| | | |  | | By Zack Stanton | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today’s Playbook Podcast, Zack Stanton and Megan Messerly talk about how the White House will message about today’s jobs report, the Defense Department’s coming rebranding and the DOJ’s reported criminal probe into Lisa Cook.
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| Good morning, and happy Friday. I’m Zack Stanton. Get in touch. BACK FOR MORE: “The Conversation with Dasha Burns” is returning! In Season 1, Dasha sat down with some of the most powerful players in Washington to get their perspectives on what’s really going on inside Washington. Join “The Conversation” again as Dasha continues to explore how President Donald Trump and his team are fundamentally reshaping the country, and how Democrats are tackling this new era of American politics. Full episodes will now be available every Friday, starting Sept. 12. Watch the trailer here … Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts In today’s Playbook … — Jobs board: Today’s jobs report could signal a softening of the economy. The upside for Trump? The latest numbers could spur the Fed further toward his long-desired rate cut. — War path: Trump is set to put his stamp on the much-discussed makeover of the Defense Department. — On message: Republicans are sharpening the rhetoric on their marquee legislation — but it seems unlikely they’ll move on a second package.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Sept. 3. | Aaron Schwarz/CNP | STORMY WEATHER: The Labor Department at 8:30 a.m. will release the monthly jobs report for August — and though we don’t yet have the numbers, there’s a strong sense of which way the wind is blowing. The private sector jobs boom that Trump pledged to deliver is starting to look shaky, POLITICO economic ace Sam Sutton writes in to Playbook. A weak report today — or substantial revisions to previously reported gains — could blow a hole in the Trump administration’s claims that the president’s agenda has unleashed a new Golden Age for American workers. There are plenty of signs of deterioration in the jobs market, even before those numbers are released:
Economists polled by the WSJ projected that the U.S. “likely added 75,000 jobs in August, little changed from July's 73,000.” Christopher Waller, a Federal Reserve governor who’s on Trump’s shortlist to potentially replace Chair Jerome Powell, said last week that declines in immigration “can't account for the ugly jobs numbers of the past three months,” and that “any decline in labor supply is only masking weakening demand in the labor market.” If that’s the case, it’s bad news for Trump’s economy, Sam tells us. But if the White House wants a silver lining, it would also mean the Fed is that much closer to lowering interest rates. Another silver lining for the White House: The likelihood of a rate cut caused stocks to rally yesterday, as Bloomberg’s Andre Janse Van Vuuren writes, and if the jobs report more or less meets expectations, stocks may surge again today.
| | | | A message from Booz Allen: Booz Allen is helping the Department of Homeland Security fight drug cartels at the border with advanced analytics. When American lives are at stake, our tech steps up. Learn more. | | | | WARFARE AND LAWFARE DECLARING WAR: Trump is set to sign an executive order at 2 p.m. today to rename the Department of Defense to its old moniker, the Department of War, Fox News’ Diana Stancy and Emma Colton scooped. It’s a move that Trump and Defense —err, War Secretary Pete Hegseth have been pushing for, though a formal change would likely require congressional approval, as POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and colleagues write. Reality check: Beyond just getting Congress on board, actually changing the names of all of the Pentagon buildings, stationary, emblems, plaques, etc., will likely cost billions. But the new name is fitting with the administration’s push for a more aggressive, offensive military image globally. Personnel changes: Trump will nominate Lt. Gen. William Hartman — acting director of both the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command — to permanently lead both agencies, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman and Maggie Miller scooped. It’ll be the latest nomination headed to the Senate for confirmation. GOING ON OFFENSE: Two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham stationed in the Caribbean yesterday, in what the DoD called a “show of force,” CBS’ James LaPorta and Charlie D’Agata scooped. “This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations,” the DoD said in a statement on X. “The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military.” It comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s lethal strike on a boat this week that it said was carrying illegal narcotics from Venezuela. The defense of the strike has only grown more steadfast in recent days, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubling down during his visit to Ecuador and saying the U.S. will work with other countries to “blow up” more drug cartel operations. But the questions are also growing: Legal experts criticizing the administration say Trump flouted legal precedent and basis. Trump “is now redefining the peacetime criminal problem of drug trafficking as an armed conflict,” NYT’s Charlie Savage writes. “But the trafficking of an illegal consumer product is not a capital offense, and Congress has not authorized armed conflict against cartels.” That said, the White House is preparing to deliver its defense in a report to Speaker Mike Johnson, POLITICO’s Jack Detsch reports. Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s leaders are awaiting a bipartisan briefing, per Axios. JUSTICE WATCH: The DOJ is considering proposals to limit the rights of transgender people to own guns, CNN’s Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz report. The preliminary discussions stem from the deadly shooting in Minnesota that killed two children and injured 21 people, which police say was carried out by a transgender woman. The DOJ discussions center on a proposal to “declare that people who are transgender are mentally ill and can lose their Second Amendment rights” — but it's a move that would be certain to draw a swift legal challenge and could draw the ire of both gun-rights groups and LGBTQ+ rights advocates. LED TO THE SLAUGHTER: Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to allow him to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a Biden-appointed Federal Trade Commission member, as the litigation over her firing plays out, POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein writes. HITTING CLOSE TO HOME: The House has no plans to hold a vote to extend Trump’s takeover of the D.C. police force past its 30 day deadline — paving the way for it to expire next week, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill scooped. Johnson said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s commitment to indefinitely coordinate with federal law enforcement “resolved some of” the problems with the deadline. Bowser’s been toeing the line to not cross Trump, with the latest effort putting her at odds with AG Brian Schwalb, who she privately told to hold off on suing the administration, Axios’ Cuneyt Dil scooped.
