| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today’s Playbook Podcast, Jack and Dasha discuss the latest revelations from the Epstein Files; a looming election in Northern Virginia … and why Republicans in D.C. can’t stop getting into fights.
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| Good Tuesday morning. (Yes, it really is only Tuesday.) This is Jack Blanchard. Before we get into it … Justice Amy Coney Barrett made an appearance on Fox News last night and was asked by host Brett Baier about the prospect of a president staying in power beyond their second term. “The 22nd amendment says you can only run for office for two terms,” Baier noted. “True,” Barrett replied. “Do you think that that's cut and dry?” Baier asked her. “Well — that's what the amendment says, right?” Barrett replied. “You know, after FDR had four terms, that's what that amendment says.” Which sounds pretty cut and dry to me. In today’s Playbook … — Why the White House is unruffled by the latest Epstein bombshells — …but might be feeling nervous about the economy this morning. — And how one Hollywood star lit up D.C. last night
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
U.S. President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One on Sept. 7, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | START THE DAY WITH A QUESTION: How much trouble is the president in? Under normal laws of politics, the answer should be — an awful lot, given the whole world has now seen the suggestive and intensely creepy note included in the pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's “birthday book” of 2003, bearing what appears to be Trump’s signature. But when Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrives in the White House briefing room at 1 p.m. today — and, later, when Trump himself invites the press pool into the Oval Office at 4.30 p.m. — don’t expect the faintest glimpse of admission, contrition or regret. Instead, the playbook will be the same as always. Deny, deny, deny — and counterattack. After all: POLITICO has not been able to independently confirm the letter’s veracity, and Trump still denies any association with it. On the note itself. You don’t need Playbook to pick through the possible meanings of stomach-churning lines like “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey” …”Enigmas never age” …… “May every day be another wonderful secret.” We all did this back in July, when the WSJ first revealed the existence of the note. You can draw your own conclusions, and — depending on your politics — you probably already did. But it was still a jolting moment yesterday to see the actual thing in black and white; the lewd drawing, the president’s name scribbled at the bottom. A visually-arresting image can sometimes be the spark that sends a big story into the stratosphere — and sure enough, the note is reproduced on the front page of most of the world’s best-read news websites this morning, from the NYT to the BBC, from Mail Online to the Times ofIndia. Even Pop Crave was tweeting it out. And this is the note, remember, which Trump’s lawsuit against the WSJ said was "non-existent." Trump’s lawyers told the court: “No authentic letter or drawing exists. Defendants concocted this story to malign President Trump’s character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light.” Yet here it is, in black and white, handed over to the (Republican-controlled) House Oversight Committee by the executors of Epstein’s estate. And there’s more: The same “birthday book” apparently includes at least one further reference to Trump — this picture of Epstein holding a big fake cheque as part of what appears to be a (gross) in-joke with a different pal about buying and selling women. More broadly, what comes across — if you have the stomach to pick through the rest of the book — is the extent to which some people in Epstein's circle appeared to have a pretty fair idea what he was up to. And that many of them laughed along. And yet. Rightly or wrongly, the White House shows zero sign of concern today. Aides had been braced for the issue to flash back up once Congress returned this month, and believe they have the story under control. “We were not naive to the fact there are Democrats back in town and a certain very small number of Republicans who are eager to talk about this — but I think the damage is actually much less than the Democrats would have hoped,” a White House official tells Dasha. That’s because this time — unlike in July — the Epstein story is not gaining traction in conservative circles. “You don't see mainstream Republicans really pushing this,” the same