| | | |  | | 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 Playbook’s Adam Wren discuss the fallout from James Talarico’s (non)-appearance on “The Late Show” … and the most political rock concerts of the year.
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| Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, wishing a blessed Lent, or Eid Mubarak, to those who mark the holy days ahead. Drop me a line. TODAY’S ESSENTIAL READ: “Judges decry treatment of nursing and pregnant detainees in ICE custody,” by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney. In a must-read piece this morning, Kyle sets out in painful detail how “courts are being confronted with harrowing stories about women being separated from their nursing infants or housed in cramped and ill-equipped ICE facilities while pregnant, in conditions that threaten their health and have, in some cases, been followed by miscarriages.” Why it matters: “The treatment of pregnant and nursing detainees is one of those issues that takes ICE policies out of the abstract and puts a human face on them,” Kyle tells Playbook. “Judges are increasingly finding the treatment of these women as indefensibly harsh, in ways that have at times threatened their health, their pregnancies or their newborns. And they’re pressing for answers about whether the administration is complying with a Biden-era policy intended to limit when ICE can detain pregnant or nursing mothers. So far, answers have been sparse.” And bookmark this: POLITICO is up with a running list of judges who have ruled on ICE’s mass detention policy In today’s Playbook … — Talarico is flying after his “Late Show” switch-up. We got his latest fundraising numbers. — Susie Wiles moves to rally the troops on affordability. Is the president listening? — And what does the White House make of Bruce Springsteen’s planned protest concert in D.C.? Brace yourselves.
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Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 17. | Eric Gay/AP | A (LONE) STAR IS BORN: We’re exactly one (1) day into early voting in the hottest primary contest of 2026, and already temperatures in Texas are sky-high. The decision to pull Dem Senate hopeful James Talarico’s “Late Show” interview with Stephen Colbert on Monday night put rocket boosters under his campaign at a critical moment. The numbers are still soaring: As of this morning, the canned segment has more than 5 million YouTube views — numbers Colbert can only dream of on his actual TV show. You probably saw the graph yesterday showing Google searches of Talarico’s name spiking dramatically. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Talarico’s campaign racked up $2.5 million in donations in the 24 hours after “the attempted censorship” of his appearance on “The Late Show,” Playbook’s Adam Wren reports. It’s quite a haul, in a primary race that could prove pivotal when the final Senate tallies are counted on Nov. 3. But it also highlights several fascinating trends regarding the current moment in U.S. politics. First: In years past, a broadcast network ditching your big interview on the night voting starts would have been a body blow for a state senator still trying to get national recognition. But not in this era. As Donald Trump knows better than anyone, nothing grabs eyeballs and motivates voter bases these days like a sense of grievance, of being under attack from powerful forces, of leaning into the fight. And Dems have learned quickly these past 13 months that nothing fires up their own base like being attacked by Trump. The president’s assault on Los Angeles last summer catapulted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to one of the top potential candidates for 2028. Jimmy Kimmel’s viewers spiked after his suspension by ABC last fall. The Trump administration’s recent pursuit of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) has thrown him into the 2028 conversation. From the horse’s mouth: When the journalist Don Lemon was arrested over his activity in Minnesota last month, Trump responded wryly: “From his standpoint, [it’s] the best thing that could have happened to him.” Talarico has seized his own moment, with more than a little help from Colbert — both men instantly pointing to the Trump administration for the decision to can the interview. On X, Talarico brazenly described the segment as “the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see.” Within 24 hours, that single post had racked up close to 40,000 retweets and more than 150,000 likes, astronomical numbers for a humble state senator from Texas.
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We're proud of what we do and how we do it. Learn more at WeDeliverForAmerica.org. | | | | Such is the power of this phenomenon that angry Dems now feel like they’re sticking it to Trump just by watching Talarico on “The Late Show.” “The FCC does not want you to see this! Let that sink in. And SHARE IT,” one YouTube commenter wrote. That comment alone has been liked nearly 50,000 times. But are these claims true? The broader FCC clampdown on talk shows is obviously real — we saw the announcement last month, and we know “The View” is already under investigation. But framing this as "the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see” is … quite a stretch. As CBS made clear in its statement yesterday, its lawyers said the interview could have run if the show had also given airtime to the other Democrats running in the contest, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and longshot candidate Ahmad Hassan. Which makes it a little harder to paint as some grand anti-Talarico plot. Shouting into the void: Crockett certainly sounds pissed at how it’s all played out. “The federal government did not shut down this segment,” she said on the campaign trail. Colbert was explicitly blaming CBS’ own lawyers on last night’s show, suggesting they should have pushed back against the FCC guidance rather than trying to interfere in his guest lineup. (He wound up the segment by scrunching up his own network’s press release and putting it in a dog poop bag.) But Team Talarico won’t give two hoots. This is 2026 — where grievance culture is the ultimate motivator and where the attention economy is all. Talarico was doubling down last night, telling a packed-out rally in Austin (per HuffPost’s Igor Bobic) that the FCC “colluded with corporate media executives at CBS” to keep his interview off air. A few hours later, he was on MS NOW, claiming the Trump administration is “trying to silence me” because “they're worried that we are going to flip Texas.”
