| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | Presented by American Advancement | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco On today’s Playbook Podcast: Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss Donald Trump’s sitdown with Keir Starmer, the drama-filled sidelining of Jimmy Kimmel and RFK Jr.’s new vaccine panel’s big day.
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| Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Get in touch. WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: Disney’s decision to “indefinitely” pull comedian Jimmy Kimmel off air following comments he made about the reaction to the killing of Charlie Kirk has sent the political bubble into a tailspin. Reactions came pouring in almost immediately. Ben Stiller. Megyn Kelly. JB Pritzker. Dave Portnoy. Elon Musk’s X platform had published 1.2 million posts on the subject by midnight (the show was only pulled at 6:25 p.m.). And — in the least surprising news of the day — people’s views have largely split into two camps. The right is in gloat mode: And leading from the top is Donald Trump, who was celebrating the downfall of one of his loudest liberal critics from inside Windsor Castle at 1:04 a.m. U.K. time. “Great News for America,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent.” (Trump predicted back in July that Kimmel would be the next host to get canned, after CBS pulled the plug on Stephen Colbert.) On the other side of the fence, liberals are up in arms. Not necessarily because many of them actually watched Kimmel’s show, of course — but because this looks like yet another sign of corporate America crumbling in the face of Trump’s brute force. In case you need a quick catch-up: Kimmel was heavily criticized on the right for a line in his Monday show discussing the arrest of Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. (Watch the whole clip here.) It was kind of a throwaway line (and Kimmel had previously passed on heartfelt condolences to the Kirks). But it was also a pretty weird thing to say, given we’d heard from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox the day before that investigators had indicated Robinson had a “leftist ideology.” Conservatives saw Kimmel’s words as part of a wider pattern of liberal voices trying to muddy the waters about the motives behind Kirk’s killing. He has not addressed what he said. But let’s be clear: None of this was likely to get Kimmel canned. But then Brendan Carr, Trump’s FCC chair, entered into the fray, piling public pressure on ABC and its owner, Disney, to take action by threatening dark consequences if it refused to do so. Status’ Oliver Darcy reports that an afternoon of panicked executive meetings ensued and that Kimmel planned to address the controversy head-on. ABC’s affiliates piled on the pressure. Eventually, Disney execs pulled the plug. The fallout: Carr celebrated by sending various gloating memes to media reporters. Kimmel is said to be furious, per the Daily Mail. Puck’s Dylan Byers reckons ABC bosses still hope to get the matter “resolved” and “have the show return.” In the meantime, some ABC-affiliate stations will broadcast tributes to Kirk during Kimmel’s slot on Friday. Trump wants NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers next. For conservatives, this is a FAFO moment: Kimmell made false insinuations at a highly sensitive time and is being held accountable by his bosses. His show was losing viewers and money anyway, they say, and now the market has done its thing. He can always head to YouTube if he’s so popular. For liberals, this is another huge Rubicon crossed — borderline state censorship in a country that prides itself on free speech. A president who hates being mocked and ridiculed had been pressuring TV bosses to fire a prominent critic for months. This week he used the power of the FCC to force the issue. In today’s Playbook … — Trump to hold news conference this morning as U.K. trip draws to a close. — MAGA’s new love of cancel culture finds an unlikely supporter. — RFK Jr.’s new vaccine panel meets — with shots for children under review.
