| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard with Dasha Burns | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray On today’s Playbook Podcast: Jack and Dasha get cultural! Up for discussion: The life and death of the Kennedy Center, “Melania” the movie, Gavin Newsom’s hot(ish) new memoir and last night’s ultra-political Grammy Awards in L.A.
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| Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, wishing you a very happy Groundhog Day. Sadly in D.C. we don’t need Punxsutawney Phil to tell us the snow and ice (or “snow-crete”) will be here for weeks to come. Is February nearly over yet? Get in touch. THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION: Donald Trump’s second-term drive to build an outsized cultural legacy went into overdrive this past weekend. On Friday “Melania,” the $40 million documentary about the first lady, opened in more than 1,000 movie theaters around the world. On Saturday it emerged the “Independence Arch” Trump wants to build across the river from the Lincoln Memorial will be a permanent, 250-foot tall monument — the largest such arch in the world, and only 40 feet lower than the Capitol. Then came last night’s bombshell about the Kennedy Center, which Trump announced is to close this summer for a two-year rebuild. The president is doubling down on another major construction project, right in the heart of the nation’s capital. In his own words: “The Trump Kennedy Center, if temporarily closed for Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding, can be, without question, the finest Performing Arts Facility of its kind,” Trump wrote in a lengthy announcement last night. Wait — “complete rebuilding”? Given what happened to the East Wing of the White House last year, all bets are off as to what’s planned. Not happy: Richard Grenell thanked Congress for the $257 million appropriated via last year's reconciliation bill ... but Dems are already getting jumpy. “Once again, Donald Trump has acted with a total disregard for Congress,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), a member of the center’s board. “The Kennedy Center is congressionally funded, and Congress should have been consulted about any decision to shut down its operations or make major renovations.” But Trump is plowing ahead, just as he plowed ahead with his White House rebuild last year. And there’s clearly more to come: The Post’s scoop about the scale of the new “Arc de Trump” has not been denied by the administration. Indeed, Trump’s comms chief Steven Cheung was reposting the story on X last night while mocking the project’s critics. “The ‘experts’ who think it’s ‘too big’ are used to living with things being small,” Cheung wrote, along with a suitably rude emoji. And as for “Melania”? Despite many expecting for the movie to flop, the truth is it’s done pretty well. Taking upward of $7 million on an opening weekend is quite a feat for a documentary ... or at least it would be, if it wasn’t for the unprecedented size of the budget, the jaw-dropping extent of the rollout and the $35 million PR campaign. Still — lots of MAGA fans are queuing up to see it. Less impressed: The critics. Empire calls it “political propaganda at its most transparent — cynical, pointless, and very, very boring.” The NYT notes sadly that the viewer is “no closer to knowing its famous subject than you were at the start.” Vulture describes the first lady’s voiceover as “a numbing litany of meaningless observations,” while N.Y. Mag says her “interactions with other people feel rehearsed or reenacted.” “If you were making a movie that parodied the current first lady,” Vanity Fair muses, “I’m not sure what you’d do differently.” The Atlantic calls it a “horror movie.” And honestly — that’s just a sample. In today’s Playbook … — Why Mike Johnson’s math is getting harder than ever. — Some advice on ICE, via JMart’s sitdown with Janet Napolitano. — Gavin Newsom’s misery memoir.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | PRAY FOR MIKE JOHNSON: Let’s be clear — the path ahead for government funding looks rocky. The House returns today after a week’s break to a mess: A federal government in partial shutdown, both parties squabbling internally and with one another and a chamber as cleaved down the middle as it’s ever been. We still have an awful lot of hoops to jump through before this thing is done. How today pans out: Speaker Mike Johnson insists he can get the Senate-approved funding plan approved through this afternoon’s Rules committee unscathed, despite murmurings from some Republicans like Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) that they plan to piggyback onto the legislation with ideas of their own. Let's see how that goes. House Rules kicks off at 4 p.m. — and will also tee up this week’s floor votes censuring Bill and Hillary Clinton. Math ain’t mathing: With Hakeem Jeffries’ House Democrats refusing to pitch in, Johnson not only needs a good result out of Rules — but he also needs basically every member of his caucus to back the funding package on the floor of the House tomorrow. And his math is only getting harder. This afternoon, the swearing-in of Texas Democrat Christian Menefee will cut Johnson’s margin of error to just a single vote. Even if Johnson gets it done, the floor vote merely starts the clock on a two-week negotiation with Democrats to agree to major reforms to ICE. And in case you missed it, GOP leaders and rank-and-file were crystal clear yesterday that two central Democratic demands — that federal agents stop covering their faces and that they obtain judicial warrants ahead of immigration operations — are unacceptable. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already said he thinks the two-week deadline will need to be extended again … and again … and maybe again. In short: There’s plenty of mileage in this yet. Which means ICE, and immigration more generally, are not falling off the radar any time soon. More from POLITICO’s Inside Congress
