| | | |  | | By Joe Anuta | Presented by United for Cures | With help from Eli Okun and Ali Bianco Happy Friday! I’m Joe Anuta, writing in from New York City, where I'm still trying to warm up after a historic but chilly Inauguration Day. Get in touch.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Mayor Zohran Mamdani stands with his wife, Rama Duwaji, during Mamdani's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. | Andres Kudacki/AP | MAMDANI’S MOMENT: Thursday marked the dawn of a new, freezing day in New York City. At a frigid and lengthy outdoor ceremony in lower Manhattan, newly minted mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office, made lofty pledges of wholesale governmental change and, in doing so, kicked off one of the most interesting experiments in American politics at the moment. As much of planet earth is now aware, Mamdani is a 34-year-old democratic socialist with a short resume who, as of yesterday, assumed command of the nation’s largest local government. In a speech laden with soaring rhetoric, he vowed to transform the very nature of that bureaucracy before New Yorkers’ eyes. “To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives,” he said. “For too long, we have turned to the private sector for greatness, while accepting mediocrity from those who serve the public.” That is, of course, easier said than done. The city operates with a budget of $118 billion and a workforce of more than 300,000, most of whom are bound by union contracts and civil service rules that make the scale of change Mamdani is promising a tall order. When you layer on some of his campaign promises — pricey proposals like universal child care, free buses and a dramatic increase in affordable housing production — the new mayor has set a very high bar. And what happens next will reverberate far beyond the five boroughs. Mamdani is pulling double duty: His ambitious agenda will serve as a litmus test for national Democrats keen on deploying a message of affordability in the upcoming midterm elections, while also embodying a test case for whether the left flank of the Democratic Party can handle the nuts and bolts of governing. In recognition of the latter, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were on hand yesterday to rile up the shivering masses. (Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who declined to endorse Mamdani during the election even after he became the Democratic nominee, was also in attendance. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who offered a tepid and last-minute backing of the democratic socialist, was not.) Sanders, who administered the oath of office, floated the idea that a proof of concept in New York City could be overlaid elsewhere around the country. “Thank you for inspiring our nation,” he said to the New Yorkers gathered in support of Mamdani. “Thank you for giving us, from coast to coast, the hope and the vision that we can create a government that works for all, not just the wealthy and the few, in a moment when people in America and in fact throughout the world are losing faith in democracy.” Mamdani’s core base emanates from the same democratic socialist circles where he cut his political teeth. And keeping them in good stead is essential to maintaining a groundswell of support. “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he told a cheering crowd. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.” A nonprofit is already attempting to recreate the nearly 100,000-strong volunteer army that helped vault Mamdani to victory. And in the coming months, that force will be marshaled against fellow Democrats like New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the hopes of pressuring her into taxing the rich. But the young mayor also seems to have already learned a thing or two about moderation and compromise, which are essential to pull off what is often considered the second hardest job in politics. What was left unsaid in yesterday’s oration was just as noteworthy as what Mamdani included in his speech: After vilifying President Donald Trump on the stump over his immigration policies, Mamdani sat down with the president at the White House in November for a chummy meeting replete with promises of collaboration. On Thursday, the new mayor did not include a single direct attack against the commander-in-chief. ONE DAY IN: “Israel accuses new NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani of antisemitism on first day in office,” by POLITICO’s Elena Giordano: “Israel’s criticism focused on Mamdani’s revocation of executive orders issued under his predecessor Eric Adams … The Adams-era measures had prevented city officials from pursuing punitive economic policies such as boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. They had also adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism … Mamdani has repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism, arguing his criticism of Israel is rooted in human rights concerns.”
