| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | Presented by American Advancement | With help from Rachel Umansky-Castro
|  | THE CATCH-UP | | BULLETIN: “Trump asks the Supreme Court to let him fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook,” by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Kyle Cheney: “The Justice Department on Thursday asked the high court to reverse the decisions of two lower courts that allowed Cook to remain in her position while the broader legal fight is underway. … The Supreme Court has repeatedly blessed Trump’s efforts to fire the heads of independent agencies and boards, though justices have signaled they view the Federal Reserve as a unique “quasi-private” institution.
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President Donald Trump and British PM Keir Starmer aimed to promote their “unbreakable bond” and the long-standing relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. | Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images | THE WORLD STAGE: As President Donald Trump stood alongside British PM Keir Starmer at his Chequers residence this morning, the two leaders aimed to promote their “unbreakable bond” and the long-standing relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. — one Starmer has strategically wielded to bend Trump’s ear. And though the two leaders were generally complimentary of each other, fissures over the war in Gaza and putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin left Trump and Starmer standing apart on some of the most pressing global issues. The Putin pressure campaign: “He’s really let me down,” Trump said of Putin, with Starmer slamming the Russian leader for ramping up his attacks on Ukraine following attempts to bring about a peace deal. Putin has shown his “true face,” Starmer said. Where they differ: But Trump repeatedly emphasized that the war in Ukraine doesn’t affect the U.S. — a comment bound to cause headaches among European leaders. At one point, Trump even said the U.K. was not directly affected, prompting pushback from Starmer, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols reports. “We have to put extra pressure on Putin,” Starmer said as Trump pushed the ball into Europe’s court to cut off oil imports from Russia. On that front, new movement on sanctions may be coming soon. Bloomberg’s Alberto Nardelli reports that the latest package of sanctions against Russia is being presented to EU countries tomorrow following a Tuesday call between Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On the Middle East: The more obvious cracks in the “special relationship” came amid questions about the war in Gaza, as the U.K. is set to recognize Palestinian statehood in the coming days, NYT’s Mark Landler reports from London. Starmer said he and Trump spent the better part of an hour today discussing the war, which Starmer called “intolerable.” But Trump openly stated their impasse on how to proceed. “I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score. One of our few disagreements,” Trump said. Where they differ: Starmer backs the decision to recognize a Palestinian state — even naming “Palestine” during the presser — as a way of pressuring Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump, meanwhile, stressed the importance of releasing the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Despite reports of Trump’s private frustration with Netanyahu, today he touted his support for Israel and gave scant specifics for an end to the war. He stopped short of saying if he would tell Netanyahu to stop the war if the hostages were returned, offering only that “it would certainly help.” “I want an end, I want the hostages released, and I think it’s going to be OK,” Trump said. More from our POLITICO colleagues in Europe The Epstein saga: One major thing Trump and Starmer did align on was skirting the subject of Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the U.S. who was fired by Starmer following reports of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. “I didn't know him,” Trump said. Starmer said that Mandelson was fired after “information came to light.” Trading spaces: Largely absent from the remarks was the subject of tariffs and any changes to the trade agreement between the two countries, beyond Trump calling Starmer a “tough negotiator” and saying the deal was better for the U.K. than the U.S. (though that’s not exactly how the U.K. sees it, as NYT’s Stephen Castle notes). The intrigue of Trump and Starmer’s appearance rests on the fact that while they stand opposite on several issues, they’re good friends, as Playbook’s own Dasha Burns reports from London. “I never hear [Starmer] lecture. I don’t hear him be condescending,” special envoy Steve Witkoff told Dasha. “And the president, by the way, equally gives that respect back.” Another White House official called them an “unlikely duo.” How this duo navigates their growing divergence on foreign policy will be a key storyline to watch later this month at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Trump and first lady Melania Trump are now wheels up to return to the U.S. As the president comes back this afternoon, there’s multiple polls out today showing a growing number of Americans believe the U.S. is throwing too much support behind Israel or that the U.S. has gone too far. These new figures are joined by mounting pressure from Democrats on the Hill to recognize a Palestinian state despite Trump’s repeated efforts to ignore those calls. What else the U.S. will be talking about: Trump said his administration is “trying to get” back control over the Bagram Air Base, which the U.S. used for nearly 20 years as part of the military operation in Afghanistan, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary reports. Trump has raised this before, but signaled his administration may now leverage the Taliban for it. Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your thoughts and tips to abianco@politico.com.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | 
Charlie Kirk and and his wife Erika Kirk on stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images | 1. THE KIRK LEGACY LIVES ON: Turning Point USA announced that Erika Kirk will take over as CEO and chair, after she was unanimously elected by the board. The organization said that Charlie Kirk said this was his wish in the event of his death. “We will not surrender or kneel before evil,” the announcement reads. “We will carry on. The attempt to destroy Charlie’s work will become our chance to make it more powerful and enduring than ever before.” More from POLITICO’s Jacob Wendler 2. SHUTDOWN SHUTDOWN: Speaker Mike Johnson is confident House Republicans have enough votes to pass a clean CR tomorrow, Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman notes. “I think we have the votes, and I think it's just very unfortunate the Democrats are trying to play partisan games when we’re in good faith trying to fund the government,” Johnson said this morning. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is waiting in the wings, putting the pressure on Senate Democrats. “I expect the House to advance a clean CR tomorrow, and I hope, I really hope, the Democrats will come to their senses and join us in passing it. The ball is in their court,” States Newsroom’s Jennifer Shutt notes. Report card: The Congressional Budget Office dropped a new report this morning that says Democrats’ effort to permanently expand Obamacare tax subsidies “would increase the number of people with insurance by 3.6 million by 2030,” per POLITICO’s Robert King. Read the full report Mood music: “Why Voters Will Feel the Impact of GOP Health Cuts Before the Midterms,” by Joanne Kenen for POLITICO Magazine: “The fallout from Trump’s megabill is likely to hit the public sooner than he thinks.” 3. JIMMY KIMMEL, OFF THE AIR: Trump during his U.K. presser this morning doubled down on his praise for ABC and Disney after they pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air “indefinitely.” It’s a move Democrats are blasting as a serious infringement of free speech, while the FCC backs the decision based on Kimmel’s comments about the reaction to the killing of Charlie Kirk. But Trump laid it out differently: “Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else … they should've fired him a long time ago. So you can call that free speech or not.” To be clear: Kimmel has not been fired. The reactions pour in: Democrats are calling for FCC Chair Brendan Carr to resign, saying he used his government position to pressure a private company to clamp down on protected free speech, Axios’ Andrew Solender reports. House Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) is opening an investigation into the Trump administration, ABC and Sinclair over the decision to pull Kimmel off air, per NOTUS’ Riley Rogerson. Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on X: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level.” 4. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: HHS’ internal watchdog is investigating whether those caught up by Trump’s crime crackdown are improperly enrolled in federal benefits, Reuters’ Sarah Lynch writes.“The department's inspector general's office is looking to see if the people have defrauded the Medicare, Medicaid or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs for low-income, elderly and disabled Americans, probing people ensnared by Trump's policing surge in Washington, D.C., for possible violations unrelated to the reason they were stopped by police.” On the Hill: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other top Washington officials sat before the House Oversight Committee today and arrived “armed with requests for more federal resources to boost public safety and the city’s economic engine. Republicans sought to grill them on crime while celebrating President Donald Trump’s crackdown,” WaPo’s Olivia George and Meagan Flynn report. | | | | 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. | | | | | 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: A federal judge today blocked the Trump administration from deporting Guatemalan children who came to the U.S. alone back to their country of origin, per AP’s Rebecca Santana. The administration defended its actions saying the children were requested to