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President Donald Trump reviews the Guard of Honour after arrival at Windsor Castle on day two of his second state visit to the United Kingdom on Sept. 17, 2025, in Windsor, England. | Pool photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth | BRITPOPS: In the next few minutes, President Donald Trump should be arriving at Chequers, the historic 16th-century country estate of the British prime minister, for the second and final day of his state visit. The good news is that the weather’s brightened up a little. The bad news is he may have to discuss Jeffrey Epstein. Talking shop: Trump and British PM Keir Starmer have three hours of meetings scheduled this morning, including a reception with business leaders. The main event for politicos will be the joint news conference which follows, currently scheduled for 9:20 a.m. ET. (Expect that time to slip.) Epstein, you say? Rather awkwardly for both Trump and his eager-to-please British hosts, the president has arrived at a delicate moment. Last week, Starmer was forced to fire his friend and hand-picked ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over revelations about his close relationship with Epstein. The scandal has obsessed the U.K. press for the past week and seems likely to be raised at the presser today. And given the Brits have spent months trying to make this trip as Trump-friendly as possible, the last thing they want is the president being asked on camera by some mischievous hack if he agrees that people with close links to Epstein should lose their jobs. Last night at the castle: Britain will be hoping any such journalistic indelicacies will be swiftly forgotten after pulling out all the stops for the Trumps at Windsor Castle. Trump, in turn, actually stayed on script for once, reading out an unusually poetic speech at last night’s state banquet. Among those in attendance were Apple boss Tim Cook, U.K. golf legend Nick Faldo, “The Apprentice” creator Mark Burnett … and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, whom Trump is currently suing for $10 billion. The NYT’s Shawn McCreesh has a nice write-up. Back to reality: With the pomp and ceremony out of the way, today is about hard politics — and you can expect Starmer to press Trump on Ukraine. Europe is desperate to see the U.S. crank up sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin — though Trump said last weekend he will only move in lockstep with NATO allies, demanding Europe cut off all dependence on Russian oil and gas. And this is no bluff: “The president’s very serious about it,” a White House official tells Playbook’s Dasha Burns, characterizing Trump’s position as: “I'll do economic warfare, [but] you’ve got to do it with me.” And his position shouldn’t come as a surprise to the British PM. “[Trump] had raised it privately with them repeatedly before raising it publicly,” the official said. Another flash point could come over Gaza, with Starmer poised to recognize Palestine as an independent state within days, per my London Playbook colleague Andrew McDonald. Trump is not a fan of the idea, though may choose to pull his punches if asked about it today. Talking trade: The two leaders have already been busy unveiling billions of dollars’ worth of investment deals, including a $1 billion U.K. defense deal with Palantir announced today. And there’s plenty more to discuss: Starmer would love some sort of broader win on tariffs, with key U.K. industries desperate to improve the outline deal the two nations agreed in May. Trump, in turn, wants Britain to scale back its Digital Services Tax, which he sees as a tariff on the U.S. Less likely to come up today: The thorny issue of free speech. Brits had feared Trump may be in the mood to offer them a JD Vance-style lecture this week, given the American right’s recent obsession with U.K. hate-speech laws. But now that MAGA world has seemingly done a complete 180 on this stuff over the past few days (not least Vance himself), this suddenly feels a lot less likely. Speaking of which: The latest far-right convert to the joys of cancel culture is none other than … ex-Proud Boys supremo Enrique Tarrio. He says the group has spent the past week trying to get liberals fired from their jobs over posts about Charlie Kirk. “I guess it’s kind of hypocritical of us after saying, ‘oh free speech’ or whatever,” Tarrio tells The Atlantic. “But the problem is the right isn’t good at fighting dirty.” Now, “they’ve figured it out. And it’s working.” Tarrio must be thrilled with Trump’s announcement last night (at 1:26 a.m. U.K. time!) that he intends to designate “ANTIFA” a “major terrorist group” — a move the president had been threatening in the wake of Kirk’s murder. However, the president’s statement raises more questions than answers, as my POLITICO colleague Kyle Cheney notes. Antifa is not really a structured group in any meaningful sense; and it’s unclear any such designation even exists for domestic groups. Hopefully Trump will expand on his plans today. And there’s more to come: The same White House official quoted above tells Dasha we will see action from Trump within “weeks” targeting groups which fund left-wing protests. “What we strongly believe … is that when you have violent agitation, night after night after night with the same people, somebody is ultimately funding that.” They went on: “When the same people in Portland every night attack Federal officers, or riot — those resources come from somewhere … And we want to know who's behind it, within the bounds of the law. It could be left-wing nonprofits. It could be foreign malign actors. It could be both.” Trump heads back to the U.S. this afternoon, and is scheduled to land back at the White House tonight. His sitdown interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum will air at 3 p.m. ET. And then he’s off to Arizona this weekend, for what should be a truly extraordinary moment — a memorial for Kirk in a 70,000-seater football stadium. No fewer than seven of the most senior figures in the U.S. government will speak at the event on Sunday — the president himself; plus Vance; White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and policy guru Stephen Miller; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and DNI Tulsi Gabbard. There may never have been a funeral service quite like it. Indeed, the memorial will serve as a launching point for what now looks likely to be one of the most significant aspects of Kirk’s death — its galvanizing effect on the conservative movement. Kirk’s Turning Point USA group on Tuesday said it had received more than 50,000 applications in the past week from students wanting to get involved — a truly extraordinary figure. And as POLITICO’s Irie Sentner reports, Republicans are already putting Kirk front and center of their 2026 election messaging.
