| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray On today’s Playbook Podcast: Adam and Megan Messerly discuss the decisions that everyone is waiting on from the Supreme Court … plus, an extraterrestrial exploration.
| 
| Happy Friday. OK campers, rise and shine — this is Adam Wren back in your inbox. Is Indiana about to have three professional football teams: the Bears, the Colts, and — of course — Indiana University? Get in touch. HOT IN HOLLYWOODLAND: “‘We need to have a plan B’: LA braces for Olympics disruption ahead of 2028,” by POLITICO’s Daniel Miller: “Los Angeles’ last Summer Olympics, in 1984, unfolded in a divided world whose fraught geopolitics were laid bare by a 14-country boycott led by the Soviet Union. Four decades later, LA is again preparing for an Olympics that officials are suddenly beginning to fear could be disrupted by a boycott or mass protest. Global backlash against the Trump administration is at the core of those worries, and other political threats to the Games appear to multiply by the week.” FRIDAY LISTEN: Dasha’s full interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is featured on this week’s episode of “The Conversation,” with a must-listen addendum from CNN’s Clarissa Ward calling in from Ukraine to discuss the current climate in the country and how the Ukrainian people are doing. Watch the full episode … Listen and subscribe on Apple or Spotify In today’s Playbook … — Will it be Groundhog Day at the Supreme Court again? — Trump gives a familiar decision deadline on Iran action. — The latest economic data drops today … as Trump says he’s “won affordability.”
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | SCOTUS D-DAY: It’s another decision day for the Supreme Court. As the political calendar races toward the first consequential primaries of 2026, there are two Supreme Court decisions hanging over both parties like a sword of Damocles. Either could drop at 10 a.m. — or it could be another day that passes without clear direction on the answers midterm watchers want most. On both President Donald Trump’s signature tariffs and the Voting Rights Act, Republicans and Democrats alike are holding their breaths for the resolution of two known unknowns. But the justices appear to have no qualms about taking their time delivering an answer. “To think I have to be in the United States Supreme Court for many, many months waiting for a decision on tariffs,” Trump groused during a speech in Georgia yesterday. “I’ve been waiting forever — forever.” Same, Mr. President. When it comes to tariffs, there’s no shortage of battleground Republicans — not to mention CEOs — who you could imagine breathing a sigh of relief if the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s signature domestic policy. (Looking at you in Michigan, Mike Rogers). If the court strikes down Trump’s tariffs, it could potentially take away — or at least soften — an issue Democrats have been eager to prosecute on the campaign trail, and give Republicans like Rogers some breathing room. Already, toy makers — who felt targeted by tariffs last year as Trump told parents to limit the number of dolls they bought their kids for the holidays — are feeling a little more optimistic this year, POLITICO’s Ben Johansen reports in a dispatch from the International Toy Fair. “2025 was a bad year for us. 2024 was a record year for us,” Jay Foreman, the CEO of Basic Fun!, which produces high-profile toys like Care Bears, Littlest Pet Shop and Lincoln Logs, said of his business. “We were expecting to grow from where we ended in 2024 by 10, 15 percent at least. We ended up losing 20 percent of our business in 2025.” Democrats are also sweating it out on a different decision. On the Voting Rights Act, if the court decides to gut it, Republicans could speedrun redrawing maps and pick up as many as 19 seats. But it’s not at all clear we’ll even get answers on either of these Friday,, POLITICO’s veteran court watcher Josh Gerstein writes in. “We are in kind of a groundhog day situation,” Josh tells Playbook. Let’s start with tariffs. Trade watchers around the globe are again on alert for the Supreme Court to rule this morning in Learning Resources v. Trump on the legality of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The justices are set to convene for a long-scheduled, non-argument session and signaled last week that they are likely to release one or more rulings. The justices agreed to take the tariffs case on an expedited basis more than five months ago and heard arguments three-and-a-half months ago, so the time seems nigh for a decision if the court truly views the matter as urgent. Trump’s effort to bully the justices into siding with him now seems to have turned more to hectoring them to decide. Some think the delay means it’s less likely the high court will upset the status quo and set off wrangling over refunds. But the ability of dissenters to hold up a ruling makes it hard to figure out which way the court is leaning. “There are lots of nuanced legal issues that the court has to thoroughly consider … and it takes a while to write,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told CBS in an interview aired last week. “The court is going through its process of deliberation, and the American people expect for us to be thorough and clear in our determinations and sometimes that takes time.” In the VRA case, Louisiana v. Callais, the court may feel little urgency around that decision, Josh notes, since releasing it now could unleash chaos in many states where primaries are looming. The justices have often cautioned lower-court judges against such eve-of-election rulings, although putting it out in June may be only slightly more palatable. Decisions in lower-profile cases typically emerge in an order that roughly corresponds to when they were argued. There are still four cases awaiting decision from the court’s October sitting and eight from the November one. More opinions are expected next Tuesday and Wednesday. But those are less likely days for a major ruling because the court is also hearing arguments those days. A Tuesday ruling could also make for an extremely awkward night for the justices attending Trump’s State of the Union address.
