| | | |  | | 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 talk about the return of Epstein, the end of the shutdown and the moving funeral fit for a legend in Washington last night.
| 
| Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, busy decking the family out in celebratory “Jurassic Park” T-shirts and outsized T-Rex hats before we finally hit the Smithsonian this weekend. Yes, America — the government is open. And all Dems got to show for it was one lousy vote. Drop me a line. In today’s Playbook … — Media goes wild, MAGA goes meh over Epstein. — The shutdown is over. What happens next? — And a big day in court for James Comey and Letitia James. We’ll talk you through it.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
President Donald Trump speaks before signing the funding bill to reopen the government at the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 12. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | YOU’VE GOT MAIL: The publication of more than 20,000 documents yesterday related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — including multiple private emails mentioning Donald Trump — hit D.C. like a bombshell. It dominated conversations, blew up group chats, consumed much of Karoline Leavitt’s White House press briefing and received wall-to-wall coverage across mainstream and liberal media. MAGA world responded with a shrug. Conservative commentators ignored, dismissed or glossed over the revelations. Their verdict was — a nothingburger at best; a “hoax,” as Trump put it, at worst. Jack Posobiec said the emails mainly show Epstein and acquaintances “trying to figure out ways to enwrap Trump into this.” Megyn Kelly said the emails “look bad” but that ultimately “there’s no there, there.” Fox News’ Jesse Watters said the release had “backfired” on Dems. Fox’s own web write-up was more interested in the stuff about Michael Wolff. Same old, same old: Welcome, again, to America 2025. Different bubbles getting hyped about different issues; talking past one another; no sense of a shared narrative; few shared facts. Except in this case, an added sense of irony. Until recently, it was MAGA types who went wild for every fresh Epstein revelation, while liberals yawned and rolled their eyes. We’ve now come a full 180. Which frankly does neither side much credit when you’re trying to reach a judgment on who’s right. So — who’s right? A bit of both, honestly. Suggesting this is “not a story” is patently ridiculous — it’s just mesmerizing to see primary source material showing how wrapped up in Epstein's life and thoughts the current president of the United States had been. And these emails do contain a central, if unproven, claim against Trump — that he knew what had been going on in Epstein’s orbit. (Trump denies this.) Equally — Epstein does not provide evidence. Epstein does not accuse Trump of mistreating anyone. And Epstein has made accusations about Trump before. (Wolff has the receipts, on tape … and nobody much cared when he put them out.) And of course, many people have made many accusations about Trump. And he still got elected president last year with 77 million votes. But that doesn’t mean none of this matters. There are real-world ramifications of this story exploding back onto the agenda. The White House did not want to spend yesterday talking about Epstein, does not want to spend today talking about Epstein — does not want to spend any more days talking about Epstein. It's awkward, uncomfortable, distracting subject matter that Trump’s team would like to put to bed. And that’s not going to happen, at least not yet. Next week the House will hold its floor vote on releasing the Epstein files, after the (belated) swearing-in of new Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva yesterday tipped the number of signatures on Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) discharge petition to the magic 218. Massie and Khanna have another big news conference with survivors planned for Tuesday. Several more news cycles will be given up. And this one could get ugly for Republicans. Remarkably, both Democrats and Republicans expect scores of Republicans on the Hill to back the files’ release. They know full well that while the MAGA base may not be sold on Trump’s involvement with Epstein, supporters still want the files released. Good luck with that: The House bill’s fate in the Senate is far from certain — which makes Trump’s failed, last-ditch efforts to pull Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace back from the brink yesterday all the more concerning for his supporters, and intriguing for his opponents. For someone who keeps saying he’s done nothing wrong, it was not a great look.
| | | | A message from Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy is accelerating the expansion of U.S. energy infrastructure by modernizing the grid, creating jobs nationwide, and investing in innovation.
Through strengthened R&D partnerships across the U.S. and globally, the company is helping shape a more resilient energy future.