| | | | A message from American Advancement: Democrats have a three-part plan for 2026: take back Congress, stop Trump's momentum, and erase his agenda. If Republicans lose the majority, President Trump's historic achievements vanish. Extending premium tax credits helps working families afford health care—and it's how Republicans keep promises that earned their majority. Republicans must protect these credits to protect the majority and the MAGA agenda. The choice is clear: defend our families, defend our future and defend our majority. Learn more. | | | | HEALTH OF A NATION TODAY IN ATLANTA: The CDC’s new-look vaccine advisory panel convenes at 10 a.m. for what’s likely to be a truly consequential two-day meeting. It’s the panel’s first formal meeting since its entire membership was fired by RFK Jr.. and replaced with a new hand-picked cast, many of whom have been criticized for a history of vaccine skepticism. Eight members were appointed in June, and five more were added this week. The advisory panel will consider one of the most salient debates in health policy, and one which the MAHA community obsesses over: childhood vaccines. Kids’ vaccines remain overwhelmingly popular with the U.S. public, but are an issue increasingly dividing the GOP, as yesterday’s Senate HELP committee hearings with ousted CDC boss Susan Monarez showed. The expectation is that RFK's panel will recommend rolling back parts of the childhood vaccine schedule; POLITICO’s Lauren Gardner takes a look at what might change. RFK watch: Kennedy will be at his own event at 10 a.m. in D.C. announcing new actions “to strengthen accountability, enhance transparency, and restore trust in the nation's organ transplant system" — which may well be newsworthy in itself. He then heads to a discussion on the effects of Covid-19 with various GOP lawmakers at 2 p.m. He’s yet to comment on Monarez’s blockbuster testimony yesterday. Beyond the questions on vaccines, Kennedy’s reshaping of HHS is facing significant resistance. A federal appeals court in Boston ruled the Trump administration can’t move forward with plans to overhaul the agency and fire thousands of staff, per Reuters’ Nate Raymond and Daniel Wiessner. And lawyers within HHS are intervening to block Retsef Levi, one of Kennedy’s top vaccine lieutenants, from grabbing more power within the CDC to restrict Covid shots, per Reuters’ Julie Steenhuysen and Chad Terhune.
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| | | | BEST OF THE REST MARKET’S BEEN FED: Markets bounced following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s announcement yesterday that the central bank will cut interest rates by a quarter point — the first rate cut in nine months. The move aimed to boost the job market, though Powell warned “there are no risk-free paths now,” POLITICO’s Victoria Guida reports. Mark your calendars: A narrow majority of Fed officials penciled in two more rate cuts coming down the line this year. They signaled consecutive cuts at the Fed’s Oct. 28-29 and Dec. 9-10 meetings, WSJ’s Nick Timiraos writes. The lone dissenter: none other than Stephen Miran, Trump’s hand-picked adviser who attended the meeting fresh off his Senate confirmation. He, like the president, saw need for a higher cut and voted for half a percentage point. As Reuters’ Ann Saphir writes, if Trump’s hope for installing an ally was to grab headlines, Miran delivered. But: “If the hope was to have someone on the inside to get the Fed to lower interest rates as sharply as Trump wants, Miran's lone dissent was evidence the gambit had failed.” SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Hill Republicans are plowing forward with their stopgap funding bill, eyeing a vote tomorrow, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney write. On the other side, Democrats seem ready to force a government shutdown — but what comes next is anyone’s guess. “Democrats are flirting with a politically risky shutdown without a firm exit plan, or even an idea of what victory might look like,” POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu and Jordain Carney report this morning. But one unifying idea is a push to extend the ACA health insurance subsidies due to expire at the end of this year. More from our Inside Congress colleagues
| | | | Introducing Global Security: POLITICO’s weekly briefing on the policies and industrial shifts driving transatlantic defense. We track how decisions in Washington, Brussels and beyond ripple across borders — shaping the future of security and industry. Sign up today for the free preview version. | | | | | First in Playbook — Where voters stand: Extending health care insurance credits is supported by 72 percent of voters in 2026 battleground districts, according to an Impact Research survey shared with Playbook. And support holds across the ideological spectrum: 88 percent of Dems are in favor, as are 70 percent of independents and 59 percent of Republicans. Impact Research has been briefing Democrats on the potency of the issue, a source familiar tells Playbook. The poll was conducted from Aug. 9-17 among 800 likely voters. Read the memo
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| | | | First in Playbook — Dems put the press on: Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.) are leading 36 battleground Democrats in a letter calling for House and Senate leadership to immediately extend the ACA credits, according to a copy obtained by Playbook. “Americans are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and health care is the top driver of their economic pain,” the letter says. “We must put aside our partisan differences for working people.” NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Kamala Harris’ top running mate pick for her presidential campaign was Pete Buttigieg — but she decided picking a gay man would be “too big of a risk,” she writes in her forthcoming book, “107 Days,” The Atlantic’s Jonathan Lemire reports from the latest excerpt. Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man,” Harris wrote. “But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk. And I think Pete also knew that — to our mutual sadness.” MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Trump has grown frustrated with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over his preference to use military force over diplomatic negotiations, with Trump telling aides “He’s f—ing me,” WSJ’s Alexander Ward and Dov Lieber report. Dasha hears similar, with a White House official complaining to her of “general frustration” in the White House over relentless Israeli spin. Still, Trump doesn’t agree with the European-led pressure campaign against Netanyahu — though he’s “not going to lose sleep over” it, a person familiar with the president’s thinking tells POLITICO’s Eli Stokols. On the ground in Gaza: The Israeli military opened a new route out of Gaza City as it steps up its aggressive ground offensive, but Palestinians are reluctant to leave for fear of being displaced or starving, Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi and colleagues report. The Palestinians death since the start of the war has surpassed 65,000. IMMIGRATION FILES: A Louisiana immigration judge ordered pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident in the U.S., to be deported to Syria or Algeria, POLITICO’s Erica Orden reports. Khalil’s legal team intends to appeal.
