| | | |  | | By Zack Stanton | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Good morning. I’m Zack Stanton. Get in touch.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
A Metropolitan Police Department officer is seen near Nationals Park during a baseball game in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 14, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | THE IN-BETWEEN: Yesterday morning, just off of 14th Street NW, a group of masked law enforcement officers arrested a moped driver. Onlookers stood near a coffee shop and the entrance to a luxury condo building, recording the altercation on their phones; WaPo reporter Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff was among them. Shouts from the crowd that the officers — whose vests read simply “police” — identify the agency with which they were affiliated were dismissed. “Do I have to answer to you?” one officer barked back, his question rhetorical. “You’ve gotta answer to somebody,” yelled a pedestrian. The officers never identified themselves, never provided their badge numbers, never revealed their agency. They took the moped driver into an unmarked SUV and spirited him off, destination unknown. A block away, the weekend brunch service at Le Diplomate continued without interruption. Welcome to the first weekend of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on Washington, D.C., which, serious as it has been, is just a prelude — and things could quickly get much more intense. Three Republican-led states — West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina — “said Saturday they will send up to 750 National Guard troops to join 800 already mobilized in D.C.,” WaPo’s Karen DeYoung and Gaya Gupta report. It’s not a leap to imagine that other GOP states will scramble to follow suit, given the chance to publicly and tangibly show their support for the Trump administration: “Trump: Yes or no?” continues to be the dividing line defining American politics. And troops deployed to DC “are preparing to start carrying weapons in the coming days,” WSJ’s Vera Bergengruen and colleagues scooped, “a major shift that comes days after President Trump said he was deploying them to ‘take back’ the capital from what he described as violent criminals.” Broadly, there is agreement that this is a city on the brink. The real differences come over why and what sits on the other side. These are the in-between times, when we’re in transit from the world that was to the world that will be.
| | | | A message from AARP: Social Security Turns 90 on August 14
90 years ago, our country made a promise to provide hardworking Americans with a way to earn a foundation for financial security in retirement. Social Security is one of the most successful and popular initiatives in American history, helping generations of older Americans live with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. AARP celebrates Social Security's legacy while fighting to protect and strengthen it for generations to come. Learn more. | | | | For critics of the president, of whom there are many in Washington, what has happened in the city — the effective sidelining of locally elected officials, the federal takeover of the city’s police, the surge of National Guard troops, the masked and unidentified federal police officers, the Humvees parked outside Union Station, conveniently located for the cameras — is enough to draw suggestions of creeping authoritarianism. … And yet, for all the outrage, yesterday’s protest march from Dupont Circle to the White House numbered only in the “scores” of demonstrators, per NYT’s Alyce McFadden. For supporters of the president’s actions, crime in the district is a blaring crisis that merits an overwhelming federal response to avoid something like failed-state status. They point out that crime, while on a downward trend, is unacceptably commonplace (the district’s homicide rate is still “almost as high as New York’s at its most dangerous, in 1990,” NYT’s Maureen Dowd notes). It demands a round-the-clock response, with FBI agents patrolling the street on foot. … And yet, much of the federal response has been concentrated in some of the safest areas of the city rather than those neighborhoods most devastated by crime. More than half of the district’s homicides last year occurred across the Anacostia River in Wards 7 and 8, The Atlantic’s Michael Powell writes; as recently as Friday, they had yet to see much of a federal response, per USA Today’s Josh Meyer. Which inevitably raises a question: How much of this is for the spectacle? “What’s happening here in Washington, DC, is just a stunt,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said this morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Trump didn’t like the fact that the walls were closing in on him … and so, true to form, he just decided to create a new news cycle.” There may be an element of that, but the argument also presents something of a messaging difficulty for Democrats: If it’s a distraction, why should Americans take it seriously?
