| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray Good Saturday morning. This is Adam Wren back in your inbox. Get in touch. INSIDE THE TRUMP-MAMDANI BROMANCE: When Zohran Mamdani stood beside Donald Trump in the Oval Office back in November, the two displayed a chuminess that few expected between the democratic socialist and president. So what broke the ice? Turns out it was an unlikely — and tedious — policy discussion near and dear to both: New York City zoning laws. “Trump became animated as Mamdani described how the system slows housing construction, telling the mayor he had wanted it overhauled for years,” POLITICO’s Chris Sommerfeldt reports, detailing the contours of the private discussion for the first time. “The president was like, ‘If you can get that done, that’d be amazing, I wanted this to happen for years,’” said a source with knowledge of the meeting. “Their exchange about land use regulations,” Chris writes, “highlights how Trump’s enduring fascination with the granular mechanics of New York City government could both complicate — and potentially benefit — Mamdani’s mayoralty, as the White House weighs how aggressively to wield its power over the nation’s largest city.” (Read on for more on that …)
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | THE ICE AGE: Democratic campaign groups are reckoning with their yearslong past of banking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a contractor that runs private immigration detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — despite sharp critiques of the federal agency and its tactics. A Playbook review of campaign finance records shows that both the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from CoreCivic, a longtime ICE contractor and private prison company based in Brentwood, Tennessee. A Nov. 9, 2023 email obtained by Playbook and sent by DLGA staff to CoreCivic shows that the group solicited a $50,000 contribution for 2024. When contacted by Playbook regarding the donations, DLGA spokesperson Christina Freundlich said the organization would be “donating any 2024-2025 contributions from CoreCivic to the National Immigration Law Center, and will no longer accept contributions from them going forward.” But the DGA told Playbook it would be keeping the money. “Every contribution to the DGA helps elect Democratic governors and none of them have any impact on policy decisions made by governors. We strongly condemn the Trump administration’s appalling immigration tactics, and the only way to stop them is by electing more Democrats.” When asked whether the DGA would continue to pocket contributions from the contractor during his tenure, a spokesperson for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, the current DGA chair, referred POLITICO to the DGA statement.
| | | | A message from AHIP: 35 Million Seniors Could See Reduced Benefits and Higher Costs. Health plans welcome reforms to strengthen Medicare Advantage. However, a proposal for flat program funding at a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of care will directly impact seniors' coverage. If finalized, this proposal could result in benefit reductions and higher costs for 35 million seniors and people with disabilities when they renew their Medicare Advantage coverage in October 2026. Learn more. | | | | The donations, many of which predate the latest wave of Democratic criticism of ICE that began anew last year — and the campaign arms’ diverging tacks on whether to keep them — illustrate the fast-changing politics of ICE and immigration in the second Trump administration. The detention centers have long held presences in a number of states, and their contributions to Democratic officials in many cases predate some of their most vociferous condemnations that came before 2025’s increased enforcement. Among the detention centers that CoreCivic has listed on its website are some of the same facilities that have been publicly scrutinized, including Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, ed Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, and Dilley Immigration Processing Center, also known as the South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. ICE officials last June denied allegations by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) that female detainees at the Eloy facility were forced to march in the heat and other mistreatment. The Intercept reported at least 15 calls to 911 were made from the Stewart facility in the first 10 months of the second Trump administration due to medical emergencies. CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told Playbook that the “health and safety of those entrusted to our care is the top priority for CoreCivic. This commitment is shared by our government partners at ICE, and we work closely with them to ensure the well-being of everyone in our care.” Gustin added that the facilities “are subject to multiple layers of oversight and are monitored very closely by our government partners to ensure full compliance with policies and procedures, including any applicable detention standards.” Asked about the contributions to the Democratic campaign arms, Gustin said CoreCivic “engages in the political process to include being corporate members of national organizations that represent elected officials around the country and across the political spectrum.” He added: “CoreCivic’s focus is to educate policymakers on solutions that partnership corrections can provide to help policymakers address serious national challenges.” From 2017 through at least 2025, the DGA took in $1,246,050 over 46 donations from CoreCivic. During that time, the DGA was chaired by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a consistent ICE detractor, for a shortened tenure in 2024; former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy for two separate stints in 2023 and 2020, when the group took in $280,000 combined