| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | BREAKING: “Trump Advisers Have Discussed a Job for Adams to Quit Mayor’s Race,” by NYT’s Dana Rubinstein and colleagues: “Advisers to President [Donald] Trump have discussed the possibility of giving Mayor Eric Adams of New York City a position in the administration … The talks have also involved finding a possible place in the administration for the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa. The goal, the people said, would be to give former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo a better chance of defeating [Zohran] Mamdani.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is working on a big new plan to define a campaign agenda for House Democrats. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP | BRAND AWARENESS: With summer recess over and Congress back in session, both parties are stepping up their efforts to figure out a midterm brand that works — while the campaign trail kicks into higher gear. The Democrats: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is working on a big new plan to define a campaign agenda for House Democrats proactively and turn around the party’s troubled image, WaPo’s Marianna Sotomayor reports. But while the initial list of principles includes a focus on affordability, health care and corruption, it remains to be seen how they’ll message politically thornier issues like immigration and crime. And Dems face plenty of headwinds: WaPo’s Dylan Wells and Joe Lamberti lay out frustrations about the party as voiced by 20 Democratic voters in Pennsylvania, while Missouri Republicans begin a special session today to snatch away a House seat with a fresh gerrymander, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. First in Playbook — The Republicans: House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) this afternoon will host Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to meet with House Republicans and highlight benefits from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for workers. Their post-Labor Day gathering will emphasize planks like new tax deductions for tipped wages and overtime pay. The broader push: Chavez-DeRemer’s event dovetails with the GOP’s broader effort to rebrand their signature legislation, which remains unpopular with the public. This morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, James Blair and Tony Fabrizio briefed House Republicans on how to sell the bill as a boon to “working families,” POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports, even though its benefits disproportionately accrue to the wealthy. The Trump aides said Republicans need to turn out inconsistent voters next year and help educate people about the legislation, though not all members were sold on the presentation. Trail mix: It’s already been a very busy day on the campaign trail, with a series of notable new or potential campaign launches.
- New Hampshire: Could Republicans land a surprise big recruit in the open-seat Senate race? Former Sen. John E. Sununu is considering a bid to return to D.C., which would set up a primary against another former senator, Scott Brown, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman scooped. Rep. Chris Pappas awaits as the likely Democratic nominee to replace Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
- Maine: After a long period of stasis, the stable of Democrats challenging GOP Sen. Susan Collins keeps growing as Dan Kleban became the newest entrant in the primary, per the Portland Press Herald’s John Terhune. He’s the founder and co-owner of Maine Beer Co., and brings an outsider message focused on affordability and his personal business story.
- Florida: Rep. Byron Donalds has competition in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Former state House Speaker Paul Renner filed to run, hoping to beat Donalds again like he did in Tallahassee in 2017, POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard reports. Renner was a close ally of incumbent Ron DeSantis, who hasn’t backed the Trump-supported Donalds yet. … Meanwhile, Republican Michael Carbonara launched a campaign against Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose seat could become vulnerable if the GOP undertakes a rare mid-cycle gerrymandering power grab. He’s a fintech and crypto entrepreneur.
- Mississippi: Scott Colom was barred from a federal judgeship in the Biden administration by GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who refused to return a “blue slip” to advance his nomination. Now the Democratic DA is launching a long-shot bid to unseat her, Grant McLaughlin reports for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.
Bubbles popped: Chelsea Clinton isn’t eyeing a congressional bid in Manhattan, per ABC’s Ben Siegel. Lina Khan is also not interested, she told The Bulwark’s Tim Miller. Ad it up: Rep. Buddy Carter’s (R-Ga.) Senate campaign went up with a seven-figure ad blitz today seeking to tie him closely to Trump — and to the Laken Riley Act, even though Carter competitor Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) was actually the main sponsor of the bill, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Booz Allen: Booz Allen tech keeps America's military ahead of our adversaries. We're bringing the power of AI to the battlefield so our nation's warfighters can get the job done smarter and faster. It's in our code. Learn more. | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. THE EPSTEIN FILES: In an emotional news conference this morning, Jeffrey Epstein accusers told their stories and pressured Washington to release all the relevant documents — even as Republicans clamped down for now on a discharge-petition effort. Women, some identifying themselves publicly for the first time, alleged that they’d been sexually abused or trafficked as minors and young adults, per NBC. Marina Lacerda told ABC’s Linsey Davis that the administration should “give all the victims transparency … and release these files.” Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, said some of the women planned to compile their own “client list” of Epstein clients and associates, though they may not make it public for fear of legal retaliation. On the Hill: Even as Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) commanded attention with the news conference, they still face obstacles in finding the requisite two more House Republicans to sign the discharge petition and force a vote. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) are leaning no, per NBC’s Melanie Zanona, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she won’t sign after some documents were released last night, per Punchbowl’s Laura Weiss. Massie shot back this morning after the White House warned that supporting his effort would be “a very hostile act to the administration.” How Trump sees it: At the White House, Trump bemoaned the calls for Epstein files to be released as “a Democrat hoax that never ends,” despite the fact that conspiracy theories about Epstein blossomed principally on the online far right, including his current FBI leaders. 2. MORE FROM THE OVAL: Trump met with new conservative Polish President Karol Nawrocki, providing a warm welcome and a military flyover above the South Lawn. Though Nawrocki’s post is largely ceremonial, he got what he came for when Trump strongly endorsed the continued presence of U.S. troops in Poland: “We’ll put more there if they want,” he said. Trump also suggested that another phase of financial penalties to punish Russia may come as he struggles to make progress in ending the Ukraine war. And he plans to have a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tomorrow, per AFP’s Danny Kemp. Also notable: Trump told reporters that his administration is considering both Chicago and New Orleans for the next controversial surge of federal law enforcement. Focusing on the latter, which has one of the country’s highest violent crime rates, would address Democratic criticisms that Trump has targeted only cities in blue states so far. 3. SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: “Trump escalates battle to take control of spending away from Congress,” by CNN’s Sarah Ferris and Jeremy Herb: “According to figures compiled by congressional Democrats, which have not been previously reported, the administration has so far withheld $425 billion that Congress had agreed to spend on programs like biomedical research, state and local crime fighting efforts and energy programs. It’s a number that congressional Democrats are likely to point to as they push for guardrails in upcoming talks with GOP leaders, who also voted to approve that spending.” Never back down: “Vought defends ‘aggressively’ using rescissions, blasts GAO as ‘something that shouldn’t exist,’” by POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs
| | | | Playbook goes beyond the newsletter — with powerhouse co-hosts at the mic. Join Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns every weekday on The Playbook Podcast for exclusive intel and sharp analysis on Trump’s Washington. Start listening now. | | | | | 4. VAX NOT: As HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. increasingly turns his anti-vaccine views into policy, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson today announced that they’ll create a public health alliance to provide its own vaccine advice to citizens, per NYT’s Emily Baumgaertner Nunn. The Western states said they want to counter Kennedy’s “politicization of science” with evidence-based recommendations. This follows moves by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and other blue-state leaders to explore buying vaccines themselves if Washington restricts them, as The New Republic’s Greg Sargent reported last week. More pushback: Amid the Kennedy-fueled chaos at the CDC, more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees called on the secretary to resign, per CNN. Their letter says Kennedy “continues to endanger the nation’s health,” which HHS rejected. And when Kennedy testifies on the Hill tomorrow, he’ll be up against “hard questions,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said today with some moderate criticism, per POLITICO’s Jordain Carney. “Because somebody’s supportive of or in favor of vaccines is not disqualifying” for the job of CDC director, Thune said. “Obviously he’s gotta have people in these positions that have some stability and hopefully command the trust of the American people.” In the states: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced that the state will end all vaccine mandates, saying each one “drips with disdain and slavery,” per the Tampa Bay Times. 5. FED UP: Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on CNBC today that he wants the central bank to cut rates at its meeting this month — and perhaps multiple times in the next few months. Another possible contender for the next Fed chair, Stephen Miran, will go before the Senate for his confirmation hearing tomorrow, when all eyes will be on Republicans to see whether GOP senators offer any pushback to Trump’s attacks on Fed independence, Bloomberg’s Steven Dennis previews. Meanwhile, Larry Summers warned today to Bloomberg’s David Westin that “we’re on the foothills of a credibility crisis” for the Fed. The economic backdrop: For the first time since 2021, unemployed Americans now outnumber job openings in the U.S., economist Heather Long flagged from the latest data. 6. CLIMATE FILES: “Trump Plans to Block Iberdrola Massachusetts Wind Projects,” by Bloomberg’s Cam Baker: “The US is working to withdraw a permit for the New England Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind projects in Massachusetts, according to a court filing dated Wednesday. So far, stop-work orders and yanked permits — as well as the threats of them — have disrupted plans for at least four wind farms off the US East Coast this year.” 7. JUDICIARY SQUARE: Newsmax today sued Fox News in federal court with antitrust complaints, saying Fox was illegally monopolizing the conservative television landscape, per Deadline. Fox didn’t immediately respond for comment. … New York AG Letitia James filed suit against VDARE, a far-right anti-immigration group, accusing its leaders of enriching themselves and misusing money, per the NYT. They’ve previously accused James of having “murdered” the nonprofit with her investigation. 8. TALES FROM THE CRYPTO: “Trump Brothers-Backed Bitcoin Mining Company Is Set to List on Nasdaq,” by WSJ’s Vicky Ge Huang: “American Bitcoin will debut on the Nasdaq Stock Market after completing its merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., the bitcoin-mining company Hut 8 and other American Bitcoin shareholders will own about 98% of the combined company.”
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| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Eleanor Holmes Norton returned to the spotlight to speak out against the federal takeover in D.C., though she didn’t take questions. PLAYBOOK ARTS SECTION — “The ‘MAGA Former Dancer’ Named to a Top Job at the Kennedy Center Inherits a Troubled Program,” by Washingtonian’s Rebecca Ritzel: “Stephen Nakagawa got his job after he complained about ‘radical leftist ideologies in ballet.’ He’s been greeted by depleted staff and slow ticket sales for dance performances.” — Kim Sajet, who left her role as leader of the National Portrait Gallery when President Donald Trump said he was firing her, has been named the new director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. More from the Journal Sentinel MEDIAWATCH — C-SPAN is finally coming to YouTube. The network’s three channels will start streaming on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV this fall, it announced, along with a YouTube sponsorship of C-SPAN coverage of 250th-anniversary celebrations. That’ll give C-SPAN a leg up in the new media landscape as many consumers ditch cable TV. More from Deadline TRANSITIONS — Callie Strock is now a senior adviser at the Small Business Administration for Deputy Administrator Bill Briggs. She previously was deputy chief of staff for Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and is a House Energy and Commerce alum. … Rachel Pollock is now VP for government relations at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. She previously was VP for external affairs at Arnold Ventures and is an NIH and HHS alum. … Taylor Tougaw is now director of government affairs at the American Conservation Coalition Action. He previously was senior policy adviser at the Congressional Western Caucus. … … Jake Kuhns is now VP of domestic policy at the National Association of Manufacturers. He previously was director of federal government relations at Cargill and is a Tim Holden alum. … Katherine Bowles is now SVP and chief of staff at the Export-Import Bank. She previously was a professional staffer on the Senate Appropriations State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee, and is a Richard Shelby and Wilson Center alum. 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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