Learn more at siemens-energy.com | | | | And so the question persists on the right and the left: Why not just release the files? Megyn Kelly was almost tearing her hair out yesterday. “Democrats will make hay,” she told her viewers. “This is a self-inflicted wound.” Rogan O’Handley — a.k.a. DC Draino — attacked the “drip-drip Democrat disclosures” and said: “Release the entire Epstein files and let’s start putting the *real* criminals behind bars.” Plenty of Trump’s supporters see danger in the White House’s approach. Far-right activist Laura Loomer tells POLITICO she’s been proven right in her warning from last July that the Epstein scandal would “consume” Trump’s presidency. “Not because it’s an actual scandal,” she says. “The Democrats were not going to allow President Trump to have a successful term. I don't think that it's consuming his presidency because he's guilty, but I think that the Epstein files is the next Russia collusion hoax.” November rain: As POLITICO’s Megan Messerly and Adam Wren write today, the return of the Epstein story thus caps a difficult couple of weeks for Trump. Last Tuesday’s election shellacking was a wake-up call for a president who always insists everything’s going wonderfully and dismisses all negative polls as fake. Last week it also became clear the Supreme Court might actually throw his signature economic policy on the bonfire. And this all comes at a time — as Playbook detailed yesterday — that parts of MAGA world are getting restless. Because here’s the big thing: MAGA media might have been silent on Epstein yesterday, but that doesn’t mean it was slavishly supportive of the president. Far from it — folks just had other issues on their minds. Anger over H-1B visas and Trump’s support for Chinese students is still dominating conservative chatter following the president’s difficult interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News. Here’s Fox News’ own Will Cain ripping H-1Bs to pieces yesterday, in a clip that instantly went viral on the right. Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast also devoted acres of space to the issue, handing airtime to MAGA commentators who sounded deeply disenchanted with Trump. “All he had to do was smash the oligarchy. He’s become the oligarchy,” said Rasmussen Reports pollster Mark Mitchell. “All Trump has done this week is shilled for the government and big business.” Bannon’s own correspondent Natalie Winters felt much the same, recalling a social media post by Charlie Kirk calling for — among other things — the ending of H-1B visas. “I thought that was what I voted for,” she said. “But it seems with every passing day we’re moving further and further away from that.” Posobiec admitted bluntly that “we’re seeing anger on the right.” Might Trump shift his position today? White House staff will be painfully aware of MAGA world’s concerns — but the president follows his own rules in front of the cameras. We’ll hear from Trump this afternoon, at a White House event alongside first lady Melania Trump on her foster care initiative. Strikingly, Trump did stick to his (new-look) script on affordability while signing the bill to reopen the government last night, telling Americans he will “cut the cost of living” and emphasizing working class tax breaks written into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And while he briefly considered taking questions at the end — old habits die hard — Trump finally thought better of it and ushered the press out. And so the focus remained on the shutdown and the economy, and questions about Epstein were left for another day. Sometimes, at least, the president does take his press team’s advice.
