| | | |  | | 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 Donald Trump’s big night out on the town as his Washington takeover comes to an end. Plus: shock in the White House over Israel’s latest airstrikes; what Trump really thinks of MAHA … and Dasha’s hottest tips on where to dine in D.C.
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| Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, wondering if I, too, am now brave enough to venture a whole block from my house in D.C. to get something good to eat. (It might be worth the risk: We learn today that Washington has two restaurants — Dōgon and La’ Shukran — in the new NYT list of the “50 best places to eat in America.”) Send me your restaurant tips! COOKING THE BOOKS: A week from today, the Federal Reserve’s open market committee will meet to decide whether to cut interest rates, at what will be one of its most closely watched — and politicized — meetings of modern times. As of this morning, it looks like Trump’s ally Stephen Miran, and his recent political target Lisa Cook, will both be in the room where it happens. The breaking news last night was that a federal judge has ruled Trump’s attempt to fire Cook — a move the president boasted would give him “a majority” on the independent committee — was illegal, and that Cook must be reinstated immediately. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb — a Joe Biden nominee — said Trump’s effort to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud (which she denies, and which predated her time on the Fed board) violates laws designed to insulate the Fed from political pressure. Only Cook’s conduct on the job could be grounds for removal, Cobb ruled. Naturally, this one is now headed straight for the appeal courts, and likely ultimately to the Supreme Court — but whatever happens, it appears Cook will at least be in her job Tuesday, when the two-day Fed board meeting begins. Joining her in the Eccles Building should be Miran, Trump’s own nominee for Federal Reserve governor, who is set to sail through his Senate committee vote this morning. The Senate Banking Committee meets at 10 a.m. to confirm Miran’s nomination and is expected to push him through for a final vote on the floor in the coming days. Watching brief: There’s been no response from Trump as yet to Cook’s un-firing, but it seems likely we’ll hear from him soon enough. In the meantime, there are big producer inflation figures coming at 8:30 a.m., which will give us yet another important indicator of how the U.S. economy is faring. The WSJ editorial board’s verdict on yesterday’s grim jobs news does not make pretty reading for the White House. In better news for Trump: Traders increasingly expect three interest rate cuts this year, starting next week, per Reuters. In today’s Playbook … — Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. expires today … so who’s next? — World in crisis (again) as NATO ally shoots down Russian attack drones. — Dems win an election … and slash the House GOP margin by one more.
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President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet and administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, arrive for dinner at Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab on Sept. 9, 2025, in Washington. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | THIRTY DAYS OF NIGHT: And like that — *snaps fingers* — it is done. Trump’s federal takeover of Washington ends today, after a 30-day period that will not be quickly forgotten. The sight of armed troops patrolling parks and stations — and, yes, picking up litter — has become commonplace in certain parts of the city; as have the roadblocks, the masked law enforcement officials, the immigration raids; the protests. For Trump, the job is done. The capital city is now safe, so he says, his experiment a runaway success. He proved it by driving a single block in his motorcade last night for a dinner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, the ultra-traditional dining room on 15th and H. “I wouldn’t have done this three months ago, four months ago,” Trump told the press pack outside. “This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now it’s as safe as there is.” High steaks: This was reportedly Trump’s first meal out in a D.C. restaurant — not counting the steakhouse in the former Trump Hotel during his first term — since he was elected. So how was the food? “Phenomenal,” his press secretary Karoline Leavitt said afterward. Also spotted enjoying the crab, shrimp, salad and steaks: VP JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, chief of staff Susie Wiles, James Blair, Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, Taylor Budowich and James Braid. But not everyone was impressed. A group of women inside the restaurant filmed themselves shouting at the president — “Free D.C., Free Palestine, Trump is the Hitler of our time” — and were swiftly ejected by the Secret Service. And the Google rating for poor old Joe’s is plummeting fast, thanks to a sudden and mysterious blitz of one-star reviews. What to make of it all? CNN has a detailed take on how effective the takeover has actually been. And it’s true — the big headline stats on crime are impressive right across the city; the obvious question, though, is how sustainable that will prove to be. “This isn’t elaborate,” a law enforcement source tells CNN. “The sheer number of officers added to these areas has evidently created a fear among those who commit crime in the city, and they seem to be standing back for now.” Which is great. But what happens next? For now, very little: The expiration of the 30-day order means the police force is returned to the city’s hands. But D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has already ordered her officials and agencies to keep cooperating with the federal authorities to the maximum extent possible. And as my ace colleague Sophia Cai