| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro On today’s Playbook Podcast: Adam and Megan Messerly break down what to watch for with the looming release of the Epstein files — plus the early 2028 marker that JD Vance nabbed.
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| Happy Friday. This is Adam Wren. 2025 refuses to cede the stage to 2026. Get in touch. IN MEMORIAM: Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt died yesterday at the age of 88. Hunt was known as a politician who “burnished North Carolina’s reputation as a beacon of moderation in the South over four terms as governor but lost the Senate race that could have vaulted him to the presidency,” as POLITICO’s own Jonathan Martin writes in the New York Times obituary. “There’s always more demand for advance obits than people able to write them. But the obits desk was nice enough to send around a list of politicians they needed advance obits for,” JMart, a former Times man, texted in to Playbook. “I just grabbed a few. I think that was my last one that was in the can. I wrote it during Covid, 2020. A fascinating life.” But Hunt lived long enough for JMart to catch him well after he penned the obituary. He recalled seeing Hunt on the campaign trail last fall, when former President Bill Clinton was in Hunt’s hometown of Wilson, North Carolina. “They served together for years. It was cool to see them back at it,” JMart said. In today’s Playbook … — Everything you need to know ahead of the long-awaited release of the Epstein files. — Donald Trump will hit North Carolina on the second leg of his affordability tour. — And a major 2028 presidential endorsement lands.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | DEADLINE DAY: It’s been nearly 300 days since AG Pam Bondi announced the first phase of the release of the files surrounding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Back then, Bondi offered a boisterous claim, telling Fox News that the Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” That was in February. Fast forward 10 months, and we have arrived at D-Day. Today marks the deadline for the Department of Justice to fully release the files after Congress last month passed a bill mandating the documents be made public within 30 days of the measure becoming law. Today could also be unsatisfying to Epstein truthers. “I’m sure it’s going to be another big ‘get-Trump’ nothingburger,” said Laura Loomer, the far-right activist, MAGA influencer and confidante to the president, who predicted earlier this year that the Epstein saga could “consume his presidency.” It’s worth zooming out to consider what this day means for Trump and his supporters: The release will cap off the end of a brutal run for the MAGA coalition, and a defeat for Trump in his reversal on their release. The story of his relationship to and stance on the files broke through this year like few stories have during Trump’s second presidency. More from POLITICO’s Jacob Wendler Take his closest adviser on the matter: Just this week, chief of staff Susie Wiles was quoted on the record in her explosive Vanity Fair profile saying that Bondi “whiffed” in her handling of the Epstein files and “appreciating” how much Trump’s supporters actually cared about the issue. “First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.” Or, as Loomer put it to us: “There’s no denying that binder-gate was a total fiasco and it was a big blunder that was really the first negative PR blunder for this administration thus far.” Even still, today’s release is not likely to quiet the fever swamps. “I don’t think it’s going to put it to bed,” Loomer said. “Because there are people out there who are determined to use this as a way to get Trump. Remember, I said, this is the new Russia collusion hoax. They are going to use this messaging in the 2026 midterms and possibly into the 2028 presidential election.”
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Explore our ongoing work. | | | | Here’s how Ankush Khardori distills it for POLITICO Magazine this morning in his latest Rules of Law column: “Whatever emerges is unlikely to put an end to the endless swirl of Epstein-related conspiracy theories,” Ankush writes. “After all, there are still substantial numbers of Americans — 20 percent based on a 2023 poll — who believe that the U.S. government was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, despite a thorough investigation by one of the most well-regarded government commissions in modern American history. Indeed, it is possible that this release will only perpetuate those conspiracy theories and provide fodder for even more of them for years to come.” For a better understanding of how to parse the piles of material expected in the release, Playbook asked POLITICO’s ace legal reporter Erica Orden for a download on when we can expect the drop, what’s likely to be among the materials and what to look out for when they arrive and what she will have her eyes on. What are you expecting to happen today with the Epstein files? It’s hard to predict, because all manner of unexpected turns have transpired in the Epstein saga, but my guess is that the Justice Department will release the files late tonight, just before the deadline. I think it’s certainly possible that the department issues a request or a demand for more time, citing its obligation to protect victim information and the massive amount of material it is required to vet before releasing the documents. But given the political temperature on this, that may not go over well with the public or with the parties who have been pushing for the release of these files. The text of the law does not specify a penalty if DOJ fails to meet today’s deadline. What if nothing happens today? It doesn’t appear that there would be any immediate legal consequence, although it seems likely there would be political backlash. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of the co-sponsors of the act, has pointed out that while the department would be breaking the law if it fails to meet the deadline, officials would be unlikely to be prosecuted during the current administration — but could be subject to prosecution in the future. Realistically, though, the most likely next step would be that the administration faces serious public pressure to comply with the law as quickly as possible. What kind of materials are you watching for? I am most interested in any internal memos written by prosecutors about these investigations and their charging decisions, as well as their strategy for sidestepping the non-prosecution agreement that Epstein struck in Florida. I’m also interested in any materials that provide insight into their deliberations about whether to charge any of the powerful figures associated with Epstein as well as any of the young women who figured in Epstein’s orbit. For some of them, it wasn’t clear whether they were victims or co-conspirators, and I’m curious how prosecutors sorted that out. Beyond that, I am, of course, interested in any material that sheds light on the relationship between Epstein, co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and Trump, as well as any of the other prominent names associated with the sex-trafficking ring. THE PALLS OF JUSTICE: The crunch to deliver the release of the files was met with mounting frustration inside DOJ as officials rushed to make all of the requisite redactions in time, CNN’s Katelyn Polantz and Evan Perez report. “A substantial number of redactions are needed, one of the sources said, and the documents each attorney is processing since Thanksgiving week can number more than 1,000 — a time-consuming task that likely will come down to the wire.” Meanwhile, lawyers who were working on the files in DOJ’s National Security Division “also believe they aren’t getting clear or comprehensive direction on how to make the most information available under the law, several sources said. Counterintelligence specialists were asked to drop nearly all of their other work to process the Epstein documents, two people said, but some lawyers declined to participate.”
