| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Makayla Gray
|  | THE CATCH-UP | | BULLETIN: “Ryan Routh handed life sentence for Trump assassination attempt,” by the Palm Beach Post’s Hannah Phillips
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Nearly one-third of the Washington Post’s staff is getting laid off today. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP | DEMOCRACY DIES IN DARKNESS: Mass layoffs decimated the Washington Post today, wiping out large swathes of journalism at what has been one of the world’s preeminent news organizations. The damage: Nearly one-third of the Post’s staff is getting axed, including more than 300 journalists in the 800-strong newsroom, NYT’s Ben Mullin and colleagues report. The impact will be felt by readers (and governments) at the local, national and international levels. Many foreign correspondents were laid off — across the Middle East, India, Australia and war zones in Ukraine. WaPo shuttered its sports and books sections entirely, as well as the “Post Reports” podcast, though some sports reporters will remain in other departments. And it will restructure local coverage, with some D.C. area-focused journalists laid off. Reporters were hit across a number of other departments, too. The pressure: Executive editor Matt Murray told staffers that the organization’s enormous financial difficulties (it racked up a $100 million loss in 2024) precipitated a necessary reinvention. He said the Post will narrow its main focus to a handful of coverage areas, including politics, national security, business, technology, science, advice and online culture. Murray cited industry-wide shifts that have made profitability much harder for many news outlets to attain — including AI almost halving the Post’s traffic from online search results in three years — as well as the organization’s own diminished output. And he chastised reporters who “too often write from one perspective, for one slice of the audience.” Left unsaid were the specific business and ideological decisions made by Post leaders that have compounded the organization’s troubles. Owner Jeff Bezos’ and publisher Will Lewis’ decisions to block the editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris and then shift its viewpoint to libertarianism led the Post to lose hundreds of thousands of subscriptions. Hundreds of Post employees were already hit by buyouts and layoffs in recent years. NYT’s Peter Baker noted that Bezos could absorb even $100 million annual losses for five straight years with just a week of his income if he so chose. A WaPo spokesperson said in a statement that the layoffs were “difficult but decisive actions” that would “strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus.” Spokespeople did not respond to more detailed questions, including whether Lewis will address staff about his vision. The WSJ reports that Lewis’ goal is to break even by later this year. More from POLITICO’s Finya Swai The news unleashed a broad outcry from Post staffers, alumni and journalists across the industry. Former editor Marty Baron excoriated Post leadership, saying Bezos had caused readers to lose trust in the paper: “This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.” The Washington Post Guild said the layoffs were “not inevitable” and would severely damage the Post: “If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission … then The Post deserves a steward that will.” Former executive editor Marcus Brauchli told NPR’s David Folkenflik, “There’s no question you can produce a world-class news report with fewer people. But the how and why matter. What’s the strategy?” “I will have to learn a new way to read the paper,” former publisher Don Graham posted on Facebook, “since I have started with the sports page since the late 1940’s.” Among the many journalists who’ve announced they were let go from political, national, international, local, breaking news, tech and culture coverage: Siobhán O’Grady, Lizzie Johnson, Caroline O’Donovan, Claire Parker, Michael Miller, Nilo Tabrizy, Nicole Asbury, Gerry Shih, Sabrina Malhi, Jesús Rodríguez, Geoffrey Fowler, Yeganeh Torbati, Kim Bellware, Marissa Lang, Michael Brice-Saddler, Anna Fifield, Shibani Mahtani, Patrick Svitek, Brianna Tucker, María Luisa Paúl, Rachel Kurzius, Ishaan Tharoor, Missy Khamvongsa, Jamal Jordan, PJ Joshi, Emmanuel Felton, Paige Cunningham, Mark Johnson, Chico Harlan, Tobi Raji, Derek Hawkins, Louisa Loveluck, Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Aaron Wiener. And that’s just a sampling, along with sports, arts and more. International editor Peter Finn asked to be laid off when informed of the breadth of his team’s cuts, per the NYT. Beyond WaPo: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said yesterday evening that it’ll slash about 15 percent of its staff. But the NYT is soaring, adding 1.4 million digital subscribers last year. Good Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. MUST READ: “In Afghanistan, a Trail of Hunger and Death Behind U.S. Aid Cuts,” by NYT’s Elian Peltier and colleagues, traveling 1,000 miles across the country: “The agency’s programs once helped clear landscapes scarred by war and mines, diversify crops and keep millions from hunger. Four million children are now at risk of dying from malnutrition, according to the World Food Program … Nearly 450 health centers closed because of the cuts … Other international institutions, the Afghan government and private businesses have tried to fill the gap, but they are nowhere close to matching the size of American aid. The crisis has been exacerbated by smaller but still painful reductions in aid from European countries. … “In 2024, the United States funded over half of Afghanistan’s nutrition and agricultural programs. Food insecurity has skyrocketed since last year’s cuts. More than 17 million Afghans — 40 percent of the population — now face acute levels of hunger, two million more than last year. Seven provinces face critical food insecurity, the final stage before famine … Malnutrition is also hitting cities, affecting the most vulnerable — the very young, sick and elderly — first, as it does elsewhere.” 