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We're American companies, making American products, with American workers, in America's hometowns. We're proud of what we do and how we do it. Visit WeDeliverForAmerica.org. | | | | MEANWHILE IN THE WHITE HOUSE DON’T MENTION THE MEMES: Trump will host a Black History Month reception in the East Room this afternoon — a more contentious event than usual, given the racist post that appeared on his Truth Social account earlier this month. The president’s account was foregoing memes last night and instead posting a succession of old photos of Trump with the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. You can watch how Trump fares at 3 p.m. But it’s November’s elections that are still top of mind in the White House, and last night chief of staff Susie Wiles hosted a major strategy session for dozens of administration big-hitters on why lower prices are going to be the key message for the GOP this year, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai scooped. Unfortunately for Wiles, Trump wasn’t at the Capitol Hill Club to hear it — she’ll just have to pray he reads the autocue at tomorrow’s rally in Georgia. Drugstore cowboys: Those Cabinet members who were in attendance last night — including Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., per NewsNation’s Libbey Dean — were told their services will be required as more active surrogates in the weeks and months ahead, Sophia reports. And Trump’s top pollster Tony Fabrizio told attendees that the biggest takeaway on messaging for the midterms is to focus on Trump’s efforts to lower prescription drug pricing, Sophia adds — a tangible win on affordability that the White House hopes can actually win voters back. Just one problem: Biden tried that, too (h/t Dave Weigel). It didn’t work. Surrogate watch: In Trump’s (public) absence yesterday, it was VP JD Vance who was on Fox News to bang the drum on affordability. And he gave us good insight into what’s shaping up as the central GOP message for the next nine months — that the economic picture is improving, but they’re still fixing the problems from the previous administration. “We're still digging out of the hole the Democrats put us in,” Vance said. “And I think the question we're going to put to the American people is — do you want to give the government back over to the people who frankly burned down the house?” SPEAKING OF VANCE: POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi is out this morning with a new column on how overseas diplomats view the possibility of a future President Vance. And guess what? They’re not overly thrilled at the prospect. “He’s very smart and has a great deal of sort of abstract, theoretical depth — but he's probably not much of a pragmatist,” one says. “He doesn't really care about the interests of any other country,” sighs another. Obviously, Vance won’t mind any of that one bit.
| | | | 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. | | | | | REDISTRICTING RODEO HAPPENING TODAY: The redistricting battle in Utah hits the courts, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson writes in. A panel of three federal judges will hear a lawsuit brought by Republicans opposing the congressional map installed by a district judge in November. The map carves out a safe Democratic district in Salt Lake County, putting the state’s four GOP House members in a game of musical chairs for three red seats. The last-ditch effort to keep the state’s current congressional delegation intact coincides with the Utah Legislature’s appeal to the state Supreme Court. But supporters of the new map — including former Rep. Ben McAdams, the first Democrat to qualify in the new blue district — argue it’s too late for the courts to step in. The end goal? Either one seat preserved for Republicans, or one new pickup opportunity for Democrats — the latest example of just how much every single seat matters in this year’s fight for House control. The other states you should be watching … In Maryland: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is heading to Annapolis today to meet with Gov. Wes Moore, as Democrats’ aggressive push to gerrymander Maryland’s map faces the purgatory of the Maryland state Senate, POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker writes in. Local and national Democrats have tried in vain for months to get Democratic state Senate President Bill Ferguson to move on a vote. In Virginia: Democrats are feeling much happier, Brakkton reports. The state Supreme Court said on Friday that a statewide referendum set for April can proceed, meaning voters will get the chance to approve newly-passed congressional maps that heavily favor Democrats in the fall. Virginia’s top court could yet uphold a lower court ruling that invalidated the redistricting push this year — but for now, Virginia Dems are spying a major victory. In Florida: Everything appears on hold until later this spring, POLITICO’s Gary Fineout writes in from the Sunshine State. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been pushing for a new congressional map, officially called for a special session to start on April 20. House Speaker Daniel Perez has said it would be “irresponsible” to wait to craft a new map, but the state chambers have taken no action during the regular session that is scheduled to end March 13. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Colorado Democrats are now getting into the redistricting game, too — but with 2028 in their sights. Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, a new group launching today, will work to get a ballot initiative before voters in November to approve a temporary congressional map redraw, POLITICO's Elena Schneider scoops. Should Colorado voters approve the change, the group expects Democrats would be able to pick up three additional House seats in 2028 and 2030.
