Playbook PM: Big fires everywhere

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5 days ago

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THE CATCH-UP
FIGHTING FIRES: President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after playing a round of golf this morning to inaugurate his new course in Scotland. 'We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to D.C. and we put out fires all over the world,' Trump said this morning.
As Trump leaves the U.K., British PM Keir Starmer committed to recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations' General Assembly meeting in September — unless Israel takes 'substantive steps' to end the crisis in Gaza and commit to a peace deal. The announcement mirrors French President Emmanuel Macron's last week, which Trump dismissed. But this now marks two major G7 powers recognizing Palestine and is a renewed heavy weight of pressure on Trump, who took an increasingly hard tone on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this week. More from our POLITICO colleagues in London
The prospective recognition of Palestine comes as the spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza takes center stage. The world's leading hunger monitor, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said Gaza is in a famine that has 'worsened dramatically' in the last few months, per WaPo's Abbie Cheeseman. The number of Palestinians killed has officially surpassed 60,000, which WaPo's Louisa Loveluck and colleagues write is likely to be a 'significant undercount.' A new Gallup poll shows six in 10 Americans disapprove of Israel's military actions in Gaza, per the AP.
And the war over words, as POLITICO's Nahal Toosi writes in her latest column, may present a bigger hurdle to securing a solution. 'Several [policymakers] told me they worry the semantics — especially in a conflict such as Gaza — could hurt efforts to save lives or forge peace, including by hardening the positions of people accused of wrongdoing,' Nahal writes. The sentiment from humanitarian workers is: 'the words are irrelevant. Huge numbers of Palestinians need something to eat. Can Israel do more to get them some food?'
Trump said today that he's working with Netanyahu on a solution, and that 'we're going to try and get things straightened out for the world.' U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee pushed back on any idea that Trump has broken with Israel's government, POLITICO's Jacob Wendler writes. Back in Washington, more than 40 Democratic senators sent a letter today to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff urging they rejoin ceasefire talks and denounce the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, AP's Stephen Groves reports. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is considering plans that would annex parts of Gaza if Hamas doesn't come to the negotiating table, ABC's Jordana Miller and Mary Kekatos write.
Ukraine-Russia latest: The global fires rage on in Ukraine too, as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave no reaction to Trump's shortened deadline for peace, NYT's Paul Sonne writes. The Kremlin said it 'took note' of the change, while progress on a deal remains deadlocked. And last night after Trump's new deadline was imposed, Russian strikes in Ukraine killed 27 people, per WaPo's David Stern and Kostiantyn Khudov.
Looking toward the east: Thailand and Cambodia's fighting came to a stop today after the announcement of the ceasefire, after a few dicey hours where Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the agreement, Bloomberg's Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Suttinee Yuvejwattana report. And in North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un's spokesperson said his relationship with Trump is 'not bad,' but closed the door on negotiations over the country's nuclear weapons, NYT's Choe Sang-Hun writes.
Also heading out of Europe: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is headed home after two days of trade talks between the U.S. and China wrapped up in Stockholm today. No major breakthroughs came from the meeting, but China's top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said they agreed to push for an extension to the tariff detente, per Reuters' Greta Rosen Fondahn and Maria Martinez. Expect both Trump and Bessent to sound a positive note on the future of trade and the economy after the IMF raised its global growth outlook, NYT's Alan Rappeport writes.
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7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Looking to 2026: The League of Conservation Voters and House Majority Forward are launching a $700,000 digital ad campaign slamming House Republicans over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in their home districts during August recess. An ad targeting Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), shared exclusively with Playbook, homes in on Medicaid cuts, rising costs and clean energy as Democratic messaging gears up for 2026. The ads will run in 11 districts, ranging from Arizona to Pennsylvania to New York. Watch the ad
The view from the DNC: Democrats are growing more optimistic about their chances next year, Axios' Alex Thompson writes, as the negative megabill polls stack up, prices remain higher than Trump touted and enthusiasm within the party grows. … On that note, Sen. Ruben Gallego (R-Ariz.) is heading to New Hampshire in August, and will attend a fundraiser for Rep. Chris Pappas' (D-N.H.) Senate campaign, WMUR's Adam Sexton scooped.