| | | | 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 | | COP LOVES DOUGHNUTS SHOCKER: FBI chief Kash Patel told senators yesterday that he thought Krispy Kreme stock was a “good investment” — and then watched the donut company’s stock went through the roof, per Bloomberg. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Transformative $3.7 billion Commanders stadium deal passes D.C. Council,” by WaPo’s Jenny Gathright: “The D.C. Council approved a $3.7 billion deal Wednesday to return the Washington Commanders to D.C., giving them the final green light to build their new football stadium alongside a sprawling mixed-use development on the banks of the Anacostia River where RFK Stadium is being demolished.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a party for the launch of Searchlight at the Riggs last night: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Reps. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), George Whitesides (D-Calif.), Josh Riley (D-N.Y.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), Matt Yglesias, Marc Dunkelman, Andrew Mamo, Matt Corridoni, Ro Applewhaite, Seth London, Marisol Samayoa, Josh Sulier, Michael Halle, Rohan Patel, Ami Copeland, Adam Jentleson, Cameron Thompson, Charlotte Swasey, Danielle Deiseroth, Kate Davis, Scott Moore and Tré Easton. — NHFA kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a “Noche Musical” on Tuesday, following their 2025 Visioning Summit, at the residence of Spanish Ambassador Ángeles Moreno Bau, followed by an after party at Cuba Libre. SPOTTED: Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Merel Julia, Félix Sánchez, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Tom Llamas, Fin Gomez, Capricia Marshall, Lyndon Boozer, Jackie Puente, Boris Sanchez, Maria Cardona, Húmberly Gonzàlez, Rafael Silva, Chuck Rocha and Bruno Ulloa. — Nelson Cunningham hosted a fundraiser last night at his Georgetown home to benefit Foreign Policy for America. SPOTTED: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Andrew Albertson, Michele Manatt, Stuart Bernstein, David Loevinger, Donna Hrinak, Elisa Massimino, Viji Rangaswami and Ali Wyne. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) is joining WestExec Advisors as a principal with the firm. MEDIA MOVES — Christina Wilkie is joining NBC News’ business and economy unit as a senior editor. She previously worked at CNBC. TRANSITIONS — Christine Cochran is joining the National Automatic Merchandising Association as president and CEO. She previously worked at SNAC International. … Danielle Carnival is joining the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation as its next CEO. She previously worked in the Biden White House. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) … Scott MacFarlane … Ben Carson … Bakari Sellers … The Atlantic’s Griff Witte … WaPo’s Desmond Butler … Carly Lindgren … Darryl Fears … Jeff Sadosky of Applecart … Katrina Bishop … Chris Lucas … Joan Walsh of The Nation … Jackie Calmes of the LA Times … Luis Navarro … Safiya Ghori-Ahmad … Jess Morales Rocketto … Jala McFadden … Dayna Cade … Daniel Burnett … Erin Buechel Wieczorek … Adam Keiper … Angela Flood … former Reps. Steve Watkins (R-Kan.), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) and John Tierney (D-Mass.) … Andrew Church … Carrie Hebert … Trevor Houser of Rhodium Group … Sara Haines … Natural Product Association’s Kyle Turk … Brooke Ainslie of the Herald Group … Rachel Irwin … Laura Hernandez-Smith of Rokk Solutions … Wasi Mohamed of Rep. Summer Lee’s (D-Pa.) office 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.
| | | | A message from American Advancement: Democrats have a three-part plan for 2026: take back Congress, stop Trump's momentum, and erase his agenda. If Republicans lose the majority, President Trump's historic achievements vanish. Extending premium tax credits helps working families afford health care—and it's how Republicans keep promises that earned their majority. Republicans must protect these credits to protect the majority and the MAGA agenda. The choice is clear: defend our families, defend our future and defend our majority. Learn more. | | | | | | | | Follow us on X | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Canada Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
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