White House official said. “You’ve got (Reps) Marjorie (Taylor-Green) and Nancy (Mace) and Thomas Massie out there, but like, okay, who's listening?” The official highlighted Trump’s Truth Social post from Friday, painting the story as a Democrat plot to distract from his record in office. “He put that truth out knowing that Republicans on the Hill would read it — and they will listen to him.” Nothing to see here: As NOTUS reports, Hill Republicans have so far swerved the topic by claiming (in time-honored tradition) that they haven’t seen the note. Obviously that can’t hold for long — but the White House has already given them an off-ramp by simply denying the note is real. “It's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,”Leavitt said on X yesterday. “This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!” Again — this note was handed over to Congress under subpoena by Epstein's estate. So it’s unclear exactly who’s meant to have faked it. But who cares? The president says it’s fake news, and so the story is now framed just like any other, a liberal hoax perpetrated by shameless Dems and the media. Last night Rep. James Comer, who chairs the Oversight Committee, accused his Democratic counterparts of “cherry-picking documents” and caring more about politics than Epstein’s victims. And MAGA World is happy to agree: “The Democrats don't care about Epstein,” writes VP JD Vance. “The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies” … “Fake story,” says MAGA influencer Laura Loomer … “No one is falling for this BS … Fake,” says podcaster Charlie Kirk … “Is this really the best they could do?” asks podcaster Benny Johnson. And there’s more: Fox News was covering the Epstein documents last night, but focused its attention on a different page of the “Birthday Book” — a note to Epstein from former President Bill Clinton. The handwriting’s hard to read, but it appears to heap lavish praise upon Epstein and mentions his “childlike wonder.” There’s been no comment from the Clintons as yet. (Also in the book: A note to Epstein from U.K. Ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, per the BBC. His spokesman said again last night that he regrets ever being introduced to Epstein.) But the story Fox & Co. are really focused on is the horrific killing in Charlotte last month of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on a train by a man with severe mental health issues. As you’ve probably seen, this one has really exploded in MAGA World, and switching between liberal and conservative cable news channels and podcasts last night was like switching between parallel universes — one side obsessing about Epstein; the other about the murder in Charlotte. Why it matters: The case is being held up by conservatives as emblematic of what they say are Democratic failings on crime, given the suspect had been arrested more than a dozen times and yet walked free. It’s a powerful political message, and Dems seem unsure how to respond. Indeed: The White House believes those liberal voices accusing them of distraction techniques and complaining that Trump plans to leverage this case for a further law-and-order crackdown are walking straight into his political trap. Expect Leavitt to go after the media at today’s briefing for obsessing over what she will say is a D.C. bubble story — the Epstein case — and not paying sufficient attention to the issues people really care about. But here’s the real irony: The White House would much rather be talking about any of these topics than its real bête noir — the state of the U.S. economy. Investors are keeping a close eye today on a 10 a.m. jobs report which will revise employment figures for the year ending March 2025 — and may give us a much clearer idea of where we’re at. Some economists think they could reveal there were actually 800,000 fewer jobs than initially reported, CBS’ Aimee Picchi reports. And on this issue, the nerves really are jangling down Pennsylvania Avenue, one person close to the White House tells Dasha. “There are a lot of points of anxiety” on the economy, Dasha is told, with inflation, housing, and the national debt top of mind — fueling “concerns about whether some of these problems are unmanageable without a great deal of pain." Great Scott: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has made allies and won respect (and policy fights) across the administration and Wall Street. Bessent has managed to keep markets steady through a lot of turbulence. But as more economic warning signs flash, he may face his most difficult challenges yet, POLITICO’s Victoria Guida, Dasha Burns and Megan Messerly report.
