| | | |  | | By Zack Stanton | Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | Happy Friday. This is Zack Stanton, coming to you on the last day of February. The National Park Service predicts that peak bloom for Washington’s cherry blossoms starts one month from today. Spring is almost here. Get in touch.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
It's now or never for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he meets President Trump at the White House today. | Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo | A TIME FOR CHOOSING: In a very real sense, it’s now or never for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he meets President Trump today at the White House. Over the course of about two hours — from his 11 a.m. arrival to his 1 p.m. joint press conference with Trump — Zelenskyy will do everything in his power to convince the president to provide military aid to defend Ukraine from the ongoing Russian invasion. The reality he faces is stark: Unless a deal gets signed in the next 24 hours, it’s exceedingly unlikely that further U.S. assistance to Ukraine will be on the table again for the remainder of Trump’s presidency. His country’s freedom hangs in the balance. Complicating Zelenskyy’s job: Trump just flat-out does not seem to like the Ukrainian president. But that’s not for a lack of effort on Zelenskyy’s part. The first conversation between the two men came back on July 25, 2019. Then, the newly elected Zelenskyy — who, like Trump, was a pop culture figure before entering politics — told the American president that he was, in a sense, a model to which the Ukrainian aspired. “We wanted to drain the swamp here in our country,” Zelenskyy said. “We brought in many, many new people. … You are a great teacher for us and in that.” If that conversation sounds familiar, there’s a reason. A few minutes later, while talking about support for Ukraine to combat a Russian-backed separatist military movement in the eastern part of the country, Trump dangled aid, offering it as a transaction: “I would like you to do us a favor,” he said. His request was that Ukraine dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. It became the basis of the first Trump impeachment. Fast-forward 5 years, 7 months and 4 days: Ukraine again needs aid to fight Russian military aggression in the eastern part of its country. And Trump is again looking for a transaction. What’s on the table today: Zelenskyy appears willing to move mountains to get U.S. support — and I mean that literally, in the form of signing away rights for his country’s valuable rare earth minerals. While the specifics of any deal have not yet been put forward publicly, what we do know is that the general contours of an agreement have changed since first floated. The specifics: On today’s “Playbook Daily Briefing” podcast, POLITICO national security reporter Eric Bazail-Eimil walked us through the latest understanding of the deal. American companies would play a major role in developing Ukraine’s mining of critical minerals like lithium, titanium and others used in high-tech manufacturing. Ukraine would have to contribute half of its revenues from “from the future monetization of natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas,” NYT’s Peter Baker writes this morning. The proceeds would be put into a fund managed by the U.S., and Ukraine could use its earnings from the mining to rebuild and beef up its defenses. One big x-factor in the mining deal: “At least one key factor remains unresolved: While Zelensky said he would push for a U.S. security guarantee in any deal, Trump said this should fall to European allies,” WaPo’s Adam Taylor writes this morning. “‘The big problem is that to develop a new mine might take 10 years’ or more, said Willy Shih, a Harvard economist who studies supply chains. ‘Is anyone going to do that in a Ukraine that doesn’t have security guarantees?’” What could happen if a deal doesn’t pan out? — A Kremlin-friendly template for a peace deal. At peace talks in Istanbul in 2022, Russia demanded a “sharp cut in Ukraine’s military, a ban on foreign weapons and troops, and a Russian veto on Western security assistance in case of renewed conflict,” per WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov and Michael Gordon. This week, in remarks that chilled Kyiv, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said “I think we will be using that framework as a guidepost to get a peace deal done between Ukraine and Russia.” — No U.S. “backstop” to Europe’s security guarantees. Yesterday, Trump relished the praise and gifts that U.K. PM Keir Starmer heaped upon him during his own White House visit, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols and Dan Bloom write. But he “appeared unmoved by Starmer’s desperate appeal for a stronger U.S. commitment to protecting Ukraine,” refusing to commit to being a “backstop” to “European efforts to help defend Ukraine from any future invasion by Russia.” — So much for NATO Article 5: “Perhaps most worrying for Starmer and other NATO allies was the president’s nonchalance about whether the U.S. would respond militarily in a situation where British troops were attacked in Ukraine,” Eli and Dan continue. “‘They don’t need much help. They can take care of themselves very well,’ Trump said, before hedging slightly. ‘The British have been incredible soldiers, incredible military, and they can take care of themselves. But if they need help, I’ll always be with the British, okay? I will always be with them. But they don’t need help.’” And in a moment sure to unsettle America’s NATO’s partners, Trump needled Starmer with a question: “Could you take on Russia by yourselves?” Video of that exchange — Tighter U.S.