| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | Presented by the National Retail Federation | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop me a line: awren@politico.com.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
At a town hall held by Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), the energy from the Democratic base even in a red district was palpable. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | After a week that saw Washington turned upside down by the now-infamous group chat among top Trump administration officials, it’s clear Signalgate has captured the attention of middle America, too. At a boisterous town hall in Westfield, Indiana, last night, third-term GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz admitted to angry constituents that the texting scandal is “actually very bad.” Here in Hamilton County, home of the wealthy and well-educated Republican suburbs of Indianapolis, and which President Donald Trump won by 6 points, the anger gripping both the Democratic base and independents across the country was on full display before Spartz, the mercurial Capitol Hill character. “I promise I’ll behave,” Spartz, who rejected NRCC guidance against holding town halls, told the roughly 500 people gathered. Spartz mostly did, even if the left-leaning crowd did not. Throughout the evening, her constituents gave her the business, chanting “do your job,” and yelling at her. Spartz held her ground and yelled right back. Early on, a moderator acknowledged that attendees had submitted a number of questions about the explosive group chat, before introducing “Stephanie from Carmel,” the tony suburb that former VP Mike Pence calls home. Even before the woman completed her question about whether Spartz would demand the resignation of the officials in the group chat, the crowd stood and roared — perhaps their most animated moment of a very animated evening. “Resignations go to the Senate anyway,” Spartz told her constituents. “So you should talk to the senators. Hopefully they have town halls.” Spartz said she would not back resignations for the officials involved, though she conceded “it’s not a good situation” and that there was classified information included in the Signal chat. Another sign Signalgate broke through: We caught up with the woman who asked the question — Stephanie Rutter, a 37-year-old Democrat and a hospitality industry worker — and she told us she found out about it through an Instagram account called “SHIT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT,” not The Atlantic, which broke the story. Rutter was not impressed with Spartz’s response, and said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz needed to resign. “This was really incompetent of them,” she said. Some other takeaways from the town hall:
- We spoke to nearly a dozen attendees who were among those packed inside a conference center, and didn’t come across a single Republican, though we did find two independents. The questions submitted had a leftward tilt, the moderator told us after the event.
- But the attendees were not outside agitators: To ask a question, they needed to list their address, and be a constituent in Spartz’s district.
- About 100 protesters gathered outside, hoisting signs that said “NO KINGS” and “OPEN CORRUPTION IS STILL CORRUPTION.” They were so loud that you could hear them inside the conference center.
| | | | 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. | | | | THE UPSHOT: Spartz is in a safe Republican district, and it would take a cataclysmic political event for her to lose in 2026. But the energy from the Democratic base many months ahead of the midterms was palpable. During the event, Tim Edson, a longtime Spartz adviser who was watching from afar, downplayed the demonstration. He texted to say that the “room is full of the 5% of liberal maniacs who would lead the Democrat party to lose a national election 55-45.” There were times when I wondered if Spartz would make it through the whole town hall. She did. And near the end, she even earned some applause for being there. “President Trump was elected to be president by the majority of Americans, but I know you are frustrated with Elon Musk, I know you are very frustrated. I want to stay engaged.” EVEN MORE REMARKABLE: Spartz is scheduled to do it all over again today in Muncie, a college town home to Ball State University. Expect images and audio from that event — beginning about now — to circulate across social media and on cable today. SIGNALGATE LATEST: VP JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles and top personnel official Sergio Gor suggested Trump show Waltz the door, our Rachael Bade and Dasha Burns scooped. … Hegseth brought his wife to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed, according to the WSJ. … Hegseth’s younger brother is working at the Pentagon, reports the AP.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:  
Trade policy impacts businesses and consumers. Register to learn more. | | | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. BANNED AID: An appellate court yesterday greenlit the Department of Government Efficiency and Musk to keep cutting USAID, per the AP. The judges found that Musk’s role was not unconstitutional because he was ultimately acting as an adviser, with other officials approving the cuts. At the same time, the Trump administration laid out its plans to all but end the foreign aid agency, shrinking it to just 15 staffers at the State Department, per the NYT. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that “essential lifesaving programs” would be maintained, even as the administration cut funding for such programs for vaccines and anti-malaria work. An early test: The death toll from the devastating Myanmar earthquake has already surpassed 1,000, with some analyses predicting it could rise to 100,000. And though Trump said the U.S. would help, one former top USAID official tells AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer the disaster-response system is now “in shambles” and unable to move as effectively. 2. COURT IN THE ACT: The end of the week featured a dizzying number of significant judicial rulings and new lawsuits, mostly over Trump’s efforts to purge the federal workforce, crack down on immigration and target his political enemies.
- On the flip side, a federal judge barred the dismantling of the CFPB, with an expansive ruling saying fired workers must be rehired and records preserved, per NPR. And another judge blocked the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s destruction of Voice of America, even as staffers got a “Fork in the Road” email for resignations, per POLITICO’s Gigi Ewing.