| | | | A message from McDonald's: Starting this week, Extra Value Meals are back at McDonald's, so you can save when you make it a meal. To mark the moment, they're giving fans even deeper discounts on two of the most popular Extra Value Meals, the $5 Sausage McMuffin® with Egg Meal and $8 Big Mac® Meal, for a limited time. | | | | IMMIGRATION FILES CHICAGO JUSTICE: Trump’s immigration enforcement escalation has finally arrived in Chicago, though details of “Operation Midway Blitz” — including its duration, and whether the military will be involved — remain unclear, per the Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson and colleagues. Local Democratic leaders in Chicago and Illinois have been quick to denounce Trump for failing to coordinate with them and for using tactics which inspire fear in the city. But lapping it all up … is the White House, again, per the official who spoke to Dasha at the top of the newsletter. “You have the governor of Illinois [JB Pritzker] going on walking talks with local news reporters trying to claim that his city is crime free, and even the local news reporter is saying to him, ‘do you walk in the bad areas in the middle of the night?’ … These are campaign defining moments. They are falling right into his trap.” A helping hand from SCOTUS: This all follows Trump’s big win yesterday at the Supreme Court, which green-lit — for now — aggressive ICE tactics which had been blocked by the courts in LA. Republicans celebrated the prospect of even bolder immigration enforcement. Outraged immigrant advocates warned a tier of second-class citizens willl now be forced to show their papers because of their ethnicity. In ICE news: In the Midwest, ICE is relying on local sheriffs to open up jails to hold the thousands of new detainees — even though many are not criminals, NYT’s Allison McCann reports. And detainees are also sometimes spending days in temporary hold rooms, remaining in poor conditions that broke the agency’s longtime rules, CNN’s Casey Tolan and Isabelle Chapman report. New this morning: “Under Trump administration, ICE scraps paperwork officers once had to do before immigration arrests,” NBC’s Julia Ainsley and colleagues scoop: “‘It’s hard to fill out a worksheet that just says, “Meet in the Home Depot parking lot,”’ one of the former ICE officials said.”
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Start your morning with a $5 Sausage McMuffin® with Egg meal – which comes with Hash Browns and a small coffee – for a limited time. | | | | ON THE HILL SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Speaker Mike Johnson will talk to the press at 10 a.m. and you can expect plenty of questions about Republicans’ strategy to avert a looming government shutdown at month’s end. House Appropriations keeps moving forward with a markup of the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill at 11 a.m., while Senate disagreements have delayed an Appropriations markup of the Homeland Security bill originally slotted for Thursday, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus and Jordain Carney report. But the big question is where Republicans will land on a short-term vs. long-term stopgap. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) signaled some openness yesterday to a shorter punt, indicating that hard-liners might be willing to soften, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain report. Keep an eye on this: House Republicans also talked about the possibility of a stopgap that goes to November creating a vehicle to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits, Meredith and Jordain scooped. The details remain unclear, but a number of Republicans are acknowledging that they politically can’t let the credits expire outright, even if they trim them, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller report. GOING NUCLEAR: Senate Majority Leader John Thune last night filed a resolution to tee up four dozen Trump nominees on which Republicans are prepared to go nuclear, changing chamber rules to speed up confirmations. Thune plans to file cloture today, and then Republicans will vote to green-light the whole batch (rather than having to go through individuals) Monday, per Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio. Still, “[t]he fallout this time could be limited,” Jordain reports. Speaking of nominations: Stephen Miran’s committee vote to become a Fed governor will take place tomorrow, likely fast-tracking him to get to the central bank before its next interest-rate vote next week, per Bloomberg’s Steven Dennis.
| | | | Introducing Global Security: POLITICO’s weekly briefing on the policies, regulations, and decisions shaping defense and security across North America and Europe. Subscribe today to receive special daily briefings as our team reports live from DSEI. | | | | | TRAIL MIX RED-LIGHT REDISTRICT: Nebraska state legislators will be in D.C. today, and could be the next targets for Trump and his GOP allies to pressure into gerrymandering, as Axios’ Hans Nichols previewed last week. The goal would be to prevent GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s seat from flipping in the midterms, though it isn’t clear yet if Republicans in Lincoln would have the votes, the Nebraska Examiner’s Juan Salinas II reports. Everything’s about winning: Trump’s unprecedented power grab to force Republicans to gerrymander several more seats mid-decade — as well as his crackdown on D.C., his campaign against the Fed and more — is all motivated by a frantic effort to ensure the GOP wins the midterms, The Atlantic’s Jonathan Lemire reports. Trump regrets having played by the rules in his first term and then been subject to Democratic impeachments after the 2018 midterms, and he’s willing to blow through norms to avoid a repeat. The court fight: Powerless to stop many Republican gerrymanders and limited in counteracting them, Democrats will hope that courts serve as a last stop to block new maps, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard and Liz Crampton report. But the Supreme Court could present an even graver threat to Democrats: If conservative justices slash the Voting Rights Act further in a case they’ll hear next month, Republicans could gerrymander eight more safe seats in the South, NYT’s Nate Cohn notes to The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner. NEW THIS MORNING: In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is jumping into the open Democratic gubernatorial primary, POLITICO’s Elena Schneider reports. This race could quickly get crowded. … Texas state Rep. James Talarico is officially launching his Democratic Senate campaign, per Playbook’s Adam Wren.