2. MINNESOTA ICE: Border czar Tom Homan announced this morning that the Trump administration will put out roughly one-quarter of the immigration enforcement agents who have surged into the Minneapolis area, following months of protests, arrests and killings, per The Minnesota Star Tribune. The immediate departure of about 700 agents will still leave 2,000 in place — way more than usual — as Operation Metro Surge continues. Homan cited, in part, the government’s success in apprehending many unauthorized immigrants on its list, as well as more local cooperation, as reasons for the drawdown. He also warned protesters not to interfere with law enforcement. “You’re not going to stop ICE,” Homan emphasized. “You’re not going to stop Border Patrol.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded, “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but we need a faster and larger drawdown.” More from Minnesota: After frank comments from a DHS lawyer detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota went viral, her detail has been ended, NBC’s Ryan Reilly and Raquel Coronell Uribe report. An exhausted Julie Le had told a judge, “The system sucks. This job sucks. I wish you could hold me in contempt so that I could get 24 hours of sleep.” In the courts: New immigration judges are being instructed to block immigrants’ asylum requests most of the time and grant safe harbor only rarely, Bloomberg Law’s Celine Castronuovo scooped. New details in Chicago: ProPublica’s Melissa Sanchez and Jodi Cohen dig into an intense federal raid of an apartment complex in September, which officials claimed (without providing evidence) was due to a Tren de Aragua takeover. ProPublica obtained arrest records for two of the men detained, which make no mention of the Venezuelan gang and instead cite more pedestrian concerns about immigrants squatting there as motivation for the raid.
| | | | 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. | | | | | 3. WEAPONIZATION WATCH: What’s behind Deputy AG Todd Blanche’s reported move to maneuver Ed Martin out of the Justice Department? CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz and colleagues report that a DOJ review found Martin had improperly shared secret grand jury material from an investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Martin, one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent attack dogs who has sought to trigger criminal probes of the president’s enemies, at first denied having done so, one source tells CNN. But the determination of his misconduct helped Blanche ice him out. Martin “has not been charged with a crime, and the Justice Department hasn’t determined whether any law was broken.” The response: Martin’s allies tell CNN that he was trying to root out “weaponization,” as ordered by Trump, in pursuing probes of Schiff and New York AG Letitia James. Blanche says in a statement that “there are no misconduct investigations into Ed Martin.” Fed up: For the first time, Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) spoke out in detail about the criminal probe into Jerome Powell, which centers on the Fed chair’s comments under questioning from Scott. “What he did was made a gross error in judgment,” Scott said on Fox Business. “I do not believe that he committed a crime.” 4. FOR YOUR RADAR: “Trump anti-fraud task force targeting California will be led by JD Vance, sources say,” by CBS’ Jennifer Jacobs and colleagues: “Trump intends to sign an executive order in coming days naming Vice President JD Vance as chairman of the task force [to look into welfare abuses in California and elsewhere] … [FTC Chair] Andrew Ferguson, a federal official whose job is to prevent consumers from being exploited, will be vice chairman. … The plan calls for Colin McDonald, who has been nominated by Mr. Trump for a newly created fraud investigator role at the Justice Department, to fall within the DOJ’s management structure … but to work closely with Vance and Ferguson.” 5. HEADS UP: “Plans for Iran nuclear talks are collapsing, U.S. officials say,” by Axios’ Barak Ravid: “The U.S. told Iran on Wednesday that it will not agree to Tehran’s demands to change the location and format of talks planned for Friday … The standoff could block the diplomatic path and convince President Trump to opt for military action.” 6. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call today ahead of upcoming meetings this year, Bloomberg’s Foster Wong and colleagues write. Trump described the conversation as “excellent,” “long and thorough,” projecting a much more positive relationship between the two superpowers over the next few years. He said he and Xi talked about trade, soybean purchases, oil, Ukraine, Iran and more. Xi’s readout was also positive but rather less effusive, emphasizing that he urged Trump to tread cautiously on Taiwan. “We should proceed one thing at a time and steadily build mutual trust,” Xi said.