| | | | A message from United for Cures: The United States leads the world in lifesaving medical research, and Americans benefit from its advances daily. Diagnoses that were once death sentences are now treatable and even curable. And more progress comes every year. We can't lose our leadership now. Millions still need cures — which means they still need federally-funded medical research that leads to more treatments, more cures, and more lives saved. Support Cures. Increase federal funding for lifesaving medical research in FY26. | | | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. WAR AND PEACE: After a week of protests over economic hardships calling for change in Iran, the clashes have turned deadly, with human rights groups saying multiple protesters have been killed, WaPo’s Yeganeh Torbati reports. Trump took to Truth Social this morning and vowed to intervene if the crackdown on protestors worsens, WSJ’s Benoit Faucon reports. “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” It’s the latest escalation of potential threats against Tehran after Trump also backed more strikes against Iran should it rebuild nuclear facilities. An olive branch?: Venezuela is open to brokering an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking, strongman leader Nicolás Maduro said in an interview on state television, while calling for more serious negotiations, AP’s Regina Garcia Cano reports. Venezuela also released at least 80 political prisoners yesterday, including one with U.S. ties, per NYT. And on the ongoing chase of the oil tanker in the Caribbean, which appeared to don a Russian flag, Russia has formally requested the U.S. to stop its pursuit, which could further complicate the U.S. moves against Venezuela, NYT’s Nicholas Nehamas and colleagues report. Meanwhile, on Russia: Russia and Ukraine traded strikes this week, with a deadly hit in occupied Ukraine, as talks continue over whether the two countries can come to a deal to end the nearly four-year-war, per Reuters. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the deal is “90 percent” of the way there, NYT’s Constant Méheut outlines one of the key sticking points — Europe’s largest power plant, now in occupied Ukraine. Zelenskyy confirmed on X that a team of national security advisers are meeting in Ukraine tomorrow, including representatives from European allies, with more meetings between military leaders and Europe’s top brass expected next week. Capping Trump’s holiday diplomacy: Trump will meet with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue at 6:30 p.m. today. 2. KNOWING MARGO MARTIN: “She provides the raw material to Trump’s influencer machine,” by WaPo’s Dylan Wells: “Margo Martin, a 30-year-old who gets as close to the president as his Secret Service detail, is the quiet engine of a social media operation that has transformed presidential communications. … Martin’s raw material is then processed by a sprawling network of better-known right-wing influencers who use that content for memes, podcast clips and shows that go viral, reinforcing Trump’s bond with his most ardent supporters and maintaining his status as a ubiquitous pop culture figure for everyone else.” 3. HIGH COURT INTO HIGH GEAR: All things considered, 2025 was a banner year at the Supreme Court for Trump, as the high court expanded much of his control over the federal government and granted relief via the so-called “shadow docket,” LA Times’ David Savage writes. Some of the biggest cases where the majority went in favor of Trump came through emergency decisions, often with no explanation. But there were two important checks on Trump’s power — on the use of the Alien Enemies Act and the deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. What to watch: Axios’ Julianna Bragg has a roundup of the cases awaiting decisions this year that could have a big impact on Trump’s agenda. Among them, the high court will hear arguments on Trump’s moves to strip birthright citizenship, the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda, moves to ban conversion therapy, two cases on trans athletes and Trump’s power to fire the heads of independent agencies. And the court will weigh an essential redistricting case that could cut down the Voting Rights Act. 4. 2026 WATCH: With the Covid-era Obamacare enhanced subsidies used by more than 20 million people officially expired, Democrats are gearing up to make the lapse a centerpiece of their midterms message, POLITICO’s Nick Wu reports this morning. Despite the pending efforts to extend the subsidies on the Hill, lawmakers and strategists are already gearing up to slam the GOP on the issue. And unlike other messages, “the lost tax credits are already tangible proof of what’s at stake,” Nick writes. NYT’s Reed Abelson has a deep dive on Americans grappling with their own cost-benefit calculus of paying for health care. Trail mix: Democrat Allison Jaslow is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, seeking to challenge Republican Rep. Greg Murphy in a seat that has been held by the GOP for three decades, POLITICO’s Shia Kapos writes in to Playbook. The race could draw national attention as Democrats look to expand the House battlefield in North Carolina. While the district has historically favored Republicans, changes in turnout, redistricting and candidate recruitment could shape the contest. The primary is March 3. Race tracker: There’s a whopping three-dozen gubernatorial elections happening this year, including six of the seven key battleground states that Trump swept in 2024. NBC’s Adam Edelman has a condensed list of the top 10 races to watch.