| | | | A message from McDonald's:  
The return of Extra Value Meals ensures everyone can find everyday affordable pricing at McDonald's. | | | | BEST OF THE REST THE MAHA AGENDA: After its public release was first delayed by the administration, the next HHS Make America Healthy Again Commission report will be released at 2 p.m., focused on children’s health. It comes with the debate around Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine advocacy at a fever pitch: The American Academy of Family Physicians became the latest organization to break with HHS and recommend that all adults get Covid shots, per Reuters. NIH whistleblower Jeanne Marrazzo told CBS’ Ed O’Keefe she was pushed out after speaking up for childhood flu vaccines. Related read: “Inside the Chaos at the C.D.C.,” by The New Yorker’s Charles Bethea: “[One] employee was near ‘a breaking point.’ The other employee was, too: ‘Everyone has a limit,’ they told me, ‘and there are many of us being pushed to the brink.’ So, too, is America’s public-health system. It will be something of a miracle, [Dan] Jernigan thinks, if the country’s next major health threat is met with the same skill, resources, and strategy as the last one.” HUGE DAY FOR CONSERVATIVE MEDIA: The Murdoch succession battle is over — and Lachlan Murdoch came out on top with control of the family media portfolio, essentially guaranteeing that Fox News, the N.Y. Post, the WSJ editorial board and other outlets will remain right-wing for another quarter-century, NYT’s Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan Mahler report. And the tide shifts at CBS: Conservative policy honcho Kenneth Weinstein will be the new ombudsman at CBS News, a role mandated by Paramount’s deal with Trump to get a merger approved, per the L.A. Times. The former Hudson Institute leader, who has a long history as a neoconservative and pro-Israel voice, will now review complaints about coverage at the network. First in Playbook — What’s good for the goose: As Trump officials promote mortgage-fraud allegations against their perceived political enemies, a watchdog group is telling the administration to look at Republicans facing similar accusations. Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the Justice Department seeking probes into Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Texas AG Ken Paxton. The complaint FIGHT OF THE WEEK: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) vs. VP JD Vance over the extrajudicial killings of alleged drug traffickers. Paul isn’t backing down, telling Semafor’s Burgess Everett that Vance showed “a disdain for human life and a disdain for our process.” But the White House is enjoying this fight too, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols and Dasha Burns report.
