Russia-Ukraine 'momentum shift' is taking place despite major challenges: Gen. Jack Keane
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Politico
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Playbook PM: Trump's two-birds tariff move
Presented by THE CATCH-UP BULLETIN: '5 soldiers shot before arrest made at Army's Fort Stewart in Georgia,' per AP: 'Five soldiers were shot Wednesday at Fort Stewart in Georgia, leading to a lockdown at the Army base before the shooter was arrested, officials said. The conditions of the soldiers and the circumstances of the shooting weren't immediately clear, nor was the identity of the shooter. The Army said it's investigating.' WRATH OF TARIFFS: President Donald Trump took two birds with one stone today, making good on his threat to crack down on Russia and dropping an economic hammer on India. He announced via executive order new 25 percent tariffs — on top of the 25 percent levy he handed down earlier this month — that in 21 days will bring India's duties to a whopping 50 percent. The latest move comes two days before Trump's Friday deadline for Russia to come to the negotiating table on a ceasefire on the war in Ukraine, after which Trump promised up to 100 percent 'secondary sanctions' on countries buying goods from Russia. It also marks the latest instance of Trump wielding his sweeping tariffs to further a larger political agenda and bend international relations to his will. But there's a dual purpose here, as POLITICO's Ari Hawkins, Daniel Desrochers and Doug Palmer write: Trump has singled out India (a big importer of Russian crude oil) over the last few weeks as trade negotiations between the two countries have fallen flat. No formal actions have been taken yet against China (the biggest importer of Russian oil). The breakdown: Indian officials at one point were so confident they could pull off a deal that they told media that the tariff could be max 15 percent, but that deal never came through, Reuters' Manoj Kumar and colleagues report from New Delhi. 'The officials on both sides said a mix of political misjudgment, missed signals and bitterness broke down the deal between the world's biggest and fifth-largest economies.' After all, it wasn't that long ago that VP JD Vance was in Delhi with his family, touting the U.S. and India's trade relationship. The response: India's government denounced the tariffs as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' and added that 'India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests,' in a statement. The view from the White House: 'India has been a little recalcitrant, but also, I think the president has decided that India should not be the release valve for Russia,' National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on Fox Business Network this morning. 'And that one reason why the Russia-Ukraine war might be going on for so long is that Russia has a release valve through India where it can sell its stuff.' MEANWHILE IN MOSCOW: Special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Moscow for what Trump called a 'highly productive' three-hour conversation, as the White House continues trying to pressure Russia to agree to a peace deal. 'Great progress was made!' Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning to update him on Witkoff's meeting, per Reuters' Tom Balmforth. Reality check: Russia has largely brushed off Trump's threats, as doubts swirl over how much impact tariffs will actually have in punishing the Russian economy. 'But Witkoff's visit to Moscow — his fifth this year — is seen by Russia as an important chance to deliver a message to the U.S. president and signal its willingness to at least keep talking with Kyiv,' WSJ's Matthew Luxmoore and Alexander Ward write. Not done yet: A White House official told WSJ that the U.S. will likely still move forward on Friday with the secondary sanctions against countries buying Russian energy. 'We'll have more to say about that later on today,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, per Reuters' Daphne Psaledakis. THE TRADE TALKS RAGE ON: Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter said she had a 'very good meeting' with Rubio during her unscheduled swing through Washington today, Reuters' John Revill reports. Hassett this morning said he's 'not aware of any changes since yesterday' to the tariffs, but noted it was a 'fast-moving' thing. 'We'll see how it goes.' DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS: Trump may flout the billions that the tariffs are raking in, but the U.S. may end up paying a lot of it back. It all depends on the legal dispute over Trump's tariff authority that's likely to make its way to the Supreme Court, Ari writes. 'That, trade and customs experts say, would be a logistical nightmare.' But there's a bigger problem: 'it would also undercut one of the core arguments he's made to justify his trade agenda.' Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send all your tips and thoughts to abianco@ 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. EPSTEIN FALLOUT: VP JD Vance's team is publicly taking issue with reporting from CNN that indicated that the Epstein files controversy would be a focus of a strategy session at the VP's residence tonight, POLITICO's Irie Sentner and Ben Johansen write in. 