| | | |  | | 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 Adam Wren discuss the extraordinary memorial service for Charlie Kirk and what it means for the future of the MAGA movement.
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| Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Get in touch. In today’s Playbook … — Unity vs. division at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. — It’s MAHA day in the White House as RFK Jr. revamps autism advice. — President Donald Trump heads to New York for a U.N. summit where Palestinian statehood will be top of mind.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Erika Kirk embraces President Donald Trump onstage during the memorial service for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Sept. 21. | Win McNamee/Getty Images | REMEMBERING CHARLIE KIRK: President Donald Trump is back at the White House this morning after addressing Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona yesterday. The president has a big week planned — a MAHA announcement on autism today; a speech to the United Nations tomorrow; the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday and a high-profile trip to Long Island to watch the Ryder Cup at the end of the week. But let’s dwell on Arizona, an event almost without parallel in American political history. A memorial service for a slain political activist that was addressed by some of the most senior members of the U.S. government — including the president and the vice president, the speaker of the House, the White House chief and deputy chief of staff, plus multiple Cabinet members including the secretaries of State and Defense. As POLITICO’s Megan Messerly reports from Glendale, the event was “an hourslong celebration of Kirk’s life that blended Christian themes of martyrdom with patriotism.” Kirk was eulogized as a hero of the conservative movement, and one whose killing — his supporters fervently believe — will prove a powerful springboard for the causes to which he devoted his life. For all the A-list lineup of speakers, the centerpiece moment was the appearance of Erika Kirk, Charlie’s grieving widow and now his anointed successor as head of Turning Point USA. Speaking to a stadium packed with tens of thousands and on a livestream broadcast to many millions more, the 36-year-old — thrust suddenly into the limelight for the worst possible reason — found it within herself to preach love and forgiveness. In her own words: “That young man,” she said, addressing her husband’s suspected killer. “I forgive him. I forgive him, because it was what Christ did. It’s what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer — we know from the Gospel — is love and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us.” Do watch the clip, if you haven’t already. Trump, speaking directly after, chose a different path. He eulogized Charlie Kirk too; but would not or could not share the message of unity preached by Kirk’s widow. “That’s where I disagreed with Charlie,” Trump told the crowd. “I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them.” Turning to Erika Kirk, Trump went on: “I'm sorry, Erika — now Erika can talk to me and the whole group and maybe they can convince me that that's not right — but I can't stand my opponent.” It was a jarring passage. But it was also authentically Trump — and authentically of the age through which we’re living.
| | | | A message from Solana Policy Institute: The next generation of U.S. financial infrastructure is open-source and blockchain-based—built by developers creating transparent systems that empower consumer choice. As Congress crafts digital asset legislation, we must preserve historical protections for open-source developers. The future of American financial innovation depends on protecting those building it today. Learn more. | | | | On that note: Trump again vowed action against those whose rhetoric he alleges spurs violence, blaming “one part of our political community” as the root cause. Executive action targeting left-wing organizations is expected soon. And Trump also evoked Kirk’s memory to revive his proposed military incursion into Chicago. “One of the last things he said to me is, ‘Please sir, save Chicago,’” Trump said. “We’re gonna do that. We’re gonna save Chicago from horrible crime.” Eyes emoji: But the most fascinating evocation of Kirk’s memory actually came via an earlier speaker, DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who chose to highlight Kirk’s longstanding commitment to free speech. “Free speech is the foundation of our democratic republic. We must protect it at all costs, because without it, we'll be lost. Charlie knew this. He lived it," Gabbard said. A few weeks ago these would have been unremarkable words for an American conservative. In the wake of AG Pam Bondi’s attack on “hate speech,” FCC boss Brendan Carr’s threats against broadcast networks and the MAGA-inspired suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, Gabbard’s words look like an act of near-insubordination. FINAL NOTE: The most surprising sight last night was that of Elon Musk seated in Trump’s box and chatting with the president in public for the first time since their bitter falling out. “I thought it was nice,” Trump told reporters after. “He came over, we had a little conversation.” Both the White House and Musk posted pictures of the rapprochement on X.
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| | | | HEALTH OF THE NATION MAHA’S BIG DAY: Trump’s main public event today will be a 4 p.m. Oval Office announcement alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., unveiling new public health advice on autism. This is a big moment for RFK Jr., with the huge spike in autism diagnoses over recent decades now a cause célèbre within the Make America Healthy Again movement. Kennedy has been working on this announcement for months, having ordered a review of all available evidence on autism soon after taking up office at HHS. Long-debunked theories linking autism to certain childhood vaccines are not expected to be the main focus. Instead, Kennedy is expected to assert that using acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — during pregnancy could contribute to autism risk, WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Ariana Eunjung Cha report (confirming a WSJ scoop from earlier this month). U.S. health officials “plan to warn pregnant women against using Tylenol early on unless they have a fever,” WaPo reports. They will also advise that a cancer and anemia drug, leucovorin, could be utilized as “a potential autism treatment.” Worth noting: The evidence for the Tylenol link is disputed and has not been deemed conclusive by other Western countries, despite acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) being one of the most widely used medicines on the planet. But any change in guidelines from the U.S. government will send reverberations around the world. Given the sensitivity, WaPo reports both “the timing and content” of Kennedy’s autism initiative has been debated at the highest levels of the Trump administration. To wit: A senior official tells POLITICO’s Tim Röhn, Dasha Burns and Carmen Paun there is division among the administration “about the handling of the autism issue,” and Kennedy is said to have “been reluctant to warn the public.” From the horse’s mouth: Speaking at the Kirk memorial last night, Trump described today’s announcement as “one of the biggest medically … in the history of our country.” He suggested “an answer to autism” has been discovered, and stressed that “we want things to take effect immediately.” But on the thorny issue of vaccines, Trump was circumspect last night. Kennedy is a known vaccine skeptic, but Trump’s view is much more nuanced — partly due to polls showing overwhelming support for vaccines; and partly because of the runaway success of his own “Project Warp Speed’ program during the Covid pandemic. “Vaccines are very interesting,” Trump told reporters last night. “They can be great. But children get these massive vaccines like you’d give to a horse. And I’ve said for a long time … spread them out over five years. Get five shots, small ones.” Coming attractions: Today’s announcement will not be the end of the matter, as my POLITICO colleagues report. “The administration is still preparing a broader autism initiative: About a dozen working groups are slated to examine about 30 hypotheses about potential causes,” they write. “A literature review intended to underpin that work isn’t finished and won’t be released Monday.”
| | | | Introducing Global Security: POLITICO’s weekly briefing on the policies, regulatory battles 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 now to access the free preview edition. | | | | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD NEXT STOP NEW YORK: Trump heads to NYC this evening ahead of his big speech to the United Nations tomorrow. The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly — the “World Cup of diplomacy,” per NYT’s Hilary Howard — brings together more than 140 world leaders to discuss global issues. Naturally, Trump’s arrival will be one of the main events. Ahead of that, the U.N. will be debating peace in the Middle East today in a special daylong conference chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing Western allies to adopt a less unquestioningly pro-Israel stance given the horrors that have unfolded in Gaza, and has helped to coordinate en masse recognition of a Palestinian state. The latest names added to the list this past weekend were longstanding U.S. allies Great Britain, Canada and Australia. It’s a significant diplomatic shift. How will Trump react? The U.S. administration is not impressed, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz and colleagues report, although Trump chose not to take British PM Keir Starmer to task over the issue during his state visit last week. But the U.S. is not taking part in today’s conference. The view from Israel: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized France’s diplomatic maneuver, vowing to block the foundation of a Palestinian state in “the heart of our land,” per the WSJ. “I have a clear message for you. It won’t happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said, adding that he was proud that Israel had doubled Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Latest on the ground: As Israeli tanks pushed further into the densely populated Gaza City, Gazan health authorities reported yesterday that Israeli forces destroyed more residential buildings “killing at least 31 Palestinians and prompting many others to flee,” per Reuters. “The Israeli military estimates that more than 450,000 people have left the city since the start of September. Hamas disputes this, saying just under 300,000 have left and that about 900,000 people remain.” Our survey says: A new Gallup poll out this morning shows that while 60 percent of Americans see the U.N. as necessary in world politics, 63 percent say it’s doing a poor job trying to solve global problems, POLITICO’s Katherine Long reports. According to the survey, most Americans support the U.S. government funding the U.N., “with 35 percent of respondents wanting to maintain current levels and 25 percent wanting to increase funding.” By contrast, 17 percent believe the U.S. should give up its membership, the joint-highest in Gallup’s U.N. analysis “spanning back decades.”
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| | | | BEST OF THE REST SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Usually, it’s Republicans pushing for policy concessions and Democrats insisting on a “clean” stopgap. Not this time. As lawmakers stare down an Oct. 1 shutdown deadline, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill breaks down the unusual role reversal between the two parties this morning. On one side, GOP lawmakers say a “clean” funding bill “will buy time for more negotiations on full-year spending bills and possibly an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies.” On the other, Democrats are pushing for an alternative bill that includes a “laundry list of demands,” such as a permanent extension of the subsidies. Why is that? The biggest reason “is a transformation of incentives,” Meredith writes. “Where Republicans have spent most of the past 15 years heeding the wishes of a party base spoiling for a fight, damn the consequences, it’s now Democrats in that position. The GOP, meanwhile, is in lockstep behind President Donald Trump, who is determined to corner his opposition.” For now, GOP leaders “are supremely confident that Democrats are holding a losing hand” and seem supremely unlikely to fold anytime soon. And after the Senate rejected both parties’ dueling proposals to keep the government funded last week, the path forward when members return from recess seems thornier than ever. More from our colleagues on Inside Congress DEMS’ REDISTRICTING RODEO: Democrats are facing a slew of legal and procedural roadblocks to counter Trump’s redistricting efforts, leaving very little chance they can match his attempts to control the House next year, POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig reports this morning. Only 15 Democratic-led states hold the political trifecta — and of those, only California has floated a serious redistricting effort. “Leaders in 14 other states with a Democratic governor and state legislature find themselves unable to move forward, hampered by reasons ranging from constitutional limitations, legal deadlines and maps that can’t be gerrymandered anymore.” WHAT K STREET IS READING: “Here’s what happens when big-time lobbyists become big-name Trump officials,” by POLITICO’s Caitlin Oprysko: “[F]irms are free to lobby anyone else in the agencies in question so long as those officials are not under ethics restrictions of their own,” and “there’s nothing stopping the lobbyists-turned-Cabinet secretaries from interacting with their former firms in social settings. … [T]he lobbying by Ballard and BGR Group illustrates how, just six months into Trump’s second term, the firms have been able to cash in on their unique ties to the administration.” IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration’s surprise change to H-1B visa fees sparked widespread confusion and anger this weekend as visaholders from India and China were forced to abandon travel plans and rush back to the U.S., Reuters’ Aditya Soni and Echo Wang report. Though the White House clarified yesterday that the order applied “only to new applicants and not holders of existing visas or those seeking renewals,” companies across Silicon Valley and the U.S. had already sent urgent memos to employees, advising them to return before a deadline of midnight on Sunday.
| | | | 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 | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Emily Kassner-Marks is now press secretary and Neeharika Simha is now director of video for the House Oversight Committee Democratic staff after both previously working in Rep. Robert Garcia’s (D-Calif.) personal office. In Garcia’s office, Isabella Andaya is now digital director and Dorian Bonner is now a special assistant. Ethan Cesar is now press assistant for both Oversight and Garcia’s office. — Morgan Martinez is now EVP at The Lafayette Company. She previously worked at InterAction and is an International Republican Institute alum. TRANSITION — Londyn Marshall is now senior political and engagement director at the DSCC. She previously worked at Carbon180. WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Rachel Myers, a central desk editor at POLITICO, and Masen Confetti, a news producer at FOX5 DC, got married this weekend in Lake Tahoe, California. Pic — Emily Crerand, chief of staff for Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) and Joe Diver, chief of staff for Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), were married on Saturday at Toolbox Pilates Art Studio in Dupont Circle with a pickle bar for the bride. Pic … Another pic. SPOTTED: Rep. Andrea Salinas, Rep. Eric Sorensen, Cindy Axne, Yadira Caraveo, Liz Amster, Craig Auster, Steven Carlson, Brandon Cox, Lizzie Haskell, John Lee, Noah Kowalski, Maeve Healy Lafleur, Rikki Miller, Jed Ober, Mary Plasencia, Tiernan Sittenfeld, Kathryn Sorenson, Abbie Sorrendino, Michelle Tovar, Lauren Toy, Chris Walsh and Kayla Williams. — Alexandria Paolozzi, director of government relations at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Action, and Matt Moore, certified financial planner with Edward Jones, got married at the historic Hotel Utica in the bride’s hometown of Utica, New York on Saturday. Pic by Ken Farnaso. SPOTTED: Lauren Devoll, Bill Bednar, Chelsea and Michael Sobolik, Ericka Morris, David Kelly, Ken Farnaso, Cody Sargent, Daniel Fisher, Nick Stewart, Bobby Matthews and Nicholas Hanson. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jeffrey Goldberg … Kirsten Allen … POLITICO’s Kelsey Powers … Daniel Gastfriend … David Pressman … Rich Meade of Prime Policy Group … Reta Jo Lewis … Kelly Coldiron … Katie McBreen of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association … Edelman’s Kelsey Cohen … former Sen. Tim Wirth (D-Colo.) … former Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) and Bill Enyart (D-Ill.) … Tommy Burr … Sandra Smith of Fox News … Joe Van Wye … Will Hadden … Monument Advocacy’s Matt McAlvanah … Amy Chozick … WaPo’s Shadi Hamid … Carl Cameron … Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. … Stacy Kerr … Bill Middendorf … TJ Ducklo ... Garrett Stephens of the Pivot Group ... Brett Broesder ... Heather Dawn Thompson … NBC’s Katherine Doyle … Daniela Fernández-Sanchez of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute … Stephanie Murray … Melissa Byrne … Kenneth Geller of Mayer Brown … Jeremy Siegel … Institute for Progress’ Pavan Venkatakrishnan … Elizabeth Markus … CBS’ Kristin Brown … Tara Wilson of Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) office … James Slepia BELATED BIRTHDAY (was Friday): Stuart Applebaum 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Rupert Murdoch's name.
| | | | A message from Solana Policy Institute: The next generation of U.S. financial infrastructure is open-source and blockchain-based—built by software developers creating transparent systems that empower consumer choice. As Congress crafts digital asset legislation, we must preserve historical protections for open-source software developers.
America's welcoming approach to software development enabled our leadership in groundbreaking technologies. But regulatory uncertainty is driving talent overseas. Our share of all global open-source developers dropped by more than 50 percent from 2015-2025, weakening our competitive edge. To maintain our status as the "crypto capital of the world," Congress must protect the builders and service providers who build and power it.
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