| | | |  | | By Ali Bianco | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray Good Sunday morning. This is Ali Bianco, welcoming the brief respite of bright sun and sudden spring weather this weekend, knowing all too well that we’re being tricked by winter. What did you do this weekend?
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
“I often joke that underestimation is our best weapon,” Kat Abughazaleh told Playbook. | Anson Tong for Kat for Illinois | PRIMARY COLORS: Kat Abughazaleh knows some Democrats have mocked her campaign’s livestreams on Twitch. She knows she pissed off parts of her party when she launched her bid for Illinois’ 9th District before Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky announced she would retire. And she knows that a month out from primary day, there’s still some that don’t take her seriously. “I often joke that underestimation is our best weapon,” Abughazaleh told Playbook in an interview. “Meanwhile, we just keep racking up our volunteers, and we keep knocking doors.” Abughazaleh is the latest upstart progressive candidate stepping into the spotlight after a string of victories from the left. What started last year with Zohran Mamdani’s sweeping win in New York has turned into a testing primary season for the Democratic Party, with questions swirling across the country around ideology, generational change and campaigning in the online era. “Primaries are healthy — we need to be encouraging them,” Abughazaleh said, recalling the backlash of her early entry. With the March 17 primary fast approaching, she’s doubled down on her Gen Z campaign tactics. “I think a lot of times, campaigns look at people as either a source of money that you can text and dollars come out, or someone that you can force to knock doors till you're burned out, and then, that's it, you're done. And instead, we've kind of given people a new way to engage.” The 26-year-old Palestinian American and former journalist set off to test her theory of campaigning nearly a year ago, creating made-for-virality videos on Instagram, organizing her network of volunteers across Discord, rejecting corporate PAC money and raking in small-dollar donations to build one of the biggest fundraising hauls of the primary at $2.7 million in 2025. She’s also burned through money, sitting at the lower end of candidates with cash on hand, as her campaign doubles as a mutual aid hub — supplying essentials like diapers, winter coats and baby formula. But her campaign is facing plenty of headwinds. Though Illinois’ 9th District is a melting pot, it’s had Jewish representation for decades — and Schakowsky remains popular. Local Democratic strategists who spoke with Playbook said there’s doubts on the ground about whether Abughazaleh’s strategy will actually translate to votes on primary day. “Locally, there is a deep, deep skepticism of somebody who has never even voted in the district that she's running in,” one Democratic strategist working on Illinois races, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Playbook. Abughazaleh is not from Chicago, she was raised in Texas and doesn’t have the same small army of local endorsements as other candidates. “If where I am born is someone's deciding factor on how they'll vote, that's fine. That's your prerogative,” Abughazaleh said. “But we have been doing the work.” And in this bright-blue district, the ideological choices aren’t so cut and dry. It’s a stacked field of more than a dozen Democrats looking to replace Schakowsky, and a crop of candidates who have significantly more experience in public service than Abughazaleh. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and state Sen. Laura Fine are seen as the frontrunners and have both had commanding leads over Abughazaleh in their internal polling.