| | | THE GREAT REOPENING WE’RE SO BACK: In the end, the longest-ever government shutdown lasted 42 days, 22 hours and 30 minutes, per the great Mike DeBonis. And last night the federal government finally reopened after Trump signed Congress’ short-term funding package into law, slamming Democrats as he did so. “Today we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” he said at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, per POLITICO’s Jennifer Scholtes. It followed a House vote that largely followed party lines, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus and colleagues report — though a handful of defections are worth noting. More from POLITICO’s Inside Congress Six House Democratic backed the deal: Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Jared Golden (Maine), Adam Gray (Calif.) and Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) — all in swing seats. Two House Republicans opposed the deal: Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Greg Steube (Fla.). Plus — absent from the vote: Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) … While hustling hard: Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), who made it back for the vote after surgery earlier in the day, per POLITICO’s Nick Wu. Now, the recriminations: House Democrats are livid — both at their turncoat Senate counterparts and at Republicans generally — and dour about the prospects for progress on Affordable Care Act subsidies, Nick and Mia McCarthy report. Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) privately urged her colleagues to “stop pissing on each other” and take the fight to the GOP, POLITICO’s Elena Schneider and Lisa Kashinsky report, but the intra-Democratic anger shows little sign of abating. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) explained his yes vote in an NYT op-ed, in which he says Republicans were likelier to kill the filibuster than concede on health care. Not just Dems: House Republicans are also fuming, but over GOP senators’ astonishing last-minute move to add a provision into the bill that lets them sue — and get half-a-million-dollar payouts — if their electronic data is secretly obtained, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Hailey Fuchs report. The provision is clearly aimed at a specific handful of Senators who were investigated after Jan. 6. Furious Speaker Mike Johnson said he’ll tee up a vote next week on fast-track, stand-alone legislation to reverse the change. Steube said the provision was the trigger for his surprise “no” vote. News you can use: Federal employees will finally get paid starting Saturday, and no later than Wednesday, scooped Semafor’s Shelby Talcott, who has the full breakdown of which agency is expected to send out base pay or back pay on which day. Feds laid off en masse during the shutdown should be rehired; a union for more than 1,300 State Department staffers whose layoffs were announced earlier is hoping they can get included too, Foreign Policy’s Rachel Oswald reports. The Agriculture Department said full SNAP benefits would be mostly sent out to states within 24 hours of the government reopening, POLITICO’s Grace Yarrow reports. But food-stamp recipients may take longer to recover from the shock, NYT’s Tony Romm writes. Eyes on the skies: It’ll take some time for air travel to return to normal, as the Transportation Department said it would stop increasing — but not yet decrease — the number of canceled flights, POLITICO’s Sam Ogozalek reports. Secretary Sean Duffy is eyeing reducing the restrictions within a week, but said safety has to come first. Blanchard’s T-Rex watch: “The National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center will reopen on Friday, Nov. 14,” per a message on the Smithsonian website. “All other museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will reopen on a rolling basis by Monday, Nov. 17. Please check back for more reopening updates.” Sorry to remind you of this, but: Much of the government could again shut down in January if Congress doesn’t strike further funding deals, Jen and colleagues preview. And it looks like the big focus will, again, be Dems’ ACA demands. “We’re just getting started,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned CBS’ John Dickerson. Though Johnson won’t commit to holding a vote as the Senate has done, House Republicans will begin “listening sessions” on Obamacare next week, POLITICO’s Benjamin Guggenheim reports. And top administration officials have also started discussing how to move on health care costs, POLITICO’s Cheyenne Haslett and colleagues report. FRIENDLY FIRE: Amid the final shutdown vote, some unexpected Democratic drama courtesy of Gluesenkamp Perez, who filed a resolution condemning outgoing Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) for maneuvering to install his chief of staff as his successor with a last-minute gambit that shut out other contenders, Katherine and Nick report. She excoriated García for undemocratic behavior and said Dems can’t “turn a blind eye to election denial on our side of the aisle.” García’s office said he “followed every rule” in making “a deeply personal decision” and asked for “compassion and respect.”
| | | | POLITICO Policy Outlook: Combating Financial Cybercrime: From identity theft to phishing scams, financial cybercrimes have skyrocketed in recent years. But catching perpetrators and preventing future scams remains a challenge. Join Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) for discussions on the latest strategies for confronting these crimes and empowering consumers. Register to attend or watch online. | | | | | JUDICIARY SQUARE FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Weaponization watch: Trump’s campaign to use the Justice Department against his political opponents faces its biggest test yet in court today, as James Comey and New York AG Letitia James seek to have interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan disqualified as improperly appointed, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein preview. The details: We haven’t even gotten to the crimes of which Comey and James are accused, or their efforts to have the cases tossed out as politically motivated. First comes the question of whether AG Pam Bondi’s appointment of Halligan was legal. Similar maneuvers around the country have seen three other interim U.S. attorneys disqualified, but this “would be by far the most consequential,” Kyle and Josh write. If the ruling does come down against Halligan, that might imperil the cases against Comey and James, because she’s the only prosecutor who signed their indictments. The name to know: Cameron Currie, the judge who will hear the challenge. She likely won’t rule today, but all eyes will be on tea leaves from the Bill Clinton appointee. The outcome could hinge on her interpretation of Congress’ 2007 law placing limits on interim appointments, Roll Call’s Ryan Tarinelli writes. SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the blockbuster case about whether Trump can fire Lisa Cook from the Fed for Jan. 21, per Bloomberg. Two cases centering on whether states can block transgender women from playing in women’s sports were tabbed for Jan. 13, per the Washington Examiner. SUB-ZERO: The Atlantic’s Ashley Parker talked to one of the jurors in the case of Sean Dunn — a.k.a. the man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent. The juror said that despite two initial holdouts, it was ultimately pretty easy to acquit Dunn: “a clear majority felt it was nonsensical, like Don’t waste our time or money.” The juror spoke to Parker anonymously, because the Trump administration is “very vengeful,” she said.