| | | | A message from AARP:  
Americans earn their Social Security through a lifetime of hard work. Let's keep it strong. Learn more. | | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the war in Ukraine and potential consequences for Russian President Vladimir Putin, on ABC’s “This Week”: “I think ultimately, if this whole effort doesn't work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia. But we're trying to avoid that by reaching a peace agreement. … The problem is this: the minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops. … You've probably just added six, eight, nine, 12 more months to the war, if not longer. … That's what happens if you do that.” — Special envoy Steve Witkoff on the war in Ukraine and the details of a potential peace deal, on “Fox News Sunday”: “[Trump] understands that it is for the Ukrainians to decide how they might land swap, how they might make a deal with the Russians on different territories there. … I think the president supports a peace deal … and he got through almost all of it in Alaska.” On security guarantees: “It means that the United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article V security guarantees but not from NATO, directly from the United States, and other European countries.” — Witkoff on the potential trilateral to end the war in Ukraine, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “My belief, my view is that we are going to get to a trilateral. And what we're trying to accomplish on Monday is get some consensus from President Zelenskyy and his team. We had some really good, specific, granular conversation on the plane ride home with President Zelenskyy about what he would be seeking.” — Jake Sullivan, former national security adviser, on the war in Ukraine and a potential peace deal, on “Fox News Sunday”: “I think we will all see what comes out of that meeting on Monday. But critically, handing away more Ukrainian territory than Russia has been able to take militarily, giving it to Russia diplomatically, I think this would, as President Zelensky has said, just set Russia up to attack Ukraine in the future.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | The California Agenda-- Don't miss POLITICO's inaugural California policy summit in Sacramento. Join us in-person or virtually to explore policyy debates around tech, energy, health care and more. Hear from Sen. Alex Padilla (D), Katie Porter, GOP gubernatorial candidates and more! Register to watch. | | | | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: European and NATO leaders announced today that they’ll also be flying to Washington for Trump’s meeting tomorrow with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. European leaders hope their rally-around-Zelenskyy effort will help prevent a repeat of February’s Oval Office blowup, AP’s Samya Kullab and John Leicester report. Who’s coming: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will join the peace talks at Zelenskyy’s request. Also joining: French President Emmanuel Macron, British PM Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Why they’re coming: Trump already backed away from the idea of a ceasefire first, so Europe wants to make sure Ukraine’s key red lines aren’t crossed — namely, that it won’t have to cede huge swaths of territory in the name of peace, POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavin and colleagues write from Europe. Ukraine is ready to talk territorial concessions, Zelenskyy told reporters today, but only starting from the contact line of fighting (meaning: not the ever-envied eastern Donetsk region). More from our colleagues in Europe The cause for concern: When Trump called Zelenskyy yesterday, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin would respect the existing frontlines IF Ukraine agreed to cede all of the Donetsk region — which Zelenskyy rejected, Reuters’ Steve Holland and colleagues report. Putin seemed ready to concede the current frontlines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, but on the whole, the proposal leaves Putin with the upper hand, Axios’ Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler write. Trump also said he could see a trilateral meeting with both Zelenskyy and Putin happening as soon as Friday. A silver lining: Trump told the European leaders yesterday during their post-summit call that he’s open to U.S. security guarantees in Ukraine, saying that Putin understood that peace in Ukraine would require Western troops on the ground, WSJ’s Bojan Pancevski and colleagues scooped. Big read: “How Will the War in Ukraine End? Two Scenarios,” by WSJ’s Marcus Walker: “Ukraine could lose land but survive as a secure and sovereign, if shrunken, nation state. Alternatively, it could lose both land and sovereignty, falling