| | | | 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. | | | | Abughazaleh isn’t the only progressive in the race, either. Biss has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, while Abughazaleh notched Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) backing. The party’s most prominent progressive players, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), have yet to weigh in on the primary. But for Democrats who back Abughazaleh, the recent grassroots wins across the country are momentum that are creating an inflection point for candidates like her to be taken more seriously. “We are seeing a Democratic voter base who is fed up with the Democratic Party,” said Usamah Andrabi, comms director for Justice Democrats, which recently endorsed Abughazaleh. “She is truly trying to build a movement through this campaign in this community.” Illinois’ heated primary season is following in the wake of Analilia Mejia’s upset last week over former Rep. Tom Malinowski to win the special election for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s seat in New Jersey. It’s all part of a bigger picture of progressives proving resilient in off-year elections — like the twist in Seattle’s mayoral election that saw Katie Wilson edge out the incumbent. And Abughazaleh’s Illinois campaign shares some DNA to that of Mejia: young organizers who have relentlessly focused campaign messaging on resisting the Trump administration, with an emphasis on turning out young voters or voters of color who will often sit out off-year elections. “As we saw in New York, as we saw in Seattle, as we saw in New Jersey, it's not that young people don't vote — I think we just don't give them anything to vote for,” Abughazaleh told Playbook. Abughazaleh has also made national headlines for her push against the administration’s immigration agenda. She was arrested and indicted after protesting at the Broadview ICE detention center in Illinois and will take on the Trump administration in court over her arrest. And she has made support for Palestinians a central piece of her campaign, recently racking up national endorsements from progressive groups like Justice Democrats and PAL PAC, pushing against possible influence of the pro-Israel lobby — which was a key reason for Malinowski’s fall in New Jersey. Now, Abughazaleh is staring down a final primary sprint hoping to convince enough voters to head to the polls in her favor. As for her critics who brush off her campaign as unserious, Abughazaleh waved them off: “That's fine, that's your mistake,” she said. “We’re really trying to show a case study of what is possible when you campaign like this,” she said.
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| | | | SUNDAY BEST … — Border czar Tom Homan on the drawdown of federal agents in Minnesota, on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “That is a win we had in Minnesota … because now we have agreements and coordination with jails, we can rest that public safety threat in the safety security of jail, which means we don't have to send six or seven people out to look for them. So, I'm hoping other sanctuary cities look at what happened in Minnesota … I hope more people pay attention to that, and we work with the states to let our officers in the jails.” On his relationship with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem: “Look, do me and Secretary Noem agree on everything? No. That's why we have discussions. That's why every day we have a multiagency conference call and meeting. We discuss going forward, and we have different opinions. Well, those different opinions are worked out, and we move forward.” On working with Democrats, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “You can’t fix problems talking in an echo chamber; you got to talk to the people that you may disagree with … I’ve gotten agreements in Minnesota I never thought we’d be able to get … And I got to give credit to [Gov. Tim Walz], we had a good conversation.” More from POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and President Donald Trump’s threats against him, on ABC’s “This Week”: “This is about the Epstein class … They’re billionaires who were friends with these people, and that’s what I’m up against in Washington D.C. Donald Trump told us that even though he had dinner with these kinds of people, in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent. But he's not. He's still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration. And they’re attacking me for trying to get these files released.” — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the DHS shutdown, on CNN’s “State of the Union”: “There’s a simple answer to this: Republicans, go along with these common sense proposals and we’ll fund the whole DHS bill … Again, I cannot repeat enough, these are common sense, police departments across America use them … I believe they’ll have no choice but to go along with us.” — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on the controversy surrounding the governor’s summit, on “State of the Union”: “I'm not going. If you're not going to invite all the Democratic governors, this chair of the [Democratic Governors Association] isn't going to be there.” Trump is “treating [the meeting] like he's a 12-year-old and it's his birthday party, inviting and disinviting people, lashing out at others.” TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week’s must-read opinion pieces.