'The CNN story is pure fiction. There was never a supposed meeting scheduled at the Vice President's residence to discuss Epstein Strategy,' Vance comms director William Martin told them. Two additional people familiar with the meeting, one a senior White House official, confirmed the meeting was not explicitly Epstein related. None disputed the reported attendees, which included Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, AG Pam Bondi, Deputy AG Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel. FWIW: CNN's original report indicated that senior White House officials were gathering at the VP's residence and that the 'administration's handling of the Epstein case, as well as the need to craft a unified response, is expected to be a main focus of the dinner,' citing three sources familiar. Additionally, Fox News' Breanne Deppisch and colleagues matched CNN's reporting this morning, writing that Vance was hosting the officials for a 'strategy dinner to discuss how the administration should handle the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein fallout and move forward.' The impact: A new analysis of more than half a million social media posts and podcast segments this summer tracked the far-right response to the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, WaPo's Clara Ence Morse and Cleve Wootson Jr. write. The takeaway: Posts over the Epstein files — and criticism of Trump — exploded in July after the DOJ's announcement, but the pivot to talking about former president Barack Obama and the Russia hoax successfully changed the subject among far-right circles by the end of July. The survivors speak: The family of Virginia Giuffre issued a new statement calling for lawmakers to heed the voices of Epstein's survivors, per CNN's Kaitlan Collins. 'We also call upon the House subcommittee to invite survivors to testify. As Virginia Roberts Giuffre's siblings, we offer to represent her in her stead and we hope the administration takes our call to action seriously.' 2. AT 1600 PENN: Trump will announce at 4:30 p.m. a new $100 billion investment in domestic manufacturing from Apple, the latest move by the tech giant to ramp up U.S. production, Bloomberg's Hadriana Lowenkron scooped. The new American Manufacturing Program will bring more of Apple's supply chain stateside, and brings Apple's total commitments to $600 billion over the next four years. Apple CEO Tim Cook will attend the announcement, per Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich. In other tech news: OpenAI is providing federal workers access to ChatGPT for one dollar a year, Bloomberg's Shirin Ghaffary and Gregory Korte report. 3. 2026 WATCH: Voters are greeting Republicans with jeers over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at their town halls during recess, which POLITICO's Nick Wu and colleagues report Republicans are denouncing as manufactured by Democrats. Meanwhile, Democrats are eager to ride the wave of fury through 2026. The backlash has mostly centered on Trump's sprawling legislation, but some voters are also bringing up the Epstein files, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told WSJ's Katy Stech Ferek. Trail mix: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is running for governor of Tennessee and will face off in a primary against Rep. John Rose, POLITICO's Adam Wren writes. Consequently, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn) is now mulling a Senate run, per CNN's Manu Raju. … Michael Thurmond is entering the crowded Democratic primary for governor of Georgia, per AP's Jeff Amy. … Nevada state Sen. Carrie Ann Buck entered the Republican primary to represent Nevada's 1st Congressional District, she announced today. … Ryan Binkley is running in the Republican primary to represent Texas' 32nd Congressional District, per Axios' Andrew Solender. Meanwhile in Michigan: 'Detroit mayoral primary hints at Democratic mood ahead of 2026 midterms,' by WaPo's Andrew Jeong: 'Mary Sheffield, a Black woman and president of the city council, advanced to the November general election for mayor, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday, as votes for the mayoral primary were being counted. Solomon Kinloch, a pastor, bested Saunteel Jenkins, former city council president, for the second spot. Detroit, a heavily Democratic-leaning electorate, offers a glimpse into what kind of candidate Democratic voters are seeking ahead of next year's midterms.' 4. THE REDISTRICTING RODEO: Democratic lawmakers from Texas faced a potential bomb threat this morning, with Caucus Chair Gene Wu and other leaders noting 'a threat was made against the safety of the members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred and unintimidated.' More from POLITICO's Shia Kapos The latest roundup: The nation's biggest anti-gerrymandering lobby, Common Cause, is weighing whether to modify its stance opposing all redistricting efforts, Christian Science Monitor's Cameron Joseph scooped. … Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) wants South Carolina to join the redistricting battle and put all seven districts in GOP hands, Fox News' Liz Elkind scooped. … Unlike Texas, California will need voters' stamp of approval to redraw its maps. California's liberal voters will have to reckon with their distaste for partisan maps and their distaste of Trump, LA Times' James Rainey writes. 