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| | | | THE CAMPAIGN THE MEGA-MAGA MESSAGING: Today, the summer homework is due for House GOP committee chairs: Earlier this year, leadership tasked them to assemble lists of proposals for a second budget reconciliation package, as well as program cuts to pay for them. But as POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney report this morning, “there’s a growing realization the party likely can’t pass a new package before the end of the year — if at all.” Why is that? There’s “a lack of consensus and a grand, unifying goal — like the extension of sweeping tax cuts that held the last megabill together,” Meredith and Jordain write. And then there’s the campaign reality: “Key Republicans are warning their colleagues against tapping into some of the biggest pots of money that could offset the costs of a second package — such as additional Medicaid spending cuts. Many vulnerable GOP lawmakers believe that would be a death knell before next year’s midterms.” The backdrop: The first reconciliation package — Trump’s defining second-term legislative achievement — looms large in both parties’ midterm messaging. For Democrats, it’s homing on the “big, ugly bill” and changes to Medicaid that will likely cause millions of Americans to lose coverage. For Republicans, it’s trying to rebrand the package from something of a blob (i.e. the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” moniker that Trump popularized) into a “working families tax cut,” as POLITICO’s Jake Traylor and colleagues write. REDISTRICTING RODEO: The redistricting push in Missouri is now underway, and the first public hearing on the proposed map that would split up a Kansas City district drew criticism from voters, AP’s David Leib reports. The new map would give the GOP a shot at bagging seven of Missouri’s eight House seats. But the concerned public jives with new polling showing nearly half of voters in the state, at 48 percent, oppose the effort, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard writes. NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Following reports that Trump has been lobbying to whittle down the NYC mayoral race to the “most qualified candidate to beat [Zohran] Mamdani” within the next week, the president told reporters yesterday that he would “prefer not to have a Communist mayor of New York City … so I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one and I think that's a race that can be won.” Heeding the call: Despite issuing public denials that he’s considering stepping out of the race, Mayor Eric Adams has privately told friends and advisers that he’s seriously considering the potential administration jobs that would smooth his exit, NYT’s Nicholas Fandos and colleagues report. Adams also privately met with Steve Witkoff, a New York real estate investor and one of Trump’s top advisers, in Florida this week. TRAIL MIX: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) told Axios’ Andrew Solender that “of course” she will run again in 2026. … Gabriel Sterling, the former Georgia election official who condemned Trump’s attempts to claim victory in 2020, is running to be Georgia’s secretary of state, AJC’s Mark Niesse reports. … Democrat Justin Douglas, commissioner of Pennsylvania’s Dauphin County, filed FEC papers to run for Rep. Scott Perry’s (R-Pa.) seat, Bloomberg Gov’s Greg Giroux reports. … Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the NRSC are throwing their weight behind Rep. Ashley Hinson’s Senate bid in Iowa, per the Des Moines Register. First in Playbook — Cash dash: In the first 24 hours since launching his campaign to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), Columbia, Tennessee, Mayor Chaz Molder has raked in over $500,000 dollars. FROM THE WILDERNESS: “Two Normal Guys in Iowa and the Elusive Quest for Democratic Authenticity,” by POLITICO’s Michael Kruse: “There aren’t too many places where the need to run ‘normal people’ is more important to Democrats’ fortunes than Iowa. This traditional hub of the American political process, which has done little but become steadily more red over the past decade-plus, is exactly the type of terrain in which Democrats are not going to survive unless they can present candidates who appear less like they were engineered in some party laboratory and more like bona fide products of the particular culture of Iowa.