Latest from the Tar Heel State: Former Rep. Wiley Nickel formally exited the North Carolina Senate race today, clearing the field for former Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his bid yesterday, POLITICO's Nick Wu reports. Cooper has raised a whopping $3.4 million in the first 24 hours of his campaign, POLITICO's Elena Schneider scooped, a record-breaking number in one of the most-watched races in the country. It includes $2.6 million directly in Cooper's account that overwhelmingly came from donations of $100 or less.
2. NEW YORK SHOOTING UPDATES: Trump has been briefed on the shooting yesterday that left four people dead in Midtown Manhattan, POLITICO's Nicole Markus writes. 'I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. The gunman, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, is believed to have been targeting the NFL's office on Park Avenue, but ended up on another company's floor where he was found with a suicide note that indicated Tamura thought he had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disease from head trauma only diagnosable in death, which has been found in former football players, Bloomberg's Myles Miller reports.
3. EPSTEIN LATEST: The now-infamous alleged 'missing minute' from the surveillance footage of Jeffrey Epstein from the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center may never have existed, CBS' Dan Ruetenik scooped. There is no missing footage from 11:59 p.m. to midnight in the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice inspector general's copy of the video, and it's still not clear why it was missing when the FBI released the video. … Democracy Forward has expedited a records request for the FBI and DOJ to release 'all records reflecting all correspondence between Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein' dating back to 1990.
Testimony to come?: Ghislaine Maxwell is open to complying with a subpoena to testify before lawmakers but is 'asking to postpone her scheduled congressional deposition — and making a series of other demands as conditions of her cooperation with Hill investigators,' POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs and Josh Gerstein report. 'Among her asks is to be granted immunity from further criminal proceedings; to receive committee investigators' questions in advance of the interview; to delay the deposition until after her appeals; and to relocate the deposition outside the prison where Maxwell is held.' An Oversight spox said the panel would not consider granting her immunity.
How it's all playing: About one in four Americans are paying 'a lot' of attention to the Epstein drama, and less than two in 10 approve of how Trump is handling it, a new WaPo poll found. But among MAGA Republicans specifically, 43 percent approve. Overwhelmingly, respondents support the government releasing all the files.
4. ON THE HILL: The blame game over a potential shutdown is already starting, around two months ahead of the end of the fiscal year — setting off warning signs of a particularly ugly fight in September, AP's Kevin Freking writes. Democrats are demanding Republicans reach bipartisan compromise. Republicans say Democrats are pushing for a shutdown. This week, the Senate is set to consider spending for military affairs and the VA before heading off to recess …
What's threatening recess: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is staring down 130 nominations left for confirmation and some sticky GOP holdouts, POLITICO's Calen Razor and Mia McCarthy write this morning. Thune is angling for a deal to push some confirmations through a hodge-podge of votes. But if Democrats force cloture, we're looking at a potentially long weekend. Senate leadership is talking after Thune presented Democrats with a list of pre-recess priorities, POLITICO's Jordain Carney reports.
Bove latest: The controversy over Emil Bove's nomination to serve a lifetime appointment as an appellate judge is growing as Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) sent a letter to DOJ acting inspector general William Blier asking if his office has already conducted an investigation into the nominee, Jordain scooped. And WaPo's Perry Stein and colleagues reveal the third whistleblower who came forward regarding Bove said he misled Congress about how he handled dismissing the corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The whistleblower first presented the evidence to Booker's office, and it's also been shared with the DOJ's Office of the Inspector General.
Still to come: The Senate will vote this afternoon on the confirmation of Susan Monarez to lead the CDC, WaPo's Lena Sun reports.