back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.” Coming soon: “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED! President DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning. 2. GAZA LATEST: The Trump administration announced yesterday that it paused approvals of visitor visas for Gazans — blocking a key vehicle for immigrants looking for medical care in the U.S. NYT’s Hamed Aleaziz and Ken Bensinger report the pause came after intense lobbying from far-right activist and MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, who alleged, without evidence, that the nonprofit HEAL Palestine — which has facilitated flights carrying Palestinian children — is connected to Hamas. On the ground: Israel is readying plans for a mass movement of Palestinians southward as it prepares to launch its military offensive in Gaza City and greater central Gaza, per AP’s Natalie Melzer. Hamas rejected Israel’s plans today, calling the relocation a new wave of genocide and displacement,” per Reuters. The plans come as Israeli families grow concerned the new offensive could risk the lives of the hostages who are still alive — a worry that has helped propel a nationwide strike in Israel today, NYT’s Johnatan Reiss and Aaron Boxerman report. The crisis continues: “Gaza’s Other Crisis — Not Enough Clean Drinking Water,” by WSJ’s Margherita Stancati and Abeer Ayyoub 3. RED LIGHT REDISTRICTING: Texas Democrats are expected to return to the state legislature tomorrow following weeks of protest and a weekend that saw more than 150 rallies across 34 states at which activists blasted Trump’s moves to draw new red seats, POLITICO’s Shia Kapos reports. On the left: The redistricting fight brought together progressive and establishment Democrats, who are embracing fighting fire with fire to mount a nationwide resistance to Trump, AP’s Bill Barrow writes. On the right: The push is also giving a national stage to Texas AG Ken Paxton, who has a history of “audacious legal moves” that benefit his party and is staring down an intense primary against GOP incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), as CNN’s Eric Bradner breaks down. Meanwhile, in California: “California’s resistance to Donald Trump is running into an uprising from within,” POLITICO’s Will McCarthy and Jeremy White report from Norco. Democratic leaders “believed they were making lasting inroads in Southern California’s Riverside County, the fourth most populous in the state. But far from transforming into a Democratic stronghold, the region is fast becoming a hotbed for Donald Trump-inspired showmen and a political farm system for some of the most powerful and notable members of the Republican bench.”
| | | | A message from AARP:  
AARP will never stop fighting to protect and strengthen Social Security for all generations. Learn more. | | | | 4. IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration’s latest strategy for employing more ICE agents includes an enticing $50,000 signing bonus and up to $60,000 in student loan forgiveness — part of a larger blitz that removed age caps and promotes ICE as a father-son bonding experience, WSJ’s Victoria Albert and Jack Morphet write this morning. DHS says it’s working: more than 110,000 people have applied. Meanwhile, immigration arrest levels dipped by 13 percent last month, per NPR. The latest in the City of Angels: “Immigration agent fires shots at vehicle with people inside in San Bernardino operation,” by LA Times’ Brittny Mejia 5. ELECTION DAY IN BOLIVIA: “A Latin American experiment in socialism could be nearing its end,” by WaPo’s Samantha Schmidt and Gabriel Díez Lacunza: “For nearly two decades, politics in Bolivia has been dominated by one man[:] Evo Morales, acolyte of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, antagonist of the United States … But the movement he built now verges on collapse. The economy, now in the hands of a former protégé, is struggling through its worst crisis in decades … The presidential election on Sunday could mean the end of a socialist era. Two right-leaning candidates are leading in the polls. And for the first time since Morales was elected president in 2005, neither he nor a stand-in will be on the ballot.” 6. CUTTING DEEP: North Carolina was the latest state to pass a Medicaid expansion, but budget challenges and cuts from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act mean the state is slashing Medicaid funding to doctors, hospitals and other providers, WaPo’s Paige Winfield Cunningham reports. Devdutta Sangvai, North Carolina’s top health officer, said the cuts will have “serious and far-reaching consequences.” … In another swing state, a mix of bad weather and cuts to agricultural research and farm programs are blighting Michigan’s cherry farmers, Reuters’ P.J. Huffstutter writes. 