| | | |  | | By Eli Okun and Makayla Gray | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
President Donald Trump arrives for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy presentation with the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) | AP | CHOOSE YOUR FRAMING: President Donald Trump today declared the U.S.-Israel war with Iran already “Militarily WON” — even as thousands more American troops surge to the Middle East. At the White House this morning, Trump said the U.S. is “doing extremely well” and running circles around Iran’s military. He told MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle in his latest phone interview that he wanted to keep going to prevent the Iranian regime from ever rebuilding. And after weeks of shifting explanations for the war from the administration, Trump said the rationale was stopping Iran from a nuclear weapon, not really regime change. But with the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed and oil markets reeling, the fighting seems far from over. The Pentagon is deploying roughly 2,200 to 2,500 more Marines and three warships to the region, the WSJ reports. And Trump continued to fume that U.S. allies aren’t stepping in to reopen the strait, which he deemed “a simple military maneuver.” “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump posted on Truth Social. Military experts aren’t so sure about the simplicity of that reopening. And the Trump administration is privately weighing the possibility of putting boots on the ground in an operation to take over Iran’s Kharg Island and pressure Tehran on the strait, Axios’ Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report. U.S. attacks escalated again to try to take out Iranian ships and drones, as the pressure mounts for the U.S. to find a way to reopen the strait — which the domestic industry sees as the only option. “It’s the apocalypse for the oil and gas industry,” one executive tells POLITICO’s Zack Colman and colleagues. “The solution is Hormuz has to reopen.” Oil prices held steady today but are still very high. But but but: Iranian leaders aren’t even open to talking about reopening the strait amid the continuing Israeli-U.S. attacks on them, Bloomberg’s Samy Adghirni and colleagues scooped. War report: An Israeli attack today killed Ali Mohammad Naini, the spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran continued going after regional energy infrastructure, hitting a Kuwaiti oil refinery, and fired missiles at Israel. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also reported incoming attacks. More than 4,200 people are now dead, with millions displaced. And Lebanon increasingly worries about a major Israeli ground invasion, NBC’s Raf Sanchez and colleagues report from Beirut. Notable: Russia made an offer to the U.S. that it would stop sharing intelligence with Iran if the U.S. followed suit with Ukraine, POLITICO’s Hans von der Burchard and colleagues scooped. But the U.S. said no. On the Hill: As the White House readies a massive war supplemental funding request, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told Playbook’s Dasha Burns on tonight’s episode of C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire” that Congress won’t give a green light without hearings. “I support the war, and if they need more money, I’m going to vote to give it to them,” Kennedy said. “But my mama didn’t raise a fool, and if she did, it was one of my brothers. I’m not going to give them a blank check.” Watch the clip The domestic impact: A majority of Americans say they’ve been at least somewhat affected by rising gas prices since the war began in the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling. And nearly nine in 10 expect them to keep going up, as Trump’s approval rating on the cost of living sits at 29 percent. A new Emerson poll aligns with other recent surveys, showing the war to be unpopular with Americans, though not overwhelmingly so: Forty-seven percent of likely voters oppose the U.S. military action in Iran, while 40 percent support it. (Trump’s overall approval rating here is 42 percent, while Democrats have a 7-point lead on the generic congressional ballot.) One battle after another: Many small businesses that have spent the past year scrambling to contain fallout from Trump’s tariffs are now staring down a second hit from oil and gas prices, WaPo’s Rachel Siegel reports. Prolonged uncertainty, at a minimum, seems likely. Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop us a line at eokun@politico.com and mgray@politico.com.