| | | | A message from American Beverage: No spin. No judgments. Just the facts from the experts.
When it's time to decide what goes on your table, you know facts are the first ingredient. That's why America's beverage companies are sharing clear information about the ingredients in our beverages at GoodToKnowFacts.org.
For over 140 ingredients, you can find common uses, alternative names and safety assessments from food safety authorities at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | WAR AND PEACE COUNTING THE DAYS: Trump is giving Tehran a “pretty much maximum” of 10 to 15 days to come to an agreement with the U.S., telling reporters yesterday aboard Air Force One that he’d get a deal “one way or the other.” If that vague, two-week deadline sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Trump has deployed the timeline on numerous occasions when speaking about difficult diplomatic negotiations. You may also remember it’s nearly the identical deadline that he set last June when he said on a Thursday that he would make a decision on action against Iran within two weeks just days before U.S. forces struck Iran’s nuclear sites. Speaking to the Board of Peace yesterday, Trump warned that when the countries can’t reconcile their differences, “bad things happen.” Consider now that Trump is reportedly “weighing an initial limited military strike on Iran to force it to meet his demands for a nuclear deal, a first step that would be designed to pressure Tehran into an agreement but fall short of a full-scale attack that could inspire a major retaliation,” per WSJ’s Alexander Ward. That initial strike, “which if authorized could come within days, would target a few military or government sites.” The view from Iran: In a letter to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, Tehran said it considers the buildup of U.S. forces in the region a “hostile force” — and though it doesn’t want war, promised to respond “decisively” if attacked, per Reuters. Insightful read: WSJ’s Roque Ruiz and colleagues are up with an in-depth look at the scope of the warships, fighters and missiles that are gathering near Iran. About that Board: “Trump gets his Board of Peace, even as bigger countries steer clear,” by POLITICO’s Eli Stokols and Daniella Cheslow: “Despite skepticism from Democrats, Europeans, the United Nations and Palestinians, the president’s new venture won considerable momentum this week — even as it forces America’s traditional allies to take a backseat.” THE DONROE DOCTRINE: One man ties together all of Trump’s foreign policy advisers and their diplomatic actions in the Western Hemisphere — and his name is Xi Jinping, POLITICO’s Diana Nerozzi and Phelim Kine report. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, VP JD Vance and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — who have differing ideological impulses when it comes to America’s entanglements abroad — are all bound by a common belief that the U.S. must clear its part of the globe from China’s influence.
