| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | Presented by the National Retail Federation | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | BULLETIN: President Donald Trump will have a primetime exclusive interview with NewsNation tonight at 10 p.m.
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President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the increasingly tense protests in Minneapolis. | John Locher/AP | OVER IN MINNEAPOLIS: In the biggest threat of escalation since the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer last week, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the increasingly tense protests in Minneapolis. Trump posted on Truth Social calling on the “corrupt politicians of Minnesota” to put an end to the protests or risk the potential of Trump sending the U.S. military into the state. It comes just hours after a federal officer shot and injured a man who officials said was fleeing arrest last night. The rhetorical escalation could risk igniting even more fervor as Minnesota increasingly becomes the center of the backlash to Trump’s sweeping deportation agenda, POLITICO’s Greg Svirnovskiy and Kyle Cheney report. In the week since Good’s death, clashes between local and federal officials have escalated over the law enforcement presence — something the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried as an “impossible situation.” This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Trump threaten using the Insurrection Act, but Minnesota AG Keith Ellison is already gearing up for a potential legal battle if necessary. But we’ve seen the Trump administration recently returning to the rhetoric of “insurrectionists” taking over Minneapolis, similar to the language they used against protestors in Portland, Oregon. And this comes as a decision is due imminently from a district court in Minneapolis as soon as this afternoon on whether to bar ICE from using its most controversial crowd control and arrest tactics against the demonstrators. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez expressed skepticism about the decisions by ICE to stop or draw guns on motorists tailing their vehicles, so long as they were obeying traffic laws, as well as arresting protesters who had not crossed police perimeters or deploying nonlethal force against demonstrators, Kyle writes in to Playbook. Strangely, Trump gave Menendez a boost Thursday morning when he labeled her a “highly respected” judge. It’s still a big if on whether Trump moves ahead. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters this morning that she discussed it with Trump this morning but didn’t necessarily recommend it, leaving the door open as an option, per POLITICO’s Myah Ward. “He certainly has the constitutional authority to utilize that,” Noem said. “My hope is that this leadership team in Minnesota will start to work with us to get criminals off the streets,” adding that ICE has been “following the law.” Pushback from Democratic lawmakers and activists this morning was swift. “There are no words. There are no words for it,” Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) told our colleague Nick Wu this morning. “It's a very difficult situation in Minnesota, and this president is only making things worse.” Gov. Tim Walz posted a direct appeal to Trump to “turn the temperature down.” On a call this morning with a coalition of activists pushing against Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics, there was a wholesale outcry over the idea of military troops being sent into Minnesota against protestors, which advocates called an “extreme abuse of power” and warned could have a big chilling effect across the country. “With what we've experienced this past year in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and now, most recently, in Minneapolis, it feels like this administration has declared war on our community,” UnidosUS President Janet Murguía said on the call. “This is a galvanizing moment for Americans,” said Vanessa Cardenas of America’s Voice. “A line has been crossed.” The Democratic organizers said they’re pushing Congress to act to rein in Trump and warned that the GOP could see the political cost of the ICE raids when voters hit the polls in November. “Immigration has become a top issue, not just for the MAGA base, but for Americans overall, and we feel it is going to create a wave of rejection,” Cardenas said. Polls released this week also paint a grim picture of public opinion on the ICE enforcement operations in Minnesota, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos numbers showing there’s disagreement even among Republicans about the operations as Trump hits his lowest approval numbers on immigration this term. And the stories keep piling up: WaPo’s Joseph Menn writes on protests out of San Francisco, WSJ’s Gareth Vipers reports on immigration officers targeting construction workers at a Meta data center and WaPo’s Mariana Alfaro reports Native Americans are being swept up in the Minnesota operations. QUITE THE TIMING: “Madison Sheahan, ICE's No. 2 official and a Noem ally, leaving agency to run for Congress,” by CBS’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez: “Madison Sheahan, the No. 2 official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is leaving the agency to run for Congress … Sheahan was installed as ICE's deputy director in March, when the Trump administration overhauled the agency's leadership … [Noem] said Sheahan would be ‘a great defender of freedom when she goes to Congress,’ noting she has known her for years.” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your tips at abianco@politico.com.