| | | BEST OF THE REST FED UP: Though the government shutdown is over, it’s too soon to get the Consumer Price Index report originally scheduled for today. That’s not the only blind spot: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said October’s delayed jobs and inflation reports will probably never be released, per the WSJ. And the outlook for the Fed’s December meeting, where another interest rate cut had been predicted, is getting cloudier. Fed leaders in Boston and Atlanta said yesterday they’d support holding rates steady given inflation concerns, AP’s Christopher Rugaber reports. A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME: Changing the Department of Defense’s name to the Department of War could cost the country a cool $2 billion, NBC’s Gordon Lubold and colleagues report. Among the most expensive aspects is changing the online coding. The change still requires congressional approval. IT’S OFFICIAL: The Seattle Times called the Seattle mayoral race for Katie Wilson, the progressive activist whose lead over incumbent Bruce Harrell at the time of the call was greater than the number of ballots left to be counted. It’s another big win for an out-of-nowhere insurgent on the left, on the heels of Zohran Mamdani in NYC. Wilson is expected to focus particularly on housing. CHURCH AND STATE: A gathering of the country’s Catholic bishops took an unusual step yesterday in sharply criticizing the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant efforts, though not by name, NYT’s Elizabeth Dias reports from Baltimore. Their special message, the first they’ve issued in a dozen years, decried “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and “the vilification of immigrants.” THE CRACKDOWN: Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement in Chicagoland hit a speed bump as a judge ordered more than 300 detainees to be set free after they were arrested without warrants, POLITICO’s Shia Kapos reports.
| | | | Global Security is POLITICO’s new weekly briefing on the policies and industrial forces reshaping transatlantic defense. From Washington to Brussels and beyond, we track how decisions ripple across borders — redefining the future of security and industry. Sign up for the free preview edition. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Leonardo DiCaprio honored Jane Goodall at her funeral at the National Cathedral, where he sat near Nancy Pelosi and José Andrés. SPORTS BLINK — Kai Trump, the president’s granddaughter, debuts today on the LPGA tour in Florida. WSJ’s Andrew Beaton runs down how good the 18-year-old is expected to be: more like a celebrity entrant than a true top-tier professional, but still in the top 1 percent for American women. Trump says her goal is to help bolster and grow women’s golf. WRITTEN IN THE STARS — The Inn at Little Washington will drop from three Michelin stars to two next week, the organization announced, per Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman. That could leave the D.C. area without any three-star restaurants, unless another one gets newly elevated. MUSICAL CHAIRS — The prison-formed choir of Jan. 6 defendants is working on an album to be released next year on the fifth anniversary of the Capitol attack, including a single called “The Anthem of the Free,” The Telegraph’s Rob Crilly reports. It’s a new venture into music production and distribution by Real America’s Voice. BOOK CLUB — “The Look,” the new photo book in which Michelle Obama documents her White House outfits, captures an evolution of the role of the first lady, NYT’s Vanessa Friedman writes in her review, by which “a wardrobe was transformed into a vehicle of soft political power.” SCENE SETTER — “A toast to the troops, featuring George Santos and Anna Delvey,” by WaPo’s Kara Voght: “Tuesday evening’s ‘Toast to the Troops’ was a cocktail party hosted by Renegade DC, a conservative PR firm, and House Inhabit, the mommy-turned-MAHA blog from Jessica Reed Kraus. … They played ‘F---, Marry, Deport,’ a game in which [George] Santos was given a set of three people [to] determine which he’d like to do each of those verbs to. ‘Marry Britney, f--- Gaga, deport Madonna,’ he said in response