| | | |  | | By Zack Stanton | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Good morning, and happy Friday. I’m Zack Stanton. Send me your tips. TOP TALKER: Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump met in Anchorage with Russian President Vladimir Putin in what could have been a signature achievement for special envoy Steve Witkoff. But the promised follow-up meetings between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy never materialized, ceasefire demands were dropped, threats of action have disappeared and Trump’s team has offered no clear road ahead. Why is that? Some frustrated U.S., Ukrainian and European officials say that Witkoff’s go-it-alone approach is part of the problem — and has led to repeated miscues with Russia, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz reports this morning in a piece sure to have national capitals around the world buzzing. Contributing to the status quo: Witkoff “talks to all these people, but no one knows what he says in any of these meetings,” said a U.S. official familiar with the envoy’s diplomatic style. “He will say things publicly but then he changes his mind. It’s hard to operationalize that.” Witkoff’s Washington office is sparsely staffed, and short on people experienced in complex diplomatic negotiations. And he has refused to do typical consultations with Russia and Ukraine experts in and outside of government, according to the five people familiar with internal discussions. What the administration says: After hearing about POLITICO's reporting, the White House sent over laudatory statements from six people. In one, U.K. national security adviser Jonathan Powell said Witkoff “has been able to open doors that no one else could,” and “is exactly [the] sort of person” who gets results in diplomacy by concentrating “on building trust between key leaders … and moving quietly to cut a deal.” In another, VP JD Vance said “Witkoff has made more progress towards ending the bloodshed in Ukraine than all his critics combined.” In his own words: “What we’re trying to do is put Putin and Zelensky together and create the opportunity to have a successful meeting,” Witkoff told Felicia in an interview. To wit, he's meeting with a Zelenskyy lieutenant today. And yet: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said yesterday that there will “obviously not” be direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, even as Witkoff continues to chase after a deal. In today’s Playbook … — Barack Obama reenters the political fray. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA revolution triggers alarm bells ring across the scientific and medical establishments. — Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook and exert control over the Fed is set to go before a federal judge.
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The reemergence of former President Barack Obama comes at a moment when the Democratic Party is largely rudderless. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | BACK IN THE GAME: Trump’s second term has thus far been something of an eight-month mission to test out the limits of his power — one in which he has ripped through the norms that have hemmed in his presidency. In response, Trump’s actions as president are testing another limit: the willingness of a former president to stay out of the political fray. Former President Barack Obama has, in recent days, reengaged in the political moment in ways broadly uncommon for a former Oval Office occupant. In public, he’s rallying Democrats to actively fight the GOP’s Trump-inspired mid-cycle gerrymandering efforts — “an existential threat to our democracy,” Obama said in a video he posted yesterday. In private, he’s having calls with the party’s rising stars — not just Zohran Mamdani in New York, but also state Rep. James Talarico in Texas (more on that in a moment). He’s trumpeting the party’s upset victory in a special election for a seat in the Iowa state Senate. (“When we are organized and support strong candidates who are focused on the issues that matter, we can win. Let's keep this going.”) He’s endorsed, via X, Wednesday’s edition of Ezra Klein’s NYT show. In that episode, the host shared his concern that Trump is “creating crisis and disorder so he can build what he has wanted to build: an authoritarian state, a military or a paramilitary that answers only to him — that puts him in total control.” It all amounts to something of an escalation for Obama. In April, he spoke of the import of the “rules-based” order, and criticized the Trump administration’s crackdown on Big Law. In June, he shared his concern that America was fast approaching a “situation in which all of us are going to be tested in some way, and we are going to have to then decide what our commitments are.” Perhaps now that test has arrived. It comes at a moment when the Democratic Party is largely rudderless at the national level, seemingly adrift. In that vacuum — no clear leader, no clear vision, no identifiable cause at the moment aside from stopping Trump — Obama may be the party’s most unifying figure. (None of which is to say that he’s focused on clinging to the past.) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The next generation?: Obama called Texas state Rep. James Talarico last week to express support for his leadership in the state’s redistricting battle, two people familiar with the call tell Playbook’s Adam Wren. Obama specifically praised Talarico as an effective spokesperson for showing up on different media and platforms, including his interview with Joe Rogan — which Obama told him requires risk and authenticity. The 2026 backdrop: It comes as Talarico is weighing a Senate bid, which would mean a Democratic primary against former Rep. Colin Allred. We are told the call was not Obama signaling a preference in such a primary, and the two did not discuss a potential Senate run. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Speaking of redistricting: “As Republicans charge forward with their national gerrymandering gambit, Democrats are rushing to take advantage of an unexpected gift in Utah,” POLITICO's Liz Crampton and Samuel Benson report. Beehive State Democrats are strategizing how to win a seat in the Salt Lake City metro area. Names to know: If a competitive new district emerges, former Rep. Ben McAdams, a conservative Dem, is seriously considering running. He has already started phoning up donors, Liz and Samuel report. What to watch for today: A court hearing is scheduled in “the case that found Utah Republicans unlawfully bypassed voter-approved safeguards against partisan gerrymandering while creating the current map. That hearing will likely reveal how [Republicans] plan to delay implementation of the ruling until after the midterms.”