- Two judges blocked parts of Trump’s executive orders singling out Jenner & Block and WilmerHale for retribution, per Reuters. (The suspension of WilmerHale’s security clearances was allowed to stand.) The Jenner & Block judge said parts of Trump’s order were “reprehensible.” Nonetheless, congressional Republicans are following Trump’s lead in advising members to freeze out lobbyists from disfavored law firms, POLITICO’s Dasha Burns and Daniel Lippman report.
- A federal judge limited the administration’s ability to deport people to “third countries” (places where they don’t have citizenship), saying they have the right to a “meaningful opportunity” to seek humanitarian protection in the U.S. first, per WaPo. Meanwhile, a local Venezuelan couple who legally have Temporary Protected Status — but made headlines for being detained nonetheless — were released, Josh reports.
3. THE MAGA REVOLUTION CONTINUES: Major layoffs hit the U.S. Institute of Peace, which has been targeted by the Trump administration, CBS’ Kathryn Watson scooped. And the CIA could be next on the DOGE hit list: Director John Ratcliffe invited Musk to come to the agency Monday, Catherine Herridge scooped. On the policy front: The Education Department blocked Covid relief aid money from going out to state and local governments, per POLITICO’s Juan Perez Jr. … But as the Energy Department works on a list of clean energy projects it wants to cancel, which it may submit soon, lawmakers from both parties are scrambling to push back and save efforts they support, POLITICO’s James Bikales, Josh Siegel, Kelsey Tamborrino and Ben Lefebvre report.
| | | | Policy moves fast—stay ahead with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant. Effortlessly search POLITICO's archive of 1M+ news articles, analysis documents, and legislative text. Track legislation, showcase your impact, and generate custom reports in seconds. Designed for POLITICO Pro subscribers, this tool helps you make faster, smarter decisions. Start exploring now. | | | | | 4. PAGING BILL CASSIDY: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed out Peter Marks, the top vaccine regulator at the FDA, who issued a blistering warning that Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism would endanger the country’s health, WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte scooped. “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Marks wrote in resigning. Separately, Trump tapped Sara Carter as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, while Art Kleinschmidt is expected to be deputy assistant secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, POLITICO’s Myah Ward and Adam Cancryn report. 5. SCHOOL TIES: Trump’s sweeping efforts to combat progressive and pro-Palestinian ideologies continue to transform the nation’s college campuses — most prominently with the resignation yesterday of interim Columbia President Katrina Armstrong, WSJ’s Douglas Belkin and Liz Essley Whyte scooped. Across elite schools, change is in the air: The Naval Academy ended affirmative action … Harvard dismissed the heads of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies … UCLA banned Students for Justice in Palestine … Yale Law School canned a scholar who’d refused to cooperate with a probe into alleged terrorist ties. The crackdown on foreign students: ICE has newly detained a University of Minnesota grad student, per The Minnesota Daily. But a judge temporarily blocked the deportation of a detained Tufts student, per Reuters. And the judge in Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil’s case heard arguments over where the case should be heard, though he didn’t rule yet, per POLITICO’s Erica Orden. There’s an interesting story this morning from WaPo’s Will Oremus about Betar US, “the newly revived and rapidly growing U.S. chapter of a century-old militant Zionist group,” which claims to have helped identify and target the detained pro-Palestinian students. 6. FRESH FACES: Who will replace Elise Stefanik as Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the U.N.? POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi, Adam Cancryn and Eric Bazail-Eimil report that David Friedman, Ellie Cohanim and possibly Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) are contenders, while Richard Grenell and Morgan Ortagus aren’t interested. For another top vacancy, at FEMA, the top finalists include Nim Kidd and Kevin Guthrie, the respective and well-regarded emergency management chiefs of Texas and Florida, POLITICO’s Thomas Frank and Dasha Burns scooped. Look who’s back: Trump said he’ll nominate former Arizona AG Mark Brnovich as U.S. ambassador to Serbia, per Eric. (He beat out Rod Blagojevich.) 7. THE NEW GOP: “Trump might let taxes rise for the rich to cover breaks on tips,” by Axios’ Marc Caputo and Neil Irwin: “Some White House officials believe letting income taxes on the very highest earners rise would buy breathing room on other priorities, and help blunt Democrats’ attacks … [A]ll discussions are preliminary … If the 2017 law were allowed to expire, [the top income tax rate] would jump to the pre-2018 rate of 39.6% [from 37%], and lower the threshold above which the top rate applies. … Many Republicans would be reluctant to go along.” One wrinkle: The leading proposal to do away with taxes on tips excludes workers who are classified as independent contractors, like Uber and DoorDash drivers. The companies are urging Republicans to change that, WSJ’s Richard Rubin reports.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation:  
Trade policy impacts businesses and consumers. Register to learn more. | | | | 8. TRADE WARS: As Wednesday’s “Liberation Day” of massive reciprocal tariffs looms, Trump keeps urging his advisers to get more aggressive, pushing levies that would “fundamentally transform the U.S. economy,” WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Theo Meyer report. The leading proposal now “would set tariffs on products from the 15 percent of countries the administration deems the worst U.S. trading partners, which account for almost 90 percent of imports.” But Trump hasn’t dropped the idea of a universal tariff. Trump’s uncertain approach runs counter to what the administration has been trying to tell the business world, POLITICO’s Rachael Bade, Daniel Desrochers and Victoria Guida report. U.S. officials are trying to project steadiness so the markets calm down, but even Vance and Wiles “have privately indicated that they’re unsure exactly what the boss will do. … [B]ehind the scenes there’s an uneasy feeling as even people close to the president hold their breath.” Also coming next week: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and other senators will force a vote Tuesday on blocking the emergency powers Trump used for Canada tariffs, as he laid out in WaPo. 9. JUST POSTED: “Will Michael Bennet Shift his Fight Against Trump to the State House?” by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) “is poised to walk away from seniority, the Senate and Washington … He’s frustrated with Congress, yes, but also Joe Biden’s selfishness, what Donald Trump has done to both parties and the corrosive impact of social media on politics, the media and even the once-presumed idea of shared facts. Bennet is almost certain to run for governor in his adopted state … That Michael Farrand Bennet is no longer sure the Senate is a place to be effective is as harsh an indictment I can recall of what was once unironically called the world’s greatest deliberative body.” CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 18 funnies
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M. Wuerker - POLITICO | GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “Can One Man Hold Syria Together?” by The Atlantic’s Robert Worth: “A former jihadist has remade himself in a bid to remake a scarred and divided country.” — “In Karoline Leavitt’s world, Trump’s word is enough,” by WaPo’s Kara Voght: “The White House press secretary is shaming some members of the Washington media and fielding softballs from others — all with a self-assured smile.” — “The Worst 7 Years in Boeing’s History — and the Man Who Won’t Stop Fighting for Answers,” by Wired’s Lauren Smiley: “Fatal crashes. A door blowout. Grounded planes. Inside the citizen-led, obsessive campaign to hold Boeing accountable and prevent the next disaster.” — “Unburying the Remains of the Third Reich,” by the NYT Magazine’s Nicholas Casey: “As the German right ascends, the nation is still grappling with its fascist past — and how to handle its remains.” — “What Does MAGA Have Against Europe?” by WSJ’s David Luhnow and Marcus Walker: “You’ve heard about anti-Americanism. Welcome to anti-Europeanism.” — “The Democrats Are Losing the Social Media Wars. This Young Socialist Is Changing That,” by Mark Chiusano in POLITICO Magazine: “Zohran Mamdani may not win his election, but he could offer a strategy to the left.”
| | | | 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 | | Donald Trump commuted the fraud sentence of Ozy Media’s Carlos Watson and pardoned Nikola founder (and Trump donor) Trevor Milton for fraud. Chris LaCivita called for Republicans to boycott the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION: The White House said Maryland will not get D.C. Air National Guard fighter jets that were part of a deal for D.C. to get control of the RFK Stadium site, WaPo’s Katie Shepherd and Meagan Flynn report. That will leave it as “the only state in the U.S. without a flying mission.” TRANSITION: Nora Kenney is now comms director at End Chronic Disease. She previously was comms director at the Manhattan Institute. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) … Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) … White House’s Will Scharf … DOD’s Steve Feinberg … Peter Velz … NBC’s Melanie Zanona … Emily Cain … Lara Logan … AP’s Steve Peoples … Paul Farhi … Nathen Huang … POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse, Julie Kennedy and Justin Davis … The Messina Group’s Nick Buis … Scoop News Group’s Matthew Bracken … Emily Jashinsky … David Bergstein … Carina Armenta of Rep. Julia Brownley’s (D-Calif.) office … Marissa Padilla of Global Strategy Group … Liz Jaff … Hillary Beard … Wyn Hornbuckle … Dan Weiner of the Brennan Center for Justice … Robert Gibbs … Rockefeller Foundation’s Eric Pelofsky … ICF Next’s Nancy Murphy … Jay Kenworthy … former Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) … Pasquines’ William-Jose Velez Gonzalez (35) … Peter Cherukuri … Maria Martirosyan Issakhanian … Janay Kingsberry … Kate Thomas THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) … Judge Brad Schimel … Peter Navarro. Panel: Howard Kurtz, Annie Linskey, Marc Thiessen and Juan Williams. Sunday special: National Cherry Blossom Festival. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) … Jeffrey Goldberg. Panel: Jonathan Allen, Michael Dubke, Andrea Mitchell and Symone Sanders Townsend. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) … National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett … Education Secretary Linda McMahon … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Alex Marlow. CBS “Face the Nation”: Shawn Fain … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) … Sue Gordon … retired Gen. Frank McKenzie … new polling with Anthony Salvanto. MSNBC “The Weekend”: Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) … Wisconsin Dem Chair Ben Wikler … Mark Zaid. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … retired Adm. James Stavridis … Chris Christie. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and David Sanger. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Panel: Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Scott Jennings, Chris Meagher and Shermichael Singleton. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) … Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) … Michael Meehan and Lisa Camooso Miller. Panel: Thomas Chatterton Williams, Burgess Everett, Jeff Mason and Kellie Meyer. MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) … Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow … Kara Swisher. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | 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 | | | |