| | | | 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. | | | | | 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. LATEST FROM MSC: While Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to strike a softer tone with European officials during his speech at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas pushed back today on the idea that Europe faces “civilizational erasure” and rejected “European-bashing,” AP’s Emma Burrows and Geir Moulson report. Echoing that pushback too was Latvian PM Evika Siliņa, who told POLITICO’s Victor Jack in Munich that “I don't think we will be doing business as usual” with the U.S. in light of Trump’s recent push to acquire Greenland. Siliņa said Europe must be a geopolitical power that speaks in a “direct and clear” way to the U.S. Mood music: Even the lighter touch from Rubio doesn’t disguise the message under the surface: get on board with Trump’s worldview, or get out of the way, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz and Jack Detsch write from Munich. “[Between] the backslapping in the hallways and swigs of mai tais at Trader Vic’s, a tiki bar inside the Bayerischer Hof where former Sen. John McCain once held court with bipartisan delegations, European officials vented. The tone from the U.S. had changed, attendees said, but the perception that the Trump administration would like to see a Europe whiter and more right-leaning had not.” Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has forged a friendly relationship with Trump, said at the POLITICO Pub that Rubio’s speech indicated a shift in tone, not substance, POLITICO’s Chris Lunday writes. Continental consternation: Trump’s threats on Greenland and the NATO alliance was top of mind for many in attendance. But it’s also caused some infighting with Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) vehemently defended Greenland’s sovereignty and spoke strongly against comments Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) made during his appearance at the POLITICO Pub earlier in the weekend, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary reports from Munich. The stepback: “Is This Where Trump’s NATO Ideas Are Coming From?” by POLITICO Magazine’s Ian Ward: “An idea floating in academic circles has helped drive the Trump administration’s pullback from Europe.” 2. WAR AND PEACE: U.S. military forces are preparing for possible sustained, weekslong operations against Iran if Trump greenlights a strike, raising the stakes for what could be a larger conflict in the Middle East as negotiations continue, Reuters’ Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali scoop. Trump has only grown the arsenal of military force in the region, with an additional aircraft carrier on the way as the White House maintains that all options are on the table. Talk the talk: Top U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold a second round of negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva. Iran is signaling it’s open to a nuclear agreement that could economically benefit both countries, per Reuters. That comes after Trump agreed with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week to enhance economic pressure on Iran, mostly on oil sales to China, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. Meanwhile in Eastern Europe: “Ukrainian drone strike sparks fires at Russian Black Sea port ahead of US-brokered peace talks,” by AP: “The attacks came ahead of another round of U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva.” 3. REDISTRICTING RODEO: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is putting on the full-court press to push Democratic gerrymandering through, “vowing to spend ‘tens of millions’ of dollars to push through an April ballot initiative in Virginia to potentially give Democrats four more seats. And he is now turning his attention to Maryland,” CNN’s Sarah Ferris and Manu Raju report. Jeffries is leaning on state Senate President Bill Ferguson, who has opposed redistricting in Maryland, issuing the local leader a “stark warning” and vowing to “personally apply the pressure” if Ferguson doesn’t drop his opposition. “Jeffries and his team are already looking ahead to states like Washington, Colorado and even Pennsylvania for the 2028 cycle.” 4. MESSIN’ WITH TEXAS: Construction executives held multiple meetings with the White House and Congress over concerns that immigration busts on job sites will make it harder to build homes in South Texas, POLITICO’s Myah Ward and Megan Messerly scoop. Some Hill Republicans have also met with the White House — like Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), whose district is a top target for Democrats. The backlash to Trump’s immigration agenda is also forcing the GOP to pivot on how to approach talking about immigration in South Texas to not lose their gains with Hispanic voters, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson and Liz Crampton write.
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| | | | 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: The courts have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that the Trump administration has detained immigrants unlawfully, “a sweeping legal rebuke of Trump’s immigration crackdown” as the administration continues to hold some immigrants despite court orders, Reuters’ Nate Raymond and colleagues report. … The administration also carried out a secret deportation arrangement flying nine people to Cameroon in January, NYT’s Pranav Baskar and Hamed Aleaziz scoop. Nearly all of the nine “had been granted U.S. court protections from being sent back to their home countries” and none of them are from Cameroon. The U.S. has not announced a third-country deal with Cameroon to accept deportees. 6. THE ECONOMY, STUPID: In the most convincing spell since the pandemic, economic indicators are pointing in the right direction, WSJ’s Nick Timiraos writes. “It is a snapshot, not a verdict—but it is the closest the economy has come to achieving a soft landing, a moderation in inflation without recession.” But it may still be too early to claim victory, with some worried inflation may stall at its current rate. The White House is all-in on its victory lap over the economy’s strength — touting the record-breaking stock market and the latest jobs reports. But many Americans are still worried about their pocketbooks, underlining a gap in public perception ahead of the midterms, WaPo’s Isaac Arnsdorf and Natalie Allison report. 7. INSIDE THE EPSTEIN FILES: “Trump insider Tom Barrack kept in regular contact with Jeffrey Epstein for years, files show,” by CBS’ Daniel Ruetenik: “The correspondence places Barrack, a globe-trotting billionaire, among a circle of wealthy and influential figures who maintained social contact with Epstein even as his criminal history became widely known. Their relationship continued even after Barrack became a prolific fundraiser for Mr. Trump's 2016 campaign, and later, led his inaugural committee and became a frequent presence in the White House. “At times, Epstein appeared to regard Barrack as a potential conduit for passing information to Mr. Trump, though available records show the communication going only in one direction. There's no indication Epstein's communications were passed on to Mr. Trump or that Mr. Trump communicated to Epstein through Barrack. There's also no evidence to suggest Barrack participated in or had knowledge of any ongoing criminal conduct by Epstein.” Full release: “AG Pam Bondi announces ‘all’ Epstein files have been released, listing over 300 high-profile names,” by Fox News’ Ashley DiMella 8. TRY, TRY AGAIN: “Jeanine Pirro’s Failure to Indict Democrats Is a Big Deal,” by POLITICO Magazine’s Ankush Khardori in his latest Rules of Law column: “The disturbing stakes and implications of the effort were partially obscured by the clumsy execution of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and her prosecutors. A grand total of zero — zero — grand jurors agreed to return the proposed indictment. As a former federal prosecutor, I have never heard of this actually happening before. … Through it all, Pirro is failing to win the indictments, let alone convictions, that Trump craves. She is stumbling not just by the traditional standards of a U.S. Attorney, but also by the Trumpian version.” 9. MEDIAWATCH: “He spent decades perfecting his voice. Now he says Google stole it,” by WaPo’s Will Oremus: “David Greene had never heard of NotebookLM, Google’s buzzy artificial intelligence tool that spins up podcasts on demand, until a former colleague emailed him to ask if he’d lent it his voice. … Greene, a public radio veteran who has hosted NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’ and KCRW’s political podcast ‘Left, Right & Center,’ looked up the tool … Now he’s suing Google, alleging that it violated his rights by building a product that replicated his voice without payment or permission.”
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➡️ Sign up for POLITICO Forecast. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | ALMOST TOO GROSS TO INCLUDE — “‘Remnants of sewage’ including toilet paper, left behind after wastewater pipe collapse,” by ABC7’s Victoria Sanchez: “It will take another nine months for DC Water to fix the sewer pipe near I-495 and Clara Barton Parkway that collapsed on January 19 and sent nearly 250 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. … The busted pipe belongs to DC Water, but like many things in the DMV, if it impacts the District, Virginia and Maryland will feel it too.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Anne Neuberger … Jason Thielman … Chad Maisel … former Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) … retired Adm. Jim Stavridis … Jonathan Salant … Francisco Bencosme … Sourav Bhowmick … Carrie Sheffield … Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall … Bobby Panzenbeck … Fox Business’ David Asman … Republican Jewish Coalition’s Alex Siegel … Clare Flannery … Matt Kaplan of NRDC … Kerry Feehery … S-3 Group’s Sarah Dolan Schneider … National Association of Realtors’ Sydney Gallego … George Bamford … Sean McCluskie … POLITICO’s Jonathan Miller, Lawrence Ukenye and Sienna Brown … Allie Davis … Sherman Patrick … Dan O’Brien of Fidelity Investments … Linda Kramer Jenning … Linda Roth … Micah Murphy … Art Spiegelman … Amber Clay of Trident GMG 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 editor Giuseppe Macri and 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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