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We deliver $324 billion for the U.S. economy and support 4.2 million jobs nationwide. WeDeliverForAmerica.org. | | | | BEST OF THE REST THE CASE EVERYONE IS WATCHING: “The Sheriff Under Fire for His Handling of the Nancy Guthrie Case,” by WSJ’s Isabella Simonetti: “Chris Nanos is in the middle of the biggest case in his career. The Pima County Sheriff has become the face of the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie … Nanos brushed off criticism of his handling of the case, saying barbs were politically motivated or coming from people without law-enforcement expertise. ‘Haters are gonna hate,’ he said.” SHUTDOWN DAY 5: The partial government shutdown continues — and we’re still no closer to a DHS funding deal. The White House swiftly dismissed Democrats’ latest offer in the negotiations, POLITICO’s Myah Ward reports. 2028 WATCH: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to visit two key potential early-voting states in the span of less than a week, Playbook’s Adam Wren reports. Buttigieg is slated to endorse Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui for lieutenant governor on Feb. 25 at a stop in Las Vegas — straight after a three-day tour of New Hampshire, kicking off on Thursday, with Rep. Chris Pappas, who’s running for Senate, and Rep. Maggie Goodlander. You don’t need to be a genius to read the runes. Speaking of not-so-subtle moves: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear “plans to publish his first book this fall, joining a slew of potential Democratic presidential candidates releasing memoirs that could set up future national campaigns,” WaPo’s Hannah Knowles reports. “The book, set to publish Sept. 22, will focus on Beshear’s Christian faith — a topic he often brings up amid Democrats’ debates about how to broaden their appeal and take back power.” ENDORSEMENT WATCH: Buzzy new Dem group The Bench is announcing a fresh round of endorsements in closely watched races across the country, Adam scoops. The group — which says it focuses on electability, not ideology — is backing Mary Peltola for Alaska Senate, Jason Esteves for Georgia governor, and Marlene Galán-Woods for Arizona’s 1st District … Meanwhile, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is throwing his support behind state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, Adam reports. He’s the third senator to do so. JAW-DROPPER: “Tony Gonzales had affair with aide who set herself on fire, ex-staffer says,” by San Antonio Express-News’ Bayliss Wagner and Nancy Preyor-Johnson: “Rep. Tony Gonzales engaged in a romantic relationship with an aide who died last year by setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home, according to a text message and people close to the aide and her family. A former staffer in Gonzales' district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina Ann ‘Regi’ Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in 2024 … [Gonzales] and his staff did not respond to a list of detailed questions submitted by the Express-News. A lawyer for Santos-Aviles' husband said her romantic relationship with the congressman was an open secret, and that he does not believe it played a role in her death.” AD WARS: House Majority Forward, the nonprofit group aligned with House Democratic leadership, is dropping a six-figure ad buy in five House districts starting today, Elena scoops. The ads, linking Republicans to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are part of what's expected to be in total a seven-figure digital ad campaign, per HMF. The ads target Reps. Gabe Evans (CO-08), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) and Scott Perry (PA-10). Watch the ad
| | | | New from POLITICO POLITICO Forecast is a forward-looking global briefing on the forces reshaping politics, policy and power. Drawing on POLITICO’s global reporting, Forecast connects developments across regions and sectors — including major global moments and convenings — to help readers anticipate what comes next.