5. DAMNED LIES AND STATISTICS: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett repeated the Trump administration's claims today that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been skewing its data and said on Fox Business Network this morning that it's the 'highest priority' for the administration to reform the BLS. But revisions of jobs data are standard, especially as the BLS struggles to adapt to the rapidly changing economy, NYT's Ben Casselman writes. On the Fed: Responding to the possibility Trump nominates him to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Hassett told Maria Bartiromo that he was, 'I'm 'humbled to be mentioned in the same breath as some great men like Kevin Warsh along with that search, and we'll see what the president decides.' On the next BLS leader: 'Let me put it this way: People make mistakes all the time driving the car. Now imagine that you blur the windshield,' David Wilcox, a former Fed official, told POLITICO's Victoria Guida for her latest Capital Letter column. 'There are going to be a lot more automobile accidents on the road with devastating consequences, and I think that's the situation here.' 6. SCHOOL TIES: The Trump administration cut $584 million in grants to the University of California, Los Angeles, which amount to something of a 'death knell' for the school's medical research, LA Times' Jaweed Kaleem reports. The university is now in negotiations with the administration, with the goal to restore the funding 'as soon as possible,' but exact terms have not yet been announced. At multiple universities that have faced Trump's wrath, a new position — Title VI coordinator — is cropping up to monitor complaints of antisemitism on campus. But academics are warning of the dangers of a bloated university bureaucracy that could actually impede Trump's cause, per NYT's Jeremy Peters. 7. THE CRISIS IN GAZA: A group of 20 House Democrats, led by Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), are traveling to Israel today to meet with PM Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid as fervor over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows, Punchbowl's John Bresnahan reports. It comes as Speaker Mike Johnson is already in Israel with a group from the GOP side, and another GOP group led by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer visited as well. On the ground: Netanyahu is preparing to push ahead with a plan to expand Israel's military campaign further in Gaza, meeting with his security council tomorrow despite the mounting global opposition, NYT's Isabel Kershner reports from Jerusalem. TALK OF THE TOWN SPOTTED, via Washingtonian: Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, 'canoodling' over a shared pizza at Bar Angie in DC's West End. OUT AND ABOUT — Tammy Haddad and Jessica Nigro hosted a Washington Women Technology Network breakfast with Josh Dawsey and Tyler Pager, co-authors of '2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,' ($22.38) this morning at the House at 1229. SPOTTED: Luxembourg Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian, Alexandra Veitch, Tiffany Moore, Sumi Somaskanda, Tina Anthony, Govind Shivkumar, Charlotte Smith, Victoria Espinel, Joanna Guy, Charlotte Rock, Andrew Wills, Stacy Kerr, Michael Ahrens, Joiwind Ronen, Kathy O'Hearn, Ashley Lerner and Sydney Snowden. MEDIA MOVES — Jessica Rosenworcel is joining the MIT Media Lab as its executive director. She previously was chair of the Federal Communications Commission. … Corbin Bolies will be a media reporter at TheWrap. He currently is a media reporter at The Daily Beast. … Billy House is joining Newsday as a D.C. reporter. He previously was a Congress reporter at Bloomberg. The new MSNBC: The network's D.C. bureau announced a slate of new hires today: Akayla Gardner is joining as a White House reporter, after covering the White House for Bloomberg; Ryan Reilly is joining as a senior justice reporter, leaving NBC News; Priya Sridhar is joining as a Pentagon reporter, leaving NBC News; Mychael Schnell is joining as a reporter covering Congress, after covering Congress at the Hill; Arielle Hixson joins as a reporter, after working for NBC Washington; Julia Jester joins as a reporter, leaving NBC News where she was a producer covering the White House and State Department; and Alex Tabet joins as a reporter, leaving NBC News. TRANSITIONS — James Mazzarella is joining the Atlantic Council's Freedom and Prosperity Center as a senior fellow. He previously was a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and is a National Security Council alum. … Michael Qian is now a partner in the Supreme Court and appellate practice at Haynes Boone. He most recently served as counselor to the attorney general at the Department of Justice. … Keith Nagy will be comms director for Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). He most recently has been deputy comms director for Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). … Luisa Sanchez is now press secretary and digital manager for Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.). She most recently was digital director for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). … Kristi Johnson is now comms director for Jordan Wood's Senate campaign in Maine. She previously was rapid response director for the Kamala Harris campaign in Wisconsin and was national press secretary at NextGen America. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