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: Retail is poised for growth in 2026 and will continue building on the economic momentum of 2025. The retail industry is committed to serving customers by driving innovation and providing affordable solutions, including through the use of AI to enhance the customer experience. Learn more. | | | | | | 8 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA: Trump is meeting soon with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in a closed lunch, marking his first in-person meeting with the Venezuelan figure and it comes on the heels of his embrace of the country’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, AP’s Regina Garcia Cano and Megan Janetsky report. Trump’s endorsement of Rodríguez has largely sidelined Machado, who helped organize the country’s opposition and prove their victory in the country’s 2024 elections. Machado is also set to meet with a bipartisan group of senators today, and a House meeting is in the works, per NBC. Machado has also offered up sharing her Nobel Peace Prize with Trump, which is stirring consternation across the Atlantic, NYT’s Max Bearak and Henrik Pryser Libell write. And another one: The U.S. seized a sixth oil tanker this morning, Southern Command announced this morning, as they look to enforce the quarantine in the Caribbean, WSJ’s Shelby Holliday and colleagues write. 2. TRUMP AND THE WORLD: Iran reopened airspace this morning after a brief closure last night, per WaPo, and came as Iran’s judiciary announced this morning that it has not issued a death sentence for protestor Erfan Soltani, whose execution was believed to be imminent and caught Trump’s attention, per NYT. “This is good news,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Hopefully, it will continue!” The U.S. also announced a new round of sanctions against Iranian officials this morning, per AP. The protests in Iran have been stemmed as the crackdown has pushed some demonstrators off the streets, with the number of new protests dropped on Tuesday for the first time, though analysts warn the quiet could be temporary, per WSJ. The UN Security Council has an emergency meeting today to discuss Iran at the request of the U.S. Greenland latest: European troops have arrived in Greenland this morning as leaders coalesce their support around the island amid Trump’s persistent threats. Troops are likely to be present on the island on a “more permanent” basis, Denmark’s defense minister said today, FT’s Richard Milne reports. That comes as CNN’s latest poll shows 75 percent of Americans oppose the U.S. attempting to take control of Greenland. But the question reverberating through Nuuk today after yesterday’s diplomatic meeting went nowhere is ‘now what?’ NYT's Jeffrey Gettleman and Maya Tekeli report from their conversations with Greenlanders. And in even more world news: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu cast the U.S. announcement of the second phase of the Gaza peace deal as symbolic, calling the new Palestinian governing committee a “declarative move” and throwing cold water on the prospect of renewed progress, AP’s Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Metz reports. … The U.S. is also ramping up pressure on the Mexican government to allow the U.S. military to intervene and dismantle fentanyl labs, NYT’s Maria Abi-Habib and colleagues report. 3. ALL IN ON HEALTH CARE: “Trump releases health policy outline,” by POLITICO’s Cheyenne Haslett: “Trump on Thursday released a health care framework that would codify his efforts to reduce prescription drug prices, send dollars to Health Savings Accounts instead of insurers via Affordable Care Act subsidies, and force more price transparency from insurance companies, hospitals and physicians. … He pledged to make ‘the big insurance companies lose, and the people of our country win.’ Trump tasked Congress with passing his proposal into law after months of failed negotiations to address the expired Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits.”
| | | | A message from the National Retail Federation: For more than a century, NRF has served as the leading voice for retail. At NRF's annual conference and expo, retailers from all over the world hear from the biggest innovators, experience the latest technology and build relationships that matter most. NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show convened more than 40,000 people from 100 countries to explore emerging trends, challenges and opportunities facing the industry. As the voice of retail, NRF will continue to advance policy priorities focused on tax, trade and regulatory reforms that will enhance America's competitiveness, boost domestic investment and create jobs. Learn more about NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show. | | | | 4. ON THAT NOTE: The Senate, meanwhile, is still not close to a bipartisan health care deal, just as they’re about to leave for recess next week. It’s a difficult bind as Obamacare enrollment ends after today and Republicans are feeling the heat to act, Bloomberg’s Caitlin Reilly reports. The bipartisan group led by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) is struggling to agree among themselves, and it’ll only get more difficult after today as they’ll have to restart open enrollment and they still have to get GOP leadership on their side, per Punchbowl. Meanwhile, Jaime Dupree reports the House actually sent the wrong version of the three-year Obamacare subsidies bill to the Senate last week, and had to pass a resolution to quietly get it back. Tales from the crypto: Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott is facing a “crypto calamity” as landmark digital asset legislation that was intended to be up for a vote in committee today is now in jeopardy following fierce opposition from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong — setting off a scramble both in Congress and the White House to save the bill, POLITICO’s Jasper Goodman reports. Scott has postponed the markup on the bill, a big rewrite of Wall Street regulations that has become a top priority for the GOP. Retirement watch: Of the two dozen House members over the age of 80, more than half are running for reelection, NBC’s Scott Wong and Joe Murphy report. “By the end of this year, the average age will be nearly 85. Ten members will be that age or older, and three will be at or knocking on 90’s door.” 5. THE ECONOMY, STUPID: Applications for unemployment benefits fell last week to their lowest levels since November, with claims decreasing by 9,000 to 198,000 following the holiday season, Bloomberg’s Jarrell Dillard reports. “Thursday’s figures suggest layoffs aren’t meaningfully picking up at the start of the year, though the data are likely still affected by holiday-related fluctuations.” 