7. TRADING PLACES: The US-EU trade deal is being held up by disagreements on language involving the EU’s digital rules, FT’s Alice Hancock and colleagues report. A formal statement was expected to land just days after Trump and von der Leyen announced the deal, but the U.S. has been trying to keep the door open to cracking down on the Digital Services Act, the landmark regulation on Big Tech that the EU isn’t budging on. On the domestic side, six months after Trump announced his plans to manage tariffs through an “External Revenue Service” the agency’s creation has been stalled — in part because tariff revenue has “fallen short of the president’s forecasts,” POLITICO’s Ari Hawkins writes. “They haven’t figured out what they want,” one person close to the White House told Ari. 8. FIT FOR A PRINCE: “Blackwater’s Erik Prince Muscles Back Into the Mercenary Business,” by WSJ’s Benoit Faucon and Vera Bergengruen: “[Erik] Prince showed drone footage of his mercenaries in Haiti helping hunt and kill alleged gang members under a government contract he struck in March. For an asking price of at least $10 million a year … Prince said he could do the same in Peru’s gold country … Prince, who is back in the good graces of the White House, believes his mercenaries can pick up the slack for international security jobs the Trump administration would prefer not to pay for. He says he wants to turn a profit in countries desperate for U.S. assistance.” 9. TECH CORNER: “Sam Altman’s campaign to keep ChatGPT on top,” by POLITICO’s Christine Mui and Chase DiFeliciantonio: “Sam Altman, the driving force behind ChatGPT’s meteoric rise, is running a team of veteran political operatives, campaigning to secure his company OpenAI’s future. Only in this case, there’s no gray-at-the-temples candidate. … Over the past year alone, the world’s most closely watched AI company has hired more than half a dozen political insiders who are well-connected to the Democratic establishment … But it underscores how OpenAI sees its deep-blue home of California as vital for its global ambitions — tied to a planned business makeover that the state’s top attorney can summarily shut down.”
| | | | 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 | | Melania Trump sent a letter to Vladimir Putin calling for peace in Ukraine and the protection of innocent children. SPOTTED: Dan Bongino at the AMC in Georgetown last night. MEDIA MOVE — Claire Heddles is joining the Miami Herald as senior political correspondent. She previously was a fellow at NOTUS. BIPARTISAN WEDDING — Meg Makarewicz, chief of staff to Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), got married to Mike Rorke, chief of staff to Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), on Saturday at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan. Both Makarewicz and Rorke are proud Michigan grads. Pic, courtesy of Rep. Dingell … Another pic. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) (6-0) … Jon Lovett of Crooked Media … ABC’s Brittany Shepherd … Louisa Terrell … former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) … Jamie Gillespie … former Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) … Ron Bonjean of Rokk Solutions … Sonali Dohale … Daniel Penchina … Sabrina Schaeffer of the R Street Institute … Mike Buczkiewicz of “Morning Joe” … Caroline Boothe Olsen … Philip de Vellis of Beacon Media … Elise Foley … Ben Brody … Fox News’ Will Ricciardella … American Trucking Associations’ Jessica Gail … Nick Hawatmeh … Andrea Christianson … Diane Shust … Dave Toomey … David Kusnet … Dynamic SRG’s Darren Rigger … Rebecca Alcorn of Mindset … Belgian Embassy’s Maite Morren … Natalia Latif of New Heights Communications … The Guardian’s Ella Creamer 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 Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
| | | | A message from AARP: Social Security is one of the most successful and popular initiatives in American history.
· Nearly all Americans (96%) consider Social Security important, with broad agreement across party lines: 98% Democrats, 95% Republicans and 93% of Independents all say the same.
· More than two-thirds of Americans (67%) view Social Security as more important to retirees today than five years ago.
· Nearly two in three (65%) retired Americans say they rely substantially on Social Security, while another 21 percent say they rely on it somewhat. In 2020, 63% of retired Americans said they relied substantially on Social Security, jumping from 58% in both 2015 and 2010—all according to AARP research.
Congress: Keep America's promise—protect and strengthen Social Security for older Americans today and our kids and grandkids tomorrow. 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 | | | |