be sent back home to be reunited with their parents. But that explanation crumbled like a house of cards about a week later,” U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote. “There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return.” Related read: “Trump Administration Reinstates More Difficult Citizenship Test,” by NYT’s Jenny Gross 6. VAX NOT: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked panel of vaccine advisers kicked off their two days of meetings in Atlanta this morning. They’re expected to vote today on whether to recommend delaying the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns to one month in, not within the first 24 hours, Bloomberg’s Robert Langreth and Jessica Nix report. The committee will also vote on whether to remove recommendations for the MMRV vaccine for children under the age of four, per Reuters’ Michael Erman. The stepback: Changes to the childhood vaccine policy, even small ones, would be one of Kennedy’s biggest policy moves since he took office, and it’s one that critics and some infectious disease experts say could risk the rise of more preventable illnesses. But it’s also the latest in a series of moves that Kennedy has taken to remake the U.S. vaccine landscape — from restricting eligibility for Covid-19 shots, building support for states’ vaccine exemptions, filling the vaccine panel with skeptics and ousting his CDC director less than a month after she was confirmed, Reuters’ Ahmed Aboulenein writes. More MAHA news: “Amid Rise of RFK Jr., Officials Waver on Drinking Water Fluoridation — Even in the State Where It Started,” by ProPublica’s Anna Clark 7. THE ECONOMY, STUPID: The number of Americans who filed jobless claims fell last week, WSJ’s Matt Grossman reports. It comes after unemployment claims have been rising over the last month, as signs of a weakening market in part drove the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates yesterday. As NYT’s Colby Smith writes, these recent numbers leave the Fed in a tough spot trying to bring interest rates to a neutral level: “If it moves too slowly, it risks causing undue economic damage. If it moves too quickly, it risks stoking inflation.” In the neighborhood: Canadian PM Mark Carney is in Mexico today to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — kicking off a two-day visit to smooth relations in light of recent growing tension with the U.S. over stemming the flow of fentanyl have driven a wedge in their trade relations, WaPo’s Amanda Coletta reports.
| | | | A message from American Advancement:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | PLAYBOOK ARTS SECTION — “The U.S. will send American art to a global competition. How MAGA could it be?” by WaPo’s Maura Judkis and Kara Voght: “Curtis Yarvin is a Bay Area software developer and influential blogger whose writings have earned praise from Peter Thiel and JD Vance. … Yarvin is also interested in art. And now that [Trump] and his allies run the government, he believes he and his creative collaborators have a shot at representing the United States next year at the Venice Biennale, an international competition that is often referred to as the Olympics of the art world.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at IKEA House for a celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary in the U.S. yesterday: Javier Quiñones, Reps. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Swedish Ambassador Urban Ahlin and Michael Boyles. — Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Sen. Lisa Rochester (D-Del.) were honored at last night's Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Annual Awards at the National Press Club with Congressional Champion Awards. SPOTTED: Amna Nawaz, Judy Woodruff, Al Hunt, Keris Myrick, Steven Rosenbaum, Holly O’Donnell, Jennifer Mathis, Jill Bazelon, Eve Hill, Luke Sikinyi and Vesper Moore. — Alan Fleischmann and Meg Richardson hosted a party for David Gelles’ new book, “Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away,” ($28.95), at their home yesterday evening. SPOTTED: Dafna Tapiero, Adam Green, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Raj Shah, Raj Kumar, Juleanna Glover, Alan Rappeport, Charlie Savage, Teddy Schleifer, Lauren Tilstra, Adele Smith, Cecilia Nahon, Angelo Greco, Will Hackman, Patrick Steel, Dan Schwerin, Tiernan Sittenfeld, Kate Warren, Ami Kutzen, Renata Sakaeva, Jessica Carmona, Adam Basciano, Joe Becker, Janani Kameswaran, Caroline Croft, Tom Henneberg, YJ Fischer, Gargee Ghosh, Mark Paustenbach and Anna Rathmann. MEDIA MOVES — Zachary Fryer-Biggs is joining CNN as supervising editor for national security. He previously worked at Military.com. TRANSITION — Allison Davis Tuck is now counsel for BakerHostetler’s political law practice. She previously worked for the Senate Rules Committee Republicans and is an FEC alum. … Albert Eisenberg, a Pennsylvania and South Carolina-based GOP strategist, has launched a new firm, Red Bridge. … Joyce Lee has joined the Global Network for Zero as an adviser. She also leads IndigoJLD Green Health. 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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