced that it would not release any further documents pertaining to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender and wealthy financier whose 2019 death fueled conspiracy theories across the political spectrum. Many members of the MAGA base aren’t satisfied with the DOJ’s decision — and its conclusion that

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16:40

July 7, 2025: Tariffs, Texas, treaties and Trump

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/07

For President Donald Trump, it’s a week of tests on several fronts. After deadly floods in Texas, his administration’s cuts to the NOAA and National Weather Service are receiving new scrutiny, with many critics calling for investigations into what went wrong — and wondering how to prevent more disasters in the coming hurricane season. Meanwhile, as the nation inches toward a new trade deadline and a wave of new tariffs, the economy is bracing for impact. And on the global stage, Israeli Prime

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11:20

July 3, 2025: Trump barnstorms into July 4

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/03

As Congress wrestles over the GOP’s megabill package, President Donald Trump heads to Iowa for a major rally on the eve of the July 4 holiday. Playbook’s chief correspondent Dasha Burns joins author Jack Blanchard to talk through the ghosts of rallies past, what to watch for this time around and what some people misunderstand about Trump’s connection with his audience.

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14:58

July 2, 2025: Crunch time for Trump’s megabill

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/02

The GOP’s massive reconciliation package heads back to the House this morning after narrowly crawling to passage in the Senate yesterday. But it looks much different than the last time the chamber considered it: To get through the Senate, the bill underwent an major makeover that drastically increases the deficit and could complicate the voting math in the House. The implications — for everyday Americans, for President Donald Trump’s agenda and for the 2026 and 2028 elections — couldn’t be much

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14:01

July 1, 2025: The strategy behind ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/07/01

While the GOP megabill continues to be the main event in Washington, President Donald Trump heads to Florida and the latest hotspot in his immigration crusade: “Alligator Alcatraz.” That’s the moniker of a new detention camp deep in the Florida swamplands that will house undocumented immigrants. It’s not just a facility, of course: It’s an attempt to control the narrative around immigration, promulgate fears among would-be migrants and ultimately focus attention on an issue Democrats would rather

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15:50

June 30, 2025: Fresh fissures for the GOP megabill

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/30

It’s crunch time on Capitol Hill as the clock winds down for the sweeping Republican-backed reconciliation bill ahead of President Donald Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline. At stake is the crux of his legislative agenda, with massive real-world implications for millions of Americans on topics ranging from health coverage to taxes to food assistance for the poor. With Democrats eager to hold Republicans’ feet to the fire, will the GOP stick together, or are the slowly developing fissure lines

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10:21

June 27, 2025: The megabill’s moment of truth

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/27

President Donald Trump firmly believes the GOP’s megabill can pass through Congress and land on his desk by July 4. But with just one week to go before that self-imposed deadline, the sweeping legislation faces a congressional obstacle course, with Republicans across Capitol Hill fighting over facets from Medicaid cuts to government spending to federal land sales. POLITICO Congress reporter Jordain Carney joins Playbook contributing author Adam Wren to break down everything the state of play and

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14:17

June 26, 2025: What’s the truth about the Iran strike?

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/26

Freshly back from the NATO Summit, President Donald Trump’s attention is now focused squarely on one thing: selling the Iran strike as an unmitigated success — regardless of what intelligence assessments say. Today the administration will focus on trying to shift the narrative — casting questions about the efficacy of the strikes as a slap in the face of American military pilots, and blaming Congress for the leaked intelligence reports that contradict Trump’s claims. POLITICO White House reporter

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15:36

June 25, 2025: A political earthquake in NYC

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/25

Two stories from opposite sides of the globe have huge political implications today. First, in New York City, outsider candidate Zohran Mamdani pulled off a historic upset, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. The seismic victory is sending shockwaves throughout American politics, with center-left Democrats gritting their teeth, progressives in a triumphant mood and Republicans lapping it all up. Across the Atlantic Ocean, President Donald Trump is at the NATO

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14:30

June 24, 2025: Trump’s ceasefire victory lap

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/24

President Donald Trump heads to the Netherlands today for the 2025 NATO Summit. The Iran-Israel conflict was already set to be a major focus. But Trump’s announcement Monday night of a ceasefire between the countries has reshaped the conversation altogether. Will the summit be an opportunity for Trump to flex on the global stage, or will he be received by a more tepid crowd? POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly joins Playbook author Jack Blanchard to discuss. Plus, a big day for hearings on

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16:03

June 23, 2025: The U.S. bombed Iran. What now?

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/23

On Saturday night, U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in what the Pentagon termed “Operation Midnight Hammer.” The consequences, which will likely be far-reaching, are only beginning to come into view. Does President Donald Trump want regime change in Iran? How would he square that pursuit with his America First pledges? What will it mean for nuclear talks? What sort of reprisals should we expect from Iran? Will Congress assert its war powers authority? And what does the world look

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11:34

June 20, 2025: Is the ‘MAGA civil war’ real?

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/20

One story continues to dominate the conversation in Washington: the possibility of a U.S. strike in Iran. But even as the commentariat focuses on its potential geopolitical implications, its potential implications for American politics are no less real. President Donald Trump’s MAGA base is split over what to do. Does Trump risk hemorrhaging support if he orders a strike? Or is the whole idea of a GOP civil war over Iran overhyped? Playbook contributing author Adam Wren joins editor Zack Stanton to

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11:51

June 18, 2025: Trump’s choice on Iran

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/18

With the U.S. on the cusp of potentially joining Israel’s fight against Iran, foreign policy experts in Washington are scrambling to game out the various scenarios. And as POLITICO senior foreign affairs correspondent and Compass columnist Nahal Toosi tells Playbook author Jack Blanchard, the options available to Trump and the possible outcomes from them aren’t simply black and white; they exist along a spectrum ranging from arming Israel for a single, targeted strike on an Iranian nuclear facility,

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15:37

June 17, 2025: Trump’s Middle East dilemma

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/17

President Donald Trump is unexpectedly back in Washington today, cutting his G7 trip short amid a spiraling situation with Iran. Yesterday, Trump made an ominous Truth Social post suggesting “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran” — words that immediately provoked a fiery response from some of his usual supporters, who see the threat of such foreign interventionism as a betrayal of his “America first” ethos. Now, he faces one of the biggest dilemmas of his presidency: Should the U.S. back

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15:50

June 16, 2025: Trump takes on the G7

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/16

After a weekend of nationwide protests, a military parade and a political assassination, eyes in Washington are now aimed north at Canada, where President Donald Trump is attending the G7 summit. Today, he will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns and author Jack Blanchard talk through what to expect, and how the fresh violence in the Middle East will impact what unfolds.

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9:25

June 13, 2025: Israel strikes Iran

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/13

Last night, Israel launched a major military campaign against Iran in what it billed as a “preemptive” strike on the nation’s nuclear capabilities. But this is only the beginning: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation will “continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” And with the Trump administration already in talks with Iran over nuclearization — and emphasizing that the U.S. was “not involved” in the strikes — you can be sure that this is going to drive the

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13:25

June 12, 2025: Newsom v. Trump

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/06/12

California and the Trump administration face off in federal court today over President Donald Trump’s deployment of military troops to Los Angeles in a legal battle that could determine the limits of presidential power — and whether troops might be deployed to other cities, too. Chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns and author Jack Blanchard talk through what they’ll be watching and the angles that Washington will be focused on. Plus, is it happily ever after for Trump and Elon Musk?

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2,085 results

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