6. 2026 WATCH: The Congressional Black Caucus’ political arm is throwing its weight behind Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) over a democratic socialist primary challenger, POLITICO’s Jason Beeferman scoops. It’s an intriguing endorsement after Espaillat’s rocky history with the CBC, who ran unsuccessfully against late Rep. Charles Rangel, a CBC founder, and kicked off warring Democratic factions in New York. Redistricting rodeo: Democrats in Virginia have officially kicked off their campaign to get Virginia voters onboard with a plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps through an amendment to the state’s constitution, WaPo’s Dan Merica reports. Virginians for Fair Elections is leading the public-facing efforts as the state Senate is set to pass the amendment by the end of the week. And don’t expect the gerrymandering wars to end anytime soon, NBC’s Jane Timm writes: both parties are already laying the groundwork to review more boundaries for 2028. Speaking of 2028: “Democratic Bosses Are Launching a Remake of the 2028 Calendar,” by The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer 7. ALL IN THE FAMILY: “Leading Prediction Firms Share a Commonality: Donald Trump Jr.,” by NYT’s Sharon LaFraniere: “The companies running online prediction markets, where ordinary people bet on real-world events, can count on intense interest in what President Trump might have up his sleeve. … At the intersection of the prediction market industry and Trump world is Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son. He is both an investor in and an unpaid adviser to Polymarket, and a paid adviser to Kalshi … That has created questions about whether regulators could have been swayed by simply knowing the interests of the president’s son.” 8. DOGE DAYS ARE BACK?: “‘Why is Sherrill DOGE-ing New Jersey?’: Resignation letters to longtime government workers cause confusion,” by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: “Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill sent written requests for resignations to career public servants in New Jersey … causing anger and confusion across the government workforce she’ll soon lead. … A Sherrill spokesperson told POLITICO the governor-elect’s transition team, which sent the notices, does not intend to ask for mass resignations and would clarify the requests only apply to political appointees. … It is unclear exactly how many people received the missives. Still, it’s created an early headache for the incoming governor.”
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Charlie Kirk will be honored by Israel for his work on antisemitism at a conference later this month. TOP TALKER — Kyrsten Sinema, the former independent Arizona senator who is now an attorney for Hogan Lovells, “destroyed a 14-year marriage by sustaining an affair with a former member of her security detail and U.S. Senate staff, according to a lawsuit that hit North Carolina federal court Wednesday,” Law360’s Abigail Harrison reports. “In an alienation of affection complaint, Heather Ammel is seeking damages for Sinema’s lengthy, sexual conversations with her ex-husband Matthew Ammel and coordination of trysts around the globe, all of which led to the couple’s divorce, according to the complaint.” Sinema did not respond to a request for comment for the story. Read the complaint PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — “The Commanders’ new stadium could evoke memories of RFK,” by WaPo’s Tom Schad: “The images, which show the exterior of the proposed stadium from different vantage points and in different lighting, are the first to be released by the Commanders since they hired HKS as their lead architect in November. … the renderings reflect the major design principles agreed upon by the Commanders, including principal owner Josh Harris, and their lead architects.” OUT AND ABOUT — Ashok Bajaj hosted a pre-opening for his new Indian restaurant, Malabar, on upper Connecticut in his former Rosedale location, which featured Michelin Star Chef Vikram Sunderam last night. SPOTTED: Terry and Dorothy McAuliffe, Maureen Dowd, Jeffrey Zients, Manu Raju, Lyndon Boozer, Karen Anderson, Andrea Reid and Atul Narain. — APAICS hosted a boba social with Delta Airlines last night. APAICS’ President and CEO Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke gave welcoming remarks and Delta’s Henry Ting gave closing remarks. SPOTTED: Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Dave Min (D-Calif.) and Derek Tran (D-Calif.). — SPOTTED at the red carpet premiere of “SHEEPDOG,” a new movie about veteran suicide prevention hitting theaters on Friday, at the Navy Memorial and Museum last night: Steven Grayhm, Dominic Fumusa, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Matt Dallas, Robert Speer, Bill Briggs, Lynda Davis, Peter Kind, John Nowell, Frank McGinn, Alan Salisbury, Jennifer Griffin, Eric Leckel, Fran Racioppi, Robb Harleston, Jason Redman, AT Thompson, Cale Brown, Amy Mitchell, Kaylyn Batista, Cole Lyle and Jessa Foor. Pic — SPOTTED at AEM's Welcome Back Reception at Bullfeathers last night: Reps. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), John Rose (R-Tenn.), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Bob Onder (R-Mo.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Kip Eideberg and Kate Fox Wood. MEDIA MOVE — Evan Smith is joining the Atlantic as managing director of events. He is the co-founder of the Texas Tribune. TRANSITIONS — Chad Davis is joining the Conference of State Bank Supervisors as SVP of legislative policy. He previously worked at the Cato Institute. … Jeremy Marcus is now CEO of Made In Order Inc. He previously worked for Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.). … Tino Cuéllar is heading to Stanford University to lead their Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program. He previously was at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. … Jason McCullough is joining Wiley as a partner in their white collar defense and government investigations practice. He previously was at the DOJ. … Jake Holmgreen is joining DoorDash as senior associate for government relations for the southeast. He previously worked for Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power. 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. | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
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