| | | | A message from American Beverage:  
America's beverage companies are making it easier than ever to find clear information about the ingredients in your favorite beverages. Learn more at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID INCOMING: At 8:30 a.m., the first estimate for fourth-quarter GDP and the latest reading from the personal consumption expenditures index for December are set to drop. These two figures will offer the latest indication of the state of the economy — and each carry their own significance. Trump has long held up GDP as a marker for a healthy economy. And the PCE is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation-measuring gauge. A reminder of where things stood last time: The GDP between July and September last year grew at a 4.4 percent annualized rate, which was an acceleration from 3.8 percent in the three months prior, per WSJ. The most recent PCE reading from November showed inflation at 2.8 percent, which was a tick further away from the Fed’s target line, CNBC notes. This will also be the first PCE report since Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to be the next Fed chair. WHEN IN ROME: The president hit the road yesterday in the White House’s latest attempt to sell its economic messaging to voters who are overwhelmingly concerned by cost-of-living ahead of the midterms. And he did so in the Trumpiest way possible — by telling voters in a Rome, Georgia, steel plant that he’s “won affordability,” POLITICO’s Aaron Pelish reports. HOME RUN: “White House Offers New Details on Its Push to Ban Housing Investors,” by WSJ’s Rebecca Picciotto: “In a memo sent Thursday to House and Senate committee leaders, the White House proposed banning investors with more than 100 single-family homes from purchasing additional homes … Housing economists are generally skeptical that banning institutional investors from the housing market will have a measurable impact on affordability.”
| | | | New from POLITICO Tracking the forces shaping politics, policy and power worldwide, POLITICO Forecast connects developments across regions and sectors — including key global moments and convenings — drawing on POLITICO’s global reporting to help readers see what’s coming next.
➡️ Subscribe Now | | | | | TRAIL MIX NOEM HOME?: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s rocky standing in the administration is “creating concern in her home state of South Dakota that she might leave the Cabinet to challenge Senator Mike Rounds in the state’s June Republican primary,” The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer reports. Noem would still have to clear a few hurdles to enter the race by the end of next month. “But Noem could have an incentive to seek elective office if Democrats remain on track to win back control of the House and launch investigations into her tenure,” Scherer writes. “A Senate seat would give her both a professional staff and a fundraising platform to help defend herself.” A Noem adviser told The Atlantic that she has no plans to leave. PELOSI’S MIDTERM PLAN: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is on Jessica Tarlov’s “Raging Moderates” podcast this morning, where she outlines three things Democrats “have to do” for the midterms: “We have to make sure that the elections happen with integrity, no interference. That’s a fight, and we’re fully engaged in it. I want people to know that,” she said. The second, of course, is to win. How? Pelosi said Democrats have to “show what we will do when we win” to protect democracy. “But we do it at the kitchen table. Again, with affordability, lower the cost of living, housing, health care, education for children, the rest of that, the list goes on.” IT’S FLORIDA, MAN: “Facing legal troubles, Cherfilus-McCormick draws crowded field of Florida primary challengers,” by POLITICO’s Kimberely Leonard from Miami: “A field featuring a Miami rap legend. An incumbent who’s facing 15 criminal counts. A district singled out by Gov. Ron DeSantis for a redraw. Welcome to Florida’s 20th District, where the race to represent an urban, Democratic part of the state with an embattled incumbent is set for a competitive midterm primary. And in the middle of it all is current officeholder Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, the Democratic member of Congress facing a growing stack of legal and ethical problems amid her bid for reelection.”
