| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro On today’s Playbook Podcast: Jack and Dasha discuss peace in Ukraine, war in Congress and the rights and wrongs of Donald Trump’s paint palette.
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| Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Get in touch. In today’s Playbook … — The White House has a secret peace deal with Moscow. How will Ukraine react? — Trump is set to sign the Epstein files bill … but Mike Johnson is fuming. — And James Comey gets his day in court. Could this prosecution end here?
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
President Donald Trump has reportedly put together a peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine. | Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images | PEACE IN OUR TIME? So this is one way to distract from the Epstein files. The White House is on the brink of unveiling a major new peace agreement with Russia that officials say will finally bring the three-and-a-half year war with Ukraine to an end. A senior White House official tells Dasha they expect a framework for ending the conflict to be agreed by all parties by the end of this month — and possibly “as soon as this week.” As soon as this week? Yes. Buckle up. Here’s what we know so far: Things are moving fast. The news broke last night — via POLITICO’s defense aces Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch — of a highly unusual trip to Kyiv today by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, accompanied by two four-star generals and other senior U.S. military officials. They’re expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as other top Ukrainian figures, as part of the tour. Zelenskyy is due in Ankara later to talk peace with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, per Reuters. "We have some positions and signals from the U.S.,” is all that Zelenskyy would say. So what are they all talking about? Last night, Axios’ Barak Ravid revealed details of a secret peace plan hammered out directly between the White House and Moscow. Ravid reports top White House envoy Steve Witkoff held three days of talks with a Russian negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, in Miami late last month; and that a 28-point peace plan is now on the table. Officials in the Trump administration told Dasha last night they are on the brink of a major breakthrough. This is big stuff. But here’s the thing: This new peace plan has seemingly had no direct input from Ukraine, nor from America’s allies in Europe. And we have no sense yet of the details, of what’s been hammered out on the thorniest questions around Russia’s seizure of vast swathes of Ukrainian territory, the kidnapping of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children or the security guarantees being offered to Ukraine in the aftermath. The mood inside the White House is bullish, and it seems the plan will be presented to Zelenskyy as a fait accomplis. “What we are going to present [to Ukraine] is reasonable," the senior White House official tells Dasha. The Trump administration thinks Zelenskyy, under pressure both on the battlefield and on the home front (due to a burgeoning corruption scandal), will have to accept what's on offer. And as for the rest of Europe? “We don't really care about the Europeans,” the official tells Dasha. “It's about Ukraine accepting.” Here’s how Dasha puts it on this morning’s Playbook Podcast, following conversations with White House staff: “They feel that Ukraine is in the position right now, given the corruption scandals that have been plaguing Zelenskyy, given where the battle lines are at this moment, that Ukraine is in a position where … they feel they can get them to accept this deal. They say it's reasonable; it's something that is, they believe, going to be palatable to Ukraine.” We won’t need to wait long to see if that’s true. But this sounds ominous: Dmitriev, the Russian envoy, told Axios he’s optimistic because “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.” And there’s more: Dmitriev says the 28-point plan is more than just a ceasefire agreement. This is, he says, a proposal “to address the Ukraine conflict, but also how to restore U.S.-Russia ties [and] address Russia's security concerns. It's actually a much broader framework, basically saying, 'How do we really bring, finally, lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine.'" Which sounds like a conversation Europe might like to be a part of. But anyway. Take a step back: The Ukraine war is the most significant military conflict in decades, a major European land war that has upended Western security assumptions and in which an estimated 1.5 million people have been injured or killed. And if what these sides are saying is borne out, we finally appear to be approaching an inflection point. It’s a big moment. And it would also be a big moment for Donald Trump, who famously pledged on the campaign trail to end the Ukraine war on Day 1 — but who’s since admitted the task has been far harder than he expected. For a president hellbent on landing himself the Nobel Peace Prize, a peace agreement in Ukraine — perhaps any peace agreement in Ukraine — is coveted indeed. So what happens next? We need some details — and we need to hear Ukraine’s response. Based on past statements, Zelenskyy is likely to push back hard on any aspects of a deal he deems unpalatable. Ukraine will not want to be bounced into giving away sovereign territory; but the pressure brought to bear will be intense. And if the three sides can reach an agreement, that previously postponed Trump-Putin summit will surely follow. In the meantime: Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to bomb Ukrainian cities, with scant regard for civilian lives. Witness this missile hit overnight on a residential block in Ternopil for a quick check-in on precisely how Russia is conducting this war. Zelenskyy said dozens have been injured and nine people killed. “Russia must be held accountable for its actions,” he said.