from CoreCivic; and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, now a Senate candidate, in 2022, when the group took in $125,000 from the company. Spokespeople for Walz and Murphy referred Playbook to the DGA. A spokesperson for Cooper did not respond to a request for comment. During the same time period, the Republican Governors Association gave more than $2.5 million to the company. The RGA did not respond to a request for comment. The most recent publicly reported donation to the DGA came in May 2025, according to records — around the same time White House officials began pressuring ICE to ramp up arrests. In Minnesota, where ICE has roiled the city of Minneapolis and the state’s U.S. Senate race between Flanagan and Craig, immigration has become a flashpoint, opening up a deep rift between the two candidates. When Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan led the DLGA, the group in February 2024 took a $25,000 donation from CoreCivic, during the early months of her tenure. The DLGA spokesperson said the contribution was solicited by development staff in November 2023, and not during Flanagan’s term as chair. Flanagan assumed the role in December, about a month after the contribution was solicited but months before it arrived. Flanagan has criticized her more moderate opponent Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for being one of 46 Democrats to back the Laken Riley Act, allowing for the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes. In an interview with POLITICO last month, Flanagan said “this Senate race is a fundamental question about whether we’re going to have a United States senator who sticks to their values and truths, or someone who votes with Republicans and Donald Trump when it’s politically expedient.” A Flanagan campaign spokesperson emphasized that she did not personally solicit money from CoreCivic and would urge the DLGA to return it immediately. Craig, for her part, told Playbook through a spokesperson that it was “shocking” Flanagan “misled Minnesotans about the millions of corporate dollars she's previously raised as chair of the DLGA, including donations from a company that operates ICE detention centers.” — Aaron Pellish contributed reporting.
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| | | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: The huge Gateway tunnel project in New York and New Jersey can go forward again after a federal judge last night barred the Trump administration from freezing $16 billion in funding, at least for now. Work had stopped temporarily on construction yesterday, provoking Democratic outrage and alarm. Everything’s coming up Hochul: The New York Democratic Party overwhelmingly backed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection bid over the primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, per POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney. Hochul’s newfound political strength stems in part from her embrace by the state’s most prominent democratic socialists, POLITICO’s Nick Reisman details. 2. IMMIGRATION FILES: Trump’s mass detention policy of locking up even non-criminal unauthorized immigrants scored a significant — and rare — judicial victory last night. After lower-court judges have ruled against the ICE policy as illegal in thousands of cases, a federal appellate panel on the conservative 5th Circuit gave the green light for detentions in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, per CNN. The administration’s approach has turbocharged arrests and detentions across the country. And this may be on its way to the Supreme Court. The investigations: “DHS warned its independent watchdog that Noem can kill its investigations, senator says,” by NBC’s Laura Strickler … “Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop,” by NYT’s Ernesto Londoño More high-profile cases: DHS said yesterday it intends to deport Liam Conejo Ramos, the bunny-hatted 5-year-old whose Minnesota arrest went viral, per Reuters. … Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, the Babson College student whom the administration has admitted it deported erroneously, will not be allowed to return despite a court order, federal officials said yesterday, per The Boston Globe. Will contempt proceedings be next? … AP’s Jack Brook and colleagues have the extraordinary story of Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, who still has memory problems after he says ICE agents’ violence gave him eight skull fractures and five brain hemorrhages. 3. ANOTHER RETIREMENT: Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) is the latest member of Congress to announce he won’t seek reelection — a surprise and notable departure since he chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee in charge of DHS spending. He told The Nevada Independent’s Mini Racker that the decision wasn’t due to midterms concerns or health issues: “It’s like, ‘Hey, 15 years feels like a pretty good run.’” His seat is likely to remain Republican. 4. ANTITRUST THE PROCESS: The Justice Department’s antitrust division is increasingly the site of intra-Republican squabbling over how aggressive the feds should be in going after corporate power. In the newest instance, division leader Gail Slater announced that chief of staff Sara Matar was departing — but then AG Pam Bondi reversed the decision and Slater took the post down, Semafor’s Liz Hoffman scooped. The next probes: At the same time, more antitrust investigations could be in the pipeline. DOJ is considering opening a probe into homebuilders, as the White House seeks to take action on housing costs, Bloomberg’s Patrick Clark and Leah Nylen scooped. And early DOJ moves about Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery show regulators asking broad questions about potential monopoly power, WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel and Dave Michaels scooped.
