Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: One man. 1,000 hours of 2028ers.

One man. 1,000 hours of 2028ers.

Apr 04, 2026

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With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray

Good Saturday morning. This is Adam Wren, writing from Indianapolis where we’re playing host to the NCAA Men’s basketball Final Four today. The city is bumping, and your author is pulling for Michigan and Illinois. If you’re in town, everyone will tell you to try the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo, of course, where Charles Barkley was signing autographs, but don’t sleep on the local boy Kurt Vonnegut-inspired Bluebeard or, a little further out, Tinker Street. Get in touch.

DRIVING THE DAY

NOW PLAYING: No one knows the prospective 2028 Democratic presidential primary field like Jesse Lehrich.

The nonprofit consultant and former foreign policy spokesperson for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign coped with his party’s loss in November 2024 by listening to a ton of podcasts — particularly those that featured Democrats searching for a way to pull the party out of the political wilderness.

Walking up to 10 miles a day around his then-Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, Lehrich started on Nov. 12 with an episode of The Realignment podcast featuring California Rep. Ro Khanna.

And then he just … didn’t stop.

Since then, he estimates he’s listened to more than 1,000 hours of ambitious would-be Democratic presidential candidates talking, logging over 600 episodes in a Google spreadsheet called the Big, Beautiful 2028 Tracker. He listens at 2.5x speed.

What does listening to 1,000 hours of Democrats talking on podcasts do to a person?

Turns out, it also makes him want to … start a podcast. Lehrich’s co-host Rob Flaherty, former deputy campaign manager for former President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris, described the forthcoming “Nobody Knows Anything” streaming show as “Drunk Morning Joe, but for YouTube. We’re hoping to talk to Senate staffers with insider information and also the regular viewer who is about to lose a Kalshi bet to that Senate staffer.”

The same week that OpenAI’s Sam Altman made waves by purchasing the streaming tech talk show TBPN, the duo announced they’re launching a TBPN-inspired streaming show focused on drawing an insidery audience of political staffers, and building out from there.

Lehrich, 36, who describes his politics as “heterodox and bullshit-intolerant,” knows all the candidates’ stump speeches, knows how they filibuster or sidestep a tough question. He knows how Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spends 80 percent of his time focused on things that matter to 100 percent of the people. Knows how California Gov. Gavin Newsom likes the turn of phrase ‘not the rule of law but the rule of Don.’ He knows how Khanna likes to drop his Epstein Class phrase and how former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg likes to have listeners envision two different futures and ask which one Democrats want to tell their kids about when asked about the 2020s.

“I just think I have a better sense of who these guys are,” Lehrich told Playbook, “and less free time.”

Lehrich has already reached some early conclusions about the field that some New Hampshire primary voters might need three house parties with a candidate to arrive at. He doesn’t find Beshear nor Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly particularly engaging listens, though he recognizes they have other strengths as potential nominees.

“I just think some of these guys may struggle to break through in the attention economy and a comically crowded field,” he said. “You can have all the qualifications in the world and a good story to tell, but it doesn’t much matter if people don’t hear it.”

And he thinks the rest of the field could have a problem keeping up with the best and most interesting talkers in Newsom and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and just below them, Buttigieg. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego’s authenticity — Lehrich clocks him occasionally fumbling over a word in a way that somehow adds texture — will take him further than expected.

As for their own show, Lehrich and Flaherty say they’ll have balls-and-strikes, inside baseball discussions that also dissect 2028 presidential campaign hires as if they’re NBA trades — all of which will be informed by the new conventional wisdom of the prediction markets. They also want to host the 2028 candidates themselves.

First in Playbook: The first episode will debut on Sunday, April 12 at 8 p.m. and feature MS NOW’s Jen Psaki and Republican strategist Liam Donovan.

“TBPN grew by being an insiders show. It has a small audience [but] it was influential so it was super advertiseable,” Flaherty told Playbook. “News and politics is a slightly less monetizable category, but the audience is much bigger. So the theory (which we will see if it works) is there’s white space for a show that’s fun for insiders and insightful for outsiders.”