| | | | A message from BlackRock: The world will need up to $85 trillion over the next 15 years to modernize and build the infrastructure of the future. BlackRock is proud to support the development of skilled tradespeople to help meet growing infrastructure demand across the U.S. Click here to watch. | | | | | | 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. THE BRAVE NEW WORLD: The White House officially rolled out its legislative proposal for the first national AI regulatory framework today, which would establish a “consistent” standard across the country, Fox News’ Brooke Singman scooped. The policy blueprint would preempt state laws on many AI-related areas and take a light touch to regulation, while also wrapping in legislation around children’s online safety. The White House wants to get it passed this year, though significant congressional fights await. 2. SCHOOL DAZE: The Justice Department filed a major lawsuit against Harvard today, alleging that the school violated Jewish students’ civil rights by failing to address antisemitism sufficiently, The Crimson’s Hugo Chiasson and Elise Spenner report. The administration wants to claw back federal funding Harvard received while it was allegedly in violation of the law. It’s the latest escalation by Trump after a year of clashes and talks that have yet to produce a settlement. Harvard fought back against the news, saying the school is already tackling antisemitism and that this is “another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government.” 3. MAKING HIMSELF HURD: Weeks after Trump yanked his endorsement of Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) over tariff disloyalty — and freaked out some Republicans in the competitive district — the president made an about-face today, POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy and Meredith Lee Hill report. It’s a victory for House GOP leaders, who’d been lobbying Trump to get back on board with Hurd and jettison primary challenger Hope Scheppelman. That’s exactly what happened, as Trump announced Scheppelman will end her campaign to instead join the administration — though he doesn’t yet have a specific job for her nailed down. 4. BANNED AID: The future of foreign aid under the Trump administration is officially here — and it’s small. Foreign aid staffing will be consolidated to around 200 people under a new disaster and humanitarian response bureau in the State Department, Bloomberg’s Eric Martin reports. “That’s about a third of the equivalent number of people who worked on humanitarian assistance for the now defunct agency [USAID],” per Bloomberg.
| | | | POLITICO's Economy Summit Join POLITICO’s Economy Summit on March 25 for discussions with government and industry leaders about the policy decisions that will determine tomorrow’s market risks and opportunities. Hear from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Gary Cohn, and more. RSVP to attend in person or virtually. | | | | | 5. THE FOREVER DEPLOYMENT: “Pentagon plans to keep National Guard in DC into 2029, 2 US officials say,” by ABC’s Steven Beynon: “The Pentagon is planning to maintain the National Guard’s federal mission in Washington, D.C., until Jan. 20, 2029, through the rest of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to two U.S. officials. The plan is in its final stages and just requires Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s final approval. Both officials said they expect Hegseth to sign the plan. … Some 2,865 National Guard troops are currently deployed in D.C.” 6. RETIREMENT WATCH: “Wall Street turmoil muddies Trump’s pitch to boost 401(k)s,” by POLITICO’s Declan Harty: “The Labor Department is planning to roll out a long-awaited proposal that would offer workers invested in retirement products like 401(k)s access to the so-called private markets … Yet the push may land at the worst possible moment: The roughly $2 trillion private credit industry — a major piece of the broader private markets where risky companies obtain loans from Wall Street firms that fall outside the highly regulated banking system — is facing a reckoning from investors.” 7. IMMIGRATION FILES: In recent weeks, the number of children being held in ICE detention at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center is down to 53 children from 500, NYT’s Sarah Mervosh and colleagues report. “A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity attributed the decline [of detained families] to several factors, including new deportations from Dilley, the Border Patrol sending fewer families to Dilley who had recently crossed into the United States and a court requirement to release children from custody after a certain period of time.” Meanwhile, in a South Texas detention center, 10 women ranging from six to eight months pregnant received treatment that ran counter to agency guidelines, NYT’s Caroline Kitchener and colleagues report. In some cases, the women shared instances of being fed food with cockroaches on it and water that tasted like bleach. They’re “conditions that medical experts say can jeopardize the health of mothers and their babies.” A hiccup in the crackdown: “Trump bank immigration order delayed amid Wall Street pushback,” by WaPo’s Andrew Ackerman: “The Trump administration has delayed an executive order that could have required banks to collect and report more information on the immigration status of their customers, after Wall Street and small community lenders pushed back on that plan.” 8. KFILE STRIKES AGAIN: “A top FEMA official has history of violent rhetoric and said he once teleported to Waffle House,” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck: “Gregg Phillips, appointed in December to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, rose to prominence not through his time as a federal emergency management professional but as a far-right activist who spread conspiracy theories about voter fraud and frequently used violent rhetoric toward political opponents. Most notably, Phillips on multiple podcasts made bizarre claims to have been involuntarily teleported.” Phillips said a year ago that he wanted to punch Joe Biden in the mouth: “He is a nasty, shitty, crappy human being, and he deserves to die. And I hope he does.” DHS responded that the reporting is “so silly it’s barely worth acknowledging.” 9. CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS: The U.S. is pushing Brazil to strike an agreement that would see the countries work together to extract and sell millions of tons of critical minerals in Brazil, NYT’s Ana Ionova and Ju Faddul report. “The United States wants to invest billions of dollars in Brazilian critical minerals, a U.S. embassy spokesman said, and has identified at least 50 potential projects.” But so far, Brazil hasn’t gotten on board, amid concerns about autonomy over its resources.