| | | 5. MEDIAWATCH: “How budget bickering and Dolly Parton politics warped California’s Google news deal,” by POLITICO’s Tyler Katzenberger: “A landmark deal between California and tech titan Google to support local newspapers struggling to stay afloat amid incursions by online competitors and aggressive hedge funds is running into one brick wall after another. … the agreement is tangled in budget cuts, bureaucratic infighting and unresolved questions about who controls the money, leaving journalists empty-handed and casting doubt on whether the lofty experiment will ever live up to its promise. … Not a single newsroom has seen a dollar of funding, and there’s no definitive timeline spelling out when they will.” 6. THE ECONOMY, STUPID: Trump has been touting job creation for U.S. born workers while casting out immigrant labor. But economists are skeptical that those claims bear out, with some saying they’ve seen no evidence that American workers are gaining millions of jobs or moving into positions formerly occupied by deported immigrants, WaPo’s Lauren Kaori Gurley reports. … Meanwhile, Trump signed a proclamation late on New Year’s delaying the implementation of his increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year pending trade talks, per AP. The real-world impact: Trump’s moves to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could be creating a bureaucratic headache for small community banks, as a supervisory gap may crack down harder on small banks compared to their larger counterparts, POLITICO’s Aiden Reiter writes. “Community banks still need to plan for consumer enforcement actions, even as big banks may have room to lower their guard. In response, some Republican community bank advocates want the administration to be more specific about how bank regulation will be enforced if the CFPB is dissolved.” 7. IMMIGRATION FILES: “Medicaid, ICE and a ticking clock for undocumented Californians,” by POLITICO’s Rachel Bluth: “Mar Velez and her team of outreach workers were fanned out across California, signing undocumented immigrants up for Medi-Cal … They were, for one, racing against the clock to enroll people before January 1, when a cost-saving freeze on new enrollments imposed by the state took hold. But, at the same time, there was a new risk that comes with enrolling as the Trump administration seeks to use personal information collected by states to find and deport immigrants who are in the country illegally.” 8. MOOD MUSIC: In between a whirlwind week of geopolitics, Trump was in holiday party host mode, donning a tuxedo for a New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago and auctioning off a live painted portrait of Jesus to the tune of $2.75 million. “Such are the rhythms of Trump’s two-week getaway at Mar-a-Lago … It is his happy place,” WSJ’s Alex Leary writes in a must-read look at Trump’s life away from the White House. “Hundreds of people filled the Mar-a-Lago ballroom to celebrate the new year and take part in some politically pointed fun. Stephen Miller, architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown, bopped his head as Vanilla Ice performed ‘Ice Ice Baby.’” 9. FOR YOUR RADAR: “Federal employees file complaint against Trump administration’s ban on gender-affirming care,” by AP: “The complaint, filed Thursday on the employees’ behalf by the Human Rights Campaign, is in response to an August announcement from the Office of Personnel Management that it would no longer cover ‘chemical and surgical modification of an individual’s sex traits through medical interventions’ in health insurance programs for federal employees and U.S. Postal Service workers.”
| | | THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … PBS “Washington Week”: Thomas Friedman. C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: Joe Manchin and Kevin McCarthy … Evelyn Farkas and Lanhee Chen. Sneak peek: McCarthy and Manchin discussed the recent string of congressional retirements, which McCarthy described as chaos. “If nothing's being accomplished — because they are making a sacrifice, they’re being away from their family, sometimes it’s a long travel, you get harassed, you get death threats, all the different things — but you're willing to make that sacrifice if you can accomplish something,” McCarthy said. “When nothing is happening, when it’s just pure fighting, people say, ‘I could go spend my time doing something else.’” As for the Senate, Manchin argued that “basically the power does not lie in the committees anymore.” He added: “People want to see process. They want to see progress. They want to be involved. … When you've got nothing going on and you're just twiddling your thumbs and waiting for a couple people in leadership to make a decision … that's why I think it falls short.” Watch the clip SUNDAY SO FAR … CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) … Cardinal McElroy. CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) … Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Panel: Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Scott Jennings and Bakari Sellers. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) … Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.). Panel: Michael Allen, Guy Benson, Francesca Chambers and Richard Fowler. NBC “Meet the Press”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Panel: Amna Nawaz, Keir Simmons, Marc Short and Neera Tanden. ABC “This Week”: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) … San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile and Julie Pace.