| | | | 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. | | | | NEW THIS MORNING — Need some advice? POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin sat down with Janet Napolitano — Obama’s first Homeland Security secretary, and still the longest-serving in the 23-year history of the department — for a just-published interview on the scandals of the past month. She has warm words (and advice) for border czar Tom Homan following his takeover in Minnesota, and urges Democrats to push for reform of Customs and Border Protection following the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti. “If I were advising Tom, I would have either the attorney general or the deputy attorney general immediately announce an open and transparent investigation into both shootings,” she said — referring to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. “When people announce a federal investigation, that has inherent credibility. But because there was such a rush to judgment and such rhetoric that came out of the administration, that credibility was lost. So they’ve got to regain that.” Speaking of which: The CBP agents who allegedly shot Pretti were named over the weekend by ProPublica. (Playbook has not independently confirmed their identities.) Napolitano said CBP must not escape attention as the Dems press for reform of ICE. “Everything is conflated as being ICE,” Napolitano said. “But Border Patrol had a big presence here. It's a different use of force policy, it is a different method of training. It’s a different environment totally … and then you’ve got them all showing up in battle wear, like they were going into Fallujah … I hope by ICE reforms, they’re not limiting it to ICE, because Border Patrol needs to be in that mix.” Read JMart’s full Q&A But it was ICE in the spotlight at last night’s Grammy Awards, where next weekend’s Super Bowl halftime star Bad Bunny was the big winner. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ‘ICE out,’” Benito told the audience, to wild applause. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” Multiple other stars also criticized ICE, and it felt like half the crowd were wearing “ICE Out” pins. Rolling Stone has a roundup of the action. When life gives you Lemon: Also winning applause was TV journo Don Lemon, who received a standing ovation at a Grammy’s pre-party following his arrest last week. He’ll be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” tonight if you’re following the case. SPOTTED in the crowd: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Yes, she was up for an award.) And guess who was watching on TV: “The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at 1:01 a.m. But he avoided attacking the anti-ICE musicians and instead saved his ire for host Trevor Noah, who he accused of making defamatory comments related to the Epstein files. “It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C.,” Trump wrote. “Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!” So, yeah. February appears to be starting where January left off.
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | TRAIL MIX NEVER TOO EARLY FOR 2028: California Gov. Gavin Newsom received the full Vogue treatment, complete with a glossy spread done by the legendary Annie Leibovitz and an opening line to match: “Let’s get this out of the way: He is embarrassingly handsome, his hair seasoned with silver, at ease with his own eminence …” He also landed big features in The New Yorker and NYT. It’s all in preparation for the release of his new memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” which will be out later this month, as Newsom continues to lay the early groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential bid. The TL;DR: POLITICO’s Melanie Mason got her hands on an early copy and has a full roundup of everything you need to know from all the wildest stories — including that infamous Harper’s Bazaar picture with Kimberly Guilfoyle. And while the book spends a good bit on Newsom’s personal history, he also “takes an ‘open-the-oppo-book’ tack,” Melanie reports. “I’ve covered Newsom for more than a decade, so I didn’t expect any major revelations,” Melanie writes in to Playbook. “Sure enough, the book hits on all the scandals and liabilities that have dogged his political career, like his close ties to the Getty family and his trysts (plural) as San Francisco mayor. What I didn’t predict was that the book would also be an extended therapy session. Newsom exorcises some intense family ghosts and takes his readers through his unresolved identity crisis.” “Does the book reveal much about how Newsom would be as president? Not really,” Melanie tells us. “But for a fresh armchair analysis of a likely presidential candidate, it supplies a whole lot of material.” SHE’S … WRITING?: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is joining the ranks of Democrats with a media side gig: she’s launching a Substack. Her first entry, shared first with Playbook, focuses on the midterms: “Michigan is one of the toughest states to win, and I’m proud that we won statewide twice by double digits. But that wasn’t dumb luck,” Whitmer writes. “We spent time in the reddest parts of the state where Democrats typically didn’t bother showing up, and we stayed focused on the kitchen-table issues without compromising our values. … I know that our successes in Michigan can be replicated nationwide.” Read the inaugural post