| | | | POLITICO Governors Summit Join POLITICO's annual Governors Summit, held alongside the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting, for a series of forward-looking conversations with governors from across the country about how state leaders are setting the agenda for America’s next chapter. Hear from Gov. Wes Moore (D), Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), and more. Register Now. | | | | | 5. NOT BACKING DOWN: Despite calls from Republicans to do so, Trump last night refused to apologize for the racist video posted to his Truth Social account, which the White House has blamed on an unnamed staffer. “I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump told reporters. 6. THAWING THE FREEZE: A federal judge yesterday “extended an order blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds for child care and social services in five Democratic-led states, keeping at bay for now cuts that the states say are politically motivated and would harm hundreds of thousands of people,” NYT’s Minho Kim and Zach Montague report. “The order from Judge Vernon S. Broderick in New York stops the administration from carrying out its threat to restrict as much as $10 billion in funding for Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois and Colorado.” 7. WAR AND PEACE: Andy Baker’s low public profile within the administration belies his growing influence, POLITICO’s Diana Nerozzi and Ian Ward report. “Behind the scenes, the seldom-pictured and extremely private deputy national security adviser has emerged as a key figure in Vance’s orbit, shaping both the vice president’s foreign policy thinking and some of the White House’s most consequential national security decisions — especially its increasingly confrontational stance toward America’s allies in Europe. … Baker, a self-described ‘realist’ who is skeptical of traditional American alliances and U.S. military intervention abroad, is expected to play an even more important role in shaping the future of the GOP’s foreign policy.” Iran latest: Trump told reporters last night the U.S. and Iran had “very good” talks in Oman, adding that the U.S. is “in no rush” to perform a military operation there — though it is getting its military assets “into position,” Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. He also signed an executive order yesterday setting the process for tariffs on Tehran, but did not immediately impose them, Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey reports. Gaza latest: The White House is planning a “Board of Peace” meeting later this month to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal and raise funds for reconstruction, Ravid reports. They plan to hold the meeting at the Institute of Peace, which Trump recently renamed after himself. Ukraine latest: U.S. negotiators in Kyiv are hoping to meet a March deadline to reach a peace deal with Moscow under a framework that would require a referendum by Ukrainian voters, Reuters’ Tom Balmforth and colleagues report. “U.S. negotiators have said Trump is likely to focus more on domestic affairs as the November congressional midterms approach, meaning top U.S. officials will have less time and political capital to spend on sealing a peace accord.” Venezuela latest: “White House frustrations with Venezuela’s Machado grow after elections comments,” by POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil and Diana Nerozzi: “A White House adviser … said Machado’s recent comments to POLITICO saying that elections could occur in her country in under a year rubbed some people the wrong way, even though she’s still personally liked. ‘All María Corina Machado does is try to negate all of this … she’s selfish,’ the adviser said.” 8. PAYING DOWN DEBT: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told Reuters’ David Brunnstrom that the U.S. would begin making payments toward the billions of dollars it owes to the U.N. The announcement comes weeks after Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that the international body is at risk of “imminent financial collapse” due to unpaid fees. 9. SCHOOL DAZE: The Pentagon last night announced it would sever all academic ties with Harvard, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a Harvard Kennedy School alum, bashing the school for being “full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks,” The Harvard Crimson’s Hugo Chiasson and Elise Spenner report. “Too many faculty members openly loathe our military,” he said in a video announcing the move. “They cast our armed forces in a negative light and squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings.”
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| | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies
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Michael Ramirez | GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “To Build a Fire,” by The New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa: “How Russian military intelligence is recruiting young people online to carry out espionage, arson, and other attacks across Europe.” — “Trump’s War on History,” by Mother Jones’ Dan Friedman and Amanda Moore: “American history offers a medium through which Trump can wage the all-encompassing cultural, political, and legal battles animating his administration.” — “The Fall of the House of Assad,” by The Atlantic’s Robert Worth: “A detached ruler, obsessed with sex and video games, refused every lifeline he was offered.” — “In Trump’s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions,” by Reuters’ Andrew Marshall and colleagues: “The clash is part of the broader campaign by his administration to strongarm allies, enemies and world bodies into toeing the U.S. line.” — “Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military,” by NYT’s Ben Dooley and colleagues: “Drug syndicates have used .50-caliber ammunition, produced at a plant owned by the U.S. Army and then smuggled across the border, in attacks on Mexican civilians and police.”
| | | | New from POLITICO Introducing POLITICO Forecast: Tomorrow’s conversations about global power, tonight. Forecast brings forward-looking insight from POLITICO’s global newsroom, including coverage tied to major international gatherings, to help you understand where politics, policy and power are headed.
➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Cash dash: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in Palm Beach and Miami for a 24-hour fundraising swing at the end of this week, where he raised more than $1 million to support House Democrats. ICY RECEPTION — JD and Usha Vance, who are leading the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Italy, were booed when they appeared on the screens during the games’ opening ceremony yesterday, WSJ’s Joshua Robinson and Marcus Walker report. The only other team to receive similar treatment was Israel. That reaction came as some athletes are using the global platform to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — and Team USA even rebranded its “Ice House” to “Winter House,” Axios’ Julianna Bragg reports. BIG GAME, SMALL PORTIONS — “MAHA and Mike Tyson want you to ‘eat real food’ during the Super Bowl,” by POLITICO’s Aaron Pellish: “The ad, paid for by the nonprofit MAHA Center, highlights new dietary guidelines announced by [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] in January and urges viewers to ‘eat real food.’” BABY DRIVER — The Vances, Stephen Miller and James Blair all currently have a fourth child on the way, while press secretary Karoline Leavitt is pregnant with her second, WSJ’s Natalie Andrews and Anthony DeBarros note. “A White House full of babies cuts a striking image in an era when one or two children is increasingly the norm” — especially for these extraordinarily busy top officials. Leavitt, the Millers, the Blairs and other parents in the White House all have a group text to share parenting ideas. PLAYBOOK ARTS SECTION — A Trump display at the National Portrait Gallery? That’s what administration officials suggested to the museum in December, though there’s no formal ask yet, NYT’s Zachary Small and Robin Pogrebin report. OUT AND ABOUT — The Progressive Policy Institute kicked off its latest New Directions project with a dinner in East Lansing, Michigan, featuring Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. SPOTTED: Tim Ryan, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, Lindsay Lewis, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, Bridget Brink, Ian O’Keefe, Daniel Squadron, Zach Klein, Greg Schultz, Will Marshall, Andrew Bates, Pete Brodnitz, Doug Ross, Diana Moss, Ed Gresser, Michael Mandel, Nick Roberts, Sarah Fuller, Mari Manoogian, Stu Malec, Ben Miller, Anna Fendley, Kevin Hrit, Jolie Libert, Matt Maasdam and Michigan state Rep. Stephen Wooden. TRANSITIONS — Annie Moore and Victor Lopez have co-founded Imperio Chaos, a public affairs and global advisory firm. Moore most recently worked at Dezenhall Resources and is a Republican State Leadership Committee alum. Lopez previously was president of the San Diego Lincoln Club. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) … NOTUS’ Dave Levinthal … Beth Frerking … IMF’s Jeff Kearns … former Reps. Allen West (R-Fla.), Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) … John “Rage” Criscuolo of Squire Patton Boggs … Emily Hampsten … POLITICO’s Erin Doherty and Marvellous Ogudoro … Patrick Ferrise … Judge James Gilbert of the U.S. Postal Service … Carleton Bryant … Community Change’s Jasmine Nazarett … Jessica Kershaw ... Miguel L’Heureux ... Christine Grimaldi … Jeff Marschner … Invariant’s Mary Beth Stanton … CNBC’s Justin Papp … Josh, Rachel and Eric Mogil … Austin Myhre of Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) office … Gay Talese … Joe Zahorik of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers … Boeing’s Alexandra Jones … Monica Medina THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CNN “State of the Union”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) … Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). Panel: Nicole Parker and Paul Mauro. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie, Sarah Isgur and Patrick McHenry. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) … Scott Gottlieb … David Becker. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Paul Mauro. Panel: Francesca Chambers, Tiffany Smiley, Juan Williams and Roger Zakheim. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) … Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) … Michael Whatley. Panel: Megan McArdle, Franco Ordonez and Josh Barro. MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) … Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) … Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. PBS “Compass Points”: Angela Stent … Bill Taylor … Michael Kofman … Justin Logan. 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 AHIP: 35 Million Seniors Could See Reduced Benefits and Higher Costs
Health plans welcome reforms to strengthen Medicare Advantage. However, a proposal for flat program funding at a time of sharply rising medical costs and high utilization of care will directly impact seniors' coverage. If finalized, this proposal could result in benefit reductions and higher costs for 35 million seniors and people with disabilities when they renew their Medicare Advantage coverage in October 2026. 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 | | | |
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