| | | | A message from Booz Allen: Booz Allen uses the most advanced tech to engineer, build, and deploy what nobody else can. So our nation can stay ahead. It's how we win every time, everywhere. It's in our code. Learn more. | | | | THE MAHA REVOLUTION MAHA, C’EST MOI: If MAGA is whatever Trump says it is, as we have previously written, there’s a similar dynamic at play with the MAHA movement: It is whatever Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says it is. It’s a notable position, because that makes the HHS secretary fundamentally different from other Trump Cabinet members: He has his own political base distinct from (but connected to) Trump’s. Which is perhaps why Kennedy feels so empowered to pursue the policies he personally prefers — even when they conflict with what Trump might think. (The flip side of this is that it could also make Senate Republicans more willing to lay into him because his base isn’t the same as the GOP primary electorate.) To wit: “As President Trump sat with top donors at his New Jersey golf club this month, he made a private admission: He believed the coronavirus vaccine was one of the biggest accomplishments of his presidency, but he couldn’t bask in it,” WSJ’s Jennifer Calfas and colleagues report. And yet: “President Donald Trump promised to let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘go wild’ on health. He’s following through,” as POLITICO’s Carmen Paun and Megan Messerly put it. The latest example: The mushrooming fallout from Kennedy’s ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month after the Senate confirmed her. Her firing “prompted dismay from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill as well as the public health establishment, but it was just the latest instance in which Trump has had Kennedy’s back when he makes controversial decisions,” Carmen and Megan write. Kennedy’s problem with Monarez? She refused Kennedy’s demand that she “fire career agency officials and commit to backing his advisers if they recommended restricting access to proven vaccines,” NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg and colleagues report. The stakes: “With Dr. Monarez facing an uncertain future, and the agency’s top ranks depleted, leading public health experts wondered aloud on Thursday whether the C.D.C. could recover — and what might happen should a pandemic or other health crisis arise,” NYT reports. “They said they fear the United States will be unable to handle a future pandemic or other health crisis.” Among the resignations: Daniel Jernigan, who helped oversee the CDC’s infectious-disease response. WaPo’s Lena Sun and colleagues report that Jernigan’s last straw “was being forced to work with David Geier, a proponent of the false claim that vaccines cause autism.” Jernigan told the post that they were “asked to revise and to review and change studies that have been settled in the past, scientific findings that were there to help guide vaccine decisions.” Quote of the day: Demetre Daskalakis, who quit as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases over Monarez’s firing, told the Atlantic’s Tom Bartlett that nobody from his center had been allowed to brief Kennedy. “I’m not sure where he’s getting his information other than Substacks that are erroneous,” Daskalakis said. Now running the CDC: Jim O’Neill, a Kennedy deputy, which could give RFK Jr. a rubber stamp to advance his anti-vaccine agenda, as WaPo’s Dan Diamond scooped. The reality is that, with the resignations, Kennedy will likely amass even more power: If a skeptical Senate has trouble confirming nominees, he gets to just install acolytes, Axios’ Maya Goldman reports. MAHA is thrilled, writes the Washington Examiner’s Gabrielle Etzel. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Kennedy will be before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney notes. (The hearing was already in the works before this latest episode.) What can you expect?: Some Senate Republicans are concerned. Cassidy called for the HHS’ Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to “indefinitely postpone” its planned Sept. 18 meeting. “If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy,” he said in a statement. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she’s “alarmed,” per WSJ’s Jennifer Calfas and Siobhan Hughes.
