| | | |  | | By Eli Okun | Presented by United for Cures | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | BREAKING: “Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as its top court strikes down laws, including first US pill ban,” by AP’s Mead Gruver
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“You have so many good nuggets,” President Donald Trump told House Republicans. “You have to use them.” | Evan Vucci/AP | THE MESSAGE: President Donald Trump sought to rally House Republicans this morning, exhorting them in an 84-minute speech to take action on health care and do a better job selling the GOP’s achievements to the public ahead of the midterms. “You have so many good nuggets,” Trump told lawmakers assembled at the Kennedy Center. “You have to use them.” If Republicans lose the House this fall, he warned, Democrats will impeach him and the country will “go to hell.” The health care pitch: With enhanced Obamacare subsidies already expired, Trump encouraged Republicans to spring for health savings accounts to soften the blow of skyrocketing costs. “Let the money go directly to the people where they can buy their own health care,” he said. Notably, Trump told them that “you have to be a little flexible on Hyde,” referring to the Hyde amendment, which blocks federal money for abortions and has been a sticking point in bipartisan health care talks on the Hill. More from POLITICO’s Megan Messerly Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters today that there’s “potentially a path forward” on ACA talks, but Hyde remains “probably the most challenging part of this.” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla) today offered a rejoinder to Trump that encapsulated the instant reaction from conservatives in Congress: “I’m not flexible on the value of every child’s life.” The politics: In the wake of Democrats’ recent election victories, and as Republicans brace for the typical midterm backlash against the party in power, Trump sounded befuddled by the GOP’s struggles. “I wish you could explain to me what the hell’s going on with the mind of the public — because we have the right policy,” he said, going on to describe Democrats as “violent” and “vicious people.” He urged Republicans to play up their record on the border, prescription drug prices and more. (Trump also repeated familiar lies about the 2020 election’s legitimacy, having “won” Minnesota and the end of murders in D.C.) MORE NEWS FROM THE TRAIL: Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) is getting close to launching a Senate campaign against GOP incumbent Dan Sullivan, which would be a major recruitment win for Senate Dems, Axios’ Hans Nichols scooped. She’s now started meeting with potential campaign managers — though hasn’t ruled out running for governor instead — and will likely make an announcement in the coming weeks. Republicans have a clear edge in Alaska, but Peltola has won twice statewide under the ranked-choice voting system. Empire State of mind: Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) officially kicked off his reelection bid as he faces a strong primary challenger from the left in Brad Lander, NYT’s Nicholas Fandos reports. Lander, backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has hammered Goldman in particular over his support for Israel. But Goldman is fighting back with a message that portrays him as an effective fighter against Trump and touts his support for progressive policies. He quickly picked up support today from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other House Dem leaders. Another notable launch: Jim Ellison jumped into the Republican primary for New Mexico governor, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser scooped. The former commissioner on the state Public Regulation Commission is leaning into an affordability message that blames the state’s Democratic leaders for high electricity costs. Cash dash: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro raised more than $10 million in the fourth quarter and ended the year with a staggering $30 million on hand, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Benjamin Kail. Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from United for Cures: The United States leads the world in lifesaving medical research, and Americans benefit from its advances daily. Diagnoses that were once death sentences are now treatable and even curable. And more progress comes every year. We can't lose our leadership now. Millions still need cures — which means they still need federally-funded medical research that leads to more treatments, more cures, and more lives saved. Support Cures. Increase federal funding for lifesaving medical research in FY26. | | | | | | 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | 1. TRAGIC NEWS: Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) has died suddenly at 65, per POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Jeremy White. His death, after he suffered an aneurysm and then a heart attack, shocked colleagues in the House. The rice farmer, who represented rural northeastern California, had been a prominent figure on water, forestry and agriculture policy issues. Trump today lauded the former state legislator as “a great, great, great member” and “a fierce champion on California water issues.” Another shock: Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.) and his wife were in a bad car crash and are now hospitalized, per Meredith. Speaker Mike Johnson told lawmakers that the 80-year-old may be grappling with a spinal problem, though Trump announced that he will be OK. Baird’s office said he “is expected to make a full recovery.” Political impact: Most immediately, LaMalfa’s death and Baird’s hospitalization — on the heels of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation — shrink House Republicans’ already narrow majority to effectively two votes. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also has two weeks to set a special election to replace LaMalfa in the solidly Republican district. But it’s expected to flip to a solidly Democratic seat thanks to the forthcoming gerrymandered map in this fall’s general election. Today, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp set the special election to replace Greene for March 10. 