| | | | 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. | | | | | RACE OF THE DAY: During Washington Mardi Gras, Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) campaign raised over $400,000, adding to over a million raised just last week by a pro-Cassidy super PAC as part of a massive January push that also brought in $650,000 during a Baton Rouge fundraiser with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, according to figures shared first with Playbook. The campaign has over $11.3 million cash on hand and public reports indicate that pro-Cassidy forces will be able to deploy a combined $26 million in the coming months, the campaign told Playbook. The backdrop: The cash infusion comes as Cassidy is in the fight of his political life in the Louisiana Senate primary. First came the challenge from Rep. Julia Letlow, and now the MAHA movement is lining up against Cassidy after a year of tensions between the physician and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Simon Levien report. GALLEGO’S GAMBIT: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is continuing to spread his influence around the map, particularly in battleground Pennsylvania, as his name remains among those who could vie for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Gallego today is throwing his support behind Bob Brooks in the bellwether race for Pennsylvania’s 7th District. The endorsement lands just days after Pete Buttigieg also picked Brooks as his candidate in the competitive Democratic primary to unseat Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. “Our party isn’t connecting with working-class voters the way we need to, and Bob does because he’s one of them,” Gallego said in the statement, shared first with Playbook. THE TRUMP EFFECT: Trump endorsed former Sen. John Sununu in New Hampshire’s open Senate race, boosting one of his past critics over one of his previous ambassadors, Scott Brown, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky reports. One to watch: Trump said that he’s giving the Texas Senate GOP primary “a serious look,” a reversal from his previous stance to stay out of the primary, per The Hill’s Julia Manchester.
| | | | A message from AHIP:  
| | | | BEST OF THE REST WAR AND PEACE: Gulf nations are warning the U.S. about possible military action against Iran, saying Tehran is still capable of doing significant damage to U.S. interests in the region, WaPo’s Susannah George reports. But the administration has told Iran that it’s open to meeting to negotiate a deal, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. On Ukraine: The next trilateral meetings between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. will be held on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, Bloomberg’s Ros Krasny reports. Steve Witkoff met with representatives from the Kremlin in Miami on Saturday. FOR YOUR RADAR: “US special envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya no longer in the post,” by Reuters’ Andrea Shalal and colleagues: “The move comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Baghdad over Washington's push to curb Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.” THE EPSTEIN SAGA: After the DOJ dropped over three million documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, NYT’s Steve Eder and colleagues did a thorough dive and found more than 5,300 files with references to Trump. The references cover Trump, his wife, his Mar-a-Lago estate — and many are news articles and publicly available material. There were no files released this weekend that showed direct communications between Trump and Epstein. What is in the files: The batch of files released this weekend exposed the names of dozens of Epstein’s victims. DOJ failed to redact at least 43 names, with some appearing more than 100 times, WSJ’s Khadeeja Safdar and Brian Whitton found. … Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) appears in the newly released files hundreds of times, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman writes, including in emails showing Epstein “attempting to schedule a trip for Plaskett to his island.” THE MAMDANI MOMENT: POLITICO’s Joe Anuta and Chris Sommerfeldt have a deeply reported look at how Zohran Mamdani has spent his first month governing: “The young mayor puts in long hours. He approaches the city’s organizational chart with a Bloombergian deference to agency autonomy. And he takes a granular interest in public relations.”
| | | | New from POLITICO Introducing POLITICO Forecast: A forward-looking global briefing on the forces reshaping politics, policy and power worldwide. Drawing on POLITICO’s global reporting, Forecast connects developments across regions and sectors to help readers anticipate what comes next.