| | | | 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 | | SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ric Grenell having dinner last night at Cafe Milano. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — The weather in D.C. this week will be the best of the whole year, per WaPo’s Capital Weather Gang. OUT AND ABOUT — Washington gets a lot of bad press these days, but it took an injection of Hollywood royalty last night to remind us how magical this town can be. Jon M. Chu, one of the hottest directors in the world after his smash-hit success with Wicked, was in town to accept an award at the Motion Picture Association’s annual knees-up — and spoke as powerfully as anyone you’ll hear about his first trip to D.C., as a six-year-old boy. Chu’s parents are first-generation immigrants who run a legendary Chinese restaurant in Los Altos, and he recalled a moment to savor when they were asked to attend an event at the Reagan White House in the 1980s. The whole family — including all five Chu kids — piled into a downtown D.C. hotel to wave them off. “We could see the White House from the window. It was so beautiful. They came back and told us stories all night long,” he said. “It was truly amazing. The American Dream is very real.” Also scooping MPA Awards: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), each of whom received the Industry Champion Award; and National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center director Ivan Arvelo, who received the Creative Protector Award. SPOTTED: Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), French Ambassador Laurent Bili, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, NBC’s Kristen Welker, Charlie Rivkin, Jonathan Martin, Meridith McGraw, Carl Hulse, Michael Wilner, Courtney Subramanian, Ted Johnson, Sam Feist, Josh Dawsey, Tony Powell, Libbey Dean, Lance West, Phil Tahtakran, Steve Hartell, Alexa Verveer, Felicia Schwartz, Clete Willems, Jasmine Held-Hernandez, Kiana Knolland, Troy Dow, Keith Murphy, Robin McGahey, Dana Fox, Crystal Carson, Karyn Temple, Larissa Knapp, Josh Rubin and John Mercurio. — The Washington AI Network hosted a power breakfast and podcast taping yesterday at the House at 1229, where Tammy Haddad interviewed Nvidia’s Deepu Talla. SPOTTED: Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Machalagh Carr, Reggie Love, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Cecilia Kang, Ashley Callen, Helen Toner, Shane Tews, Maryam Mujica, John Rizzo, Ashley Lerner, Shailagh Murray, Kristin Sharp, Marc Gustafson, Ali Nouri, Asad Ramzanali, Yemisi Egbewole, Tyler Kendall, Nathan Bomey, Miranda Nazzaro, Joanna Guy, Katy Balls, Sarah Weinstein, Ruth Berry, Sophie Shulman, Angela Krasnick, Mariel Garcia, Jaisha Wray and Gabriel Coupeau. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Zachary Isakowitz is joining Nvidia as a director of government affairs. He previously was a director of government affairs at the Semiconductor Industry Association, and is a Michael McCaul and Trump Treasury alum. ANNALS OF INFLUENCE: Former Trump White House aide Johnny McEntee is lobbying for the first time — for Tencent’s American arm, which wants to get off a Defense Department blacklist of Chinese-linked companies, POLITICO’s Caitlin Oprysko and Daniel Barnes report. MEDIA MOVES — Patrick Caldwell is joining WaPo as senior editor for political investigations. He previously was an editor at POLITICO Magazine. … Jiselle Lee is now a fellow at the FT. She previously was an intern at POLITICO … And coming attractions: The Sun’s new man in D.C., Harry Cole, launches his YouTube show tonight. TRANSITIONS — The Consumer Technology Association has added Samuel Negatu and Pat Pelletier as directors of government affairs, focusing on self-driving vehicles and privacy policy and AI, blockchain and quantum policy, respectively. Negatu previously was a senior adviser to Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.). Pelletier previously was a government and regulatory affairs executive at IBM. … Jason Mahler is now SVP for government affairs at the Entertainment Software Association. He previously was VP for government affairs at Oracle, and is an Anna Eshoo alum. … Ka Chun Leung is now a patent attorney in the intellectual property group at Blank Rome. He previously was a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. … … Senate Majority PAC is adding Harris campaign alums Christyna Thompson as press secretary and Hasan Pyarali as social media manager. Thompson most recently was a state and regional press secretary at Giffords. Pyarali previously was a digital engagement associate for Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) campaign. … Kyle Bligen is joining the Decentralization Research Center as head of policy and public affairs. He most recently was senior director for Chamber of Progress and is a House Financial Services and House Homeland Security alum. … Eric Fish is now a partner at Hooper, Lundy & Bookman. He previously was chief legal officer at the Federation of State Medical Boards. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) … WaPo’s Kara Voght, Robert Samuels and Matt Bai … The Bulwark’s Jonathan Cohn … AP’s Matt Lee (6-0) … David Freedlander … Breitbart’s Matt Boyle … Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval … CAP’s Glen Fukushima … Cherie Harder of the Trinity Forum … Rachel Rizzo … Audrey Cook and Brigid Mary McDonnell of Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) office … Dan Brandt … Katelynn Vogt of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace … Ken Lieberthal … Bridget Hagan of Blackstone … Aimee Steel Lubin of Holland & Knight … Brian Wommack … Michael Harper … former Reps. John Duarte
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