➡️ Sign up for POLITICO Forecast. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | DANCING IN THE DARK — Washington is headed for another major collision of pop culture and politics — The President versus The Boss, Playbook’s Ali Bianco writes in. Legendary singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen announced the North American leg of his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour yesterday, and the venues are designed to send a message. The tour kicks off in — where else? — Minneapolis on March 31 … and concludes here in D.C. at Nationals Park on May 27. It’s going to be quite a moment. “We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times,” Springsteen said in his announcement, warning of a “wannabe king and his rogue government” in Washington. Springsteen has long made clear he’s no fan of Trump, who in turn has called him a “dried out prune of a rocker.” The tour follows the surprise release last month of Springsteen’s protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” in which he labeled ICE as “occupiers.” Congress is full of Springsteen superfans, and Playbook caught up with a couple for their hottest takes. It should surprise no one that Reps. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), who shares a New Jersey connection, and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who had Springsteen atop his Spotify Wrapped and is friends with members of the E Street Band, are both amped up for what’s coming. “An American spring of Rock ‘n’ Rebellion is what the country needs in this moment and I am here for it,” Menendez told Playbook in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that Trump and his supporters at Mar-a-Lago will be home listening to YMCA for the millionth time since his inauguration still trying to make it feel cool. Sad!” Raskin — who has been to 13 Springsteen shows — said Springsteen will bring “a Rock-and-Roll Exorcism to Washington … I cannot wait to hear him sing ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ loud enough to rattle the walls of what’s left of the White House.” Naturally, the White House greeted the news of Springsteen’s tour in equally robust fashion. “When this loser Springsteen comes back home to his own City of Ruins in his head, he’ll realize his Glory Days are behind him and his fans have left him Out in the Street, putting him in a Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out because he has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain,” White House comms director Steven Cheung said in a statement to Playbook. Roll on May 27. JUDGE FOR YOURSELF — The Shakespeare Theatre Company held its annual mock trial last night with a pair of prominent D.C. attorneys, Steven Vladeck and Karen Dunn, facing off before an all-star panel of judges over a scenario based on Othello, POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein writes in. D.C. District Judges James Boasberg, Amy Berman Jackson and Paul Friedman and Circuit Judge Patricia Millett grilled the advocates. Also on the mock court: Judge Matthew Brann, a Pennsylvania-based federal judge who ruled that Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, Alina Habba, was illegally appointed. Ubiquitous criminal defense lawyer Abbe Lowell emceed. The judges and lawyers updated the 16th-century Venetian storyline with plenty of jibes alluding to the biggest D.C. news of the past year, including the “sandwich-guy” trial, the tearing down of the White House’s East Wing and the renaming of the Kennedy Center. When Boasberg referred to “ordering a gondolier to turn his gondola around,” the lawyer-heavy crowd at Harman Hall broke out in laughter — the obvious reference being the Trump administration’s defiance of Boasberg’s order to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan deportees. A WAPO WAKE — Politics and Prose is hosting a tribute to WaPo’s fallen Book World section at 5 p.m. on Saturday, bringing together “former Book World editors and contributors offering reminiscences.” Those expected to participate include Marie Arana, Warren Bass, Louis Bayard, Ron Charles, Steve Coll, Michael Dirda, Rita Dove, Nora Krug, Carlos Lozada, John Williams and Bob Woodward. OUT AND ABOUT — Ned's Club held a panel conversation spotlighting local entrepreneurs in the DMV last night. SPOTTED: Chinyere Hubbard, John Burns, Adedamola Adebayo, Miles Braxton, Mia Davis, Takia Ross, Dewardric McNeal, Ashli Scott-Palmer, Carri Twigg, Heather Wellington, Dennis Perkins, Tiffany Rose, Branden Wiles, Nicole Venable, Earle “Chico” Horton III, Sherene Joseph, Jackie Lockhart-Andretta, Jasmine Goodrich and Gloria Nauden. MEDIA MOVE — Jonathan Kott has joined Versant as SVP of government affairs. He previously worked at Capitol Counsel. TRANSITIONS — Geoffrey Starks is joining Latham & Watkins as a partner. He previously was an FCC commissioner. … Bekah Schannuth is joining LSKR as director of operations. She previously worked at Frontline Strategies. … Anjani Nadadur is rejoining Mayer Brown in its international trade practice. She previously worked at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. ENGAGED — Emily Weber, director of marketing at Groh, and Raghav Aggarwal, principal with BGR Group’s health and life sciences practice, got engaged on Feb. 13 on the roof of 101 Constitution. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) … Keith Urbahn … James Hohmann … Rachel Martin … Bill Bertles … Kiara Pesante Haughton … Al Quinlan … FT’s Janan Ganesh … Marc Lampkin … Abby Blunt … NBC’s Rebecca Kaplan … Angela Chiappetta … Elizabeth Kanick … Matt Burgess … Adam Prather … Jesse Purdon … former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) … Ben Wofford … former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner … Ayodele Okeowo … Aneysha Bhat … BBC’s Helena Humphrey … Lucien Zeigler … Denise Dunckel Morse 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.
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