to that pop star trio.” WOLF PACK — A who’s who of top CNN talent and executives descended last night on Cafe Milano, which was decked out in “The Situation Room” posters honoring the 20th anniversary of the broadcast and the 35th anniversary at CNN of a “true journalism hero” — Wolf Blitzer. The foreign correspondent-turned-anchor has become so iconic that, as John King noted in his toast to Blitzer, other greats at CNN come second in the hearts of viewers. “You’re OK, King,” he recalled being told by some viewers in Buffalo, where Blitzer was raised, “but we love Blitzer.” The night of sparkling wine and prosciutto welcomed and welcomed back past and present CNN employees celebrating Blitzer’s legacy. “Wolf is just there,” Mark Thompson told the crowd, describing how every time news breaks Blitzer will magically appear, as if summoned. For his part, Blitzer will no doubt be waking up with a sore arm after shaking hands and greeting absolutely everyone at the event. But alas no, there were no Blitzer-themed cocktails … lest another political earthquake happen that would beckon Blitzer back to the “Situation Room” in the midst of his celebration. SPOTTED at the celebration: Anthony Fauci, Rahm Emanuel, Seung Min Kim, Kasie Hunt, Alyse Adamson, Laura Coates, Josh Dawsey, Pamela Brown, Lynn Blitzer, Ilana Blitzer Gendelman, Kaitlan Collins, Gloria Borger, Sam Feist, Rick Davis, Virginia Moseley, Amy Entelis, Eric Sherling, David Chalian, Canadian Ambassador Kristen Hillman, EU Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienè, Haley Barbour, Adrienne Elrod, John McCarthy, Ammar Moussa, William Cohen, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Sally Quinn, Kate Bedingfield and Xochitl Hinojosa. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Katie Payne is now chief external affairs officer at Prime Therapeutics. She previously worked at the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. TRANSITIONS — Mike Waterman is now managing director at Ballard Strategy Group. He previously worked at Rokk Solutions. … The RNC is adding Benjamin Luke as creative director and Kristen Cianci as Northeast regional comms director. Luke previously worked for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and is a Joni Ernst alum. Cianci previously worked for Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.). … … Philanthropy Roundtable is adding Matt Warner as COO and Claudia Cummings as SVP. Warner previously led Atlas Network. Cummings previously led the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. … Sujith Cherukumilli is now a senior policy adviser at EducationCounsel. He previously worked for the Senate HELP Dems. … Andrew Eisenberger is now director of legislative affairs for the American Waterways Operators. He previously worked for Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and is an RNC and Mike Kelly alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) … Reps. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and Max Miller (R-Ohio) … Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and first lady Cecilia Abbott … Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau … Jonathan Topaz … former AG Merrick Garland … Charlie Baker … Will Mascaro of the Republican Study Committee … Joe Cirincione … CNN’s Eric Bradner … Ken Rudin … Geoff Freeman of the U.S. Travel Association … Addie Whisenant … Jon Wadsworth of Atlas Advocacy … Jared Parks of the Herald Group … Zach Gillan of the American Exploration & Production Council … Washington Times’ Seth McLaughlin … Lindsay Drewel … Todd Priest of Todd Priest & Associates … Ayaan Hirsi Ali … POLITICO’s Sue Allan … Terry Adamson 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.
| | | | A message from Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy employs more than 12,000 people
in more than 20 states, with major manufacturing, service, and innovation hubs embedded in local communities.
These locations are engines of economic growth,
job creation, and technological innovation.
Find out more at siemens-energy.com | | | | | | | | 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 | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment