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Politico
3 days ago
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Trump world searches for off-ramp on Epstein
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On this morning's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about President Donald Trump's frustrations over the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein saga, how seriously to take the special counsel rumors and what Dasha learned about Don Jr.'s latest business venture. Good morning and happy Thursday. I'm Adam Wren. Get in touch. STOCK AND BARREL: Playbook's Dasha Burns was on the scene to report as Donald Trump Jr. and his business partner Omeed Malik took online gun retailer GrabAGun public on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. Not long after going public, shares tanked, according to CNBC, falling by more than 20 percent after the opening bell rang. Still, as they rang the bell, Trump and Malik reveled in what they felt was a vindication of the 'parallel economy' they decided to invest in four years ago when MAGA was thrust into the political and cultural wilderness after Trump's 2020 election loss and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. They wanted to create businesses that catered to conservatives, and built a platform called 1789 Capital to help fund and take those companies public. How the younger Trump sees it: 'We didn't get into social media with Truth Social just to do it,' Trump told Dasha. 'We got into it out of necessity. … We were canceled, we were thrown off. We didn't get into crypto because … we fell in love with the concept in 2012. … We got into it because we were de-banked by every institution that we were doing business with for the prior four decades as a family business. … We did them out of necessity, because the conventional markets that were open to us in across every spectrum of business for the prior few decades, they closed overnight.' On whether this is a pay-to-play scheme: 'There's no pay-to-play whatsoever. There are no conflicts, nothing. Anyone who would say that I think is an imbecile at worst, a hypocrite at best.' On whether he's landing board seats because he's the president's son: 'Look at the boards that I'm doing. … If I'm on the board of a social media company, it's because it was a conservative-leaning social media company that would have no platform otherwise.' Asked whether this was all some big troll, what with GrabAGun's stock symbol being the onomatopoetic PEW. 'Always be trolling,' Trump Jr. said. 'It's part of the game.' In today's Playbook … — Just how seriously should we take the push for a special counsel into the DOJ's handling of the Epstein case? — Congress sets another busy day after another whirlwind of votes. — Aspen attendees are feeling angsty after the Trump administration shunned the summit. DRIVING THE DAY STAYING POWER: The Jeffrey Epstein news cycle isn't going away. President Donald Trump has thus far been unable to do anything about it. At the moment, he is like a magician who has locked himself in a straightjacket, only to find that he's lost his ability to maneuver out of it, is unable to muster the misdirection and finds his audience turning on him. He's lashing out at his base. Up until this week, Trump's grip on his base has been sui generis in American politics, and he's worn their support as armor through two impeachments, 88 criminal charges, two assassination attempts and one massive, improbable political comeback. Yesterday, though, Trump verbally nuked MAGA voters who are upset about the handling of the Epstein case. He called them 'weaklings,' and said that his 'PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker.' (Interestingly, this is one of the rare Trump Truth posts that the pugilistic Trump War Room account on X did not repost.) The view from the right: 'This is not going to go away,' Laura Loomer, the influential MAGA world figure and far-right activist, tells Playbook. 'The more Truth Social posts that are posted about this are going to create a Streisand effect.' He's seeing it boil over into the broader pop culture. This is no longer just a political world story; it's entered the pop cultural zeitgeist. Just witness right-coded comedian Shane Gillis' joke at the ESPY Awards last night: 'There was supposed to be an Epstein joke here but I guess it got deleted. Must have probably deleted itself right? Probably never existed, actually. Let's move on as a country and ignore that.' Or see the pointed question MAGA-friendly podcaster Theo Von aimed at repeat guest VP JD Vance on X yesterday. (A Vance spokesperson declined to respond to Playbook's request for comment.) Delighting in it: 'Trump doesn't have to run again, but [Vance] does,' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a 2028 contender and avid brawler with the vice president, tells Playbook, adding that it must be 'emasculating' for Vance. He's unable to change the story. Over the last 24 hours, Trump has used Truth Social to attack California Gov. Gavin Newsom and high-speed rail in California, hit out at Democrats over rural health care in the GOP megalaw, and announced that Coca-Cola will be using cane sugar instead of high fructose corny syrup in regular Coke. None of those stories, interesting as they are, have budged the Epstein saga from headlines. Another shiny object will come this morning: KQED reports that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and AG Pam Bondi will visit Alcatraz today before the tourist destination opens to officially announce the administration's intent to remake it as a federal prison. Meanwhile, his administration is contributing to an air of distrust on the issue. Yesterday, Maurene Comey — who prosecuted both Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell — was fired from her job in the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, POLITICO's Erica Orden reports. (Yes, that Comey: She is former FBI Director James Comey's daughter.) She was 'given no explanation for her firing,' according to a person familiar with the matter. 'That person also said the decision to fire her didn't come from the office's interim U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton, meaning it was likely made by someone at the Justice Department's headquarters.' WHAT THE RIGHT WANTS: Some MAGA figures — from Loomer to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to Just the News' John Solomon — insist that appointing a special counsel could solve all, or at least release some, of the pressure. So, what does Trump think? Asked about it by CNN's DJ Judd, Trump dodged, saying, 'I have nothing to do with it.' This answer is revealing for a few reasons. He delivered it quickly, disclaiming that he had the kind of conflict that would necessitate a special counsel. A reasonable observer might conclude that means this is something that's been on his mind. In our conversations with people in Trump's orbit, we can report that this is an idea that is generating conversation in the White House. And we also can report that many of Trump's top allies are not sold on the idea. Playbook's Dasha Burns checked in with an array of White House allies who confided in her that (1) they don't think the White House would actually consider a special counsel when it comes down to brass tacks, and (2) if they did appoint one, it would be a terrible idea. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. There is also the question of who would even take the job. One name we've heard is Ed Martin, the head of the weaponization working group for the Department of Justice. Could he make some kind of claim that he would be getting to the bottom of this, adding to his already robust portfolio? A spokesperson for Martin declined to comment. Another hurdle: 'Appointing a special counsel would be an odd move for the Trump administration, considering most senior Justice Department leaders forcefully rejected the entire existence of special counsels — as established by internal DOJ regulations — as unconstitutional,' POLITICO's ace legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney writes in. 'So while Trump is disclaiming any role, the people he's leaving it to seem highly unlikely to tread that path. Additionally, appointing a special counsel would suggest a conflict of interest that DOJ leaders insist does not exist.' And what if Trump doesn't appoint a special counsel? Is there anything short of a special counsel appointment that can quell the rebellion? 'I don't think so,' Loomer tells Playbook. Buckle in: Meanwhile, Khanna just all but ensured we'll be talking about this through at least August, absent further disclosures from Trump's DOJ. The California Democrat introduced a bill with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would force the House to vote on the complete release of the government's files. Khanna tells us that in addition to seven Republican co-sponsors, he expects to have the backing of 212 Democrats. 'It's a terrible issue for Republicans, and they see that,' Khanna told Playbook late last night. 'People voted for Trump in part because they were so disgusted in the system — they thought that Washington protected the elite, protects the powerful, protects the wealthy. Epstein is a symbol of that.' Can Trump pull a rabbit out of a hat? As for this particular one, that remains to be seen. 'He's been a survivor,' POLITICO's resident Trumpologist Michael Kruse tells Playbook. 'What that means, or has meant, again and again, is to do whatever is necessary in the moment, any moment, to survive … because more than anything else he knows the moment passes, because people move on, because people forget, because people are people.' ON THE HILL INTERESTING TIMES: It was a busy night on the Hill, but today could be even more packed. We had a new record-long House vote on a rule, and a baby vote-a-rama in the Senate that aged into a full on vote-a-thon past midnight. (Relatable: 'I will say again — I am tired of making history, I just want normal Congress,' Speaker Mike Johnson said, per Punchbowl's Laura Weiss.) IN THE SENATE: Overnight, Senate Republicans greenlit Trump's rescissions package, cutting $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid in a 51-48 vote, POLITICO's Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus report. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted no alongside every Democrat, aside from Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who missed the vote after being hospitalized overnight. The package now goes back to the House. (Coming this weekend: Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, who spearheaded the package, sits down with Dasha for this week's 'The Conversation,' which drops on Sunday.) Another funding battle: Ten Senate Republicans are calling on Trump to release billions of dollars in funds from a spending review, a move that would protect grants for after-school programs, teacher training initiatives, migrant student education and other initiatives. Notably, the 10 senators pull from a broad mix of perspectives within the GOP conference, suggesting that this isn't some moderates-versus-conservatives issue. More from POLITICO's Juan Perez Jr. A big one: Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether to advance Emil Bove's nomination for a lifetime judicial appointment on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Bove is chiefly known for his role as one of Trump's legal enforcers — both recently at the DOJ and before that, in private practice. The committee meeting (which is packed with business) begins at 9:15 a.m. … More than 900 former Justice Department lawyers sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee denouncing his appointment, NYT's Tim Balk reports. IN THE HOUSE: Around 11 p.m. last night, GOP leaders muscled enough votes to pass a trio of cryptocurrency bills and a 2026 Defense spending measure following 'a closed-door standoff between House conservatives and the leaders of the Financial Services and Agriculture committees, which crafted the legislation,' POLITICO's Jasper Goodman and Meredith report. 'The vote was held open more than nine hours for the negotiations.' How it went down: A group of hard-line conservative members wanted to tie the big crypto market structure CLARITY Act with a more controversial proposal to ban Central Bank Digital Currencies. Reps. French Hill (R-Ark.) and G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) didn't go for it. Then came a compromise to marry the CBDC ban with the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. Pack your Celsius: The House meets again at 9 a.m. — and Majority Leader Steve Scalise said to prepare for votes on the crypto bills, the NDAA, the rule for the rescissions package and the vote to pass it. POLITICO's Inside Congress has more on Johnson's staggering to-do list TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: 'It Was Supposed to Be 'Crypto Week' in Congress. Then It Unraveled,' by NYT's David Yaffe-Bellany and colleagues: 'The crypto industry was headed for a landmark moment in the House with three bills that it helped push going to a vote. But a coalition of ultraconservative House Republicans staged a mutiny.' IMMIGRATION FILES THE 'WORST OF THE WORST': Despite the administration's claims to be focusing on the 'worst of the worst' offenders in its deportation push, the latest ICE data paints a more complicated portrait, CBS' Margaret Brennan scooped. Less than 1 percent had murder convictions and less than 2 percent had convictions for sex crimes or sexual assault. Around 15 percent were convicted of assault. Just under 30 percent had no criminal convictions. More legal battles ahead: A coalition of legal groups led by Democracy Forward filed a class action lawsuit yesterday arguing the Trump administration's arrests at immigration courts violated due process, NYT's Luis Ferré-Sadurní writes. And the polls say: Trump's approval rating on his handling of immigration hit 41 percent, according to the latest Reuters-Ipsos poll released yesterday. That marks a new low during his second term. What to watch for from Republicans: A growing number of Republicans are pushing the Trump administration to find solutions for migrant workers now that border crossings have dropped, WSJ's Olivia Beavers and Michelle Hackman report. … House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is talking to the White House about resurrecting his immigration bill from the last Congress — the same bill that sought rule changes for high-skilled immigrant visas, POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs writes. What to watch for from the bench: Another federal judge seems inclined to block Trump's birthright citizenship order from taking effect, per AP. … A federal judge is weighing whether Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be released as his trial plays out, POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney write. BEST OF THE REST WHAT KEVIN HASSETT IS READING: 'Why Some Trump Allies Want to Protect the Fed's Independence,' by POLITICO's Victoria Guida ANOTHER IRAN REPORT: A new U.S. intel assessment finds that one of the three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites recently struck by the U.S. was 'mostly destroyed, setting work there back significantly,' NBC's Gordon Lubold and colleagues report. But at the other two, enrichment could resume in a matter of months. Also noteworthy: Prior to the strike, CENTCOM developed a bigger plan of attack that would have lasted weeks, which Trump rejected 'because it was at odds with his foreign policy instincts,' per NBC. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Aspen dispatch: After the Trump administration pulled its top officials from the big national security summit, current and former NatSec officials have responded 'with eye-rolls and words such as 'moronic,'' POLITICO's Nahal Toosi writes from Aspen, which some on the right are keen to present as 'a den of evil globalism.' 'Still, attendees and organizers aren't completely dismissing the Trump attack,' seeing in it a worrying sign that 'government officials are increasingly sealing themselves off from outside opinions,' and in doing so, 'could hamper the administration's efforts to achieve its national security goals.' MESSAGING WAR: Democrats are pushing full throttle on their criticism of Trump's mass government layoffs, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holding a news conference to support federal workers at 9:30 a.m. today. … Expect to hear stories about the most recently axed employees at the State Department, whose 'sloppy' and 'rushed' firings were the focus of yesterday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, NYT's Michael Crowley reports. SPEAKING OF JOB CUTS: The Navy is considering cutting the positions of five high-level admirals who've been essential to the constructions of ships and fighter planes as Trump touts his desire to fix the Navy's shipbuilding crisis, POLITICO's Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch scooped. 'The evolving plan is part of a larger Pentagon effort to reduce the number of admirals and generals in the ranks … as the Trump administration takes aim at what it sees as a top-heavy military that has lost its focus.' DATA DEMS WON'T LIKE: 'The median Republican targeted by House Democrats' campaign arm raised $860,000 last quarter — higher than the $689,000 median fundraising for incumbent Democrats targeted by the GOP,' POLITICO's Jessica Piper, Nicholas Wu and Andrew Howard report. TALK OF THE TOWN Scott Jennings signaled during an interview yesterday that he would run for Mitch McConnell's seat in the Senate if Donald Trump asked him to. CULINARY CORNER — 'Is This Restaurant the Only Thing Democrats and Republicans Agree On?' by NYT's Jane Black: 'The House minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, has been spotted there on several occasions … So has President Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means … Ama's crossover appeal is a notable anomaly in a city where even the choice of a lunch or dinner spot has become highly politicized.' IN MEMORIAM — 'Steve Benson, provocative Pulitzer-winning cartoonist, dies at 71,' by NYT's Harrison Smith: 'Steve Benson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who evolved from a conservative, high-profile member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into an outspoken atheist and liberal, all while using his pen to skewer presidents and the powerful, died July 8 at an assisted-living center in Gilbert, Arizona. He was 71.' OUT AND ABOUT — OnMessage Public Strategies hosted the D.C. debut party for Salena Zito's new book, 'BUTLER' ($14.99). White House chief of staff Susie Wiles was the special guest. SPOTTED: Rep. John James (R-Mich.), Curt Anderson, Brad Todd, Wes Anderson, Kyle Plotkin, Tommy Binion, Guy Harrison, Graham Shafer, Brendan Dunn, Lanny Davis, Dane Strother, Matt Latimer, Alex Castellanos, Seth and Bethany Mandel, Chris Giblin, Adam Harris, Alison Lynn, David Lehman, Melissa Stone, Nicole Gustafson, Shannon Campagna, Chad Hawley, Paul Kong, Danielle Cutrona, Pamela Venzke and Zoe Jackman. — Apple Original Films and Liberty Media hosted a screening of 'F1: The Movie,' last night at The Internet & Television Association. The event featured a discussion with the film's executive producer Tim Bampton, and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jensen Button. SPOTTED: Derek Chang, Tim Powderly, Alexis Marks Mosher, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Reps. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) and Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Hailey Borden, John Lin, Parul Desai, Johanna Thomas, Joe Zogby, Chris Hixon, Brianna Walker, Peter-Anthony Pappas, Morgan Cintron, Carlos Paz and Mary Huang. — Solana Policy Institute hosted its first D.C. event last night, a summer social with special guests, the Out of Town Blues Band. SPOTTED: Miller Whitehouse-Levine, Kristin Smith, Lily Liu, Greg Xethalis, Michael Petricone, Cleve Mesidor, Alison Mangiero, Jordan Wood, Tara Burchmore, Neeraj Agrawal, Nilmini Rubin, Cody Carbone and Lee Brenner. TRANSITIONS — Sara Schreiber is now SVP of campaigns at the League of Conservation Voters. She most recently was chief of staff on the Harris campaign. … Giovanni Rocco has launched a consulting firm, Rocco Communications. He previously led comms for WorldPride DC 2025 and is an Interior Department alum. … Palmer Williams is now a partner at Holtzman Vogel. She previously was an associate professor at Lipscomb University's College of Leadership and Public Service. … Len Costa is now chief marketing and comms officer at Conservation International. He previously was a partner at RooneyPartners. … Dan Meyers is now a managing director at Teneo. He previously has worked as principal and founder of Perspective Strategies. WEDDING — Johnny Rubin, press secretary and speechwriter for the House Ways and Means Committee, and Lillie Russell, product owner for Black Airplane, tied the knot on June 21 in Marietta, Georgia. They had their first date at Ted's Bulletin in Barracks Row in the spring of 2023. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) … special envoy Mark Burnett … Josh Barro … Kathy 'Coach' Kemper … Reuters' Mike Stone … Opal Vadhan … Morning Consult's Kyle Dropp … Katherine Scarlett … Education Week's Jessica Cuellar … Roz Leighton … Matthew McClellan of JMM Strategy Group … Kayla Tausche … Ben Shannon … WaPo's Katie Zezima … Chris Buki … Chris Berardi … Curt Mills … Morgan Routman Hill of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester's (D-Del.) office … Marnie Funk … DHS' Michael Presutti … Barbara Boland … former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios (6-0) … Seth Bringman … POLITICO's Carolina Garcia, David Hackney and Sean Connor … Amanda Waldron … Dani Simons … Matthew E. Berger Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. 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. Correction: Yesterday's Playbook misattributed a quote to Chuck Rocha.
Politico
4 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Playbook: Can the White House turn the page on Epstein?
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Megan Messerly talk about the Democrats' ongoing moderates-vs.-progressives fight, why President Donald Trump finds it so hard to pivot attention away from the Jeffrey Epstein story and Trump's role whipping votes on the Hill. Good morning. It's Wednesday. I'm Adam Wren. Get in touch. In today's Playbook … — Dems gleefully troll Trump over Epstein — and see an opening with voters craving outsiders. — VP JD Vance heads to Pennsylvania to begin the administration's efforts to message the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. — The House readies for a big crypto vote today, and the Senate takes a big step on rescissions. DRIVING THE DAY THE FUTURE STARTS NOW: The battle for the future of the Democratic Party is coming into sharper focus in Washington today on multiple fronts. MAMDANI IN D.C.: Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York, arrives in Washington this morning for a breakfast event hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). He will also meet with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). His long-awaited meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is holding out on an endorsement, will come on Friday back in NYC. Also coming soon: Mamdani 'plans to clarify his stance on the use of the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' as soon as this week,' POLITICO's Emily Ngo and Joe Anuta report. The broader context: Mamdani's D.C. pilgrimage comes as Democrats throughout the nation battle over whether a more progressive-populist approach or more moderate posture is better suited to compete, win and deliver in the Trump era. One way to think of it: 'Progressives are like 'Succession,' centrists are like the NFL,' Liam Kerr, co-founder of centrist Democratic outfit Welcome PAC, tells Playbook. 'One gets high ratings across every demographic every single fall, while the other occasionally dominates elite conversation. Mamdani-mania is like the season finale.' And yet: That wasn't immediately clear in last night's fundraising numbers. MONEY TALKS: One takeaway from the latest FEC filings: Among Dems, the progressives — not the centrists — continue to be star fundraisers, per POLITICO's Jessica Piper, Nick Wu and Andrew Howard. The heavyweight: AOC had another mammoth quarter, bringing in $5.8 million in Q2. Yes, that's down from the whopping $9.5 million she raised in Q1, but it's still way more than any other incumbent House Democrat raked into their campaign account. Other top House Dem fundraisers include Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), who raised $2.5 million and $2.1 million, respectively. Jeffries came in just shy of $2.4 million in his campaign account (though in fairness to him, much of the money he raises goes not to his own campaign account, but into affiliated PACs and committees). COMPLICATING THE MODS-VS-LIBS NARRATIVE: Last night in Arizona, Adelita Grijalva won a landslide victory in a special Democratic primary to fill the vacancy left by the death of her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva. In doing so, she bested Deja Foxx — the 25-year-old influencer backed by former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg — by more than 40 points at the time that the AP called the race. Hold your hot takes: Yes, Foxx ran as a progressive, and yes, she's part of Gen Z. But as Cook Political Report's Erin Covey writes, 'the matchup between Grijalva, 54, and her opponents never mapped cleanly onto ideological or generational lines.' Grijalva had endorsements from AOC, Sanders and pretty much the entirety of Arizona's Democratic establishment. Foxx managed to outspend Grijalva on TV and digital, but 'in this low-turnout special election, the older, politically-engaged voters that were most likely to cast ballots were also most likely to be loyal to the Grijalva family.' Tying some threads together: A difficult question for Democrats as their moderate and progressive factions tussle is how to recapture the working-class Latino voters who so rejected them in key battlegrounds last year. Reaching these voters hasn't been the party's strong suit over the last few years. In 2024, 'they were just fed up with Democrats,' says Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, who is holding a presser with former Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) at the National Press Club at 3 p.m. on how Dems can stop losing the Latino vote. The 'burn the system' voters: 'It's not so much ideological as it is a top-down problem,' Rocha tells Playbook's Ali Bianco. 'There's growing anti-incumbent bias as Latino voters — like a lot of the country — hunger for an 'outsider' burn-the-system candidate. Right now, populists on both sides are dominating that messaging.' Which means it's a question of both policy substance and messaging style — whether a candidate authentically seems like they're an outsider or reads like an insider in the eyes of voters. ENTER THE EPSTEIN STORY: All of which partly explains why the ongoing saga surrounding the DOJ's non-release of the Jeffrey Epstein files has such staying power: Many politicians are sort of opportunistically hyping it up because it's a way to sound like an outsider who's not part of the establishment. First in Playbook — Dems see an opening: Fueled by internal polling that shows an opportunity to label Trump a flip-flopper, Democrats are going hard on Epstein, POLITICO's Elena Schneider and Nick Wu report. The data: Elena and Nick obtained internal Dem polling from Blue Rose Research that found 70 percent of voters believe 'law enforcement is withholding information about powerful people connected to Epstein, including 61 percent of Trump voters.' And 58 percent of voters said Trump 'maybe was or definitely was' involved in a cover-up. It's a messaging exercise: Despite House Judiciary Dems calling for a hearing and others mounting procedural efforts, the party has little power on the Hill to make an impact, Nick writes. But after months of hand-wringing about new media and younger, less-knowledgeable voters, suddenly Khanna is on the 'Flagrant Podcast' calling out GOP members by name, and House Majority PAC is trolling Republicans with memes that call them 'Epstein simps.' So what's actually going on? This morning, POLITICO's Ankush Khardori in his latest Rules of Law column breaks down three possible explanations for the administration's actions: (1) There's an actual cover-up at hand; (2) Trump officials really believed the conspiracy theories until they got into government; or (3) they never believed them and were always misleading voters. 'The possibilities range from bad to worse,' especially for what they say about the country's legal leadership, Ankush writes. GOP SPLIT SCREEN ALL ABOUT THAT BASE: There's what the Trump administration would like to be focusing on today — namely, pitching the megabill as a win — and what is instead likely to drive more conversation in Washington — namely, the Epstein story, which continues to develop fast and furious. What Trump says: 'I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is,' Trump reiterated yesterday — just the kind of comment that keeps enraging large sections of the MAGA base who have taken it on faith for years that there's an Epstein cover-up. What Johnson says: Speaker Mike Johnson poured more fuel on the fire, telling Benny Johnson that the administration should release all the Epstein files. AG Pam Bondi 'needs to come forward and explain,' the speaker said. (He later played clean-up on X, trying to shift the blame to Dems.) What Johnson won't do: Despite his comments, Republicans have twice blocked Democrats' efforts to force a vote to release the files. Reps. Khanna and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are now trying a discharge petition, per POLITICO's Nick Wu, but that's a long shot. Look for Johnson's latest comments at the inaugural summit from The Hill and NewsNation, which will feature top politicians all day and a conversation with the speaker at 3:30 p.m. The defense: As the administration worked to project calm, Bondi said, 'I'm going to be here as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he's made that crystal clear it's four years.' Trump commented briefly that Bondi should put out 'whatever she thinks is credible.' And Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told Playbook's Dasha Burns for 'The Conversation' podcast that he still thinks Bondi is 'doing a good job' — though he declined to discuss any specifics of the handling of the Epstein case. But the backlash is growing: Republicans from Nikki Haley to Charlie Kirk emphasized that they're not letting this go. … The hard right in Congress is fuming: Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told CNN's Manu Raju that he doesn't trust DOJ. … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wants Ghislaine Maxwell to testify, per NBC. … Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) wants a special counsel. For this group, the Epstein furor is just one in a line of recent disappointments by Trump, NYT's Annie Karni reports — and much of the online far-right has long mistrusted Bondi, POLITICO's Kyle Cheney and colleagues report. … And this is all turbocharged by Elon Musk's decision to scupper content moderation on X, POLITICO's Aaron Mak notes. Not likely to quiet the conspiracy theories: Wired's Dhruv Mehrotra obtained metadata that shows the FBI's 'raw' surveillance video from the night Epstein killed himself is seemingly missing 2 minutes and 53 seconds. MEANWHILE, THE SALES PITCH BEGINS: The administration's efforts to message the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will begin in earnest today with VP JD Vance, who heads to West Pittston, Pennsylvania, to deliver remarks about the megabill at 1 p.m., POLITICO's Irie Sentner and Myah Ward preview. Alongside SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Vance will tout the most popular new tax breaks in the law to appeal to working-class voters — the beginning of a monthslong effort by the Cabinet to fan out across the country and highlight various provisions. The stakes are high: Vance will be in a crucial purple area of Pennsylvania that helped deliver the state to Trump and flip a House seat. Around Scranton, Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) is already facing heavy blowback for voting yes, Bloomberg Government's Jonathan Tamari reports, but Democrats still need to land a strong challenger to him. And it's a tall order for Vance: Though some pieces of the law poll well — and many Americans have yet to form an opinion — it's overall underwater with voters in surveys, as Democrats emphasize its tax benefits for the wealthy and major cuts to the social safety net. Joe Biden's experience showed how difficult it can be for a White House to reap political benefits from its signature legislation. The policy: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has already introduced legislation to repeal some of the Medicaid cuts in the law, which he voted for, per The Hill. Other lesser-known aspects are just beginning to be digested. The law also froze future increases for Puerto Rico's food aid system, which could worsen people's struggles amid high prices, The 19th's Marissa Martinez reports from San Juan. ON THE HILL THE WEEK'S BIG VOTES: Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are working to push through major legislation that snagged on GOP objections. Trump announced last night that Republican holdouts agreed to vote this morning for a rule to proceed to landmark cryptocurrency bills, per Bloomberg. That followed yesterday's collapse, when conservative hard-liners who had issues with the industry-friendly stablecoin legislation tanked a procedural vote along with Dems. But if the rebels are back on board, the newly powerful crypto industry is close to its first big congressional victory. Today's redo will also pave the way for the annual Defense appropriations bill, per POLITICO's Jasper Goodman and Meredith Lee Hill. Another win for crypto: Two federal agencies have dropped probes into Polymarket, Bloomberg's Lydia Beyoud and Sridhar Natarajan scooped. Rescissions roundup: The Senate moved closer to passing a $9 billion White House request to claw back foreign aid and public broadcasting funding, after Vance broke a 50-50 tie on a procedural vote, per POLITICO's Katherine Tully-McManus and Jordain Carney. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted no, and it remains unclear whether Thune has the votes for final passage by the Friday deadline. GOP leaders feel good, but the administration still hasn't broken down what's actually in it. POLITICO's Inside Congress has more on Thune's rescissions push. Life and death: The vote came after hard-liners made a consequential concession to strip out $400 million in funding cuts for PEPFAR, the HIV/AIDS program that has saved an estimated 26 million lives. Also in the offing is language specifically stating that other global health cuts can't affect food aid, malaria programs and other essential services. Many GOP senators remain concerned about the lack of specificity, and Democrats are livid. But some uncertain votes like Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) have moved to yes. (Related read: NYT's Apoorva Mandavilli on OMB Director Russ Vought's outright false claim of PEPFAR money going to Russian abortion funding.) Off the airwaves: Though most of the rescissions are for foreign aid (including $1 billion for the U.N.), the cuts to PBS and NPR have worried rural senators — and been the top priority for Trump. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said he'd gotten an assurance that the administration would step in to fund tribal broadcasters. But PBS leader Paula Kerger tells WaPo's Scott Nover that the cuts could pose an existential threat to many local, rural stations, and kids would lose out on educational programming. It's 2024 somewhere: House and Senate Republicans continue to deepen investigations into Biden's mental fitness in office. The House Oversight Committee today is interviewing Anthony Bernal, a top aide for former first lady Jill Biden. And Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) subpoenaed former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, per POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) asked the Archives for emails related to Biden's clemency decisions, the Washington Examiner's David Sivak scooped. The White House has also launched a major investigation of Biden's use of the autopen, Fox News' Brooke Singman scooped. First in Playbook — A no-go for NGOs: After the House Homeland Security Committee berated hundreds of non-governmental organizations that do immigration work — demanding information and holding hearings on their use of taxpayer money — more than 500 nonprofit and nonpartisan groups are fighting back. Organized by Norm Eisen and Lisa Gilbert, their letter warns that 'this investigation is Congress weaponizing its powers to target and intimidate nonprofit organizations that are fulfilling the guidelines of federal grants simply because they disagree with the policy those grants advance.' Read it here (h/t Daniel Lippman) Funding fights: House Appropriations Republicans are planning to cut discretionary spending for fiscal year 2026 by $45 billion, a much smaller reduction than Trump's $163 billion request, per Roll Call's Aidan Quigley. That has ticked off conservative fiscal hawks, and the process is moving fairly slowly ahead of the August recess. But across the Capitol, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said a deal to resolve the FBI HQ standoff and get the Commerce-Justice-Science bill moving could come together as soon as tomorrow, per POLITICO's Katherine Tully-McManus. Tomorrow's showdown: The Senate Judiciary Committee is due to vote on Emil Bove's federal judicial nomination. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is still planning to vote yes, telling Semafor's Burgess Everett that his 'only real red line' for nominees is supporting Jan. 6. (Bove refusing to denounce the insurrection and firing dozens of Jan. 6 prosecutors apparently does not cross it.) First in Playbook — Pentagon under the microscope: The Heritage Foundation has launched a new 'Defense Budget Builder,' which allows people to search through defense budget line items more easily. BEST OF THE REST DEMOCRACY SIREN: 'Trump accuses Sen. Adam Schiff of mortgage fraud in new attack on critic,' by WaPo's Rachel Siegel: '[A] senior administration official told The Washington Post that a criminal case had been referred to the Justice Department, in a sharp escalation of the White House's attacks on vocal Trump critics. … [Sen. Adam Schiff] denied any wrongdoing and said the administration's claims were political retribution.' Add the LA Times' Kevin Rector and Laura Nelson: 'A memorandum reviewed by The Times from Fannie Mae investigators to William J. Pulte, the Trump-appointed director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, does not accuse Schiff of mortgage fraud.' SPEAKING OF BILL PULTE: The lightning-rod FHFA head continued to post aggressively last night that Fed Chair Jerome Powell not only should resign, but is also considering doing so — as many far-right Republicans ramped up the pressure campaign on the independent central bank leader because he hasn't lowered interest rates. Jamie Dimon warned yesterday that it would be dangerous for Trump to erode Fed independence, per the FT. But Trump said that the controversy over a Fed headquarters renovation 'sort of is' a fireable offense by Powell. Potential Powell replacement Kevin Warsh has transformed his views on rate cuts to align with Trump, Bloomberg's Catarina Saraiva reports. THE PURGE: Sweeping layoffs are starting to ripple across the federal government after the Supreme Court allowed Trump to proceed. Thousands of HHS employees were terminated, per NYT's Christina Jewett and Benjamin Mueller, while top Russia/Ukraine intelligence analysts were axed from the State Department, per NYT's Michael Crowley and colleagues. Education Department staff who create the Nation's Report Card have been decimated, WaPo's Justine McDaniel reports. And SEC Chair Paul Atkins is pushing out Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Chair Erica Williams, per the FT. IMMIGRATION FILES: The Pentagon said it'll send home half of the National Guard troops deployed to LA amid protests over immigration enforcement, per the LA Times. FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK: Forthcoming executive orders will include one on the NCAA's Name, Image, and Likeness program, CBS' Ed O'Keefe and Jennifer Jacobs report, and one on including private markets in 401(k)s, WSJ's Miriam Gottfried and colleagues scooped. TALK OF THE TOWN Weijia Jiang's reign as White House Correspondents' Association president has begun. Jesse Jackson Jr. is tiptoeing toward a comeback bid. IN MEMORIAM — On the House floor yesterday, Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and Richard Neal (D-Mass.) memorialized the life of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, the Estes intern from Massachusetts who was shot last month in D.C. His funeral is this week, and his family and The Fund for American Studies have created the Eric Tarpinian-Jachym Memorial Scholarship. His killer remains at large. SPORTS BLINK — The Congressional Women's Softball Game will kick off at 7:35 p.m. tonight — and for the first time, it's taking place at Audi Field in a reflection of higher interest in the game, which raises awareness for breast cancer and money to support survivors. This year, the members of Congress have a bunch of new blood on their team, while the frequently victorious Bad News Babes are largely putting up repeat journalist players, per Roll Call. THE FUTURE OF MEDIA — 'Fox News Strikes Deal to Put 'Ruthless' Podcast on Digital Roster,' by Variety's Brian Steinberg OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the Prime Rib for an event with Republican members of Congress and Arnold Ventures: Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Troy Downing (R-Mont.), plus a surprise appearance by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong. — SPOTTED at a party for Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf's new book, '2024' ($32), at the home of Mary Jordan, Kevin Sullivan and Kate Sullivan: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Kaitlan Collins, Sally Quinn, Phil Rucker and Josh Humphries, Ashley Parker and Michael Bender, Kara Swisher and Amanda Katz, Matea Gold, Steven Ginsberg and Amy Joyce, Patty Stonesifer, John Hudson, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Meridith McGraw, Adrienne Elrod, James Perry Adams, David Fahrenthold, Carlos Lozada, Mark Mazzetti, Kara Voght, Jonathan Swan, Dick Stevenson, Teddy Schleifer, Dan Balz, Shane Harris, Roz Helderman, Matt Zapotosky, Shawn McCreesh, Damian Paletta, Aruna Viswanatha, Janet Adamy, Andrew Restuccia, Annie Karni, Reid Epstein, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, David Chalian, Richard Walters, Michael Ahrens, Ryan Barber and Tarini Parti, Rob Flaherty and Carla Frank, Chris Meagher, Sabrina Singh and Mike Smith, Rachael Bade, Jeff Solnet and Betsy Klein, Ken and Danielle Vogel, Tammy Haddad, Evan Hollander and Eli Yokley, Eli Aguayo, Jake Traylor, T.W. Arrighi, Jasmine Wright, Liz Johnson, Ben Terris and Sam Wright. — Telemundo and Comcast hosted a reception last night celebrating the one-year countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, for which the network holds Spanish-language rights in the U.S. SPOTTED: Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Lance West, Mónica Gil, Phil Tahtakran, Joaquin Duro, Andrés Cantor, Jose Cancela, Juan Otero, Jackie Bradford, Marco Davis, Tony Tijerino and Cid Wilson. MEDIA MOVES — Caitlin Reilly is now covering Congress with a focus on tax and fiscal policy for Bloomberg. She previously was a tax and economics reporter at CQ Roll Call. … Saige Miller is now an associate producer on NPR's White House desk. She previously was a Utah politics reporter for KUER-FM. TRANSITIONS — Melinda Garrett is now director of working families in the Human Capital program at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She previously was senior adviser for the CHIPS for America strategy team in the U.S. Department of Commerce. … Allison Peters is now the head of U.S. public policy for Discord. She previously was deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights, democracy and labor at the State Department. … Lily Adams is joining Orchestra as managing director for the executive advisory practice. She most recently was assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs, and is a Democratic campaign and Hill veteran. … … Maggie Angel is joining the Illinois governor's office in D.C. as director of federal affairs. She previously was a legislative assistant for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). … Gordon Larsen is joining 50 State as VP. He previously was senior adviser to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. … Seven Letter is adding Ashley Smith as senior director of paid media, creative specialist Toni McCullough and paid media specialist Shammah Moise to its Seven Letter Labs arm, Madi Mannes to Seven Letter Insight and Lauren Rinderle as manager of administration. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) … Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) … Oakland, California, Mayor Barbara Lee … NYT's Shane Goldmacher … Neil Chatterjee … former Reps. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Ross Spano (R-Fla.) and Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) (95) … Maddie Conway … Randy DeCleene of The Fund for American Studies … PhRMA's Stami Turk and Zach Sentementes … Julie Tagen of House Judiciary … Chad Carlough of Carlough Solutions … Anita McBride … Scott Melville of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association … Marisol Samayoa of Sen. Adam Schiff's (D-Calif.) office … Amanda Henneberg of Cavalry … Riley Roberts … Amanda Hallberg Greenwell … Manuel Bonilla … Doug Feith … Judge Don Willett … Chad Griffin … Marcus Towns … Teri Whitcraft … Brooke Starr of Sen. Markwayne Mullin's (R-Okla.) office … Gordon Sondland … Karin Johanson … DNC's Sonia Lachter … Ben Tracy … POLITICO's Kalon Makle and Luc Traugott … Kathy Calvin … WaPo's Genevieve Suplee … Betty Hudson 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.
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5 days ago
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Playbook: Bizarro World
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today's episode of the Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about new polling on the midterms, Trump's Russia pivot and his speech today in Pennsylvania. Happy Tuesday morning. I'm Adam Wren. Get in touch. In today's Playbook … — Could the key to another House GOP majority be supporting a central Obamacare provision? We have exclusive new polling. — President Donald Trump tries to turn the page on the Jeffrey Epstein story, with a focus on the economy today. — Today's special election primary in Arizona has split progressives, but could provide the latest fodder for lefties-vs.-the establishment thinkpieces. DRIVING THE DAY BIZARRO WORLD: Perhaps it's the summer doldrums, perhaps it's 'Superman' leading the box office, but within the last 24 hours, the political universe feels a lot like Bizarro World. … Democrats are sounding positively MAGA-fied when it comes to the Jeffrey Epstein files, while leading MAGA figures call for supporters to trust the government. … Donald Trump is talking tough about Vladimir Putin's Russia. … Top progressives find themselves on opposite sides of a big House primary today in Arizona. … And we have some new polling from Tony Fabrizio suggesting that the key to Republicans holding onto the House majority may be in supporting a facet of Obamacare. Let's dig in. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — How the House gets won: My Playbook colleague Dasha Burns landed the exclusive on new polling from Fabrizio Ward, the renowned polling firm favored by the Trump campaign. And depending on your perspective, the results can either be read as a warning sign for Republicans or as a roadmap to another term in the majority. Read the memo Right now: Republicans are trailing on the generic ballot in a survey of 28 battleground House seats, including 15 where Republicans won in 2024 by 5 points or less and 13 won by both a Democratic House candidate and Trump. 'While the 2024 outcome for these districts was even, the generic Republican is down 3 points among all registered voters,' Fabrizio and Bob Ward write in their study for Plymouth Union Public Advocacy. 'Among those most motivated to vote, an early indication of vote likelihood in the midterms, the Republican is down 7 points.' What could change that: Health care. Or, more precisely, 'extending the health care premium tax credits for those who purchase health insurance for themselves,' per the memo. 'Without congressional action, the tax credit expires this year' — which makes it quite different from the megabill's changes to Medicaid, which do not go into effect until after the midterms. If Republicans extend that tax credit, they lead Democrats on the generic ballot by 6 points overall. But if they let it expire, the generic ballot becomes far worse for Republicans, with the generic Democrat rocketing ahead to a 15-point lead in the battlegrounds. A reminder: This tax credit is a central part of the Affordable Care Act, which congressional Republicans have flirted with repealing and replacing for more than a decade now. It's more than a little ironic that championing it could potentially turn around Republicans' fortunes in the midterms. But given the historical headwinds of any incumbent party heading into the midterms, we imagine they'll take whatever help they can get. Thanks, Obama. Thought bubble: Even if the House does extend the credits, Democrats will almost surely provide the majority of votes. FROM THE FEVER SWAMPS: Is the MAGA furor over the Epstein files dying down? Semafor's Shelby Talcott and colleagues report that seems to be the case — with congressional Republicans staying far away and Trump possibly having muscled through on base loyalty over substantive disagreements. Charlie Kirk announced that he is 'done talking about Epstein for the time being,' and is 'gonna trust my friends in the administration.' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was back at work yesterday, per CNN's Kristen Holmes. Even Dinesh D'Souza is parroting the party line. But Laura Loomer & co. haven't backed off, and the 'Möbius strip of paranoia and distrust' could be hard for the administration to shake, NYT's Shawn McCreesh writes. (Separately, the Justice Department opposed Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal to the Supreme Court, per the Washington Examiner.) Democrats are not backing off, either. Rep. Ro Khanna's (D-Calif.) proposed amendment 'calling for a FULL release' of the Epstein files was thwarted by the House Rules Committee. Meanwhile, other members appeared to wade a bit further into the fever swamps. Witness Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) seizing on the Trump administration's handling of the convicted sex offender's case, taking up his guitar to play an Epstein-infused ballad to the tune of Jason Isbell's 'Dreamsicle.' (Sample lyric: 'Trump's howling at the moon / release the Epstein files soon.') TODAY'S BIG ELECTION: Today, Democrats in Arizona's 7th Congressional District will choose their nominee to succeed Raúl Grijalva, who died in March. It has 'become a three-way race between the late congressman's daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez and Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media strategist,' the Arizona Republic previews. One big storyline to watch: National progressives are split on this one. Grijalva is the favorite of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while Democratic rabble rouser David Hogg backs Foxx, the Zoomer influencer. (As POLITICO's Ben Jacobs asks this morning: If voters 'can elect a reality television star to the White House, what's stopping them from putting a TikToker on Capitol Hill?') If Foxx pulls off the upset … be prepared for her to get heaps of coverage, and for it to generate yet more thinkpieces about lefty candidates storming the gates of the Democratic establishment. Polls close at 10 p.m. Eastern. Another big midterm storyline: With the FEC quarterly filing deadline today, the midterms will come into sharper relief than ever before. We'll not only learn which campaigns have momentum — and which don't — but also gain insights into whether progressives like AOC have the juice, and whether Elon Musk has kept his May pledge to step back from politics. TRUMP'S RUSSIA TURN: Trump once predicted he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could 'possibly have a good relationship.' Now? Not so much. Trump is talking tough about Russia and Putin, threatening 100 percent tariffs on Russia's trading partners if Putin doesn't agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine within 50 days. First in Playbook — How the White House sees it: Dasha has turned up some fascinating and fresh details on the view of all this from inside the administration. 'We're sending a clear message that we're ratcheting up pressure, and I think that you'll see news on that this coming week,' a senior White House official tells Dasha, adding that Trump is 'not pleased.' More from the White House: 'Anyone who thinks that the president is, like, soft on Putin or cozying up to Putin totally does not understand him and his style,' this person tells Dasha. Vis-à-vis Ukraine, 'Putin is the bigger fish with the upper hand. So he is not going to sort of order him around in the public eye and be nasty. That's not how he does things.' Read more from Dasha and Eli Stokols The Hill is following Trump's lead: After the president said he would crack down on Putin if the war in Ukraine continues, Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that he'd prevent a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill from moving forward for now, per POLITICO's Doug Palmer and Jordain Carney. 