2. THE NEW IMPERIALISM: On MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” today, Joe Scarborough said that he had a phone call with Trump yesterday about Venezuela in which the president said, “Joe, the difference between Iraq and this is that [George W.] Bush didn’t keep the oil. We’re going to keep the oil.” At the same time, if the U.S. blockade on Venezuelan oil continues, the country could face even deeper economic collapse and crisis, NYT’s Anatoly Kurmanaev reports from Caracas. The fallout at home: All senators will get briefed on Venezuela at 10 a.m. tomorrow by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, AG Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine. Politically, many Democrats are framing their response to Trump’s Venezuela actions through the lens of affordability, arguing that he’s abandoning America First as Americans struggle, POLITICO’s Andrew Howard and Alec Hernandez report. Beyond Venezuela: The leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the U.K. issued a joint statement today declaring that “Greenland belongs to its people” as the U.S. saber-rattles about taking it over. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” More from Reuters “Nobody can take us” militarily, Trump crowed today. “Nobody.” 3. VAX NOT: “Medical groups’ challenge to Kennedy-backed vaccine policies can proceed, US judge rules,” by Reuters’ Nate Raymond: “U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston rejected arguments by lawyers for President Donald Trump’s administration that the groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, lack legal standing to pursue the case because they could not show they were harmed by the policies.” 4. UKRAINE LATEST: The newest draft of the “coalition of the willing” statement on U.S. postwar security guarantees for Ukraine has a commitment that America would support a European-led security force in the event of another Russian attack, Bloomberg’s Andrea Palasciano and Donato Paolo Mancini report. The plan still needs sign-off from the U.S., but it comes as negotiators in Paris today signal that they’re close to an agreement. The draft also includes commitments for U.S. intelligence and logistics support. 5. FOR PETE’S SAKE: “New York Times Case Against Pentagon Will Move Quickly,” by NYT’s Erik Wemple: “The case is headed for oral arguments on March 6 in front of Judge Paul Friedman. … Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, has championed measures to claw back access and privileges that Pentagon reporters had enjoyed for years.” 6. 2028 WATCH: “The Front-Runner,” by The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis: “Gavin Newsom has a 30-page file of reasons the Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election. Bounding across his Sacramento office, he starts listing them: incumbency, inflation, interest rates, Israel — and that’s just the letter I. ‘Yes, too woke,’ he adds. ‘Yes, 107 days,’ referring to the short campaign after Joe Biden’s forced withdrawal. But the California governor distills his party’s problem down to one word. Weak.”
| | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | Anita Earls, a Democratic justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court who’s running for another term this year, announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer — but has a good prognosis and isn’t bowing out. TRUMP INC. — The world is still waiting on the golden, relatively cheap smartphone that the Trump Organization’s Trump Mobile announced it would release, AP’s Michael Liedtke reports. The timeline for the T1 phone has slipped, and it still isn’t clear whether it’ll be made in America. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — Compass Coffee filed for bankruptcy today and will likely close 11 of its locations in the D.C. area, especially where business has failed to bounce back post-pandemic downtown, WaPo’s Tim Carman reports. ANNALS OF INFLUENCERS — “How to Live Like a Wolff,” by NYT’s Rory Satran: “The author and Trump antagonist Michael Wolff has his wife, Victoria, to thank for his latest chapter: lifestyle influencer. Now she’s becoming one, too. … The Wolffs’ bucolic farmhouse, bought in 2021 for over $3 million, has become a nonstop content factory. It’s a very 2025 collision of the lurid news cycle with Instagram-friendly aesthetics.” OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Freedom 250’s Washington Monument Illumination of America, which commenced the country’s 250th-birthday festivities and concluded with a fireworks display last night, along with an Interior Department reception: Monica Crowley, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, VA Secretary Doug Collins, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Reps. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), Vince Haley, Sebastian Gorka, Kaelan Dorr, Brittany Baldwin, Keith Krach, Justin Caporale, Megan Small, Hannah Stone, Maggie Mulvaney, Danielle Alvarez, Jeff Freeland and Pete Meachum. MEDIA MOVES — Will Welch is stepping down as the top editor at GQ, he announced today, another big departure from Condé Nast. He’ll move into a new role working with Pharrell Williams in Paris. More from TheWrap … Will Jacobs will be a news research writer at Fox News. He currently works at the Associated Builders and Contractors. TRANSITIONS — Miller Strategies is adding former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) as of counsel and Natalie McIntyre as principal. McIntyre most recently worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and is a Bill Hagerty alum. … Kierra Newton is now West finance director at the DNC. She previously worked at Nareit/REITPAC and is a DCCC alum. … … Ted Sacasa is now senior associate director of federal relations at the American Hospital Association. He previously worked for Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). … The Progressive Policy Institute has named two new congressional policy fellows, Tala Alahmar (to be placed with the New Democrat Coalition) and Justin Littleford (with the Blue Dog Coalition). Alahmar previously was a fellow for Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.). Littleford previously was deputy political director at PPI. ENGAGED — Maggie Wedeman, an associate at Brunswick Group, and Samuel Klein, an associate at Perkins Coie, got engaged over the holiday break in California. They met briefly in college, where they competed against each other in a Mandarin speaking competition in 2014, and reconnected in 2022 while working in D.C. Pic 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 deputy editor Garrett Ross. | | | | 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 politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