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| | | | AFFORDABILITY AGENDA ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Trump is headed to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he is scheduled to speak around 9 p.m. for the second leg of his so-called affordability tour to tout his administration’s efforts to boost the economy and connect with voters who are racked with worry over the cost of living. Right on cue: Voters in Rocky Mount who spoke to AP’s Makiya Seminera “say they are feeling an economic squeeze that seems hard to escape. The uneasy feeling spans political affiliation in the town, which is split between two largely rural and somewhat impoverished counties, although some were more hopeful than others that there are signs of reprieve on the horizon.” The stakes are high: Today’s speech follows a week that saw Trump deliver a tight economic message from the halls of the White House — one that stood in stark contrast to the meandering stumping that he did in Pennsylvania on the first stop of his tour last week. It also marks the first time that Trump has touched down on the newly gerrymandered maps that he pushed for across the country. Tonight’s event is tucked into North Carolina’s redrawn 1st Congressional District, which “is now more likely to elect a Republican candidate after decades of representation by Black Democrats,” per NC Newsline’s Laura Leslie. Great expectations: Despite the concerted effort that Trump showed to stay on message during Wednesday’s White House address to the nation, many Republicans still didn’t think he struck the right tone — as an increasingly downbeat vibe takes hold about what that may mean for their party’s chances in the midterms, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols reports. “It’s the right idea to talk about the economy more, but the execution was abysmal,” one GOP operative told POLITICO. “He’s a very effective salesman when his heart is in it or when he’s on the attack. But the ‘I feel your pain’ speech — he just doesn’t have that club in his bag.” INFLATION NATION: The arrival of another murky inflation report yesterday only complicates the economic picture, and it doesn’t appear that it’ll get clearer anytime soon. Economists say that the data holes left from the government shutdown will likely continue to paint a slanted picture of the national economy for months to come, WSJ’s Matt Grossman and Chao Deng report. “Lingering distortions might make it harder for investors and policymakers to track inflation during a critical period when many are hyperfocused on how big changes to trade, immigration and fiscal policy are affecting the economy.” DEMS DIALED IN: Despite entering the year uniformly locked out of power in Washington, House Democrats have continually banded together under Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “to successfully undercut the GOP agenda and put its leaders on the back foot,” POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Meredith Lee Hill report. “From a daily drumbeat on health care to the long-running saga over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to a new focus on the rising cost of living, they believe they’re succeeding by making the party in power talk about Democratic priorities, not its own.”