'It sounds like right now the president is going to attempt to do some of this on his own,' Thune said, explaining the pause. THE ECONOMY, STUPID TRYING TO TURN THE PAGE: After incessant headlines about the Epstein storyline, the White House will hope for a day more focused on positive economic headlines and the behind-the-scenes dismantling of swathes of the federal government. Inflation indication: First up is the monthly consumer price index at 8:30 a.m., the latest test of whether tariffs are finally starting to drive inflation higher — or whether hard economic data will defy pessimistic projections yet again. (Economists fear the run of better-than-expected news may blind Trump to a stagflationary risk looming from his Aug. 1 tariffs, NYT's Colby Smith and Tony Romm report.) And as Trump keeps berating Fed Chair Jerome Powell, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett is now a top pick to replace him, WaPo's Andrew Ackerman reports. Trading places: USTR Jamieson Greer will meet with House Ways & Means Republicans at 10 a.m., per POLITICO's Benjamin Guggenheim. (Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will do the same tomorrow.) The conversations come as trade wars keep ramping up: Yesterday, the U.S. slapped a 17 percent penalty on Mexican tomatoes, per the AP. And the Commerce Department launched a Section 232 probe of imports of drones and other materials, which could presage sectoral tariffs, per Bloomberg. The global response: Trump's escalating threats are pushing Europe closer to retaliation. Though negotiations are ongoing, EU officials finalized the list of American goods they'll punish with counter-measures if talks fail: Boeing planes, bourbon, cars, medical devices, chemicals and much more would be targeted, per Bloomberg. Japan, meanwhile, said it's still focused on achieving a deal, not hitting back, per ABC. And then the main event: Trump will travel to Pittsburgh for an energy/AI innovation summit with Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) at 2:30 p.m. Alongside dozens of CEOs, they'll reportedly announce $70 billion in corporate investments in the state that will create thousands of jobs, including $25 billion from Blackstone. CoreWeave will announce up to $6 billion for a Lancaster data center. And plenty more, with top administration and state officials looking on. Meanwhile, back in D.C.: The Trump administration can barrel forward with 1,400 layoffs to take apart the Education Department, after the Supreme Court handed Trump yet another major win, per ABC. Though the emergency ruling didn't comment on the merits of the legal challenge, which will continue in court, the justices lifted a stay on the administration's action. The liberal justices dissented, saying it would 'unleash untold harm' on students and pose a 'grave' threat to the separation of powers. Now, Education Secretary Linda McMahon will act fast to gut the agency and spin off core functions to other departments, AP's Collin Binkley breaks down. The big picture: Even though the Supreme Court gave the green light to mass firings across the federal government, the administration is readying for a tough agency-by-agency court battle to execute them, WaPo's Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Natanson report. Top officials are moving carefully to make sure reductions in force can withstand judicial scrutiny. ON THE HILL BANNED AID: OMB Director Russ Vought will meet with Senate Republicans at their lunch today as the Trump administration and GOP leaders try to claw back $9.4 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding. Thune is planning the first procedural vote on the package later today. The deadline is Friday, and multiple senators still have outstanding concerns — particularly about the stakes of axing global public health money and the necessity of local news stations in rural areas. As of last night, it remained uncertain whether Thune had the votes, POLITICO's Jordain Carney and colleagues report. And senators will want specifics from Vought on which funds will be cut — after not getting them for weeks. On the other side: If the Senate amends but passes the rescissions, they'd have to go back to House Republicans, who are already steeling for a difficult, speedy process Thursday, per POLITICO's Meredith Lee Hill. Big decision: Trump plans to apply pressure directly on senators this week, per Semafor's Burgess Everett, and he's already leveled public political threats against Republicans who don't vote through cuts to PBS and NPR in particular. Funding fights: Beyond the immediate rescission fight, the government funding debate for the next fiscal year is heating up as House Appropriations subcommittees work through the 2026 numbers today. Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told Meredith and Katherine Tully-McManus that he and Senate counterpart Susan Collins (R-Maine) will likely go for topline numbers that are higher than the White House's request. That could be anathema for fiscal hawks who reluctantly voted for the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Read more from our colleagues on Inside Congress On the schedule for today: Mike Waltz, seeking second life in the administration, will have his Senate confirmation hearing as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. at 10 a.m. … House Armed Services will mark up the National Defense Authorization Act at 10 a.m. … House Education and Workforce will haul in leaders from Georgetown, CUNY and Berkeley on campus antisemitism at 10:15 a.m. … The Senate votes on Anthony Tata as a Defense undersecretary and Joseph Edlow as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director. … Speaker Mike Johnson will talk to the press at 10 a.m. … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and Texas Dems will hold a press conference at 11:15 a.m. POLITICO exclusive: 'Crypto super PACs grow war chest ahead of key House votes,' by POLITICO's Jasper Goodman: Fairshake, a super PAC group funded by cryptocurrency companies, 'will enter the upcoming midterm elections with more than $140 million in the bank, according to new fundraising data shared first with POLITICO — a mammoth sum that now looms large over an effort to pass industry-friendly legislation in the House this week.' BEST OF THE REST IMMIGRATION SIREN: 'ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings,' by WaPo's Maria Sacchetti and Carol Leonnig: 'In a July 8 memo, Todd M. Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told officers that such immigrants should be detained 'for the duration of their removal proceedings,' which can take months or years. … In rare exceptions immigrants may be released on parole, but that decision will be up to an immigration officer, not a judge, he wrote.' More immigration news: An appeals court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for nearly 12,000 Afghans, many of whom would have otherwise become vulnerable to deportation yesterday, per the AP. … Government lawyers officially appealed a judge's ruling that had limited ICE tactics in Southern California raids, per the LA Times. In the meantime, intense immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area 'have shown few signs of slowing,' the LA Times' Hannah Fry and colleagues report. Last week's marijuana farm raids led to 361 arrests and one death. EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: Andrew Cuomo officially launched an independent bid for NYC mayor after losing the Democratic primary, saying Dem nominee Zohran Mamdani had 'no real solutions' for the city, per the FT. If Mamdani wins in November, his relationship with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, which has been peaceful since he triumphed in the primary, could be a tough test not only of state and city policies, but also of how big Democrats' tent can be, POLITICO's Jason Beeferman reports. FOR PETE'S SAKE: Investigations by two Pentagon offices are scrutinizing Ricky Buria and Tim Parlatore in the wake of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Signalgate controversy, POLITICO's Daniel Lippman and Jack Detsch scooped. The probes are examining whether Buria flouted security standards to get Hegseth on Signal and/or leaked information, and whether Parlatore took part in meetings above his clearance level. SEE NO EVIL: NASA announced that it won't publish huge climate change reports, which are mandated by law, in a reversal of where the Trump administration had said they'd be publicly housed, AP's Seth Borenstein reports. It's now harder for the public to access them. TALK OF THE TOWN James Comer used a digital signature to send out letters and subpoena notices related to the investigation into Joe Biden's use of an autopen. Kyrsten Sinema, no longer a senator or candidate, is nonetheless spending hundreds of thousands of dollars from her campaign committee on wellness services, luxury hotels, StubHub, wine and more for her security details. Donald Trump went to Howard Lutnick's birthday dinner. Tim Burchett ran into Jamie Farr at the airport and spent time with him after a flight delay. Cory Mills is facing eviction from his $21,000-a-month D.C. property, with the landlord claiming he hasn't paid rent. Mills says it's because of problems with the payment processor. IN MEMORIAM — Frank Aukofer, a former Washington bureau chief for the Milwaukee Journal and president of the National Press Club in 1978, has died, the organization announced. He 'was one of the most respected regional reporters ever to cover the nation's capital,' wrote Mike Balsamo. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The birth of the 'Art of the Deal': In May 1984, the cover of GQ featured a portrait of a handsome man in a suit, with bushy eyebrows and a mercurial smile, NYT's Michael Grynbaum writes in his new book, 'Empire of the Elite' ($29.99), out today. The headline read 'SUCCESS: How Sweet It Is.' The man was Donald Trump. The issue did blockbuster sales — an early example of the 'Trump bump' — and SI Newhouse, the billionaire honcho of Condé Nast, had a personal connection to the subject: Newhouse's best friend since childhood was Roy Cohn, the notorious lawyer and fixer who was Trump's mentor in the political dark arts. Newhouse also owned Random House, so he rang up Trump and pitched him on writing a book. The result was 'The Art of the Deal.' At the black-tie book party, held under the waterfall in the Trump Tower atrium, Trump greeted well-wishers with Newhouse standing by his side. Newhouse's daughter, Pamela, cringed when Grynbaum raised the subject with her. 'I just don't know whether Trump would have gotten that show' — 'The Apprentice' — 'but for the success of that book,' she said, ruefully. 'So, my father, in a way, put Donald Trump on the map.' CULINARY CORNER — The House's overhaul of its dining options got a timeframe yesterday: It'll unfold over the coming weeks and months, POLITICO's Katherine Tully-McManus reports. First to close will be the Longworth Dunkin' on July 24, which will be replaced by Starbucks in phases in August and October. — Speaking of coffee, Puerto Rico Rep. Pablo José Hernández Rivera is hosting a 'Puerto Rico Coffee Showcase' alongside Reps. William Timmons (R-S.C.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Nellie Pou (D-N.J.) in the Rayburn foyer today. BOOK CLUB — Former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) is publishing his first fiction book (and the first for the Fox News Books imprint). 'The Color of Death,' ($30) written with Christopher Greyson will release on Aug. 26 and centers on a South Carolina DA investigating a murder — drawing on Gowdy's own prosecutorial experience. OUT AND ABOUT — Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America held a victory party last night at the Capitol Hill Club to celebrate the defunding of Planned Parenthood through Medicaid that was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Marjorie Dannenfelser, Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) all gave remarks. SPOTTED: Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), John Rose (R-Tenn.), Brandon Gill (R-Texas), Mark Messmer (R-Ind.), Bob Onder (R-Mo.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.), Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), John McGuire (R-Va.) and Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.). — SPOTTED at Rep. Dan Newhouse's (R-Wash.) 70th birthday party: Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Jess Carter, Phil Hardy, Jordan Evich, Mike Williams, Rocky Fox and Kedrin Simms Brachman. TRANSITIONS — Matilda Bress is joining Leaders We Deserve as comms director. She previously was senior writer at American Bridge 21st Century. … Dickinson Wright is adding to its political law team with Jonathan Koch as a member and Lindsey Specht as of counsel. Koch is general counsel to the Michigan GOP and a former Trump and RNC lawyer. Specht previously was senior attorney for nonprofit organization and political law compliance at Stand Together and Americans for Prosperity, and is an FEC alum. … Michael Burley is now senior director of external branch affairs for Rubin, Turnbull & Associates. He most recently worked for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and is a Trump White House alum. WEDDINGS — Timothy Nerozzi, foreign affairs reporter at the Washington Examiner, and Diana Glebova, White House reporter at the N.Y. Post, got married June 28 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They first met working at the Daily Caller in 2021 and reconnected via the D.C. media world. Pic — Amanda Carl, who leads comms for Google DeepMind, and Adam Pratt, who leads issues and public policy comms for IBM, got married June 28 at Glass Hill by the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia. They met when both worked in prior comms and PR positions at IBM. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lizzy Guyton, a founding partner of South and Hill Strategies and a Charlie Baker alum, and Tim Johnson, managing partner of CSQ Realty, recently welcomed Grace Amalia Johnson, who joins big sister Colette. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Chris LaCivita … WaPo's Paul Kane … Semafor's Max Tani … JPMorgan Chase's Heather Higginbottom … CMS' Chris Krepich … Bloomberg's Jodi Schneider … Tia Bogeljic of Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) office … National Association of Realtors' Kathryn Crenshaw … POLITICO's Rebecca Moore, Adrian Wyatt and Peter Behr … Eun Kim … Aspen Institute's Elliot Gerson … Naomie Pierre-Louis … Ericka Perryman … Andrew Usyk … Helen Hare … Erica Fein … Susan McCue … Nate Gaspar … Amanda Fernandez … former Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) … Electric Power Research Institute's Arshad Mansoor … Rob Ellsworth of the Majority Group … Arianna Huffington … David Miliband (6-0) … Heath Tarbert … Svetlana Legetic … American Conservation Coalition's Kiley Crawford … Séverine de Lartigue … Alex Lasry 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.
Eater
11-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
A Tenderloin Bathhouse-Restaurant Is (Finally) Taking Dinner Reservations
is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. The combo Japanese-style bathhouse and restaurant Onsen is not only back from its pandemic-induced shutdown, but about to serve dinner to San Franciscans once again. In an Instagram post, ownership for Onsen let fans know a summer of pop-ups is on the horizon. Installations include newcomer Dostee, traveling operation Aku's BBQ, tried and true Claws of Mantis, and more. Dinners run from July 19 through August 31, with two soaks and seatings per shuttering due to COVID-induced restrictions, Onsen was an only-in-San Francisco kind of phenomenon. Former San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer penned a positive review in 2017. It was a top 100 restaurant pick in 2017 and 2018 for the paper, too. General manager Adam Wren told the Chronicle he'd reopen the bathhouse in late 2024. The upcoming meals and bathhouse experiences start at $110 for parties no larger than four. Saluhall gets a familiar face Dominic Prado and his Tacos El Ultimo Baile are coming to San Francisco. He'll take his Fruitvale-born business to mid-Market's Saluhall, taking over one of the former tenant spaces on the second floor. Tacos and burritos full of 12-hour smoked brisket or topped with mozzarella, vampiro-style, are on the menu. This location will run seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m as of Saturday, July 12. Coffee phenom location up for lease Local fruit coffee innovator Outset has a big 'for lease' sign up in its Valencia Street location following a few weeks of smaller 'closed temporarily' signs in the window. Owner Heng Qiu says his business partner is in direct negotiations regarding the space with the landlord to try to reopen, and he is unsure of the status of the negotiations. The FiDi outpost remains open. Michelin-approved pairing hits Van Ness Food security nonprofit Farming Hope will host Hilda and Jesse for a chef dinner on Thursday, August 14. Chef Ollie Liedags' work at the North Beach restaurant has cemented the relative newcomer as a mainstay fine dining player in San Francisco. Expect three to five courses with an optional drinks pairing, proceeds of which support the nonprofit's second chance hiring programs and community gardening efforts. Early bird tickets are available until Monday, July 14, and can be purchased online. Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