set out neatly in last night’s West Wing Playbook, the federal agents and the National Guard are sticking around for now. But Trump is moving on, and today’s big story will be his next major target for a crime clampdown. After days of deliberation, it won’t be Chicago. “They are a progressive city and they don't want the president's help. That’s on them,” AG Pam Bondi told Fox News last night. “Chicago should be begging Donald Trump for help to keep Chicago safe — yet they aren't. So we’re going to a city who wants us there.” Red alert: Trump told reporters he is now finalizing negotiations with a Republican-run state instead. “We’re working it out with the governor of a certain state that would love us to be there, and the mayor of a certain city in that same state,” the president said last night. “We’ll announce it probably tomorrow.” So watch this space. Trump has previously floated the idea of an incursion into New Orleans, a Democrat-run city in Republican-led Louisiana. As for Chicago: Trump’s decision certainly hasn’t stopped ICE flooding the zone with a major immigration sweep across the Windy City, per ABC. The Border Patrol headed up by its notorious LA operations chief, Gregory Bovino, is also getting involved, per CBS. ICE chiefs say they are already making an impact, arresting undocumented migrants accused of “heinous” crimes. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says communities are “living in fear.” Back here in D.C., Republicans now have their eyes on a different sort of takeover. House Oversight Committee Republicans at 10 a.m. will try to press ahead with more than a dozen bills designed to reshape the Washington landscape. They include Trump’s beautification efforts; the abolishment of D.C.’s elected attorney general position; and a sentencing clampdown for criminals. It’s unclear whether any Dems plan to offer support. Follow along for all the latest with POLITICO’s Inside Congress Live In the meantime: Trump and the GOP plan to keep hammering away hard on law and order, keeping the horrific murder of refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte front and center of their campaign. Bondi said yesterday Zarutska’s suspected killer, Decarlos Brown Jr., will face federal charges. Republicans are also piling pressure on North Carolina’s former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, suggesting he should have been tougher on criminals like Brown when he ran the state. Cooper, of course, is now running for the potentially winnable North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Thom Tillis.
| | | | 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. | | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD WORLD ON FIRE: Trump today must also react to not one, but two major global security crises after a serious escalation of the Ukraine war. Poland — a NATO member — was forced to close airports and scramble fighter jets overnight after a stunning incursion into its airspace by swarms of Russian attack drones. NATO sent support aircraft as Polish jets shot down an unknown number of unmanned Russian aircraft which had strayed deep into Polish airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine. POLITICO’s Alex Spence and Wojciech Kość have the latest ‘Act of war’: The incident marks a major step by Russian President Vladimir Putin — essentially a direct military threat to the homeland of one of America’s strongest NATO allies. There’s been no comment from Trump as yet, but hawkish Republicans were quick to wade in. “Russia is attacking NATO ally Poland with Iranian shahed drones less than a week after President Trump hosted (Polish) President [Karol] Nawrocki at the White House,” Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said in a post on X. “This is an act of war, and we are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response.” So will he actually do something? Trump has been promising a new phase of sanctions against Putin for weeks; perhaps this latest incident might push him into action. The FT’s James Politi and colleagues revealed last night that Trump has already been stepping up pressure on India and China over their trade with Russia. The president directly asked EU officials to slap enormous tariffs on both countries in order to squeeze Putin. MEANWHILE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: After Israel’s stunning strike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar yesterday, the two big questions in Washington today are: How will the U.S. react? And how will the attack affect progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza? Trump promised last night that he’ll provide a fuller statement today, so we should learn more on both fronts. But he’s made pretty clear he’s “very unhappy” with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s no surprise the president is pissed. Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff have been promising for weeks that a ceasefire deal is close. Both men have put an enormous amount of time, energy and political capital into brokering a deal with Hamas. And then Netanyahu went and bombed the damn negotiating team. These are not the actions of a leader who is genuinely trying to broker peace. What makes matters more embarrassing for Trump and Witkoff is the two men’s closeness to the Qatari regime which was hosting the now-obliterated talks. Witkoff has ties to Qatar going back years; Trump — lest we forget — this year accepted a $400 million private aircraft as a gift from the country. The two men — along with Rubio and others — called the Qataris directly yesterday and were apologetic over what happened, a source familiar tells Dasha. Behind the scenes: Trump aides were particularly furious over Israel’s move because it came as they awaited Hamas’ response to the latest U.S. peace proposal — and because Israel didn’t tell the Americans until the attack was already underway, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. Israel had only vaguely informed the U.S. beforehand of a forthcoming attack on Hamas, per ABC’s Anne Flaherty. (Bleak) further reading: “The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich,” by Hoda Osman and Emma Graham-Harrison for The Guardian THE NEW FOREIGN POLICY: “US ends international push to combat fake news from hostile states,” by FT’s Amy Mackinnon … “Trump Administration Signed $4.8 million CECOT Deal With El Salvador After Judge Halted Deportations,” by NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery and Oriana González