In his own continuing quest to divine the direction of the Democratic Party through his intense listening habits, Lehrich has also realized what he sees as the field’s glaring weakness: They don’t all have a post-Trump vision for the future or a sense of their own part in it quite yet.

“Maybe the answer is, like, ‘we gotta get past the midterms, and it's too early,’ but there are a lot of Democrats that, to me, still feel like they are trying to calibrate what the electorate wants, rather than having a clear sense of what they believe and where they think we should go,” Lehrich said.

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9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US

1. IRAN LATEST: Iranian forces are scouring for the missing U.S. pilot from one of two U.S. warplanes that they struck down over the Gulf, Reuters’ Hatem Maher and Phil Stewart report. Two crew members were already rescued, but the back-to-back hits are raising the stakes in the war after Trump claimed the U.S. had total control of the skies. Iran’s leadership has left the door open in theory to peace talks, but they haven’t budged far on demands. There’s been 365 service members wounded in the course of the war and 13 dead, as of Friday, per AP.

More reports are raising questions about the war’s effectiveness: the Iranian drone strike on the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia did more damage than was reported, WSJ’s Stephen Kalin and colleagues scoop. Iranian operatives are digging up underground bunkers and silos struck by U.S. bombs and returning them to operation, as well as retaining a significant amount of their missiles and launchers, per NYT’s Julian Barnes and Eric Schmitt. And U.S. intelligence reports say Iran looks no closer to letting go of its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters’ Jonathan Landay and colleagues scoop.

How it’s playing: The economic pain is growing more consequential across the U.S. Amazon is adding a fuel surcharge to deliveries, mortgage rates are up and prices for products like soda or detergents are primed to spike, WaPo’s David Lynch writes. Even if the war were to end soon, the economic impact could still hang around for months.

2. BUDGET WOES: In the newly released White House budget request — which proposes an eye-popping $1.5 trillion in defense spending — Trump is continuing his targeting of federal programs the administration views as “woke,” NYT’s Luke Broadwater and Michael Bender report. The request asks for a 10 percent cut in non-defense spending, cutting into several programs in the Commerce and Education Departments.

Trump also plans to spend $377 million renovating the White House executive residence this year (an 866 percent increase) and $174 million on top of it next year, per POLITICO’s Ben Johansen. Part of this includes mandatory spending from donations for the White House ballroom. The administration is also asking for $10 billion for D.C. beautification projects, per WaPo, and $152 million to restore Alcatraz to a maximum security prison, per NYT. More from POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook

Speaking of funding: Trump officially directed DHS to use funds to pay all employees during the record partial shutdown, which looks poised to continue through next week at the very least, per Bloomberg’s Hadriana Lowenkron.

3. RFK JR. ON THE ROAD: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is kicking off his new midterms strategy to sell MAHA to voters, pitching his food and fitness policies across crucial Republican Senate and House races — many of which fall in 2028 swing states, POLITICO’s Cheyenne Haslett and Erin Doherty report. It’ll test his influence and the possible endurance of his MAHA agenda in the GOP, as an administration official called RFK Jr. “one of our most requested surrogates.” But he’ll avoid the controversies: “Kennedy is not expected to focus on his agency’s attempts to decrease the number of vaccines recommended for children.”

All in the family: After his launch for retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-N.Y.) congressional seat went viral, Jack Schlossberg has another viral advantage unlike any other candidate: the hit TV show “Love Story” about his family, AP’s Anthony Izaguirre reports. “They don’t just like me because I’m a Kennedy,” he told AP. “Ask them how they feel about RFK Jr.”

4. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S PAPERS: “Trump admin’s challenge of Watergate-era records law alarms historians,” by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein: “The Trump administration’s abrupt declaration that the federal law governing presidential records for the past 48 years is unconstitutional is creating confusion about access to records of past presidencies … The Wednesday memo from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which challenges the Presidential Records Act, appears intended to give President Donald Trump the legal leeway to destroy White House records from his current term. It also gives him legal backing to refuse to hand over any remaining records to the National Archives and Records Administration.”