5. FOR YOUR RADAR: 'Trump administration moves to repeal climate 'holy grail,'' by POLITICO's Alex Guillén: 'The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed repealing the federal government's bedrock scientific declaration on the dangers of greenhouse gases — a move that would run afoul of decades of research and topple most of the Environmental Protection Agency's climate regulations. The rollback is the most audacious attempt yet by President Donald Trump to undo federal restrictions on fossil fuels.'
6. CUTTING DEEP: Almost half of all federal funding for gun violence prevention programs has been axed by the Trump administration, totaling $158 million in grants to major cities including NYC and Chicago, Reuters' Bianca Flowers scooped. The 69 community violence intervention grants, established during the Biden era, were canceled as part of the scalpel to the Office of Justice Programs.
7. BUILDING OUT THE BENCH: 'Inside the Preparations for Trump's Next Supreme Court Nominee,' by Time's Brian Bennett: 'White House officials and a close circle of conservative lawyers are preparing for President Donald Trump to be able to hit the ground running if a Supreme Court vacancy opens up during the remaining three and a half years of his second term … The discussions are in early stages and focus on finding a nominee in the mold of Samuel Alito, 75, and Clarence Thomas, 77, the two oldest justices … [A White House official] said it was 'premature' to say the White House was getting ready for a vacancy.'
TALK OF THE TOWN
Tim Burchett was treated for a broken rib after a horse kicked him in the chest over the weekend.
Nancy Pelosi had floor seats for Lady Gaga's concert last night. 'The most fun I've had in a long time,' Pelosi said.
Justin Trudeau was spotted out on a dinner date in Montreal with Katy Perry, per TMZ.
IN MEMORIAM — 'Morton Mintz, Post reporter with a muckraker spirit, dies at 103,' by WaPo's Stefanie Dazio: 'By all accounts, Mr. Mintz was driven by relentless skepticism toward institutions and a sense of outrage that knew few bounds. … In a career spanning more than six decades, Mr. Mintz became one of the first reporters to apply investigative reporting skills to covering consumer affairs. He attended congressional subcommittee hearings few other journalists bothered with, pored over thousands of pages of documents and trial transcripts, and prided himself on a refusal to be charmed or threatened by chief executives and public relations officials.'
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has opened five new galleries this week as part of its ongoing renovations. The new exhibits feature Boeing, military aviation during WWI and more on the history of flight.
PLAYBOOK ART SECTION — 'DHS is posting Americana paintings and migrant mugshots. The art world is not happy,' by WaPo's Janay Kingsberry and Marianne LeVine: 'The images, bookended by posts cheering the administration's deportation campaign, have been widely shared by conservatives and sparked alarm among the artists, their families and some historians, who see their use as part of an effort to rewrite the past with an exclusionary view of American history.'
MEDIA MOVES — Noah Baustin is POLITICO's new energy and environment reporter, based in our California bureau. Baustin previously was a data reporter at the San Francisco Standard. Read the announcement … The Fund for American Studies announced its new cohort of Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship recipients. The fellows are: Emma Camp of Reason, Caroline Downey of National Review, Jordan McGillis of City Journal, Timothy Harley Nerozzi of The Washington Examiner, Valerie Pavilonis of The Dispatch, Katelyn Walls Shelton and Maya Sulkin of The Free Press.
TRANSITIONS — Benjamin Klubes has launched Klubes Law Group. He previously was acting general counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is a longtime BigLaw partner. … Troy Miller, Eric Leckey and Jim Williams have joined The Chertoff Group as senior advisers. Miller previously was acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Leckey previously was associate administrator for mission support at FEMA. Williams has previously served as acting administrator of the GSA and was the first GSA federal acquisition service commissioner.
… Grace Hatfield is now a senior associate at Velocity Partners. She previously led strategic initiatives in the CHIPS Office at the Department of Commerce. … Andi Lipstein Fristedt is now executive VP, chief strategy and policy officer at the Parkinson's Foundation. She previously was deputy director and chief strategy officer at the CDC.
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