-Russia relations. “Earlier on Thursday, unnamed U.S. and Russian officials convened in Istanbul to discuss ways to strengthen diplomatic ties,” reports NYT’s Nataliya Vasilyeva. “The meeting was held at the official residence of the U.S. consul general in Istanbul — a rare choice of location as Russian diplomats have not agreed to meet on American territory since before the invasion of Ukraine.” For Ukraine, the stakes of today’s meeting verge on existential. For Europe and NATO, it has the makings of a potential watershed moment. For Trump, it’s just another transaction in which he’s trying to exert maximum pressure to win everything he wants. And he just might get it: riches in the forms of rare earth minerals, peace in the form of an end to Russian aggression against a Ukraine that’s home to vast U.S. economic interests and credit for it all if it pans out. But for that to happen, he’ll first need Zelenskyy to do him a favor, and sign on the dotted line. Smart big-picture read: “Trump’s World Vision Would Reshape the Global Economy. Ukraine Is His First Step,” by Barron’s Matt Peterson The wave of the future?: “Mineral-rich Congo pitches Trump on security deal akin to Ukraine,” by POLITICO E&E News’ Hannah Northey
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Over half of America's seniors choose Medicare Advantage because it provides them better care at lower costs than fee-for-service Medicare. With their coverage and care on the line, seniors are watching closely to see whether policymakers keep the bipartisan promise to protect Medicare Advantage by ensuring this vital part of Medicare is adequately funded.
Learn more at https://medicarechoices.org/ | | | ON THE HILL SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: In a Truth Social post last night, President Trump endorsed “a clean, temporary government funding Bill … to the end of September.” As a reminder, without a continuing resolution acting as a stopgap, the government faces a shutdown deadline on March 14, just two weeks from today. More from Inside Congress FWIW: Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said yesterday she was instructed to start prepping a stopgap spending bill to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky, Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy note. One thing that could complicate that: Senior Republicans are seriously exploring how to include DOGE cuts in an upcoming government funding bill — a move that would escalate tensions with Democrats and drastically increase the likelihood of a shutdown, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Rachael Bade report. The idea: One source said the idea would be to codify some of the “most egregious” examples of alleged waste that DOGE has identified, and incorporate them into a government funding patch through the end of the fiscal year. The gambit: Republicans would then dare Democrats to vote against the package, lest they be blamed for causing a shutdown. The strategy, if adopted, could help satisfy conservative hard-liners already upset that Congress is hurtling toward another short-term spending patch. But it could scramble the politics considerably, alienating Democrats whose votes are needed to ensure passage given the narrow Republican majorities in both chambers. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) has earned a reputation as one of the most unpredictable members of the House — someone who has at times delighted in being a thorn in Speaker Mike Johnson’s side, as we saw this week. This morning, POLITICO’s Adam Wren is out with a revelatory deep dive into Spartz’s tumultuous rise, filled with memorable details. Here’s one that is going to stick with us: “In an interview, one former [congressional] aide said Spartz requested that she and another staffer pull weeds and pass out champagne at Spartz’s Noblesville cabin ahead of a September 2024 fundraiser. … That same former aide provided screenshots of contemporaneous text messages in which she explained to another staffer where the wheelbarrow used for pulling weeds could be found. ‘I have been told there was no champagne at the event. There was sparkling wine,’ Dan Hazelwood, a campaign adviser, told me. ‘So don’t call it champagne.’” Spartz denies these allegations: “I do not require my official staff to do any political activities at all and I am tired of you writing lies,” Spartz told Adam when presented with the reporting in the article. COMMUNICATION IS KEY: Members of the Senate DOGE Caucus want Elon Musk to coordinate more with Congress on his crusade to cut through the federal government. That was the message as lawmakers left a White House meeting with Musk yesterday, where Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told the billionaire that it was important for senators to have points of contact within DOGE to address concerns from constituents, POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs and Mia McCarthy report. “We’re breaking a few things, but at the end of the day, we’ll keep the right people in place,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said. RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: The White House and congressional GOP leaders are strategizing over how to incorporate revenue from new tariffs in their massive party-line domestic policy bill, as they seek a deficit-neutral package, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports. Though the plan is still to keep the tariffs outside the final reconciliation package, the group discussed how to score and eventually count the revenue as part of their plans for a deficit-neutral bill. What else came up?: At the White House meeting, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) raised a “huge concern” that an independent review of the measure could hamper things, he told POLITICO’s Benjamin Guggenheim. The fear is that an accounting tactic the Senate plans to use to dramatically lower the cost of the plan — and that Smith favors — might be rejected by the parliamentarian. MOVING ON McMAHON: Linda McMahon is one step closer to getting confirmed as Education secretary, with the Senate advancing her nomination in a 51-47 party-line vote, teeing up the final confirmation vote for Monday. More from POLITICO’s Mackenzie Wilkes WEEKEND LISTENING: On this week’s episode of “Playbook Deep Dive,” chief Playbook correspondent Eugene Daniels joins senior Congress editor Mike DeBonis and West Wing Playbook co-author Sophia Cai to help digest everything that has happened this week — and everything that is coming next week, like Trump’s joint address to Congress. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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| | | MAGA REVOLUTION HOT ON THE RIGHT: On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that a trove of shocking documents related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was “on my desk” and would be released the next day. Then Thursday came, and the files were a total dud: “less than 200 pages of previously released flight logs, an evidence log and a heavily redacted list of contacts,” the Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown reports. But it isn’t just the documents that have people riled up; it’s how the whole episode unfurled. Anatomy of a stunt: A group of MAGA-aligned far-right influencers including Mike Cernovich, Rogan O’Handley (aka @DC_Draino) and Chaya Raichik (aka @libsoftiktok), among others, were summoned to the White House ahead of the release, and received binders filled with the documents. (In a video he later streamed on X, O’Handley said that the group met with Bondi, VP JD Vance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump, who invited them into the Oval Office.) Afterward, they emerged from the White House, holding up their binders for press cameras outside; some also held red MAGA caps. The move was widely decried. “Nothing new was released! It was all show! A circus!” Epstein abuse survivor Marijke Chartouni told Puck’s Tara Palmeri … “This isn’t a news story, it’s a publicity stunt,” Palm Beach attorney Spencer Kuvin, who has worked the Epstein case since 2005 and represented the first victim to go to law enforcement, told the Miami Herald, sharing his fear that the administration was “using the victims for political purposes.” What now: In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel last night, Bondi demanded that the Bureau deliver to her “the full and complete Epstein files” by 8 a.m. today. Stay tuned. DOGE ON THE WORLD STAGE: Trump and Musk want to drastically slash the State Department — “leaving it with fewer diplomats, a smaller number of embassies and a narrower remit that critics argue could hand China wins across the world,” POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi reports. The administration appears “determined to focus State on areas such as transactional government agreements, safeguarding U.S. security and promoting foreign investment in America.” That would mean slashing bureaus promoting traditional soft power initiatives — such as those advancing democracy, protecting human rights and supporting scientific research. More on the chopping block: The administration has also “decided that hundreds of programs aimed at helping people in the world’s poorest countries stay alive are no longer in the national interest,” POLITICO’s Carmen Paun and Daniel Lippman report. “The sweeping cuts in foreign aid announced Wednesday will slash HIV treatment, prevention and research, health services to treat malaria, and care for new mothers and their babies, among other lifesaving programs, say global health and humanitarian groups whose contracts were cut. It will also halt basic health services for people displaced by conflict, such as those in Sudan or Gaza.” WEAPONIZATION WATCH: FBI agents this week questioned EPA employees “regarding a Biden administration grant program for climate and clean-energy projects, escalating a criminal probe that already caused one veteran prosecutor to resign,” WaPo’s Spencer Hsu, Maxine Joselow and Nicolás Rivero report. “The move came after the Justice Department in recent weeks took unusual steps to advance the investigation, having a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney submit a warrant request when career prosecutors were unwilling and seeking prosecutors in other offices who would agree to participate in the case.” IN THE COURTS: A federal judge yesterday dealt the administration’s downsizing efforts a significant blow, though the impact may already be baked in. The ruling said that OPM broke the law when it ordered other federal agencies to terminate thousands of “probationary” employees. However, the ruling does not appear to immediately help any of the federal workers who have already lost their jobs, POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. The judge stopped short of ordering agencies to reinstate fired workers, saying he didn’t have that authority. PENTAGON PURGE: The Pentagon sent out a memo yesterday telling military services they have “30 days to figure out how they will seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force — a daunting task that may end up relying on troops self-reporting or tattling on their colleagues,” AP’s Tara Copp and Lolita Baldor report. Big names: Five former Defense secretaries — Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta and William Perry — sent a letter to Congress decrying Trump’s firing last week of the Joint Chiefs Chair C.Q. Brown and other top-level military officials, “urging Congress to hold hearings and declaring they have concluded the officers were ‘fired for purely partisan reasons,’” WaPo’s Dan Lamothe reports. Read the letter The widening battlefield: Trump has “rolled back constraints on American commanders to authorize airstrikes and special operation raids outside conventional battlefields, broadening the range of people who can be targeted,” CBS’ James LaPorta reports.
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| | | BEST OF THE REST INFLATION NATION: The Commerce Department is set to release its latest reading on the state of the economy at 8:30 a.m. this morning, dropping inflation data from January. Ahead of the release, there are signs that Trump’s tariffs are sparking concerns that he may further stoke inflation in the coming months, POLITICO’s Victoria Guida writes this morning. Trumping up the tariffs: Trump yesterday doubled down on his tariff agenda, saying that he plans to impose an additional 10 percent levy on Chinese imports (on top of the 10 percent he already implemented), and move forward with 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products, WSJ’s Gavin Bade and Lingling Wei write. South of the border: Mexico yesterday extradited 29 alleged drug traffickers to the U.S., “including Rafael Caro Quintero, a prized target long sought in the killing of a U.S. narcotics agent, and two leaders of the hyper-violent Zetas cartel, in a dramatic gesture apparently aimed at heading off crushing economic sanctions,” WaPo’s Mary Beth Sheridan reports from Mexico City. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) launched his reelection campaign yesterday and he is entering the race with $8 million in cash on hand. Among the major donors to Cotton’s campaign are Max Alvarez, Thomas Tull, Mike Kavoukjian, Marc Lipschultz, Warren Stephens and Art Fisher, according to details shared with Playbook. Cotton’s email donor list also reaches over 100,000, which the campaign expects will drive most of his fundraising. THE WEEKEND AHEAD TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Jonathan Karl, Ashley Parker and Nancy Youssef. SUNDAY SO FAR … NBC “Meet the Press”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Panel: Brendan Buck, Carol Lee, Stephanie Murphy and Julio Vaqueiro. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick … Speaker Mike Johnson … Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) … Vivek Ramaswamy … Devin Nunes … Mike Pompeo. CNN “State of the Union”: Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Panel: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Scott Jennings, Xochitl Hinojosa and Erin McGuire. ABC “This Week”: British Ambassador Peter Mandelson … Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova … Chris Christie … Kara Swisher. Panel: Donna Brazile, Rachel Scott, Julie Pace and Reihan Salam. CBS “Face the Nation”: Kaja Kallas … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey … Rep. John James (R-Mich.). NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) … Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). Panel: Josh Barro, Paul Kane and Julia Manchester. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Legal panel: Ilya Shapiro and Tom Dupree. Sunday panel: Susan Page, Richard Fowler, Doug Heye and Hans Nichols. MSNBC “The Weekend”: New Mexico AG Raul Torrez … Shernice Mundell.