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5. DUSTING OFF THE CABINET: The cloud over Trump’s Cabinet is only growing as questions swirl about whether the president is priming to replace more of his top right-hands. Both the NYT and WaPo reported that more replacements are on Trump’s mind — but he may only have so long to line up confirmation for new Cabinet members ahead of the midterm season. He’s been quizzing allies on how Cabinet officials are doing, with multiple reports naming Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. But DNI Tulsi Gabbard is “safe” in her role, per WaPo. Pentagon officials say Hegseth has some worries that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll might be up for his job, NY Post’s Steven Nelson scoops.

Must-read: “Judge Jeanine’s Big Audition,” by N.Y. Mag’s Ben Terris: “Many in Trumpworld are circling the newly open job of attorney general. Jeanine Pirro may be the most recklessly loyal.”

6. FED UP: “Judge bats down DOJ bid to revive subpoenas to Fed,” by POLITICO’s Victoria Guida and Josh Gerstein: “A federal judge on Friday reaffirmed his decision to block subpoenas from the Justice Department to the Federal Reserve on the grounds that the probe appears to be driven by a political vendetta … Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote that the question at hand is whether the DOJ is using its investigation into the Fed’s headquarters renovations to pressure Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. … [Pirro], who is overseeing the investigation, has already promised to appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.”

7. PRO-LIFE PRESIDENT?: The Trump administration is doubling down on the conservative overhaul of the Title X family planning program from Trump’s first term, with HHS posting new guidance that makes no mention of contraception and promotes “natural family planning methods” at sexual health clinics, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein writes. “Participating clinics are currently in their last year of a five-year grant that was awarded based on criteria created by the Biden administration, but those that don’t align with the Trump administration’s new vision could have difficulty securing more funding next year.”

8. DON’T TRUST THE APPS: “The White House App Is Riddled With Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities,” by NOTUS’ Emily Kennard and Samuel Larreal: “Cybersecurity researchers warn that the White House’s new app regularly shares users’ IP addresses, time zones and other data to third-party services. But most of its users wouldn’t know that, because the app doesn’t disclose its data sharing the way most others do. The cybersecurity experts’ reviews of the app code turned up a host of issues that they say make data — for both users and some White House staffers — vulnerable.”

9. SPORTS BLINK: “Trump again orders changes to ‘save’ college sports,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Rick Maese: “Trump on Friday again waded into contentious issues around college sports, ordering the field’s governing bodies to create new regulations around name, image and likeness (NIL) rules, calling for limits on athletes’ ability to transfer schools, and urging more funding for women’s sports. … The order comes alongside a pair of college sports’ most-watched events — the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. But it also arrives at a time of deep uncertainty for college athletics.”

A message from Anthropic:

Anthropic's Economic Index found AI helps most with the hardest work, not the simplest. See the data

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 funnies

political cartoon

GREAT WEEKEND READS:

— “He Helped Stop Iran from Getting the Bomb,” by The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick: “A former C.I.A. officer says that he recruited scientists as part of the United States’ effort to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.”

— “The Rise of a Spanish-Language News Influencer,” by The New Yorker’s Graciela Mochkofsky: “How Carlos Eduardo Espina reaches millions of followers.”

— “The Dog Owners Taking Their Injured Corgis and Doodles to Tijuana,” by Helaine Olen for N.Y. mag: “Mexico is to pet MRIs what Turkey has become for hair transplants.”

— “Someday in Tehran,” by The Atlantic’s Laura Secor: “The heartbreak of hoping for a democratic Iran.”

— “Why Catholicism is drawing in Gen Z men,” by WaPo’s Shane O’Neill: “Young men in their 20s and 30s are increasingly drawn to the Catholic Church as they seek truth, beauty and, yes, girlfriends.”

— “The Woman Who Made the Machine That Made Zohran Mamdani,” by The New Yorker’s Molly Fischer: “Tascha Van Auken helped turn the D.S.A. into an electoral force. What will she do inside City Hall?”