| | | | A message from McDonald's:  
Start your morning with a $5 Sausage McMuffin® with Egg meal – which comes with Hash Browns and a small coffee – for a limited time. | | | | TRAIL MIX ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Another special election, another Democratic overperformance as James Walkinshaw romped to a 50-point victory for a House seat in Northern Virginia, per POLITICO’s Andrew Howard. (Kamala Harris won this district by 34.) Walkinshaw will replace his old boss, the late Gerry Connolly, and eat into the GOP’s razor-thin margin in the chamber. Meanwhile in Boston: Mayor Michelle Wu looks to be on a glide path to reelection as she topped Josh Kraft 65 percent to 30 percent in last night’s nonpartisan primary. Both Dems will advance to the general. RED-LIGHT REDISTRICT: Republicans’ gerrymandering locomotive keeps rolling as Missouri House legislators voted through a new map that could snatch another congressional seat from Democrats, per The Kansas City Star’s Kacen Bayless. Legal experts say it violates the state constitution. Now it goes to the state Senate. THE MIDTERMS BIG PICTURE: Meanwhile, the Trump administration is working to build a massive, unprecedented national voter roll — which is unnerving Dems, given so many Republicans’ unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, NYT’s Devlin Barrett and Nick Corasaniti report. For its part, the GOP is increasingly worried about economic concerns weighing on its electoral success, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and colleagues report. The latest campaign news: | | | | Introducing Global Security: POLITICO’s weekly briefing on the policies, regulatory fights and industrial shifts shaping defense and security across continents. We connect what happens in Washington, Brussels and beyond to what gets funded, what gets built and who benefits. Subscribe this week for daily coverage from DSEI. | | | | | BEST OF THE REST DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: The first official congressional delegation to China since 2019 will take place this month, NBC’s Scott Wong scooped. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) is leading the bipartisan group, which will also stop in Cambodia. It’s not clear yet whether they’ll meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. EPSTEIN FILES LATEST: Karoline Leavitt said the White House would support a handwriting analysis to prove their claim that Trump didn’t sign the infamous birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, per POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels. Handwriting experts tell WaPo’s Matt Viser that it’s hard to tell for certain whether it is indeed Trump’s.
| | | | A message from McDonald's:  
The return of Extra Value Meals ensures everyone can find everyday affordable pricing at McDonald's. | | | | First in Playbook: The DNC is launching Epstein-related digital ads targeting five House Republicans — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), David Valadao (Calif.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) — while sending a mobile billboard around D.C. today. The main image features a picture of Trump and Epstein behind the purported quote from Trump in the letter: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.” See it here SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: In Congress, the main question remains whether warring parties can strike a deal to keep the government open past Sept. 30. If a stopgap agreement is reached, months of negotiations could follow on a broader deal which may wrap in an extension of soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Nick Wu report. But plenty of obstacles and uncertainty await, as our Inside Congress colleagues lay out this morning. The White House has tabbed higher SNAP funding and a fix to D.C.’s $1 billion budget hole as its top priorities, per Roll Call. Latest from Dems: Frustrated House Democrats privately grappled yesterday with how to approach this funding fight, per NBC’s Sahil Kapur. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will meet with senior members today to work through their strategy. But some House Dems still fear Schumer will fold — or “sh*t the bed,” as one memorably puts it to Axios’ Andrew Solender. Expect plenty of questions for Jeffries at his 10:30 a.m. news conference. SCOTUS WATCH: Chief Justice John Roberts handed Trump yet another victory yesterday, allowing the president to proceed (for now) with his “pocket rescission” of foreign aid funding. Trump has vowed not to spend $4 billion in congressionally approved spending this month as litigation continues, per Bloomberg. The high court also announced that it will take up the big challenge to Trump’s tariffs with anomalous rapidity: Arguments will take place in early November. WEAPONIZATION WATCH: Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte campaign to wield mortgage-fraud allegations against Democrats is increasingly turning off Hill Republicans, POLITICO’s Jasper Goodman and Meredith Lee Hill report. “I think he’s a nut,” one House member says. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said he’ll meet with Pulte soon, per Punchbowl. House Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) is asking the FHFA’s IG to provide documents and communications about Pulte’s pursuit of political targets. The letter.
