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By Eli Okun |
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THE CATCH-UP |
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President Donald Trump’s recent pivot toward working more with Russian President Vladimir Putin has reopened rifts in Europe and on the Hill. | Francis Chung/POLITICO |
THE UKRAINE QUESTION: Is the Trump administration turning against Ukraine — or holding steady in support while trying to negotiate an end to the war? That question has surged back to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy fights and European worries over the past week. And even as most members of Congress focus on the midterms, the Ukraine/Russia fallout is quickly rippling across the Hill too. Star wars: In Kyiv, the most pressing matter is whether and why the U.S. has choked off access to crucial intelligence and technologies, like the Starshield satellite program, that Ukraine needs to protect itself from Russia’s war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today the first of Moscow’s latest ballistic missile attacks, which killed several people overnight, arrived without any preemptive notice from Ukraine’s partners. This came after Zelenskyy claimed over the weekend that the U.S. had temporarily stopped some intelligence sharing, though it had since restarted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling today in Uzbekistan, rebutted Zelenskyy’s comments. “I don’t know where he’s getting these things or why he’s saying these things to the press,” Rubio said in Samarkand. “You should go back and ask him. There’s been no pause.” Rubio added that Washington was squarely focused on ending the war — and that Kyiv should be too. The U.S. has also denied reporting that an order to limit Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield had come from the White House. But President Donald Trump’s recent pivot toward working more with Russian President Vladimir Putin — easing sanctions, striking a diesel deal, casting Ukraine as a greater impediment to peace — has opened a greater rift between him and Zelenskyy. With an eye on global gas prices, he has blamed Ukraine for attacking Russian refineries, though Russia hasn’t ceased energy attacks either. Zelenskyy has said he’ll stop if Putin will. Zelenskyy today accused Trump (though not by name) of a double standard, writing on Telegram that “deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defence are blocked while Russia is granted relief or delays in sanctions.” It’s “a denial of reality,” he added. Ukrainian officials told The Kyiv Independent’s Tim Zadorozhnyy and Jimmy Rushton that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has held up Patriot missiles, though one U.S. official said that was false. Rubio stressed, like Trump, that their focus is driving the conflict to an end. Trump yesterday claimed significant progress in talks with Russia, including hostage negotiations. But his embrace of Putin continues to kick up a bipartisan backlash in Congress, where Ukraine allies in both parties are threatening action. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in a statement they held a bipartisan call with Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader informed them, the senators said, that “critical Starlink services remain degraded” and intelligence-sharing disruptions have led to children dying. Moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) today vowed that Congress will hold hearings to investigate whether any part of the government choked off Starshield — and instantly slash the budget for any person or agency that did. Fitzpatrick said he’ll speak with Zelenskyy this week to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) this weekend warned Elon Musk, “Subpoenas are coming” to investigate Starlink and Russia. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said Russia is at a low point and Trump should use the sanctions. Fitzpatrick also pledged action to make sure military aid to Ukraine keeps going, Russia sanctions remain and Russian oil stays blocked: “Each and every one of these items will be brought to the House Floor,” he wrote, “and each and every one of these items will pass on the House Floor by an overwhelming margin.” Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
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A message from OpenAI: Supporting the blind community with ChatGPT.
Brothers Bradford and Bryan Manning lost most of their vision due to a genetic condition, but the disease has never stopped them from moving forward. Now, ChatGPT is helping them navigate life with greater independence while growing their nonprofit that supports the blind community. Whether they’re reading a menu or analyzing fundraising data, ChatGPT turns visual information into answers they can hear and act on. Learn more. |
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7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW |
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1. TOP TALKER: “Secret pay-for-play text rocks Trump White House,” by Axios’ Marc Caputo: “Top Trump adviser Ric Grenell allegedly outlined a stunning pay-for-influence offer to a Turkish billionaire [Turhan Mildon] … according to a text message, reviewed by Axios, that the White House counsel is investigating. ‘Once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to Kennedy Centre [sic], and you’ll be joining the VIP events and get close with the administration, even with POTUS,’ the May 3, 2025, text says. Grenell has called the accusations ‘lies’ and denied sending the text message. … It’s unclear what the Congo contract was for, how it related to the Kennedy Center or what the financial specifics were.” 2. SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court took up its next big school diversity test, announcing today it will hear arguments over whether the admissions lottery for Montgomery County, Maryland, middle school magnet programs discriminates against Asian Americans, per Bloomberg. The justices also said they’ll consider whether to strike down an 1868 law on home spirits distilling, per NBC. But they rejected an appeal from the alleged 9/11 masterminds, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who’d contested then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s rejection of their plea deal, per NBC. 3. VALLEY TALK: Big Tech’s pivot toward Trump has solidified the industry as newly GOP-coded in the eyes of Americans. The sea change is clear in the latest POLITICO Poll results, in which more people think nearly every top tech CEO is a Republican than think he’s a Democrat — and that holds true even for a made-up CEO name slipped into the mix to test the trend, Calder McHugh reports. Across a variety of industries, Americans also believe tech and AI are the biggest financial backers of Republicans. 4. WAR REPORT: In Tehran, Iranian leaders are ultra-focused on pressing as many pain points as possible for Trump in the weeks before the election, viewing this as a moment of maximum leverage on oil prices, WaPo’s Susannah George reports. That means you can expect to keep seeing more attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, even as the U.S. has managed to get oil exports out of the region significantly higher.