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Explore Phil's story. | | | | ON THE HOME FRONT TRUMP’S NEW ‘BEST FRIEND’: Trump heads off to the Kennedy Center this morning with his new “best friend,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, following a glitzy dinner at the White House last night. The press pool was invited in for the very start of the banquet, but there was no opportunity for questions this time — meaning MBS could not be “embarrassed” again by any further discussion of the brutal execution that U.S. intelligence determined was carried out by Saudi operatives of a U.S. resident who criticized him in the Washington Post. As you no doubt saw, the mood in the Oval Office yesterday was as bad as it’s been since the Zelenskyy blowup back in February, with Trump lashing out at an ABC journalist for daring to ask questions about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. His angry widow Hanan Elatr Khashoggi was on CBS last night suggesting the language used by Trump yesterday “kind of justifies a crime.” But those at last night’s banquet apparently had no such concerns, with the guest list as glittering as the White House’s new gold trim. Among those present were Big Tech execs Tim Cook, Jensen Huang and *checks notes* Elon Musk, making his first public return to the White House since his blowup with Trump back in May. And hey — maybe he’s missing the action? Musk is headed to a DOGE reunion party in Texas this weekend, per the NYT. May I meet you? Hedge fund billionaire-turned dating guru Bill Ackman was also at last night's banquet, as were footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, golf star Bryson DeChambeau and Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Maria Bartiromo. Trump offspring Tiffany and Don Jr. (who has his own Saudi business interests) were in the room, as was Paramount CEO David Ellison. And of course there was omnipresent FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who’s now enjoyed more White House invitations from Trump than any world leader. (Let’s just hope he watched Scotland’s sensational World Cup qualifier first.) On today’s agenda: Reuters reports that Musk and Huang will both address today’s U.S.-Saudi investment summit at the Kennedy Center, focusing largely on AI. (Semafor reports a ton of Saudi investment deals in AI chips will also be announced.) Trump himself will speak at noon, trumpeting the large sums of Saudi cash he’s attracting to the U.S. BUT OVERSHADOWING ALL THAT: At some point today, Trump should actually sign the Epstein files bill, which sailed through Congress yesterday with just a single vote of opposition across the two chambers — that of Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), who said the bill “abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure.” But really, who would have believed this Congress was capable of near-unanimity on anything? It’s an interesting lesson in how voters can still put the fear of god into our politicians when they really get angry about something. The unhappiest man in the building at this rare outbreak of bipartisanship is Speaker Mike Johnson, who shares Higgins’ concerns but had convinced himself the bill would be amended in the Senate. “There’s an easy way to amend the legislation to make sure that we don’t do permanent damage to the justice system,” Johnson said after the House vote. “And I’m going to insist upon that.” Yeah, nah: But a few hours later, the bill passed the Senate completely unaltered — with Senate Majority Leader John Thune deeming it “sufficient” — and Johnson ain't happy at all. “I’m deeply disappointed,” he told MS NOW’s Mychael Schnell as he left the White House’s dinner last night. “I just spoke to the president about it. We both have concerns.” But asked if Trump could now veto the bill, Johnson said: “I’m not saying that. We’ll see what happens.” Given the dire optics of Trump blocking the bill at this stage, he’ll surely just sign it into law. And what happens then? The WSJ has a useful summary of how the new law will actually work. In short: “The Epstein Files Transparency Act would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to make unclassified documents related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell publicly available within 30 days of being signed into law.” That takes us to Dec. 19. Happy holiday reading! In the meantime, a clearer sense of the White House strategy on Epstein is emerging. And, true to form, it can be summarized as “attack, attack, attack” — with any Dem mentioned in the files in the firing line. “The Democrats are going to come to regret this,” a White House official tells Dasha and Diana Nerozzi. “Let’s start with Stacey Plaskett. You think we’re not going to make a scene of this?” News flash: Unfortunately for the White House, efforts to actually censure Plaskett — the nonvoting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands who texted with Epstein during a congressional hearing in 2019 — fell short last night during a stormy session in the House. Enough Republicans peeled off to ensure Plaskett won the day, in what furious critics claimed was a backroom deal to avoid a Democrat-led censure of under-fire Republican Rep. Cory Mills. “They’re brokering back-end deals to avoid bringing forward justice,” raged Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). “It’s literally covering up public corruption.” Never a dull moment on the Hill.