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | FOR THE TRUE POLITICAL JUNKIES: A new six-episode podcast, “The Bentsen Blueprint,” draws on a bundle of previously unreleased tapes of the famously measured late Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) offering his “candid reflections” on politics and life. Listen to it on YouTube OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a reception held by the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition on Wednesday, after members met with congressional offices for its inaugural Hill day, to celebrate the launch of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Caucus: Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tom Michels, Amy Lawrence, Kevin Welsh, Alison Graab, Scott Lewis and John Fuher. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) is also a leader of the caucus. — The CAR Coalition, which is advocating for the REPAIR Act to create a vehicle “right-to-repair” law, hosted a welcome back event for the House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday night in the Rayburn House Office Building. SPOTTED: Reps. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Rick Allen (R-Ga.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Michael Rulli (R-Ohio), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio). — Axios hosted a Netflix-sponsored event for the new show “Zero Day,” including conversations with its creative team, Chris Krebs and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.). SPOTTED: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Angela Greiling Keane, John Hewitt Jones, Jude Soundar, Stuart Harris, Katherine Grayson, Clare Gallagher, Emma Rindels-Hill, Matthew Norambuena, Mary Clark, Sang Kim, Camille deWalder and Marybeth Kelliher. — SPOTTED at the University of Southern California’s reception in Rayburn on Wednesday celebrating the launch of the House Trojan Caucus for USC alumni: Carol Folt, caucus co-chairs Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), and Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). MEDIA MOVES — Carrie Dann has been named managing editor for The Cook Political Report. She most recently was senior Washington editor at NBC. … Julian Sorapuru is joining the Boston Globe’s Washington bureau as a political reporter. He previously was an arts reporter at the Globe. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Michael Sargent has joined Meridiam Infrastructure as a senior adviser. He previously was deputy secretary of transportation for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. TRANSITIONS — Tyler Clevenger is now a director at 38 North Solutions. He previously was an environmental protection specialist at the Transportation Department. … Josh Jamison is now wildfire policy adviser for Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.). He previously was manager of federal government affairs for the National Marine Manufacturers Association and is a John Duarte alum. … Kathryn Maxwell is now director of government relations at Peraton. She previously was a professional staffer on the House Appropriations’ Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee and is a George W. Bush White House and Trump DHS alum. … … Wiley Rein has added Stacy Tatman as public policy adviser in their environment and product regulation practice and Alexandrine De Bianchi as a public policy advisor in their telecom, media and technology practice. Tatman previously has been an independent consultant. Alexandrine most recently was the director of legislative affairs at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. … Jeremy Edwards is joining The Century Foundation as a senior comms adviser. He most recently was a spokesman and assistant press secretary in the Biden White House and is a FEMA and Commerce alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT’s Lisa Lerer and Meredith Kopit Levien … Ira Forman … Paul Krugman ... WaPo’s Sarah Ellison ... Steven Chu … Porter DeLaney ... John Nagl ... POLITICO’s Caitlin O'Hare, Charlie Mahtesian and Tamira Creek … Andrea Riccio … Manhattan Institute’s Kelsey Bloom ... Ken Blackwell ... Pete Williams … Jack Abramoff … Heather Fluit of ICF Next … Food for the Hungry’s Kristen Callaway … Mark Lippert … Will May … Amazon’s Cara Hewitt ... Tom Hussain … Tiffany Haas of the Senate HELP Committee … Ned Ryun … Drew Ryun … Trinity Hall of Sen. Chris Coons’ (D-Del.) office … Alivia Roberts … Jessica Chau … March On Washington Film Festival’s Joanne Irby… Marcus Childress … MSNBC’s Chris Hayes … Matthew Wald … Chris Keppler … Brendan Kelly … Jessie Lazarus … Brendan Kelly Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook mischaracterized Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s Senate HELP Committee meeting. It was a vote to advance her nomination. It also misidentified former Rep. Derek Kilmer.
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