| | | | A message from American Beverage:  
America's beverage companies are sharing clear info on beverage ingredients at GoodToKnowFacts.org. | | | | BEST OF THE REST FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: With Abigail Spanberger set to deliver Democrats’ formal State of the Union rebuttal, expect plenty of other Dems to find other forums to give their own takes on Trump’s address. Two of those will be Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who will both be keynote speakers at the “State of the Swamp” at the National Press Club in Washington, according to a release obtained by Playbook. Both Democratic mayors have been vocal opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has come to their respective cities. Other speakers will include Don Lemon and Robert DeNiro. MO’ MONEY, BIG PROBLEM: “For Democrats, the DHS fight isn’t just about an immigration overhaul — it’s also the money,” by POLITICO’s Myah Ward: “[E]ven as the two sides dance around possible changes to how federal immigration agents operate, there is growing unease among some Democrats in both chambers about providing any new funding for immigration enforcement agencies.” Read more in POLITICO’s Inside Congress THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: Trump announced on Truth Social that he would direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other government agencies to “begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.” The vow comes days after Barack Obama suggested in an interview with Brian Tyler Cohen that aliens are “real” — though he said he hadn’t seen evidence of that when he was president. FLYING IN STYLE: FBI Director Kash Patel flew on a DOJ plane to Italy yesterday, where he plans to attend the men’s Olympic hockey medal rounds this weekend, CBS News’ Sarah Lynch and Daniel Klaidman report. But FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said on X that the trip for Patel, an avid hockey fan, was “not a personal” one and was planned “months ago” and would include meetings with Italian law enforcement and security officials, U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta and more. Williamson followed up with another post: “Kash just called me and told me to add ‘Please tell them yes, I am rooting for the greatest team on earth from the greatest country on earth. Go Team USA ����.’” Back at the Bureau: “FBI plans to reduce vetting of some applying to be agents, sources say,” by Reuters’ Jana Winter and Andrew Goudsward: “Patel is expected to eliminate a requirement that support staff already working in the FBI who apply to become special agents sit for an interview and complete a writing assessment.” FOR YOUR RADAR: “Labor Secretary’s Husband Barred From the Department After Sexual Assault Reports,” by NYT’s Evan Gorelick and Rebecca Davis O’Brien: “The women said … Shawn DeRemer, had touched them inappropriately at the Labor Department’s building on Constitution Avenue. … In January, the women’s concerns about Dr. DeRemer, 57, were raised as part of an internal investigation by the department’s inspector general into alleged misconduct by [Labor Secretary Lori] Chavez-DeRemer and her senior staff, one of the people said.” DeRemer and a spokesperson for DOL did not provide comment to the Times. And a lawyer representing Chavez-DeRemer in the IG investigation declined to comment. THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … POLITICO “The Conversation”: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy … Clarissa Ward. C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer … Chuck Rocha and Erin Maguire. PBS “Washington Week”: Peter Baker, Eugene Daniels, Lisa Desjardins and Susan Glasser. SUNDAY SO FAR … CBS “Face the Nation”: Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) … Christine Lagarde. Governors panel: Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Indiana’s Mike Braun, Ohio’s Mike DeWine and Kansas’ Laura Kelly. ABC “This Week”: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Panel: Donna Brazile, Jay O'Brien, Ramesh Ponnuru and Susan Page. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). Panel: Ben Ferguson, Meridith McGraw, Michael Allen and Juan Williams. CNN “State of the Union”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Panel: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Van Jones, Margaret Hoover and Rebecca Katz. MS NOW “The Weekend”: Barbara Comstock … Jeff Nussbaum … Rev. Al Sharpton. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Lindsay Chervinsky. Panel: Charles Lane, Jay Nordlinger and Jessica Taylor. C-SPAN “Compass Points”: Randall Schriver ... Kurt Campbell ... Yun Sun ... Michael Swaine.
| | | | POLITICO Pro POLITICO Pro Briefings give subscribers direct access to in-depth conversations on the policy issues shaping government. Led by POLITICO reporters, these live interactive sessions go beyond the headlines to explain what’s happening, why it matters, and what’s coming next.