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| | | | COURT IN THE ACT COMEY’S BIG DAY: Former FBI Director James Comey is in court today in Alexandria as his defense team looks to get the charges against him dismissed for malicious prosecution as a result of Trump’s revenge tour in his second term in office. Comey’s attorneys are asking Judge Michael Nachmanoff to dismiss the case “with prejudice” so he can’t be charged again. POLITICO’s ace legal reporters Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein will be covering all the latest from the court starting at 10 a.m. It comes a week after Comey’s team called into question Trump-picked U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s legal authority, and tried to get her thrown off the case. Today, Comey’s lawyers will argue that Trump “ordered the Department of Justice to prosecute Mr. Comey because of personal spite and because Mr. Comey has frequently criticized the President for his conduct in office,” according to their motions filed last month, per ABC. Then at 11 a.m.: AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have a press conference planned, regarding "significant enforcement actions against an international criminal organization.” AND THIS AFTERNOON: After months of uncertainty, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg will hear the latest at 2 p.m. on the lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s deportation of over a hundred Venezuelan men to El Salvador through the Alien Enemies Act back in March. The lawsuit brought by Democracy Forward and the ACLU asks the court to uphold the men’s due process rights — with Boasberg now tasked with figuring out what that means, given the men were returned to Venezuela this summer. Still on the table is the potential for contempt-of-court proceedings on whether the administration actively ignored court orders by not turning around a plane bound for El Salvador in March. ICYMI: NYT’s Julie Turkewitz and colleagues captured a comprehensive record of the four months the deported Venezuelan men spent at CECOT, El Salvador’s notorious prison. AND FINALLY, FROM THE COURTS: The Trump administration has agreed not to paint over or powerwash the Eisenhower Executive Office Building until Dec. 31 — giving a federal judge more time to consider the lawsuit opposing the planned changes, Josh reports.
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| | | | TRAIL MIX TAR HEEL TANGO: Federal judges in North Carolina are today hearing a bid seeking to block the state’s newly redrawn congressional map after GOP lawmakers reworked the 1st District to boost numbers at Trump’s urging, NC Newsline’s Lynn Bonne reports. “The new 1st District lines dismantle a region known as the Black Belt, where a cross-county bloc of Black voters has helped elect a Black Democrat to Congress since 1992. Republican legislators said during debates over the district that the redraw was strictly partisan, and no racial data was used to create the new lines.” TEXAS HOLD-UP: Trump’s nationwide redistricting push hit another major roadblock yesterday after a federal panel blocked Texas’ GOP-friendly map. Texas immediately appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court — but with other states like Indiana still resisting, some Republicans are now wondering whether the Trump-dictated remapping gambit was worth the political capital, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard reports. “If the Texas ruling withstands an already-filed appeal, and hesitant Republicans across the country don’t budge, Trump stands to end the fight he began behind, or near a draw.” Scorecard: As of now, with the Texas map in limbo, Democrats have carved out six potential districts (in California and Utah) that could tip in their favor in next year’s midterms, compared to the Republicans’ four (in Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina). The story is far from over, but it’s a staggering swing of fortunes for Dems at this point. DEMS SPLIT OVER SLAP ON THE WRIST: The House voted 236-183 to rebuke Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill) for retiring after the filing deadline, a move that positioned his chief of staff as his likely successor and opened a rift among Democrats, with 23 party members joining Republicans to admonish the outgoing lawmaker, per POLITICO’s Nick Wu. BRING BACK HARRIS! Former VP Kamala Harris returned to the campaign trail for the first time since her election defeat last year, campaigning in a hard-fought Tennessee special election where Democrats are hoping to score an upset, POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish writes. AND BRING BACK TRUMP! Republican campaigns in swing districts, fearing a repeat of this month’s sweeping election losses, are urging Trump to start hitting the campaign trail for them next year, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky reports. “Republicans acknowledge that Trump, whose approval ratings are underwater, can be a liability as well as an asset. But he remains a singular motivator for the MAGA base, according to interviews with 11 Republican Party chairs, officials and operatives across the Rust and Sun Belt states.” 