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Skilled trades are critical to the future of infrastructure investment. Learn more. | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | A TOUGH DAY AT CBS — Six percent of CBS News staffers got pink slips today, shrinking the newsroom due to both financial struggles and a strategic realignment under the Bari Weiss era, CNN’s Brian Stelter reports. (The number of layoffs was lower than some had speculated.) Most notably, the cuts include the outright end of CBS News Radio, which will deliver its last broadcast in May. Its storied 99-year legacy stretches back to some giants of the field, including Edward R. Murrow’s dispatches from World War II. CBS’ layoffs also include some at the D.C. bureau and in politics reporting, like Hunter Woodall and Nick Kurtz. AND THE AWARD GOES TO — Bill Maher is expected to receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center prior to its two-year closure, The Atlantic’s Jonathan Fischer and Ashley Parker scooped. Wait, what? The same Bill Maher who has frequently feuded — though occasionally broken bread — with Trump? “Last month, Trump called Maher a ‘highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT’ … [Trump also] briefly sued Maher for suggesting that his father was an orangutan. … [One source] said that Maher had been offered the award — and that Trump had been supportive of the idea — but was not sure whether Maher had accepted it.” TOP TALKER — “Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child,” by NYT’s Megan Twohey and colleagues: “Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor. Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. He reached out to a top official at [ICE], explaining that his ex was in the country illegally … Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back. … [She] was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported.” Zampolli told the NYT that he hadn’t asked for a favor, just inquired about her case. DHS said the idea that “she was arrested and removed for political reasons or favors is FALSE.” PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — The 15th Street bike lane through much of Northwest D.C. will start coming down Monday, The 51st’s Martin Austermuhle reports. The National Park Service will begin the work as the Trump administration cracks down on bike lanes, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said make congestion worse. Local advocates are outraged, saying the bike lane has helped lower crashes and actually eased car travel times. TRUMP INC. — “Trumps, on a Deal-Making Spree, Turn Next to Transylvania,” by NYT’s Rebecca Ruiz and Andrei Petre in Bucharest and Cluj, Romania: “The president’s company is eyeing a site for a golf course and luxury apartments. Will a huge landfill and a troubled project history stand in the way?” OUT AND ABOUT — Advancing American Freedom’s Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law hosted its annual Originalism Lecture last night, this year from award recipient and Notre Dame professor Sherif Girgis. SPOTTED: Justice Samuel Alito, John Malcolm, Joel Alicea, Robert Alt, Josh Blackman, Sheldon Gilbert, Greg Jacobs, Sarah Perry, Hans von Spakovsky, Ilya Shapiro and Ed Whelan. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is bringing 10 staffers of hers over to the State Department, who will report to her in her capacity as special envoy for The Shield of the Americas – Western Hemisphere, an administration official told POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. The DHS staffers moving departments are Joe Guy, Troup Hemenway, Steven Munoz, Giovanna Cinelli, Joseph Mazzara, Josh King, Zach Watson, Octavian Miller, Jayden Bies and Josh Sedore. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Thomas Kingsley, director of financial services and housing policy at the American Action Forum, and Aaron Kingsley, project leader at BCG, welcomed Felix Kingsley today. He joins big brother Hugo. 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. | | | | 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.
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