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Shaping American Influence From the Meridian Summit to the Meridian Ball, a look back at two signature moments that brought leaders together to discuss American influence and celebrate diplomacy. |
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5. KNOWING THE MANDELS: Low-key Connecticut billionaire couple Steve and Sue Mandel have become crucial funders of an effort to reinvigorate the Democratic Party with energetic, young candidates from the center-left, WSJ’s Maggie Severns reports. As big backers of Majority Democrats, the Mandels want to find a way forward for the party that matches the left’s viral appeal without alienating swing voters. They’re also behind the Searchlight Institute, The Bench and The Argument. 6. THE LOAN LURCH: “Trump Aides Are Getting Ready to Penalize Defaulting Student Loan Borrowers,” by The Washington Sun’s Jeff Stein and Kadia Goba: “The Treasury Department is moving forward with plans to hire private debt collectors … possibly as soon as November. [Three] sources said those plans are unlikely to be announced before the midterm elections. … [It] shows the administration gearing up to move forward with a policy it previously put on hold out of concern for the potential consequences for the nearly 10 million borrowers in default. … The administration’s preference remains to get borrowers into a plan where they will make voluntary payments.” 7. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Ahead of Trump’s Friday rally in Fort Myers, Florida, the Trump 47 Committee is looking to raise big bucks from VIPs, per an invite obtained by Playbook. A $250,000 donation — or $500,000 raise — garners “premier rally sponsor” designation, while a photo op is worth $50,000. More trail mix: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will get a bipartisan boost as Joe Manchin heads to Maine to campaign with her this week, touting her work across the aisle in Washington, Semafor’s Burgess Everett scooped. Race for the House: In Southwest Washington state, Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has to hang on against a more mainstream GOP opponent than she’s had before — and in a blue wave, she could soon be joined by more similar swing-seat moderate Dems in the House, AP’s Jonathan Cooper reports from Chehalis. Though Republican nominee John Braun is a tough challenger, WaPo’s Myla Roundy revealed that his company was cited for child labor violations multiple times last year. Braun said his business shouldn’t be a part of the campaign and that the violations were aberrations. Cash dash: Unlike Republicans’ massive financial advantage in key Senate races, the House battleground has much nearer spending parity, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher reports. That may suggest both parties are already bracing for the lower chamber to flip.
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A message from OpenAI:  
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TALK OF THE TOWN |
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FIREWORKS OVER THE POTOMAC — “Judge tees off on DOJ official over Trump golf course,” by POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein: “The radius of the storm expanded Monday to include the Justice Department’s third-ranking official, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who had urged [Judge Ana] Reyes to recuse herself … ‘I’m the one who’s going to say how we move today,’ Reyes said in one unusually tense exchange with Woodward. “Several of the sharpest retorts came after Reyes opened the hearing by demanding to know which of the government attorneys on the case were willing to sign their names to a DOJ filing Sunday that Woodward signed alone. ‘I don’t think that’s an appropriate action, your honor,’ Woodward said, declaring that such a demand would put those lawyers ‘in an incredibly untenable’ situation. ‘I don’t care what you think,’ the judge told Woodward, before walking back the barb.” MEDIA MOVE — Christiane Amanpour announced she’ll leave CNN in June, after 43 years at the network. She said in a statement she “looks forward to interesting new projects down the line, and will always be rooting for CNN and maintaining its history of independent journalism.” More from CNN CENTER OF ATTENTION — With the Kennedy Center closed, some patrons and artists are worried about what will happen to hundreds of artworks at the theater, some donated by other countries, CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty and Chelsea Bailey report. Certain donors are trying to devise plans to get their pieces moved elsewhere, though the center’s officials say everything will be kept safe. HEADLINE OF THE DAY — “One Bottle After Another,” by N.Y. Mag’s Matt Stieb: Greg Bovino “has been on a tour of conservative shows since March … He has also been on the far-right circuit in Europe … He has also been hunting, mostly squirrels. And in the U.S., he has been doing select events … But what he really wants to do is distill. In the first week of October, Bovino launched a private-label bourbon called Commander’s Choice.” TRANSITION — Ashleigh Cooper is now chief of staff at Raben. She previously worked at Management Leadership for Tomorrow. WEEKEND WEDDING — Krista Viksnins, an attorney at the State Department, and Alexander Sherrow, a software engineer at General Atomics, got married Saturday at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, with a reception at the St. Regis. They met online in 2022 and had their first date at East West Coffee in Arlington. Pic, via Kir Tuben … Another pic … SPOTTED: Latvian Ambassador Elita Kuzma. 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 editors Giuseppe Macri, Garrett Ross and Kyler Alvord. Correction: Friday’s Playbook PM misstated the amount of money Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) leadership PAC has transferred to the Abdul El-Sayed campaign. It is $250,000.
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