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The sprint for Virginia’s governor’s mansion: On behalf of a Virginia resident, Democracy Defenders Action filed Freedom of Information Act requests last night for personal texts and emails of GOP gubernatorial hopeful Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, digging further into the nominee’s trip to Israel that she initially omitted from an ethics disclosure form. The trip in question: Democratic activists in the state for months have been eyeing Earle-Sears’ 2024 trip, raising questions about whether she broke the law in knowingly failing to list it as funded by outside sources. She amended her disclosure in May to add multiple trips. Now, new documents obtained by Democracy Defenders through other FOIAs have revealed additional information, including that she chaired the five-day delegation and it was on her official schedule. (Separately, the documents also show that the day after she returned, Earle-Sears’ official schedule includes two calls or meetings for her PAC.) The latest records released The new requests: The FOIA filings ask for records related to why Earle-Sears has listed the multi-day trip’s value at $6,000, as the latest release shows a ticket on one flight for her husband, who paid separately, cost $3,600. They also seek communications about trip planning on the lieutenant governor’s personal devices, because the records include correspondence with an Earle-Sears campaign email account and a reference to a text thread with the lieutenant governor. The new FOIA requests Earle-Sears’ campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
| | | | Playbook isn’t just a read — it’s a daily listen. Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns bring unmatched reporting and analysis on the power plays shaping Trump’s Washington. Hear the latest now. | | | | | BEST OF THE REST IRONY ALERT: “Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them,” by ProPublica’s Robert Faturechi and colleagues: “Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer entered into two primary-residence mortgages in quick succession, including for a second home near a country club in Arizona, where she’s known to vacation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has primary-residence mortgages in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, has one primary-residence mortgage in Long Island and another in Washington, D.C., according to loan records.” VAX NOT: Trump voiced his continued support for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last night, as POLITICO’s Ben Johansen writes — despite the fact that many of the claims Kennedy made during his contentious hearing about his work with HHS were not supported by science, as POLITICO’s Lauren Gardner writes. IMMIGRATION FILES: An appeals court yesterday ruled that the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center in Florida can remain open and the government can continue sending migrants there while litigation plays out, NYT’s Patricia Mazzei reports. … The Trump administration sued the city of Boston yesterday over its sanctuary city policies, the latest in a series of lawsuits that are also playing out in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, per AP’s Holly Ramer. WAR AND PEACE: Following yesterday’s summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries have formally committed to securing peace in Ukraine, including international troops on the ground, in the air or in the sea to keep Russia at bay, NYT’s Catherine Porter and Steven Erlanger report. Though Macron and other world leaders touted their unity, there is still little decided about what these security guarantees entail — and what U.S. involvement will look like. The Trump administration is also planning to stop longstanding security assistance for programs reinforcing Europe’s eastern countries neighboring Russia, FT’s Amy Mackinnon and colleagues report. WHAT PETE BUTTIGIEG IS READING: “Trump admin ditches Biden-era plan to make airlines pay compensation for flight disruptions,” by AP’s Rio Yamat: “The Trump administration said Thursday it is abandoning a Biden-era plan that sought to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers with cash, lodging and meals for flight cancellations or changes caused by a carrier.”
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| | | | THE WEEKEND AHEAD TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week”: Elisabeth Bumiller, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Stephen Hayes and Vivian Salama. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC “This Week”: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Education Secretary Linda McMahon … New York Gov. Kathy Hochul … Dave Ramsey … Mike Rowe. Panel: Juan Williams and Roger Zakheim. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … NEC Director Kevin Hassett … Anthony Salvanto. NBC “Meet the Press”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) … Steve Kornacki. Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Stephen Hayes, Jeh Johnson and Jonathan Martin. CNN “State of the Union”: Border czar Tom Homan. Panel: Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Scott Jennings, Xochitl Hinojosa and Shermichael Singleton. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) … Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) … Thomas Chatterton Williams. Panel: Shadi Hamid, David Drucker, Kellie Meyer and Laura Weiss. MSNBC “The Weekend”: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) … Jerome Adams.