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| | | | FED UP STAT OF THE DAY: It’s another big day for the U.S. economy, beginning with the July personal consumption expenditures price index at 8:30 a.m., the latest gauge of inflation. Economists forecast core inflation picking up to a five-month high of 2.9 percent, per Bloomberg’s Rita Nazareth. The big question is whether an unexpectedly high or low reading alters the Fed’s plans for next month, when an interest rate cut has lately been looking more likely. A bright spot: Commerce Department revisions to GDP data showed that the economy actually grew 3.3 percent in the second quarter, not the previous tally of 3 percent, per the WSJ. Consumer spending and AI-fueled sectors of the economy were stronger than previously known. Stock markets rose to record highs on the news. THE BIG MOMENT: Normally, economic data would be the major news of the day for the central bank. But barring a PCE surprise, all eyes today will really be on a federal courtroom at 10 a.m., when Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook and seize control of the Fed goes before a judge. Cook officially sued and requested a temporary restraining order yesterday, per Reuters. At stake is the Fed’s longstanding independence from political interference. This is likely going all the way to the Supreme Court, which would have the final say on whether Trump’s effort to fire Cook “for cause” is legitimate. What to know: The case was randomly assigned to Jia Cobb, a Joe Biden appointee, per POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein. And Cook’s filing yesterday gave the first indication of her substantive response to the mortgage fraud allegations against her, as her lawyers suggested it may have been a “clerical error” — and that this was only a ruse by Trump as he weaponizes law enforcement, per Bloomberg. MIRAN ON THE MOVE: Stephen Miran’s nomination to the Fed is heading quickly to a Senate Finance confirmation hearing Thursday, and Democrats will be able to hold it up only briefly, Bloomberg’s Steven Dennis reports. What will Miran bring to the table? More disruption, POLITICO’s Sam Sutton writes this morning. The Harvard-trained economist “has proposed measures that would allow the president to fire Fed governors at will. He wants to end the inflation targeting that anchors expectations for prices and has slammed the ‘wildly inappropriate’ purchases of Treasury debt during economic expansions. He has even questioned traditional notions of central bank independence.” ZOOMING OUT: Global trade is shifting again today as tariffs on low-value, small shipments — ending the “de minimis” exemption — went into effect at 12:01 a.m., per the FT. It’s another escalation of Trump’s trade war, and with these imports no longer duty-free, dozens of countries and postal services suspended shipments to the U.S. Mexico was the latest to join the list yesterday, per Semafor. U.S. officials emphasized that this is “a permanent change,” no exceptions, and said they’re working with trading partners to restore shipments, which will continue uninterrupted from Canada and the U.K., Reuters’ David Lawder and Andrea Shalal report. Americans will start to see the sticker shock immediately, as Bloomberg notes. TRADING PLACES: The EU took steps to lower its tariffs on the U.S., paving the way for the trade deal with Trump to be implemented further, per Bloomberg. But regarding a different irritant, Bloomberg’s Riley Griffin and Jennifer Dlouhy report that Trump’s recent threats against Europe and others over digital service taxes followed a meeting with Mark Zuckerberg in which the Meta CEO raised the issue. Trade tensions with other countries continue: India is set to buy more Russian oil next month, tariffs be damned, Reuters scooped. And despite coming to D.C. this week, Canadian officials are still struggling to get the U.S. to lift tariffs, FT’s Ilya Gridneff reports.
