| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine | | | | Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, still scanning my group chats for any unwanted guests. You can’t be too careful these days. A YEAR AGO TODAY: The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore after being rammed by a container ship, killing six construction workers carrying out late-night maintenance. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will speak at a commemoration ceremony this morning. In today’s Playbook … — Signalgate fallout continues to ripple throughout the Trump administration. — Dems flip a Pennsylvania state Senate seat Trump carried in November as the party debates its path forward. — More heated hearings on the Hill today.
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National security adviser Mike Waltz has been taking most of the heat from Signalgate, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hasn’t been unscathed. | Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP | AP | DON’T DROP THE MIKE: The White House is circling the wagons around under-fire national security adviser Mike Waltz as the Signalgate scandal enters its third day. President Donald Trump gave a long interview to conservative TV network Newsmax last night in which he insisted the mega-leak to Atlantic boss Jeffrey Goldberg was “no problem,” stating again that no classified information was shared. Waltz himself was wheeled out on Fox News to accept “full responsibility” for the “embarrassing” gaffe — but had no real answers on how it actually happened. Which means questions will continue to swirl today as members of the world’s most famous chat group face the media. For your radar: Vice President JD Vance (“I just hate bailing Europe out again”) is due to speak at the Marine Corps base at Quantico at 10 a.m. … DNI Tulsi Gabbard (“TG”) and CIA Director John Ratcliffe (messages too sensitive to be published) are before the House Intelligence Committee at 10 a.m. for their second congressional grilling in two days. … And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (“It’s PATHETIC”) is still in Hawaii, where he again reassured reporters last night that “nobody texted any war plans,” adding: “I know exactly what I’m doing.” Which is strangely nonreassuring if you have to say it out loud. As for Waltz … The NSA sat down for his first post-Signalgate interview last night, a White House-approved softball with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham. Except … it didn’t turn out that way. Ingraham kicked things off with a helpfully partisan tee-up, but grew visibly bemused at Waltz’s bewildering lack of clarity. She determinedly pushed him again and again on how the leak actually happened — and the answers were vague, at best. New phone, who dis? “I just talked to Elon [Musk] on the way here, we’ve got the best technical minds looking at how this happened,” Waltz said. “But I can tell you 100 percent — I don’t know this guy [Goldberg] … I don’t text him. He wasn’t on my phone.” Waltz also flatly denied that one of his staffers had added Goldberg to the chat — hours after Trump suggested this was what happened. So how did Goldberg get added? “Have you ever had somebody’s contact that shows the name, and then you have somebody else’s number there?” Waltz asked. “You’ve got someone else’s number on someone else’s contact — so of course I didn’t see this loser [Goldberg] in the group. It looked like somebody else. Now whether he did it deliberately, or it happened in some other technical means, we’re trying to figure out.” Ingraham looked unconvinced. “But you’ve never talked to him before,” she said. “So how’s the number on your phone?” Waltz blinked, several times. “Well, if you have somebody else’s contact, then somehow it … gets sucked in. It gets sucked in.” Just watch the clip. So, inside 24 hours … We've watched Hegseth flat-deny what seems pretty clear evidence of battle plans being leaked. We’ve watched Gabbard and Ratcliffe sitting side by side in the Senate giving jarringly different answers — one willing to respond, the other largely not. We’ve watched Waltz give deeply unconvincing performances in the Oval Office and on Fox. And we’ve watched Waltz and Trump seemingly contradict one another about who was or wasn’t to blame. It’s all been pretty messy, to say the least.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: NRF supports plans by the administration and Congress to expand the American economy through tax reform, deregulation and new sources of affordable energy. But trade policy issues are creating uncertainty and causing consumers to hold back on spending. High tariffs on imported goods will raise the price of products and slow economic growth. We need trade policies that protect American families, workers and small businesses. Tariffs should always be strategic and a tool of last resort. Learn more. | | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — What Trump really cares about: But for all that, the president’s chief concern during multiple conversations with Waltz has been why his NSA would have Goldberg’s