| | | | 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 | | Joe Biden underwent surgery to remove skin cancer lesions on his forehead. Donald Trump lis set to attend the U.S. Open men’s final in New York on Sunday. Kamala Harris is reportedly receiving round-the-clock protection from the LAPD following Trump’s revocation of her Secret Service detail. Andy Beshear’s podcast is going national with SiriusXM. THE LATEST ON BIG BALLS — The alleged assailants of the former DOGE staffer known as Big Balls are facing new charges, POLITICO’s Michael Schaffer writes in to Playbook. At a status hearing yesterday, the two juvenile defendants — a 15-year-old boy and girl who had initially been charged with unarmed carjacking — were arraigned on new charges: two counts of simple assault for the female defendant; three counts of simple assault, one count of felony assault, and one count of robbery for the male defendant. But following the recommendations of court social services, Judge Kendra Briggs ordered the young woman to be moved from a youth facility back to the custody of her parents, subject to a 24-hour curfew. The young man is already at home with his parents. Because the defendants are underage, aspects of the case remain shrouded in mystery, with things like police bodycam footage off-limits to the general public. The trial — which was initially scheduled for late September and could theoretically reveal more specifics of what happened during the 3 a.m. incident in early August — now seems farther off, if it happens at all. At the hearing, defense attorneys and prosecutors indicated that they may commence preliminary plea talks. The next hearing is set for Sept. 24. MEDIAWATCH — David Ellison is calling all Paramount employees back to the office five days a week, as staff await news on potential layoffs following the company’s merger with Skydance, per Business Insider. … PBS is laying off 15 percent of its staff, following major cuts to public broadcasting funding earlier this year, NYT’s Ben Mullin reports. OUT AND ABOUT — National Security Leaders for America hosted a salon dinner last night featuring special guest Michèle Flournoy at Joe’s Steakhouse. SPOTTED: Rina Shah, Anastasia Dellaccio, Jennifer Holdsworth, Joe and Lynda Zengerle, Joel Poznansky, Erika Dinkel-Smith, Kris Klaich and Joe Zepecki. — SPOTTED at the JK Strategies Innovation Infusion reception at The Homer Building on Wednesday: Alex Azar, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Charlie Curie, Kyle Diamantas, Sanjula Jain-Nagpal, Sarah Selip, Jim Frogue, Brad Traverse, Keith Nahigian, Ken Nahigian, Patrick Brennan, Taylor Hittle, Anna Pilato, Jack Kalavritinos, Mia Heck and Cathy Cohen. MEDIA MOVES — Amy Harder is joining Axios as national energy correspondent. She previously was founding executive editor of Cipher. TRANSITIONS — Kathleen Shannon is now a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. She most recently was a partner at Blank Rome, and is a Trump White House alum. … Michael Huneke is now a partner at Morgan Lewis. He most recently was co-chair of the sanctions, export controls and anti-money laundering practice group at Hughes Hubbard & Reed. … Jennifer Hendrixson White, Anka Lee, Elisa Ewers and Michael Schiffer have launched the consulting group Scalare Advisors. They are all Biden White House alums. … … Nico Zviovich is joining Touchdown Strategies as senior director of digital and entertainment strategy. He also serves as EVP of MovieGoer. Brendan Montesinos, previously comms coordinator, is now director at Touchdown Strategies. … Monica Trauzzi is now the chief comms officer at the Smart Electric Power Alliance. She was most recently senior director of energy and climate public affairs and strategic comms at Invariant. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Megan Viviano, VP at JPMorgan Private Bank’s D.C. office, and Michael Viviano, partnership adviser at Stand Together, recently welcomed their daughter, Elisa Siena Viviano. BIRTHWEEK (was Saturday): Ben Monticello of Rep. Darin LaHood’s (R-Ill.) office (3-0) HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) … Black Press USA’s April Ryan … BigBear.ai’s Kevin McAleenan … Noam Lee … Atlantic Council’s Fred Kempe … Bloomberg’s Ted Mann … Rob Lehman … Carta’s Holli Heiles Pandol (4-0) … Matthew Allen … Anne Marie Hoffman of the Harbour Group … Jeremy Furchtgott … Dale Neugebauer of DNstrategic … POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha and Jordan Wolin … Brian Wolff of the Bolinas Group … Natalie Cofield … David Yarkin of Procurated … Justin Schwab of the Council on Environmental Quality … former Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.) … Cade Slaughter of Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office … former Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) … Stephanie Green … NRSC’s Shawnda Turner … Melissa Sowerwine … CBS’ Kris Van Cleave … Aaron Lorenzo … Jessica Mejía … NYT’s Clay Risen … Abby McIntyre … Rachel Janfaza … Girls Who Code’s Tarika Barrett 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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