| | | | Playbook goes beyond the newsletter — with powerhouse co-hosts at the mic. Join Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns every weekday on The Playbook Podcast for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington. Start listening now. | | | | | BEST OF THE REST RUBIO ON THE ROAD: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit U.S. Southern Command in Florida today at 12:15 p.m. Then next week, he’ll swing through Mexico and Ecuador to talk immigration, crime and more, per the AP. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Betting on red: Robert Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, has donated $500,000 to GOP Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign for governor after she was targeted by a racist sign at a recent campaign rally, according to her campaign. Johnson, in a statement provided to POLITICO, said he was “so appalled by that racist diatribe … that I choose to show the voters of Virginia how Black Brothers stand up to defend and support their Black Sisters.” Johnson, who also founded RLJ Companies, was part of Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s fundraising network and backed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 before shifting away from the party. 2026 WATCH: Trump yesterday called for Republicans to hold a national party convention before the midterms, echoing a reported plan for Democrats to potentially do the same. … Mark Teixeira, a former Texas Rangers and New York Yankees player, announced he’s running for Congress as a Republican to replace Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), per The Texas Tribune. … A judge rejected Georgia AG Chris Carr’s lawsuit to stop Lt. Gov. Burt Jones from raising unlimited campaign money, as the two compete in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2028 WATCH: It’s years away, but Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is planning to announce that he’ll challenge fellow Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the next election, Fox News’ Charles Creitz scooped. WAR IN UKRAINE: The U.S. announced an $825 million sale of more than 3,000 missiles to give Ukraine a boost on the battlefield with European funding, apparently the first significant package of new weapons the Trump administration has sold to Kyiv, per CNN. But as European leaders freaked out about Russia’s latest deadly attacks on Ukraine, the White House remained fairly sanguine and blamed both sides for not reaching peace, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols reports. Not giving up, European leaders are weighing a last-ditch buffer zone on the front lines, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch scooped. THE BIG-CITY CRACKDOWN: Chicago may be next in line for the Trump administration to surge immigration enforcement, federal authorities and potentially the military. CBS’ Sara Tenenbaum reports that LA-style immigration operations could begin as early as Sept. 5. But Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city hasn’t gotten any communications about whether Trump will deploy the National Guard, so they’re leaning on plans they used for the Democratic National Convention last year, POLITICO’s Shia Kapos reports. Drawing a contrast with Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll send state police into big cities, POLITICO’s Blake Jones reports. Capital punishment: In D.C., the man accused of throwing a sandwich at federal agents was charged with a misdemeanor after prosecutors couldn’t secure a felony, AP’s Alanna Durkin Richer reports. … But the administration highlighted the immigration detentions of a man who’s been charged with sexual battery of a child and other alleged violent criminals, the N.Y. Post’s Jennie Taer scooped. SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: When Congress returns next week, the big focus will be averting a government shutdown that looms at the end of September. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries again asked GOP leaders for a meeting next week, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney reports, but Republicans have yet to decide on a strategy. Medicaid funding and concern about future rescissions package will likely be a major focus for Dems, Axios’ Andrew Solender writes. More coming attractions in Congress: Senate Republicans are likely to go for the nuclear option, changing chamber rules, to confirm more Trump nominees more quickly, Semafor’s Burgess Everett scooped. One nominee that could see smooth sailing is Sergio Gor for U.S. ambassador to India, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reports. … Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she’ll file a rule this morning for a discharge petition that could force a vote on a congressional stock trading ban. … FBI Director Kash Patel and AG Pam Bondi will testify before House Judiciary in mid-September and early October, when they’ll probably face lots of questions about the Jeffrey Epstein files, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports. THE INSURRECTION 180: “US Air Force to provide military funeral honors for rioter killed on January 6,” by CNN’s Haley Britzky and Holmes Lybrand: “The US Air Force will provide full military funeral honors for Ashli Babbit, an Air Force veteran and pro-Donald Trump rioter who was shot and killed on January 6, 2021 after breaching a sensitive area of the US Capitol, where members of Congress were evacuating. … The honors had been previously denied under the Biden administration.”