number in the first place, POLITICO’s Megan Messerly and colleagues report. Indeed, some corners of MAGA world have been awash with (unevidenced) theories that Waltz was already leaking to The Atlantic — which may explain Waltz’s eager denials on Fox. Why Waltz matters: It’s important to understand that Waltz holds an unusual position in this administration — a traditional conservative defense hawk who has Trump’s ear. That means he has powerful enemies in MAGA’s isolationist wing, as POLITICO’s Robbie Kramer and Paul McLeary report in this super-smart piece. “They want an excuse to knife Waltz in the back because they think, erroneously, he isn’t in line with Trump’s foreign policy agenda,” one person close to the administration says. In short — a wider tussle over American foreign policy is at play. The political fallout: What we’re watching here is the first major gaffe of the new administration — or at least the first since the aborted federal payments freeze of the first week. Since then, this administration has appeared way more competent than Trump’s first, which was plagued by farcical errors and scandals. But this story feels like something straight out of Trump 1.0 — and crucially, the clean-up operation has not been much better. Dems will be encouraged by all of that. So watch this space: The White House knows this needs to be a one-off, and that the story needs putting to bed fast. So expect more forceful pushback today. With Vance speaking this morning and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefing the media at 1 p.m., things should certainly get punchy, if nothing else. Inside the White House, they remain hopeful the whole thing will have been forgotten by the end of the week. But but but: CNN reckons the focus is now switching to Hegseth, who will have to face the media repeatedly this week as he continues his trip from Hawaii to Guam, the Philippines and then Japan. … The NYT also has a big, well-timed readout on Hegseth’s rocky start to the job, while POLITICO’s Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary note things always seem to go pear-shaped for Hegseth when he heads off abroad … which is kind of a problem, given his job. And there’s more: Transparency campaign group American Oversight launched legal action against Hegseth and co last night, claiming their use of Signal’s disappearing messages function is a clear breach of the Federal Records Act, which forces top officials to keep records of key meetings. POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney has the deets … while top colleague Josh Gerstein runs through the wider legal implications of the whole affair. Though the prospect of this Department of Justice pursuing Trump Cabinet members through the courts over these kinds of issues seems … a little far-fetched.
| | | | Cut through policy complexity and turn intelligence into action with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant—a new suite of tools designed to save you time and demonstrate your impact more easily than ever—available only to Pro subscribers. Save hours, uncover critical insights instantly, and stay ahead of the next big shift. Power your strategy today—learn more. | | | | | COURT IN THE ACT MADE FOR FOX: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is in El Salvador today to meet with MAGA-meme favorite President Nayib Bukele and tour the country’s notorious mega-prison, where she’ll trumpet the U.S. government’s mass deportation of Venezuelan migrants without due process. Judge James Boasberg will be unamused. Latest from the courts: Yesterday’s big judicial rulings were a mixed bag for the government, with an appeals court allowing Trump’s suspension of refugee admissions to go forward for now — but insisting thousands of approved refugees must now be allowed to resettle in the U.S., per the AP. … A judge ruled another pro-Palestinian student protester fighting deportation, Columbia’s Yunseo Chung, can’t be detained for now, also per the AP. Weaponization watch: Trump continues to hit out at law firms with connections to his political adversaries, sanctioning Jenner & Block yesterday for its ties to Andrew Weissmann, per POLITICO’s Daniel Barnes. WaPo’s Michael Birnbaum reports Trump has succeeded in casting a chilling effect over the legal community, with some former Biden officials and would-be challengers to Trump policies now struggling to find representation. More big immigration news: Some refugees and other green-card applicants have had their consideration for permanent residency paused, CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez and Nicole Sganga scooped, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services planning more intense vetting. And at the southern border, the military is expanding its role to include surveillance, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch scooped. SCOTUS WATCH: Today’s big Supreme Court cases could offer justices a chance to revisit the “nondelegation doctrine,” potentially shifting the amount of power that Congress can delegate to federal agencies, Roll Call’s Michael Macagnone previews.
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Trade policy impacts businesses and consumers. Register to learn more. | | | | NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS A WIN’S A WIN: Last night, Democrats flipped a Trump-voting seat in the Pennsylvania state Senate. “This is how it’s done,” celebrated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on X last night. “Run everywhere. Run down ballot. Focus on local elections ASAP … We build from there.” Super Tuesday: It offers a much-needed boost for Democrats ahead of next Tuesday’s more significant state-level and special elections, which some Dems are starting to quietly hope might finally start to shift the gloom-laden narrative around the party. The Wisconsin Supreme Court contest — to pick a new judge who will swing the court either liberal or conservative — is “the first true local test [for Dems] to see if there are lessons learned” from November, one liberal organizer tells CNN’s John King in Milwaukee. And it’s all eyes on Florida: There are two special elections in Florida on Tuesday too, and, given the unpredictable nature of special elections in a charged political environment, there’s already talk that Democrats may actually have a shot at flipping a seat. Though the GOP still thinks state Sen. Randy Fine will be, well, fine in the race to replace Waltz in a red Florida district, “it’s going to be a lot closer than people expected,” one Republican tells POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard. Definitely one to watch.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:  
Trade policy impacts businesses and consumers. Register to learn more. | | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The mega-popular tour by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and AOC has gotten the whole party’s attention, POLITICO’s Holly Otterbein and Brakkton Booker report. Many Dems are relieved that anybody is breaking through, though some moderates are concerned about the messengers. It is “important that they not repeat the mistakes that the far left has made that helped get us into this mess in the first place,” says Matt Bennett, a vice president at Third Way, adding that he is glad that the rallies are “giving people an outlet for that anger” against Trump. More from the New Dem populists: Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and company launched the New Economic Patriots to bolster Democrats’ working-class economic populist appeals, NYT’s Annie Karni reports … Meanwhile Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) will move to censure Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) for calling Greg Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels,” Fox News’ Liz Elkind scooped. PLAYBOOK SCOOPLETS: The Democratic Attorneys General Association is launching a new National Fundraising Committee, led by Tim Lim, as North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson becomes the association’s new finance chair. … Emerge, a network for Democratic women in elected office, plans to host a free training program starting next week for laid-off federal workers who may want to run for office. … Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will headline the DNC’s finance retreat breakfast Friday morning. BEST OF THE REST THE LATEST EO: “Trump signs executive order requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections,” by WaPo’s Patrick Marley: “[It’s] a mandate that experts said could prevent millions of Americans from voting … Election experts said that Trump was claiming power he does not have and that lawsuits over the measure were all but guaranteed.” MORE FROM TRUMP: The president told Newsmax last nigh t he would consider financial compensation for the Jan. 6 rioters and look further into the case of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by police during the assault on the Capitol. PARDON ME: “Trump Pardons Former Business Partner of Hunter Biden Who Testified About the Bidens,” by NYT’s Luke Broadwater and Ken Vogel RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: Senate and House GOP leaders appeared to be getting closer to agreement on including a debt-limit increase in the party-line reconciliation bill, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney and Benjamin Guggenheim report. ON THE HILL TODAY: House Oversight Republicans will haul in NPR leader Katherine Maher and PBS leader Paula Kerger this morning as the Trump administration lambastes the public media outlets, POLITICO’s Ali Bianco and John Hendel preview. Trump said yesterday he’d “love” to defund the outlets. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is formally launching his 2026 reelection campaign today. In a two-minute video announcement shared with Playbook, Cornyn highlights his role in GOP leadership during Trump’s first term and frames his reelection effort as a chance to “pick up where we left off.” Full announcement PAGING BILL CASSIDY: HHS is bringing in David Geier, who has pushed false and debunked claims about vaccines causing autism, to lead a study of whether vaccines cause autism, WaPo’s Lena Sun and Fenit Nirappil scooped. … And Trump’s new nominee for HHS IG, Thomas March Bell, is a “brazenly political” choice for the office who “was once accused of mishandling taxpayer funds,” AP’s Amanda Seitz reports. IN THE DOGE HOUSE: Musk and other Department of Government Efficiency officials will sit down for a Fox News interview airing tomorrow, per Axios’ Stef Kight. And their impact keeps expanding, with major layoffs coming at the Treasury Department, Bloomberg’s Daniel Flatley and Zoe Tillman report. … Meanwhile, funding cuts at the Agriculture Department risk worsening supply for food banks, Reuters’ Leah Douglas and colleagues report. Spy games: “Secretive Chinese network tries to lure fired federal workers, research shows,” by Reuters’ A.J. Vicens WHAT THEY’RE READING IN JOHANNESBURG: Trump intends to tap Brent Bozell as his nominee for ambassador to South Africa, NYT’s John Eligon reports. For the “conservative media critic and fierce defender of Israel,” it’s a switch from his previous nomination to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, amid Trump administration anger at South Africa. WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER: Add JD Vance to the list of U.S. officials traveling to Greenland this week, as he’ll join wife Usha at a Space Force base Friday. More from POLITICO’s Irie Sentner