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | WEATHER CHANNEL — Prepare yourselves for a colder-than-normal January after a freezing December, “averaging 1 to 3 degrees below normal compared with the month’s typical temperature of 37.5 degrees,” per WaPo’s Jason Samenow. WELLNESS CHECK — Trump said on Truth Social that he took a third cognitive examination, which he “aced.” It comes after he told the WSJ that the MRI he said he recently received was actually a CT scan. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “Bowser ‘runs through the tape’ to kick off last year as D.C. mayor,” by WaPo’s Meagan Flynn: “Mayor Muriel E. Bowser kicked off her final year in office the same way she’s begun every new year since 2015: crossing the finish line of the Fresh Start 5K. It was a literal representation of the mantra Bowser (D) set for her last year as D.C.’s mayor — ‘running through the tape’ — in what is expected to be a year full of challenges but also final opportunities for the 11-year incumbent to leave her mark on the nation’s capital after she decided not to seek reelection.” OUT AND ABOUT — D.C. dwellers rang in the New Year in high style at Ned’s Club Washington, D.C., which took over the full club for an immersive New Year’s Eve bash inspired by the glamour of the Versace Mansion and the art-soaked energy of Warhol’s Factory. Guests bounced between floors for caviar and raw bars, champagne and craft cocktails. SPOTTED: James Davis, Ja’ron Smith, Jess Powers, Keenan Austin Reed, Maggie O’Neil, Natalie Jones, Nicole Venable, Rachel Goslins, Robin Leeds, Roxanne Roberts, Fred Yonnet, Carla Sims, Alex Kouts, DJ Adrian Loving, Coco & Breezy and Dana Shell Smith. TRANSITION — Jon Berkon is now the political law chair at Elias Law Group. He succeeds Ezra Reese, who will continue serving clients as a partner in the firm’s political law practice group. ENGAGED — Taylor Budowich, president of D.C.-based public affairs and crisis communications firm The Sovereign Advisors and former Trump White House deputy chief of staff, on Tuesday proposed to Brenna Flynn, a freelance stylist and head of marketing for Stefano Ricci North America. He proposed along the coast in Carmel, California. The couple met on New Year's Eve in 2023 on a double date. Pic ... Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: POLITICO’s Mike Zapler and Ben Storrow … Chris Hartline … CRC Advisors’ Greg Mueller … Judith Miller … Erin Hughes of Marathon Strategies ... Rachel Perrone … former Reps. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) and Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) … Kyle Gazis … Rebecca Bill Chavez … Annie Lange of the National Confectioners Association … Meta’s Annie MacLachlan Lewis and Marc Johnson … Scott Cullinane … Rachel Michael of McDonald’s … Leatherstocking’s Douglas Faulkner … Bully Pulpit Interactive’s Alexa Barchuk ... Craig Varoga … Ben Sheffner … Anna Wishart … Chandler Dean of West Wing Writers … Jason Resendez of the National Alliance for Caregiving … Kel McClanahan of National Security Counselors … Will Jawando … Fox Business Network’s Elizabeth MacDonald 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.
| | | | A message from United for Cures: The United States leads the world in lifesaving medical research—and Americans benefit from its breakthroughs every day. Thanks to federal funding, several forms of cancer that were once death sentences are now survivable. A cure for diabetes is closer than ever. And in the fight against Alzheimer's, two FDA-approved treatments are already slowing disease progression in patients. But we can't afford to lose momentum. Millions of Americans are still waiting for answers—and they need federally funded research to keep cures coming. Sustained federal investment is essential to keeping America at the forefront of lifesaving medical innovation. Support Cures. Increase federal funding for lifesaving medical research in FY26. | | | | | | | | 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 | | | |
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