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| | | | TRAIL MIX 2028 WATCH: Erika Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of the late Charlie Kirk, kicked off Turning Point’s AmericaFest conference last night by endorsing JD Vance for president in 2028, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard reports from Phoenix, Arizona. Though the vice president has not stated his intention to run, he is the de facto heir apparent to take up Trump’s MAGA mantle once Trump leaves office. “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” Kirk told the crowd of thousands, referring to the number of the next president. While Kirk’s decision to back Vance is not a surprise, doing so years in advance lays down a significant marker for the 2028 presidential race, given TPUSA’s major influence among the MAGA movement, particularly among young conservatives. Vance and Charlie Kirk were close friends before Kirk was killed back in September. When asked whether Vance was up to the task of keeping Trump’s coalition together in 2028, Kirk told Playbook back in July that Vance was “doing a masterful job of having the president’s back and explaining that to the base.” Vance is set to speak to close out the AmFest conference on Sunday. Just Vance: “JD Vance's Safe Harbor,” by POLITICO Magazine’s Ian Ward: “The rapidly proliferating public conflicts within the MAGA movement present a distinct danger for the man whose political future depends on holding the coalition together. But Vice President JD Vance appears to have settled on a strategy for bridging these divides: Blame immigration.” ELSEWHERE AT AMFEST: Despite the rallying cry to unify behind Vance, the MAGA faithful gathered in Phoenix devolved into a spectacle of infighting, Andrew reports. Ben Shapiro, the first speaker after Erika Kirk, “ripped into those who would take the same stage in the coming hours and days, calling out conservative commentators and blasting Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon as “frauds and grifters.” He said the “conservative movement is in serious danger,” arguing the danger is not just on the left, but “from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A Michigan man: Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign launched its first TV ad in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, going up with a nearly six-figure ad campaign months ahead of the August primary showdown. El-Sayed’s ads are slated to be shown during college football bowl games featuring Michigan-based teams, including the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, which will see Texas take on the University of Michigan, El-Sayed’s alma mater. The 30-second spot features an impassioned plea from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): “We need fighters like Abdul who have the guts to take on the oligarchy and stand with the working class of Michigan and this country,” Sanders said. Watch the ad FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Endorsement watch: Stop Gun Violence, a new gun-owner and sportsmen-led organization dedicated to promoting responsible gun ownership and preventing gun violence, launched today with endorsements for 23 House candidates who the organization says are “committed to advancing reforms that will save lives.” The list includes front-liners such as Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), George Whitesides (D-Calif.), Derek Tran (D-Calif.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Gabe Vazquez (D-N.M.), Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.). DEEP IN THE HEART: The dramatic Texas Senate race saw another turn of the screw last night, when embattled Texas Republican AG Ken Paxton and wife Angela mutually agreed to unseal their divorce records. The documents have been the subject of a heated court battle between the Paxtons and news organizations, which have been fighting for the public release of the records. The Paxtons’ decision last night headed off a hearing today in which a judge in Texas was weighing the bid to unseal the documents. The hearing scheduled for this morning is still set to go off, with the judge still needing to approve of the order signed by lawyers for the Paxtons, per The Texas Newsroom’s Lauren McGaughy. MOVING THE MESSAGE: As Republicans eye next years’ midterm elections, lawmakers and the White House are working to pivot their health care messaging away from costs and toward restricting transgender care for children, POLITICO’s Simon Levien and Jessica Piper report. The expiring ACA subsidy fight has further punctuated voters’ worries over rising health care costs, though the GOP is hoping to flip the script to rally their base. “Opposing transgender care, by contrast, mostly unites Republicans and they think their position appeals to voters.” REDISTRICTING ROADTRIP: “A 700-Mile Ramble Through California’s Most Egregiously Gerrymandered New District,” by Will McCarthy for POLITICO Magazine: “While Prop 50 has been trumpeted as a victory for Democrats and democracy, it was also, fundamentally, a decision to further distance vast stretches of the state from political representation. Farflung places that couldn’t feel more different from urban centers like Marin will now, at least geographically, make up the vast majority of the district. I was curious what that would look like at ground level. So I decided to drive it.”
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Learn more. | | | | BEST OF THE REST WAR AND PEACE: Kremlin officials are expected to visit the U.S. this weekend as the push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Trump sounded hopeful ahead of the talks, telling reporters in the Oval Office that the effort is “getting close to something” as his envoys prepare to meet Russian officials in Miami, per Reuters. He also upped the pressure on Ukraine, saying he hoped the country “moves quickly,” as territorial concessions remain a sticking point. The view from Europe: European officials gathered in Brussels “failed to reach a deal on sending Russian frozen state assets to Ukraine after a 16-hour summit,” POLITICO’s Gregorio Sorgi reports. “Countries were forced instead to agree on an emergency backup plan based on EU joint debt that was pushed for weeks by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and was deemed a long shot until hours before the deal was done.” On Venezuela: Meanwhile, in a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump left open the potential to go to war with Venezuela. “I don’t rule it out, no,” he told NBC, though he noted that he wouldn’t discuss it. “But when he was pressed, he confirmed it was a possibility and said there will be additional seizures of oil tankers. Asked for a timeline, Trump replied: ‘It depends. If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.’ Trump also declined to say whether ousting [Venezuelan leader Nicolás] Maduro was his ultimate goal. ‘He knows exactly what I want,’ Trump replied. ‘He knows better than anybody.’” BROWN SHOOTING LATEST: “Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say,” by AP’s Kimberlee Kruesi and colleagues: “A frantic search for the suspect in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University ended at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside and then revealed he also was suspected of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief. … Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.” VAX NOT: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS is planning a major overhaul of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, potentially recommending fewer shots to bring it closer to countries like Denmark, per CNN’s Adam Cancryn and colleagues. “HHS had planned to make the announcement Friday afternoon, the person said, but it was pushed to 2026 so as not to conflict with White House plans to announce further efforts to lower drug costs through ‘Most Favored Nation’ pricing.” FOR YOUR RADAR: “Coast Guard abruptly deletes swastika, noose entry from policy manual,” by WaPo’s Tara Copp and Marianne LeVine: “The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday deleted language from its new workplace harassment policy that had downgraded the definition of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to ‘potentially divisive,’ … [The document] now shows a large black bar obscuring the relevant chapter in its table of contents and a message directing readers to a separate manual outlining the Coast Guard’s civil rights policies.” BENCH BRUSHBACK: “Jury finds Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal agents,” by AP’s Todd Richmond: “Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan with obstruction, a felony, and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, in April. The jury acquitted her on the concealment count, but she still faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction count.” TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: “TikTok Says It Signed Agreements for New US Joint Venture,” by Bloomberg’s Alexandra S. Levine: “TikTok’s long-delayed plan to separate from Chinese parent ByteDance Ltd. was put in motion Thursday when the video sharing sensation said it’s being bought by a group of buyers led by Oracle Corp. … Chinese regulators have yet to say whether they’ll approve the transaction.” THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Mike Dubke and Brendan Daly. PBS “Washington Week”: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Jonathan Karl, Franklin Foer and Ashley Parker. SUNDAY SO FAR … CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) … Archbishop Paul Coakley. ABC “This Week”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Andrew Ross Sorkin … Charlamagne Tha God. Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie, Sarah Isgur and Faiz Shakir. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) … Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) … Kevin Hassett. Panel: Marc Thiessen, Stef Kight, Michael Duncan and Juan Williams. Sunday Special: Dead Sea Scrolls at Museum of the Bible. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Panel: Sara Fagen, Garrett Haake, Jeh Johnson and Tyler Pager. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). Panel: Scott Jennings, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Kate Bedingfield and Bakari Sellers. MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) … Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton ... Jess Michaels. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) … Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) … Jeffrey Rosen. Panel: Joe Khalil, Sabrina Siddiqui and Stephanie Slade. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Tom Homan … Jack Keane … Cardinal Timothy Dolan … Devin Nunes … Ram Charan.
| | | | Sponsored Survey WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Please take a 1-minute survey about one of our advertising partners. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | FAN CLUB — Barack Obama released his annual list of his top books, movies and music. He reserved a spot on his book list for his wife Michelle’s latest, “The Look.” His film recommendations lean heavily on award-season favorites. And he opted out of taking a side in the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef, choosing one song from each. See the lists CLEMENCY FOR CHRISTMAS — Jelly Roll, the country music star, was the recipient of a pardon from Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Lee yesterday, wiping clear his “criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native’s long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances,” per AP. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Mediawatch: Reuters recently laid off around a half-dozen editors and bought out another seven reporters as it restructures parts of its U.S. newsroom, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman reports. While the wire service’s overall headcount has increased this year, the layoffs included several longtime veteran editors at the company, desk editors and Heather Timmons, a former White House editor based in D.C., according to three people familiar with the moves. Employees affected were told it was part of a broader corporate restructuring due to strategic business decisions, according to one of the people. The seven reporters left voluntarily after they asked to be bought out, according to another person. A Reuters spokesperson said the company does not comment on personnel matters. MEDIA MOVES — Karey Van Hall is joining Semafor as Washington editor. She previously worked at WaPo and is a USA Today and POLITICO alum. TRANSITION — Kemi Giwa is now senior manager for policy communications at Chime. She previously worked for House Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Sofia Rose Haft, director of strategic partnerships at Anduril Industries and a public affairs officer in the Navy Reserve, and Michael Haft, founder and CEO of Compass Coffee, on Tuesday welcomed Alexander Leo Haft, who came in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. He joins big sister Sloan. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Pat Fallon (R-Texas) … NYT’s Teddy Schleifer … Chris Meagher … retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones … Ronan Farrow … Tal Kopan of the Boston Globe … Tomicah Tillemann … CNN’s Josh Freedom du Lac … former Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) … Bronwyn Lance … WSJ’s Robbie Gramer … Jenny Murphy … Michael Duncan of Cavalry … Ann Lewis … NPR’s Kelsey Snell … Ethan Todras-Whitehill … Nicole Lindler and Shannon McGahn of the National Association of Realtors … Ryan Jackson … Amy Best Weiss of American Express … Kelsey Moran … Erin Taylor of the Climate Reality Project … POLITICO’s Alec Gaffney and Emily Yehle … Chloe Brown of Shein … Max McClellan … Denise Grant of Overlook Strategies … CBS’ Isabel Pellegrino … David Lauteri … Molly Fratianne Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Garrett Ross. | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
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