| | | | California's tech industry is shaping national politics like never before. We’re launching California Decoded to unpack how the state is defining tech policy and politics within its borders and beyond. Sign up now to get it free for a limited time. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | SPOTTED: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. having dinner at Il Piatto on Monday night. The Trump family is launching a stablecoin, because of course they are. Jared Moskowitz and Wesley Hunt have relaunched the Sneaker Caucus. Kash Patel met McGruff the Crime Dog at the Congressional Hockey Challenge. Rebecca Blumenstein will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. IN MEMORIAM — “J. Bennett Johnston, who delivered millions for Louisiana during long Senate career, dies at 92,” by Tyler Bridges for Nola.com: He was “a pro-business Democrat who during 24 years in the U.S. Senate steadfastly defended Louisiana’s oil and gas interests and worked in a bipartisan fashion to win congressional funding for infrastructure projects throughout the state.” — “Michael Boudin, Independent Judge From a Family on the Left, Dies at 85,” by NYT’s Adam Nossiter: “Judge Boudin — the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which covers most of New England and Puerto Rico, from 2001 to 2008 — was the odd man out in a family devoted to left-leaning causes. … Judge Boudin was not easy to pigeonhole ideologically.” PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION: “Waymo wants to launch self-driving rideshares in D.C. next year,” by Axios’ Mimi Montgomery: “The company is planning for locals to hail rides from the all-electric fleet via the Waymo One app starting next year … The intrigue: While D.C. allows autonomous vehicle companies to test their fleets in the city, the current law does not allow these cars to be operated without a driver.” MEDIA MOVES — Megyn Kelly is launching podcast network MK Media with shows from Mark Halperin, Maureen Callahan and Link Lauren, per The Hollywood Reporter. TRANSITIONS — Nate Madden now principal deputy assistant secretary for comms at DHS. He previously was a strategic comms adviser for Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). … Nicole Rosen is now an EVP at BerlinRosen. She previously was owner of Rosen Communications and is a Hill Dem alum. … Ilan Goldenberg is joining J Street as part of a significant expansion of its policy team. He most recently was national director for Jewish outreach and policy adviser for the Harris campaign. … … Mike Walsh is joining DLA Piper’s national security and global trade practice as a partner. He most recently was a partner at A&O Shearman, and is a Trump Commerce alum who has assisted nominees and appointees since the election. … Tracy Canard Goodluck is joining the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth as executive director. She most recently was senior adviser to the assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Interior Department. … Allison Barry is now comms manager at Greenbrier, a division of the Messina Group. She most recently was press secretary at the Labor Department. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) … OMB Director Russ Vought … Bob Woodward … CBS’ Margaret Brennan … Jon Huntsman … DOD’s Dan Caldwell … Matt Lira … James Gelfand … Chandler Hudson Bair … Caroline Darmody … Michael Waxman of Waxman Strategies … Miriam Bird … Planned Parenthood’s Melanie Roussell Newman … Juan Londoño of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance … Melissa Toufanian … former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee … Edward Garnett … former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) … Caren Street … former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao … Nancy Peele of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) office … Shahid Naeem of the American Economic Liberties Project … Nora Rossi … Al David Saab of Rep. Mike Ezell’s (R-Miss.) office … Isaiah Menning of the American Conservation Coalition 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. Clarification: Yesterday’s Playbook incorrectly referred to where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was traveling. He’s heading from Hawaii to Guam today.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: The administration's trade policy announcements are creating high levels of uncertainty and are affecting consumer confidence and the affordability of everyday goods. The White House is expected to announce new reciprocal tariffs on our nation's trading partners that will impact retail business operations, employees and consumers. Retailers source domestically whenever possible, but most rely on a mix of domestic and imported products and manufacturing components so they can offer customers a variety of items at affordable prices. Small businesses buy and sell imported products to meet the demands of their customers, and higher prices on imported goods will unfairly burden American families, workers and Main Street businesses. We need pro-growth trade policies that support businesses and consumers. Learn more. | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