2026 WATCH: Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist podcaster who has sparked an intra-MAGA feud following his controversial appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, is aiming to get involved in next year’s midterms. Fuentes “said this week that a nonprofit group he founded in 2020 is revamping ahead of the elections. The goal? To ‘infiltrate politics’ and ‘guide people and help them understand who to vote for,’ Fuentes told listeners on Monday,” per The Free Press’ Gabe Kaminsky and Tanner Nau. 2028 WATCH: “Can Ted Cruz Podcast His Way to the Presidency?” by POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs: “He’s not exactly Joe Rogan or a Kelce brother. But with up to two million downloads a month and syndicated across iHeart radio, the podcast puts [Texas Sen. Ted Cruz] on solid ground in his side hustle and well ahead of potential 2028 competitors.” NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Steve Morris is launching “The Long Run,” a newsletter with a simple but enticing subject: “The fight for the future of the Democratic Party is the most important and interesting story in politics right now — and the nation’s Democratic governors are central to that story. The Long Run will aggressively cover every facet of that story, from state policy decisions to 2026 campaigns to 2028 moves.” Morris’ maiden voyage is a Q&A with Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand on his gubernatorial campaign, Obama-Trump similarities and his assessment of both parties.
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Explore Phil's story. | | | | BEST OF THE REST ONE TO WATCH TODAY: The House is planning to vote to repeal a provision that could award eight GOP senators hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records seized without their knowledge during a Biden-era probe, per POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs and Jordain Carney. But the blast radius on this one is still forming. “Republicans could revolt if leadership doesn’t give them a vote to overturn it,” Hailey and Jordain write. “In interviews Tuesday with nearly a dozen lawmakers, confusion, frustration and anger ran rampant about what has quickly become branded as a politically toxic, taxpayer-funded windfall for a select few.” Yikes. To wit: The White House’s grand dreams to secure more legislative victories before the midterms are “crashing into the reality of a bitterly divided Congress,” POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill report. Meanwhile, Trump is claiming that he’s talking to Democrats on health care. But that’s news to Democrats, POLITICO’s Alex Gangitano reports: “POLITICO reached out to two dozen House and Senate offices and none would acknowledge they are in contact with the White House on health care.” More from Inside Congress IMMIGRATION FILES: An immigration crackdown in New Orleans will see 250 federal border agents surging to the city in an operation dubbed “Swamp Sweep” with a goal of arresting 5,000 immigrants across the area, AP’s Jack Brook and Sara Cline report. The deployment will start on Dec. 1 and be overseen by Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino. Bovino is currently in North Carolina, where DHS is claiming dozens of arrests this week in the crackdown surge near Charlotte and Raleigh. NYT’s Billy Witz has the latest. THE ECONOMY, STUPID: The first post-shutdown monthly jobs report is due tomorrow, revealing the September numbers on job creation and unemployment. The Labor Department accidentally released a data update yesterday showing that 232,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims in the week of Oct. 18 — which is “broadly in line with weekly levels seen over the past 12 months,” WSJ’s Matt Grossman reports. The new numbers come as the prospects of another interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s December meeting are looking increasingly dicey, per AP’s Christopher Rugaber. Fed up: Trump told reporters yesterday that he thinks he “already” knows who he’ll select to be the next Fed chair, Bloomberg’s Annmarie Hordern and Josh Wingrove report. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News that the administration hopes Trump will meet with three finalists for the position by mid-December and deliver a decision by Christmas. Bessent was also asked whether Trump’s idea to deliver $2,000 checks to Americans would be inflationary, to which he responded: “Maybe we could persuade Americans to save that.” LOL. PRITZKER MEETS THE POPE: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to the Vatican this morning, where he secured a meeting with Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native. The two discussed deportation raids and more, Pritzker told NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern.
| | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | BIG STAFFING NEWS: “RFK Jr. Adviser to Rejoin Administration, Bridging MAHA-MAGA Divide,” by WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte: “Calley Means, a confidant to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is taking a permanent post in the Trump administration … Means, who earlier this year served in a temporary role at the White House, has been tapped to be a senior adviser in the Department of Health and Human Services.” NEWS YOU CAN USE — All D.C. Metro bus fares can now be paid with a credit card instead of just the SmarTrip card, WaPo reports. That also means you can transfer from bus to rail rides by credit card as well. “Metro’s next target is expanding credit card benefits to parking at stations and possible discounts for taking the system to sporting events.” Glory be. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a fundraiser in support of Bridget Brink’s campaign for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which was previously held by now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), hosted by Nelson Cunningham: Brian McKeon, Julie Smith, Tamara Wittes, Evan Ryan, Evelyn Farkas, Suzy George, Ken Wollack, Hady Amr, Richard Weiner, Jane Harman and Madi Lommen. — SPOTTED at NASA’s night out at The Science Coalition’s “Science of Space” event at CTA Innovation House last night: Reps. Vince Fong (R-Calif.) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), Jared Isaacman, Joel Graham and Will Boyington. — The American Petroleum Institute hosted a West Texas-themed event last night at the Desert 5 Spot celebrating the return of the Paramount+ series “Landman,” for which API launched a national TV and digital ad campaign throughout the 10-week season. SPOTTED: Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Jason Grumet, Anne Bradbury, Sinead Casey, Michael Allen, Matt Shay, Kevin Madden, Garret Graves and John McCarthy. — Aspen Digital, part of the Aspen Institute, hosted its 10th annual “Cyber Summit” yesterday at the REACH at the Kennedy Center, featuring White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Kevin Mandia as the event’s keynote speakers. SPOTTED: Rick Snyder, Craig Newmark, Darío Gil, Nate Fick, Drew Bagley, Kemba Walden, Sandra Joyce, Sasha O’Connell, Rob Joyce, Ret. Gen. Paul Nakasone, Morgan Adamski, Joe Levy, Laura Coates, Dean Ball, Paula Starr, Caitlin Sarian, Nicole Tisdale and Stefani Jones. MEDIA MOVES — Dave Levinthal is joining NOTUS as a senior editor. He previously was an investigative freelance reporter. … John Wagner will be Congress editor at WaPo, per Status’ Oliver Darcy. He currently is WaPo’s national political breaking news editor. TRANSITIONS — CR Wooters is joining SKDK as a principal in their public affairs practice. He previously worked at Uber. … Katie Wilson has joined Rep. Ryan Zinke’s (R-Mon.) office as director of scheduling. She previously worked at Kearney & Company. … Gunner Ramer is now associate manager of communications at Future Caucus. He previously worked at the Republican Accountability Project. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rob Burgess, CEO of government relations firm Connector, Inc., and Greta Burgess on Monday welcomed James Cary Burgess, who came in at 8 lbs., 11 oz. James joins big brother Robert. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Time’s Sam Jacobs … WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen … Annie Tomasini … WaPo’s Matt Viser and Dana Hedgpeth … Jack Dorsey … Arnold & Porter’s Ben Mizer … Dena Iverson … Emerson Sprick … Matt Lloyd of Sen. Steve Daines’ (R-Mont.) office … Meghan Burris Small … Robert Marcus of the House Foreign Affairs Dems … Neil Bjorkman … Brad Bauman of Raben … Foreign Policy’s Andrew Sollinger … Ricky Wilson … Louis Susman … NBC’s Lauren McCulloch … former Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) … former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson … Ted Turner … former Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) and Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) … Nicole Isaac … former Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell … Milica Cosic … Cait Graf … Emma O’Brien of Rob Sand’s Iowa gubernatorial campaign … Ann Curry … Lt. Col. Josh Print … POLITICO’s Ingrid Will 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 deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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