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | IN MEMORIAM — “Lee H. Hamilton, a Foreign Policy Power in Congress, Dies at 94,” by NYT’s Robert McFadden: He was “a former Democratic congressman from rural Indiana who became a major voice in foreign policy during the Iran-contra affair in the 1980s and in national security investigations after the terrorist attacks of 2001 … Mr. Hamilton in time became head of the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees, a confidant of congressional leaders and the presidents of both parties.” EXTREME MAKEOVER: WHITE HOUSE EDITION — An old/new face could be coming to the White House soon. WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Olivia George report that President Donald Trump is “planning to install a statue of Christopher Columbus … on the south side of the grounds, by E Street and north of the Ellipse.” The planned monument “is a reconstruction of a statue unveiled in Baltimore by then-President Ronald Reagan and dumped in the city’s harbor by protesters in 2020.” AWARDS SEASON — POLITICO was recognized by Digiday as Europe’s Editorial Team of the Year in this year’s Media Awards Europe. Digiday cited POLITICO’s “sharper European coverage and tighter transatlantic coordination” and noted “measurable audience growth and sustained influence among policymakers in the U.K., Europe and the U.S.” More from Digiday OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a party for Jon Ralston’s new book, “The Game Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight” ($30), at the Searchlight Institute last night: Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Carl Hulse, Paul Kane, Mark Leibovich, Jonathan Martin, Danielle Deiseroth, Ahmad Ali, Tré Easton, Cam Thompson, Kate Davis, Scotty Moore, Kristen Orthman, Serena Hoy, George Holman, Alex McDonough, Stephen Krupin, Bill Dauster, David Silverstein, Darrel Thompson and Krysta Juris. — SPOTTED last night at a Forward Global event in Georgetown focused on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia: Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Meaghan Mobbs, Mykola Kuleba, Tracy Sabol, Colby Barrett, Steven Moore, Gretchen Barton, Eric Fingerhut, Omri Rahmil, Katya Pavlevych, Sarah Makin, Tsipi Ben-Haim, Jackie Koppell, John Gizzi, Karl-Gerhard Lille, Mark Levin, Melinda Haring, Simon Ostrovsky and Virginia Allen. TRANSITIONS — Angela Ryan is joining the Treasury Department as staff director of public affairs. She previously worked for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and is a Mike Turner and Chris Smith alum. … Matt Schuck is now an EVP at Tholos Government Relations. He previously worked at Firehouse Strategies and is a Transportation Department and House Budget alum. … … Tal Axelrod is now a director working in strategic comms at FGS Global. He most recently was a reporter at Axios. … Jordan Thomas and Robert Wilson are bringing their SEC Whistleblower Advocates practice to the DiCello Levitt. They previously worked at the SEC. ENGAGED — Amit Jani, president of ASJ Consulting Group and a Biden DHS and DOD alum, recently proposed to Minal Patel, an executive with Isabl, at her apartment in Jersey City, after dinner at Eleven Madison Park in NYC. They were introduced by mutual friends. Pic BONUS BIRTHDAY: POLITICO’s Cassandra Dumay 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misspelled Brian Mock’s name.
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