— “Trump’s Cozy Transportation Secretary,” by The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer: “Sean Duffy is partnering with the industries he regulates in new ways.”

TALK OF THE TOWN

WALK IT OFF — When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker joined the Trump administration’s bipartisan effort to cut a social media video in honor of National Walking Day on April 1, he joined GOP governors like Arkansas’ Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who did the same. But the @GOP X account made a joke at Pritzker’s expense the next day: “Well, there’s a first time for everything,” the post said.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz personally texted Pritzker to thank him for posting the video, according to a person briefed on the interaction. Asked whether Oz shared the sentiment of the GOP account’s post, CMS spokesperson Chris Krepich told Playbook: “If you’re short enough on column space that you’re texting me about this, then he’d encourage you to take a walk and consider covering that Oz joined with the [American Heart Association], invited all 50 govs to participate, and hopefully made the country a little healthier.”

LOOKING STATELY — “No more casual: State Department imposes first-ever dress code on diplomats,” by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips: “The State Department has added business formal dress code guidance to its internal policy manual for the first time, establishing department-wide standards for employee attire. The changes, implemented in recent days in the Foreign Affairs Manual — the department’s central repository for policies — mark the first time the agency has formally codified expectations for how diplomats and staff should dress in official settings.”

WILD READ — “No One at Waffle House Remembers FEMA Official Who Says He Teleported In,” by NYT’s Richard Fausset: “Indeed, among roughly two dozen workers and regulars interviewed this week at Rome’s three Waffle House locations, none said they were aware of anyone traveling to the 24-hour restaurants by paranormal means, despite their reputation as powerful magnets for the sort of idiosyncratic characters who tend to surf the psychic fringes of the American South.”

TRANSITION — Madison Sifford is now comms coordinator at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. She previously worked at Culpeper Farmers Cooperative.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Brigid Gleason, director of operations for Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), and Daniel Gleason, VP at Thorn Run Partners, welcomed Robert Thomas Gleason on March 25.

— Cathy Le, a software engineer at Black Cape, and George O’Connor, director of public affairs at Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, recently welcomed Gilson Le O'Connor. Pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Allan Lichtman … Treasury’s Warren Ryan … Michael Halle … NYT’s Jo Becker … Michael Leach … Business Roundtable’s Molly Edwards Connor … Forbes Tate Partners’ Dan Jacobs … Department of Commerce’s Bridget Spurlock … Charles Halloran … Bloomberg Tax’s Heather Rothman … Jeffrey Ekoma … Michael Merola of Winning Strategies Washington … Meg Thurlow of GE Aerospace … Molly Mitchell of Mitchell Media … NBC’s Joy Wang … Chris Crawford of Rep. Buddy Carter’s (R-Ga.) office … Targeted Victory’s Nick Snow … POLITICO’s Tilovon Crite … former Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.) … Jake Olson … former NSA Director Bobby Ray Inman … Jennifer Humphrey … former Sen. Mo Cowan (D-Mass.) … Delaware AG Kathy Jennings … ABC’s Julia Cherner … Dave Vasquez of the Senate Armed Services Committee … Trent Benishek … Bruce Wolpe … Ali Rubin … Emma Horn of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni … Katie Brennan … Jenna Mayhew of Sen. Chris Coons’ (D-Del.) office

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Susan Glasser, Jeh Johnson and Marc Short.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore … Timothy Broglio. Panel: Amy Walter, David Sanger and Jeff Mason.

ABC “This Week”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio). Elections panel: Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt and Stephen Richer. Panel: Rachel Scott, Donna Brazile, Chris Christie and Doug Heye.

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.). Panel: Richard Fowler, Hugh Hewitt, Howard Kurtz and Meridith McGraw.

CNN “State of the Union”: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman … Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). Panel: Susan Wild, Scott Jennings, Bill Stepien and Nayyera Haq.

MS NOW “Alex Witt Reports”: Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) ... Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) … retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner … Denver Riggleman.

PBS “Compass Points”: Thomas Reese … Joseph Capizzi … Stephen White … Annie Selak.

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) … Erick Erickson … Mitch Landrieu.

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