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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

15:38

Trump's global gambits

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/15

A handful of international fronts are simmering with tension as President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda expands. The president seemingly backed off taking action in Iran for now, telling reporters that the situation on the ground had improved. The standoff over Greenland is ramping up. Trump once again shifted blame for the stalled Ukraine-Russia negotiations. And the administration announced a new phase in the Gaza peace plan. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly

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15:23

Iran tensions rise

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/14

President Donald Trump is ramping up the rhetoric over Iran. Trump is considering a range of options as the death toll from the crackdown on protests in Iran grows higher. The different responses on the table range from the diplomatic to so-called kinetic options, which could involve the military. But the administration’s recent moves in the Western Hemisphere have hampered some of the immediate options. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss Trump’s Iran options

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15:11

Trump’s Powell problem

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/13

The Justice Department’s investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is still sending shockwaves through Washington and beyond. As President Donald Trump prepares to deliver a speech on the economy Tuesday, the headlines are still being dominated by Powell. Scores of Republicans are denouncing the move, and some inside the White House are concerned the push to target Powell is distracting from other issues the administration would rather focus on. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau

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13:21

Fed up

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/12

Jerome Powell is the latest target of President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. The Federal Reserve chair confirmed that DOJ has opened a criminal investigation into his statements to Congress regarding Fed HQ renovations, marking the latest and sharpest escalation of Trump’s monthslong crusade against Powell. Though Trump denied having knowledge of the investigation, he has long pushed Powell to cut interest rates. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the

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13:50

Trump’s affordability equation

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/09

Affordability was supposed to be the primary focus of 2026 as Republicans try to shore up voter support ahead of the midterms. Instead, nearly every day this year has been dominated by headlines surrounding President Donald Trump’s extraordinary intervention in Venezuela. Whether the Trump administration can successfully tell voters why they should care about the Venezuela action could go a long way in defining the success of the operation. White House reporters Megan Messerly and Myah Ward discuss

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15:33

Back from the brink

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/08

The Trump administration is pushing forward with its oil-driven agenda in Venezuela. President Donald Trump is set to welcome oil industry executives to the White House later this week to talk about kickstarting production there again. Meanwhile, Trump appears to be easing up on some of the hardline stances he took against other countries in the wake of the shock military action to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela over the weekend. The president seems to be easing his position on Colombia and

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13:55

The well-oiled machine

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/07

President Donald Trump touted on Tuesday night that Venezuela’s interim government would turn over billions of dollars worth of oil to the U.S., just days after Nicolás Maduro was toppled. The U.S. plans to sell the oil at market prices, Trump said, adding that he would personally control the proceeds. Meanwhile, administration officials are delivering a bipartisan briefing to senators on the Venezuela action today, which is certain to prompt plenty of reactions once it’s wrapped. Playbook’s Jack

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13:54

Trump in the Center

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/06

President Donald Trump is speaking with House Republicans at the Kennedy Center today for what was originally intended to be a rally-the-troops gathering as a pivotal midterm year kicks off. But the topic driving the majority of headlines this week is Venezuela. Questions swirl about what comes next in the country as various corners of the administration divulge different details. Republican lawmakers so far have supported the move — but it’s unclear how long that unity will last. Playbook’s Jack

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15:04

Decoding the ‘Donroe Doctrine’

The Playbook Podcast ·

2026/01/05

President Donald Trump is taking hardline stances on a number of countries in the Western Hemisphere and beyond after the U.S. carried out a stunning military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The two are facing narcoterrorism charges and are due to appear in court on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump rattled the saber toward more nations that could see U.S. intervention on the heels of the action in Venezuela. Playbook Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns

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15:30

Redistricting retrospective

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/24

Few political stories dominated the headlines and displayed the sharp divisions across the country more in 2025 than redistricting. Under the demands of President Donald Trump, Republicans across the country set out to redraw maps to claw seats into their column as the party tries to protect its slim majority in the House. But Democrats have fought back — with a handful of potential presidential candidates taking up the mantle and positioning themselves to reap the rewards. Playbook’s Adam Wren and

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9:04

Dems’ candidate concerns

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/23

Democrats are fretting about a certain candidate profile in red and purple states that’s giving some in the party heartburn. Much of their consternation is over what they view as ultra-liberal positions that are resistance relics of Trump 1.0 — ones they think won’t age well among median voters in states where Democrats already absorbed setbacks. The vetting intensified after Tennessee Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn cut into GOP margins in a deep-red district, but still lost as Republicans

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10:50

The MAGA maelstrom

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/22

The coalition that sent Donald Trump back to the White House appears fragile as Republicans search for a successor who can unite the party once Trump exits the stage. New results from The POLITICO Poll reveal ideological fault lines that could threaten to break up the base of voters who any potential Republican presidential candidate will rely on in 2028. Vice President JD Vance, who many believe could be up to the task, tried to quell a round of MAGA infighting at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest

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13:34

Deadline day

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/19

When President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law in November, he set off a 30-day deadline for the Justice Department to release all the files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now, that day has come as the Justice Department prepares to drop the long-awaited documents. But what the files actually hold remains unclear. Playbook’s Adam Wren and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss whether the release of the files will spell the end of the

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14:07

Trump sticks to the script

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/18

President Donald Trump delivered a live address to the nation from the White House in succinct fashion with a sharp focus on the economy on Wednesday night. During the roughly 20-minute speech — which was a far cry from the president’s meandering campaign-style rally in Pennsylvania last week — Trump touted the “progress” that his administration has made in addressing Americans’ cost-of-living concerns. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House reporter Megan Messerly assess whether the message will

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15:16

Wild about Wiles

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/17

Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, set off a media storm on Tuesday after Vanity Fair published a deeply reported account of the White House’s inner circle of operators. The story featured candid comments delivered by Wiles over 11 interviews on a range of issues. Trump and other senior administration officials rushed to defend Wiles, while others privately questioned why she and other officials agreed to the interviews with Vanity Fair. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House

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13:11

Another affordability speech

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/16

Vice President JD Vance is headed to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to talk about affordability with voters who are feeling the pinch of cost-of-living concerns. Vance’s visit comes exactly one week after President Donald Trump delivered a speech on affordability in Pennsylvania — a sign that the administration is laser-focused on the all-important swing state ahead of the midterms, and perhaps an indication that Vance can drive the message home after Trump veered off script. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and

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13:02

A renewed peace push

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/15

Negotiators are engaged in high-level talks to hammer out a peace plan for Ukraine in Berlin, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounding like he’s ready to cut a deal. Though President Donald Trump did not attend the weekend negotiations with European leaders, he seems poised to swoop in once a legitimate plan is on the table. The question mark looming over the talks, though, is uncertainty over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and POLITICO White

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38:28

From 'The Conversation': Bill Gates on vaccine...

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/14

Gates Foundation co-founder Bill Gates joined POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on this week’s episode of The Conversation to discuss his continued support for vaccine philanthropy, the impact of government aid cuts in global health, AI, vaccine skepticism and much more. The interview took place shortly after the release of The Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers Report projects, which predicts that child deaths will rise in 2025 for the first time this century.

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14:25

Hoosier daddy?

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/12

The Indiana state Senate on Thursday rejected a proposed congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that would have all but guaranteed an additional two safe Republican seats, dealing a major blow to the president’s nationwide redistricting push. The rejection marks a rare loss for Trump during his second term, as state-level lawmakers flex their own political power in the face of an intense pressure campaign. Playbook’s Adam Wren and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss why Indiana

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16:06

Trump’s new world order

The Playbook Podcast ·

2025/12/11

President Donald Trump has shaken up the way that America interacts with the rest of the world in nearly every way since he returned to office earlier this year. It’s a reality that is only becoming more apparent as Trump continues to navigate efforts to secure peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Longstanding alliances with Europe have taken precedent in the past, but that appears to no longer be the case. So what does this mean for the futures of Russia, Ukraine and U.S.-European relations

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2,081 results

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