➡️ Sign up for POLITICO Forecast. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | MAGA WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Two big figures brought Trump world together to celebrate this weekend as their weddings took over South Florida, with a who’s who of MAGA world fanning out across the affairs … First up: Top Trump hand Alex Bruesewitz tied the knot with Carolina Urrea, the former Miss Nevada USA, on Saturday in a celebration split between Mar-a-Lago and the Trump National Doral Miami, per the NY Post. The pair met on the 2024 campaign trail in Las Vegas. There was a six-tier wedding cake. Richard Grenell and Brendan Carr both shared smiling pictures on Instagram. Bruesewitz and Urrea also welcomed the MAGA-fied pop culture figures of the Trump era: Amber Rose, Nicki Minaj and a performance by Sexxy Red. Trump sent in a video toast since he couldn’t make it due to his attendance at the Alfalfa dinner. Pic … Another pic SPOTTED: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Michael Kratsios, Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Tony Wied (R-Wis.) and Lance Gooden (R-Texas), Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson, Karoline Leavitt, Steven Cheung, James Blair, Will Scharf, Margo Martin and Brock Sorensen, Tricia McLaughlin and Ben Yoho, Will Martin, Kaelan Dorr, Lynne Patton, Meghan Bauer, Justin Caporale, Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer, Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio, Kari Lake, Alina Habba, Caroline Wren, Alex Flemister, Daniel Torok and Raheem Kassam. And the next day: Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff and head of the Presidential Personnel Office, and Erin Elmore, director of art in embassies at the State Department, got married on Sunday in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom. The star-studded wedding included Trump himself. “That’s a big day! Very loyal, very fantastic people,” he told reporters before the ceremony, per the NY Post. While preparing for the nuptials, Elmore walked with a young boy holding a hat embroidered with “TRUMP MADE THIS HAPPEN.” Trump toasted the couple during the ceremony. Pics, via Reuters SPOTTED: Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson, Vanessa Trump, Eric and Lara Trump, Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos, Elon Musk and Shivon Zilis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jeanette Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, AG Pam Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, USTR Jamieson Greer, Susie Wiles, Stephen and Katie Miller, Karoline Leavitt, James Blair, Steven Cheung, Peter Navarro, Steve Witkoff, David Sacks, Jeanine Pirro, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Dina Powell McCormick, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Bryan Sanders, Reince Priebus, Sean Hannity, Ainsley Earhardt, Tony Sayegh, Tony Fabrizio, Chris LaCivita and Taylor Budowich. THE (LACK OF) CRIME SCENE — “D.C. went three weeks in 2026 without a homicide as violent crime drops,” by WaPo’s Emma Uber and Peter Hermann: “D.C. hadn’t started a year with more than 10 days without a slaying in three decades. By this time last year, there had been nine homicides in the city. Carjackings have also plummeted, dropping fivefold compared with the first month of last year and tenfold compared to 2024.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gregory Jackson is officially launching a run for D.C. City Council at-large chair today. Jackson was deputy director of the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention during the Biden administration and is now president of the Rocket Foundation. See his website launch MAD LIBS HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “How Bernie Sanders built a device to give himself ‘cosmos-shattering orgasms,’” by The Daily Mail’s Daniel Bates: “He was heavily influenced by the controversial sex therapist Wilhelm Reich who believed that liberation could be achieved via enhanced climaxes. … According to the upcoming book ‘Bernie for Burlington’, Sanders saw Reich's teaching as the 'answer' to his own hardscrabble childhood.” Sanders didn’t provide comment to the Daily Mail. HE’S BACK — After over a year off during his stint at the FBI, Dan Bongino is officially back to hosting his show, “The Bongino Report,” starting today at 10 a.m. IN MEMORIAM — “Robert Pratt, Federal Judge Who Derided Trump Pardons, Dies at 78,” by NYT’s Richard Sandomir: “Robert Pratt, a federal judge in Iowa who made significant decisions on religion and abortion during 26 years on the bench and near the end of his career was chastised for off-the-cuff remarks that mocked President Trump’s pardons of two political operatives, died on Wednesday in Clive, Iowa. He was 78.” TRANSITION — Reilly Knechtis is joining Urban Legend as director of client strategy. She previously worked for Axios, and is a NRSC and Hill alum. … Mairead Lynn is joining Frontwood Strategies as a principal. She previously worked for former Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.). … Victoria Houghtalen is joining Future Forum Caucus as executive director. She previously worked for Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.). … … Campbell O'Connor is now group director of media & engagement at Real Chemistry. He previously worked at Amazon Web Services and is a Weber Shandwick and Edelman alum. … TaNisha Cameron is joining Keisha Lance Bottoms’ gubernatorial campaign in Georgia as comms director. She previously worked on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s campaign and is a Whitmer alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) … Reps. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) and Mike Kennedy (R-Utah) … The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins … Ellen Malcolm … Gabriella Uli of the American Legislative Exchange Council … Carrie Dann … The New Yorker’s Michael Luo … Teddy Downey of The Capitol Forum … Reid Wilson … Paul Bedard … Katie Pointer Baney … KPMG’s Dan Knight … Aaron Keyak … Victorino “Vic” Matus … Karly Matthews of the American Conservation Coalition … David Pakman … Heather Smith of Rep. William Timmons’ (R-S.C.) office … Matthew Hanson … Samantha Schifrin … Traci Kraus … Patrick Hayden … Avery Pierson … RGA’s Amanda Kitchen O’Malley … Barry Diller … Kate O’Leary of Purple Strategies … Adrienne Benson … Ben Lacy 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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