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| | | | THE WEEKEND AHEAD TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: special edition with Dan Balz. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) … Demetre Daskalakis … Richard Besser. CBS “Face the Nation”: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem … Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker … Celine Gounder. Panel: Rachael Bade, Jennifer Jacobs and Karen Tumulty. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro … Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.). Panel: Mollie Hemingway, Susan Page, Kevin Walling and Philip Wegmann. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) … Sebastian Gorka … Cindy McCain. Panel: Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Scott Jennings and Kate Bedingfield. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Education Secretary Linda McMahon … Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer … Mississippi state Superintendent of Education Lance Evans … Catherine Pakaluk. NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Hoda Kotb. Panel: Leigh Ann Caldwell, Ashley Etienne, Andrea Mitchell and Marc Short. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures,” guest-hosted by Jackie DeAngelis: Peter Navarro … Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) … Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). MSNBC “The Weekend: Primetime”: Peter Beinart.
| | | | Don’t just keep up with policy shifts — set the pace. POLITICO Pro’s Policy Intelligence Assistant combines unmatched reporting with advanced AI to deliver sharper insights, faster answers, and two powerful report builders that turn intelligence into impact. Try it free for 30 days. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Neil Young put out a new protest song against Donald Trump (though not by name) and “big crime in D.C. at the White House.” John Roberts of Fox News has been hospitalized with a bad case of malaria that he believes he got in Indonesia, though he hopes to be back at work next week. Vivek Vance is a big fan of Trump’s golden design makeover of the Oval Office. PLAYBOOK DESIGN SECTION — “Trump Signs Executive Order to Make ‘Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,’” by NYT’s Zachary Small: It “requires federal buildings in Washington to maintain a classical style of Greco-Roman architecture associated with the marble columns and austere hallways of the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol. The new guidelines … also discourage federal construction projects nationwide from choosing modernist styles like Brutalism.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Mariana Adame de Vreeze is now chief of staff for Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.). She most recently was deputy chief of staff for Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) and is a Biden White House alum. MEDIA MOVES — Dave Brown is joining the WSJ’s D.C. bureau as deputy coverage chief. He currently is deputy managing editor for global security at POLITICO. … Kim Harvey has been named the new executive producer of “CBS Evening News.” She most recently has been a senior broadcast producer. More from Variety … MSNBC is adding Matt Fuller as director of its congressional unit. He previously was congressional bureau chief at NOTUS. TRANSITIONS — Valerie Dowling is now SVP at Avoq. She previously was director of private-sector engagement for the International Republican Institute. … Keighle Joyce is now staff director for the House Homeland Security Committee. She previously was of counsel at Morrison and Foerster, and is a Justice Department alum. … Daniel Zaretsky is joining Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Senate campaign as a national finance assistant. He previously worked in government relations at Avoq. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jesse Barba, head of federal government affairs at Cengage Group, and Diana Delgado, comms director at Partnerships for Healthier America, welcomed Mila Hope Barba on Aug. 19. Pic — Cassie Ballard, director of congressional affairs at Chime, and Jimmy Ballard, director of coalitions for House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.), welcomed James Thomas Ballard on Aug. 18. He came in at 7 lbs, 13 oz, and joins big sister Charlie. BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Hilton Beckham of Customs and Border Protection HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Justice Neil Gorsuch … Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) … former OMB Director Shalanda Young … Jack Lew (7-0) … Constance Milstein … Nancy Scola … Paul Beckett … Clayton Cox of McGuireWoods Consulting … Garrett Arwa of Bryson Gillette … Lacy Nelson of Sen. Angus King’s (I-Maine) office … Alison Schwartz of Grow Strategic Solutions … Sewell Chan … FGS Global’s Kyle Daly … Charlie Spies … Stacey Hughes of the American Hospital Association … IBM’s Ryan Hagemann … Matt Brush of Rep. Nikki Budzinski’s (D-Ill.) office … Ed Wyatt … PhRMA’s Tom Wilbur and Cat Hill … Jerr Rosenbaum of Penn Avenue Partners … FTI Consulting’s Brian Kennedy … Duncan Neasham … Maurice Simpson Jr. … Nestlé’s Molly Fogarty … Paul Coussan … Paige Ennis … former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin … Rich Cooper … former Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) … Working Families Party’s Amirah Sequeira … former Guam Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo … Wesley Dietrich … POLITICO’s Noura Klein … Accenture’s Maddie Bedrick … The Boston Globe’s Cristina Silva … Uliana Pavlova … Elliot Carter of the National Trust for Historic Preservation 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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