| | | | Want to know how policy pros stay ahead? Policy Intelligence Assistant — only with POLITICO Pro — merges trusted reporting with advanced AI to deliver deeper insights, faster answers, and powerful report builders that drive action. Get 30 days free. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | DOWN TO THE BARRON RIVER: Big news for students at NYU’s Washington campus — there’s a new pupil in town. Barron Trump is moving back into the White House and will take classes at his university’s D.C. campus, the NY Post’s Diana Nerozzi and Joe Marino scooped last night. Barron, 19, spent his freshman year at NYU’s main campus in Greenwich Village, living in Trump Tower. Lauren Daigle was on the Hill yesterday to advocate for the STOP CSAM Act, which takes aim at child sexual abuse material. Alexi Lalas says he had an explicit message for Donald Trump to convey that the U.S. can’t mess up hosting next year’s World Cup, per Playbook’s Adam Wren. Spencer Pratt could become California’s most influential new NIMBY voice opposing denser housing, Debra Kahn writes in POLITICO Magazine. Eric Trump was removed from the board of directors of Alt5 Sigma and switched to a board observer after it talked with Nasdaq. OUT AND ABOUT — At the Treasury Department last night, Secretary Scott Bessent hosted a celebration of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the 50th anniversary of the Laffer curve, sponsored by Unleash Prosperity. SPOTTED: Arthur Laffer, Speaker Mike Johnson, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Reps. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), USTR Jamieson Greer, E.J. Antoni, Kevin Warsh, Miki Bowman, Vince Haley, Stephen Moore, Laura Ingraham, Harold Hamm, Steve Forbes, Kellyanne Conway, Tony Sayegh, Dina Powell McCormick, Matt Boyle, Alexandra Preate, Pierre Yared, David Zervos, Paras Malik, David O’Brien, Rebecca Karabus, Jack Havey and Elliott Hulse. — Young Jewish Conservatives hosted a rooftop event last night marking the fifth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, with kosher sushi from Oro Nami, cocktails and a “L’chaim” toast. SPOTTED: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Will Scharf, Ric Grenell, Victoria Coates, Katie Pavlich and Gavy Friedson, Martin Marks, Tila Falic, Jake Kohn, Kayla Gubov, Yitz Tendler, Paul Teller, Joel Griffith, Nachman Mostofsky and Harrison Furman. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Texas Tribune Festival is adding former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Texas state Sen. Joan Huffman and CNN’s Jake Tapper to the lineup of speakers at the festival, which will take place Nov. 13-15. — Patrick Rutherford is joining Nvidia as director of corporate comms. He previously was a director at Brunswick Group, and is a Headstart Advisors alum. — Hector Schamis is now senior adviser at Blue Star Strategies. He previously was special envoy and senior adviser to the secretary general of the Organization of American States. DOWNTOWN NEWS — FGS Global is acquiring Tarplin, Downs & Young, a health care policy and advocacy firm. That will bring FGS’ health branch to more than 50 people, including more bipartisan government affairs folks. MEDIA MOVE — Holly Otterbein is joining Axios as a senior political reporter, per Status’ Oliver Darcy. She currently is a senior national political reporter at POLITICO. TRANSITIONS — Skadden is adding Don Vieira as a partner, leading its tech policy practice, and Aaron Washington as counsel. Vieira most recently was at Sequoia Capital. Washington previously worked in the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets. … Mark Chicu is now a senior adviser at Cornerstone Research. He previously was in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. … Brooklyn Tucker is now director of governmental and legislative affairs at the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration. She previously was with the House Homeland Security Committee. … … Steve Lang is now a senior adviser at Crest Hill Advisors. He previously worked at the State Department. … Mally Smith is now director of coalitions and outreach at Defend American Action. He is a Kamala Harris presidential campaign alum. … Mike Ward is rejoining TechNet as SVP for federal policy and government relations. He previously was at Amazon. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Bennett Resnik, SVP at Venn Strategies, and Lauren Resnik, project manager at Virginia Tech, welcomed Alistair Daniel Resnik on Aug. 25. Pic … Another pic — Bridget Bartol, a former Biden and Obama senior energy official and SKDK and Dewey Square group alum, and Keith Versteegden, owner and CEO of OneVision, welcomed Mackenzie Sloane Versteegden on Sunday. She came in at 8 lbs and 21 inches, and joins big sister Madison. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) … Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) … CAP’s Neera Tanden … Emily Berret … former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) … Renee Hudson … POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi … Jess McIntosh … Andrew Shapiro of Beacon Global Strategies … Hunter Walker … Brian Farnkoff … Fox News’ Trey Yingst … Alex Bell … NYT’s Mara Gay … Chuck Rosenberg … Aurelien Portuese … FleishmanHillard’s Michael Moroney … Sara Bonjean … former Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) … Justin Wiley … Mahen Gunaratna … Richard Wolf … Pat Daley of HB Strategies … Oliver Kim 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. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled the names of Bret Baier and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
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