| | | |  | | By Bethany Irvine | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Rescuers work at the scene of an explosion after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. | AP | Israel says it has more attacks planned against Iran after a series of overnight strikes targeted Tehran’s nuclear program and shook global tensions. As Washington watches the fallout, President Donald Trump is continuing to push Tehran toward the negotiating table to come to a nuclear deal. Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke earlier today, the president told Axios’ Barak Ravid, though Trump “declined to provide details about the call and didn't want to comment on whether Netanyahu asked the U.S. to directly join in the operation.” The view from Israel: Israeli officials say they have planned for at least 14 days of operations, per WSJ. “The likely duration of the campaign fits with analysts' expectations that a single wave of strikes wouldn’t be able to do enough damage to Iran's nuclear program and Israel's comprehensive approach of attacking Iran's facilities, leadership and arsenal at the same time to limit the possibility of a retaliatory strike.” The view from Washington: Trump also spoke with a handful of reporters this morning to expand on his Truth Social post from early this morning. The art of the deal: Trump told NBC in an interview that Iran “may have another opportunity” to negotiate a nuclear deal and suggested officials were reaching out to him today to do so. “They’re calling me to speak,” Trump said. Previewing more pain: Trump also warned of more strikes to come. “I think it's been excellent,” he told ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more.” The blame game: Trump told WSJ’s Meridith McGraw in an interview this morning that Tehran brought the destruction upon itself. “I told the other side, I said, you have 60 days to make the deal. On the 61st day, [Israel] attacked. Today is 61 actually, and it was a very successful attack,” Trump said. He also confirmed to WSJ that he spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday ahead of the attack. “Heads-up? It wasn’t a heads-up. It was, we know what's going on,” Trump said. On the ripple effect: The president “said the markets would respond positively if Iran's nuclear capacity was diminished,” WSJ writes. “‘I think ultimately, it would be great for the market because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,’ he said. ‘It will be great for the market — should be the greatest thing ever for the market.’” On the ground: Officials report that four senior military officials and nuclear scientists in Tehran were killed, with strikes damaging a major nuclear facility and other military installations across the country. So far, reports indicate at least “121 people were injured in the overnight attacks on 12 of Iran’s 31 provinces,” per WaPo. Around the world: Ahead of the attack, the State Department “informed in writing a number of regional allies in the Middle East,” though the note emphasized that the U.S. was not directly involved, Reuters’ Hümeyra Pamuk and colleagues report. Qatar was one of the countries notified. Following the initial strikes, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister called counterparts in Iran, Jordan and Egypt, while the United Arab Emirates urged “the utmost self-restraint,” Semafor’s Mohammed Sergie and Kelsey Warner report. Meanwhile, oil prices surged and stocks dropped dramatically this morning. Bracing for what’s next: U.S. officials are scrambling to shift military sources in the region, moving two destroyers toward the Eastern Mediterranean, as they brace for potential retaliation from Tehran, POLITICO’s Paul McCleary reports. “The ships, which are capable of defending against ballistic and cruise missile attacks, were already in the region and are rerouting … They provide an extra layer of security for U.S. assets already in the Middle East and could help Israel beat back any Iranian missile attacks.” Smart read: POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi writes in her latest Compass column that while the strikes are certain to set back Iran’s nuclear program, “among many Middle East obsessives, there’s a growing sense that the Israeli operation has the potential to lead to something much bigger: toppling Iran’s Islamist government.” Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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A demonstrator is detained during a protest Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Los Angeles (AP Photo/Wally Skalij) | AP | 1. IMMIGRATION FILES: Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block the White House’s recent transfer of personal data of their recipients — including immigration status — to deportation officials despite legal and ethical concerns, AP’s Kimberly Kindy and Amanda Seitz scoop. “The dataset includes the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars. … CMS transferred the information just as the Trump administration was ramping up its enforcement efforts in Southern California.” The latest on LA: Protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s immigration actions continue as major cities around the country brace for major demonstrations over the weekend. Trump praised an appeals court ruling last night that reversed a federal judge’s mandate that he hand over command of the California National Guard to Gov. Gavin Newsom. “If I didn’t send the Military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social today. “We saved L.A. Thank you for the Decision!!!” For your radar: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human trafficking charges” by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein 2. ON DEFENSE: NY Mag’s Kerry Howley is out with a buzzy deep dive on how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s time at the Pentagon has been marred by scandal, infighting and a shrinking staff. As he jumped into the job after a narrow confirmation, it was clear “which parts of the job Hegseth most enjoyed: working out, posting about working out, and discussing the imminent removal of trans servicemembers. … It was clear, too, what worried him: disloyal operatives hiding in plain sight, whispering to his enemies under cover of anonymity.” Notable quotable: “Whether one feels safe with Pete Hegseth alone in his office surrounded by pictures of his wife in a pink dress depends on whether one fears the void more than one fears a Trump White House forcefully executing its plans,” Howley writes. “‘Pete is playing secretary,’ a source says. ‘He’s not being secretary.’ In crisis — an unplanned evacuation, Israel bombing Iran, China moving on Taiwan — there will be no one with experience to lead. ‘For any sustained operations, we’re screwed.’” 3. LAW AND ORDER: A second federal judge today blocked key provisions of Trump’s executive order intended to make it harder to register to vote in federal elections, including a requirement for voters to prove their citizenship, POLITICO’s Hassan Ali Kanu writes. “Massachusetts U.S. District Judge Denise Casper wrote in the ruling that the Constitution gives the power to regulate elections to Congress, adding that lawmakers have not passed any laws that authorize Trump’s actions or otherwise delegate their authority to the president.” Meanwhile, in Manhattan: Trump “failed to persuade a federal appeals court to reconsider the $5 million verdict won by E. Jean Carroll after a jury found that the U.S. president sexually abused and defamed the former magazine columnist in the 1990s,” Reuters’Jonathan Stempel reports. Trump is also “separately asking the appeals court to throw out an $83.3 million jury verdict in January 2024 for defaming Carroll and damaging her reputation when the Republican first denied her rape claim.”
| | | | Playbook, the unofficial guide to official Washington, isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a podcast, too. With new co-hosts who bring unmatched Trump world reporting and analysis, The Playbook Podcast dives deeper into the power plays shaping Washington. Get the insider edge—start listening now. | | | | | 4. RECONCIALABLE DIFFERENCES: As they close in on a deal this week, GOP lawmakers remain stuck between a rock and a hard place with state and local tax deductions. As leadership tries to mediate between both chambers, House Republicans still aren’t backing down on their calls for the $40,000 state and local tax deduction cap in their version of the bill — and their Senate colleagues haven’t yet offered any tangible compromise, with many wanting to cut “or in some cases kill” the cap, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller report. “Zero is a good number” for a SALT cap, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told Semafor. 5. THE COMPANY WAY: As many as seven partners are exiting Willkie Farr & Gallagher after the law firm cut a deal with Trump to avoid an executive order targeting its employees. The departing partners are instead joining Cooley, “a firm that has helped successfully challenge one of Mr. Trump’s orders in court,” NYT’s Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman report. “Cooley represented Jenner & Block in that firm’s legal efforts to challenge an executive order rather than settle with the president.” Willkie “was a target for Mr. Trump’s team primarily because it employed a top investigator for the congressional committee that investigated Mr. Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.” 6. THE MOTHER LOAD: Democrats are hoping that a new wave of candidates, moms of young children, will give them an advantage with voters as they reevaluate how to connect with key demographics in the midterms, POLITICO’s Amanda Friedman reports. “Motherhood — once seen as a political liability — is becoming a key plank of campaign messaging for a new crop of Democratic candidates. … And they have support from Vote Mama, a PAC dedicated to helping mothers of minor children get elected to public office. The group currently has 70 endorsed candidates and expects that number to grow.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Ruben and Sydney Gallego, recently welcomed a son, Cooper. A signed copy of Larry Csonka’s memoir inscribed with, “To Marco Rubio,” was left in a Little Free Library last week, including a 2023 birthday card to the then-senator tucked inside the pages. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — POLITICO’s Michael Schaffer pens his latest Capital City column: “America Actually Does Do Military Parades. But Not Like This One.” FROM FIRED TO FAREWELL — “A Smithsonian Museum Director Steps Down in Wake of Trump’s ‘Firing,’” by NYT’s Robin Pogrebin and Graham Bowley: “Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery whom President Trump announced he was firing last month, is stepping down, explaining in a statement that she thought her decision was in the best interests of the institution. … ‘This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,’ she said [in a statement delivered to staff].” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Aspen Digital and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation's “Shared Futures: The AI Forum” opening reception last night: Baratunde Thurston, Refik Anadol, Yasmin Green, Salome Agbaroji, Anil Dash, Louise Burke, Alexandra Reeves Givens, Miriam Vogel, Rebecca Finlay, Pippa Lambert, Aaron Huey, Dan Hammer, Vilas Dhar, Nick Cain and Vivian Schiller. 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 editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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