➡️ Get on the Invite List | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Gridiron Club has tapped the Republican and Democrat charged with speaking at the 141st Gridiron Club and Foundation Spring Dinner on March 21: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will take the stage, according to an announcement obtained by Playbook. “The governors are aware that we’re looking forward to speeches that will singe, not burn, even though we know they can do both!” Gridiron President Jackie Calmes of the LA Times said in the announcement. WORKING BREAKFAST — Speaking of governors, Trump is expected to meet with a group of them this morning at the White House — but the National Governors Association, which is hosting its annual meeting in Washington this weekend, isn’t facilitating the gathering. The bipartisan group pulled out of the official White House visit in response to Trump’s uninviting last week of Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado, whom he said were “not worthy” of attending. Though Moore and Polis will be absent, as will several other Democrats in solidarity, press is expected to be let into the breakfast at about 9:30 a.m. GUTTER POLITICS — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser accepted Trump’s offer to help clean up the massive sewage spill outside the city, making an unusual request for Trump to declare the area a disaster and pay for repairs, POLITICO’s Miranda Willson and Thomas Frank report. In her letter, Bowser “Respectfully” asked for FEMA to offset all “costs incurred” by the city and regional sewer authorities. FEMA usually pays 75 percent of disaster repairs unless damage is extreme. “No president has approved a disaster declaration for a sewage spill, according to an analysis by POLITICO’s E&E News of FEMA records dating to 1953.” ARCH ENEMIES — “Vietnam War veterans sue to block construction of Trump’s triumphal arch,” by POLITICO’s Jacob Wendler: “The veterans — Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gundersen — worked as U.S. diplomats after serving in the Vietnam War. … In the lawsuit, … they argue the project ‘would dishonor their military and foreign service and the legacy of their comrades and other veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and would degrade their personal experience when visiting Arlington Cemetery or traveling around Memorial Circle and on the Memorial Avenue Corridor.’” AMTRAK JOE RIDES AGAIN — Former President Joe Biden was spotted riding in coach class on the Amtrak yesterday evening sitting next to a “random woman” before getting off in Wilmington, per the National Review’s Audrey Fahlberg. OUT AND ABOUT — Amy Gardner, WaPo’s White House editor and a longtime reporter who spent more than two decades at the newspaper, had a send-off last night at ChurchKey. Don Graham, the Post’s former publisher, told the room: “I love great reporters — and I love Amy Gardner.” SPOTTED: Josh Dawsey, Matea Gold, Phil Rucker, Carol Leonnig, Roz Helderman, Paul Kane, Nick Baumann, Dan Balz, Matt Viser, Michael Birnbaum, Natalie Allison, Isaac Arnsdorf, Katy Burnell Evans, Annah Aschbrenner, Cat Zakrzewski, Matt Zapotosky, Lori Montgomery, Lena Sun, Patrick Caldwell, Peter Stevenson, Anna Liss-Roy, Olivia George, Emily Rauhala, Rachel Van Dongen, Mike Semel, Mark Berman and Jonathan Edwards. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jeff Grappone, EVP at Rokk Solutions, and Amy Grappone, senior director of comms and strategic engagement for the McCain Institute, welcomed Rosamund Frances “Rosie” Grappone on Feb. 12. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) … Doug Mills … David Corn … Bob Davis … POLITICO’s David Cohen, Juan Perez, Carmen Paun, Zoe Pan and Joseph Kenol … Walter Shaub … Keith Edwards … Tamara Fucile … Greg D’Angelo … Andrew Hanna of Stoke Space… Arc Initiatives’ Aaron Florence-Weinberg … Kaylin Dines … Michael Zona of Bullpen Strategy Group … TikTok’s Ben Rathe … David Blair … Keosha Varela … Vox’s Dylan Matthews … Miguel Rodriguez of the Gates Foundation … Herald Group’s Julianne Haggerty … Michael Clemente of Point West Media … Rokk Solutions’ Elizabeth Northrup … Chris Cillizza … Trevor Noah … Caleb Fisher … Bloomberg Government’s Liam Quinn … Amy Spitalnick … SoFi’s Elana Zak … Justin Vogt of Foreign Affairs … Rachel Umansky-Castro … Ashkon Eslami 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. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misstated one of the Democrats whom the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC is backing. It is Elaine Luria.
| | | | A message from American Beverage: When it's time to decide what goes on your table, getting it right starts with good information.
That's why America's beverage companies are empowering you with the choices you want and the information you need to decide what's best for your family.
Good to Know is a transparency initiative from America's beverage companies. At its center, GoodtoKnowFacts.org puts easy-to-understand information about the ingredients in our beverages right in your hands, all in one place. For more than 140 ingredients, you can find common uses, alternative names and the safety behind our ingredients, including what food safety agencies around the world say.
No spin. No judgments. Just the facts from the experts. It is intended to be a first stop to learn more about our beverages. This is another step in our long history of working together to bring you more beverage choices and clear information. | | | | | | | | 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 | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment