| | | |  | | By Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray | | Presented by |  | | | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | | 
Markwayne Mullin is set to take over as DHS secretary on Tuesday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Markwayne Mullin faced little friction in his ascent to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, gliding from the bouncy-ball-wielding junior senator from Oklahoma to secretary of Homeland Security in just 19 days — a full week ahead of the March 31 date that Trump gave when he unceremoniously ousted Kristi Noem via Truth Social earlier this month. Moments from now, Trump is set to swear him in. The hard part comes next. Mullin is inheriting the department most central to both Trump’s domestic policy agenda and Democrats’ criticism of his presidency. The hard-line tactics used by the federal agents Mullin now oversees has turned public opinion against Republicans’ handling of immigration — once among the party’s strongest issues — months ahead of the midterms. Mullin’s DHS has been shut down for nearly 40 days, snarling airports nationwide amid rising fears over terrorism stemming from the war in Iran. And today, Minnesota sued DHS and DOJ for access to investigation materials regarding the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officers. It’s a political risk for Mullin, a 48-year-old college dropout and former MMA fighter who once pledged to only spend six years as a federal lawmaker. Noem is the only Cabinet secretary Trump has fired this term, collapsing beneath an avalanche of scandal in the course of her own political rise. During his confirmation hearing, Mullin presented himself as a more pragmatic foil to Noem’s hard-charging approach, reminding his Senate colleagues that they have his cellphone number and promising to respond if they reach out. “My goal at six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day,” Mullin said. The vow stands in opposition to the department’s status under Noem’s leadership over the past year, as she crisscrossed the country — and world — in a near-constant stream of photo-ops. But Mullin will now have to answer to a White House still bent on effectuating the largest mass deportation campaign in history — in which conspiracism, cruelty and chaos are frequently features, not bugs. In a Truth Social post at 1:48 a.m., Trump once again platformed the debunked conspiracy theory that Democrats are “fighting so hard to neutralize ICE” because they want unauthorized immigrants to vote. And last week, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — the architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown — encouraged lawmakers in Texas to halt public education for undocumented children, NYT’s Lauren McGaughy reports. As extremely long TSA lines rankle travelers across the country — generating scores of negative headlines — and ICE agents descend on airports, the White House appears ready to accept Senate Republicans’ deal to end the shutdown, POLITICO’s Myah Ward reports. That framework would fold into a new GOP reconciliation effort funding most of the department, save for ICE enforcement operations, which are already funded under the GOP megalaw. Now read this: “Gregory Bovino’s Final Days: Harsh Words and Few Regrets,” by NYT’s Katie J.M. Baker and Hamed Aleaziz: “Bovino’s actions left a trail of litigation, condemnations from local politicians and accusations of discrimination and unconstitutional conduct. … And, yes, the Commander has a few regrets. But he does not think he went too far. He thinks he did not go far enough.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. This is Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray. Drop us a line at isentner@politico.com and mgray@politico.com.
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FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Third Way slams Piker: Hasan Piker’s plan to stump for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed — as first reported in Playbook this morning — has some centrist Democrats up in arms, Playbook’s Adam Wren reports. “It is morally repugnant and strategically self-defeating for Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed and Members of Congress like Summer Lee to cozy up to antisemitic extremists like Hasan Piker,” Third Way President Jonathan Cowan told Playbook in a statement. “Anyone eager to campaign with Hasan Piker is, at best, comfortable overlooking his antisemitic and anti-American extremism and, at worst, endorsing it,” Cowan continued. “After voters in critical battlegrounds like Michigan believed in 2024 that Democrats were the more radical party, embracing extreme bigots like Piker, who, for starters, has called religious Jews ‘inbred’ and said ‘America deserved 9/11,’ is not only dangerous and wrong, but antithetical to the urgent work of winning over the middle and defeating Trumpism.” Leaders of the center-left think tank in a recent WSJ op-ed called Piker “anti-American, antiwomen, anti-Western and antisemitic,” and argued that Democrats have become “too cozy” with him. El-Sayed, through a spokesperson, declined to comment. “Third Way has lost the argument in the eyes of a lot of the Democratic Party’s base,” Piker told Playbook. “We can have a debate on how much influence they already had amongst the base in general. But they’re losing their institutional relevance as well.” Third Way has said they will spend $50 million to make sure the Democratic Party elects a “combative centrist” in 2028. 2. WHO’S BENDING TRUMP’S EAR ON IRAN: “Saudi Leader Is Said to Push Trump to Continue Iran War in Recent Calls,” by NYT’s Julian Barnes and colleagues: “Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a ‘historic opportunity’ to remake the Middle East, according to people briefed by American officials on the conversations. In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government.” Rubio’s role: “Why Marco Rubio Is Escaping the Brunt of Fury Over Iran,” by POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi: “When I asked several lawmakers, U.S. officials and analysts why Rubio seems so protected from criticism over his role in the Iran war, I was told the following: First, Trump is the easier, more important target. His jaw-dropping rhetoric aside, he’s the president, and the buck stops with him. “Another factor: The foreign policy establishment tends to think of Rubio as secretary of State more than as national security adviser. So while critics are quick to blame him for slow embassy closures, they often forget to hold him accountable for the whole national security apparatus. Perhaps above all, even Democrats enraged by the state of affairs in Iran see Rubio as one of Trump’s more competent aides.” On the market: “Oil Prices Rise a Day After 10% Plunge,” NYT: “Oil prices rose and global stocks wavered on Tuesday, a day after President Trump prompted a sharp market reaction when he backed away from a threat to strike Iranian energy infrastructure.” 3. TRAIL MIX: After an off-year election win that Democrats have looked to for campaign inspiration for the midterms, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is launching the “Mission to Deliver” hybrid PAC, which will essentially operate as a super PAC, Axios’ Holly Otterbein scooped. Sherrill told donors on a private call she’s “expecting to support candidates who are focused on lowering costs — the centerpiece of her 2025 gubernatorial campaign — and public service” and “is open to wading into some competitive Democratic primaries” for the House, Senate and gubernatorial races. Splashing cash: VoteVets is the first outside group to jump into the Iowa Senate race, dropping $825,000 in the coming week to support Democrat Josh Turek’s campaign, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher reports. “The sum might seem relatively small in the age of multimillion-dollar ad buys. But Iowa is a relatively inexpensive state. And the one-week investment represents twice as much money as Mr. Turek’s own campaign had, just under $400,000, at the start of 2026.” You’ve got mail (-in voting): Trump voted by mail for today’s state legislature special election in Florida, AP’s Bill Barrow reports. The White House insisted Trump’s action is not at odds with his repeated railing against the practice, telling AP that his “ire is at states using universal mail-in voting, not individual instances of voters needing accommodations to vote by mail.” | | | | 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. | | | | | 4. KASH CLASH: “FBI investigation into Kash Patel was more extensive than previously reported,” by Reuters’ Jana Winter: “A special counsel investigation that began in 2022 of Kash Patel, who is now the FBI director but was then a private citizen, included demands for more than two years of phone records, text messages and financial information, according to two grand jury subpoenas and nondisclosure orders viewed by Reuters. … FBI spokesman Ben Williamson told Reuters the records show improper actions by Smith and the FBI at the time. ‘The FBI under prior leadership was weaponized in ways the American people are only now beginning to fully grasp,’ Williamson said.” 5. RESES PIECE: “The Vance Whisperer,” by N.Y. Mag’s Casey Quackenbush: “Though few outside the Trump administration are aware of his existence, [Vance chief of staff Jacob] Reses is one of the most influential Republican operatives in Washington. He is the mysterious ‘Jacob’ in the leaked Signal chat that showed Trump-administration officials in 2025 planning a strike against Houthi rebels in Yemen. He is a conservative nationalist who was lauded as an emerging leader on the New Right trying to remake the GOP into a more populist party. He is Vance’s most important adviser on domestic politics ‘by a country mile,’ says Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative magazine.” 6. FRIENDSHIP TEST(IFY): Marco Rubio testified today in Miami over his interactions with his longtime friend and former Rep. David Rivera, who is accused of “serving as an unregistered foreign agent for Venezuela’s socialist government,” WaPo’s Teo Armus reports. “The extraordinary testimony marked the first time in more than four decades that a sitting Cabinet secretary has served as a witness in a criminal trial. Although U.S. administration officials regularly appear at hearings on Capitol Hill, there has been little precedent for them to testify before a federal jury. “Rubio’s role in the money-laundering trial spotlights his long-standing ties with Rivera, a scandal-plagued former congressman who has tried to leverage his ties on Capitol Hill — especially with Rubio — to lobby and cut deals in Washington. The relationship has long been seen as a political liability for Rubio and could reemerge as an issue if he runs for president in 2028.” 7. HEALTH CARE CRUNCH: “RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz have a plan to save rural health care. Here’s the catch,” by WaPo’s Lauren Weber: “The rural health care industry has long faced tight budgets, doctor shortages and challenges reaching patients in remote areas. But even as Trump officials pitch advanced technology to close these clinical gaps, rural health providers are worried that much of it is being oversold. And the one-time $50 billion injection the administration has promised for innovation, they argue, won’t make up for the estimated $137 billion in Medicaid dollars rural areas are expected to lose over the next decade due to cuts from what Trump called the ‘big, beautiful bill.’”
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| | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | THE BRITISH ARE COMING — The White House is expected to soon announce King Charles III’s first visit to D.C., set for next month as part of America’s 250th birthday celebrations, Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman and Laura Weiss report. “There will be a state dinner for the king. It’s also widely expected on Capitol Hill that Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress.” HITTING THE BRAKES — The federal government is delaying the scheduled removal of the bike lanes on 15th Street near the National Mall following a lawsuit filed by cyclists who are seeking to permanently stop the project, WaPo’s Meagan Flynn reports. “The bike lanes, which carry nearly 4,000 riders per day, have substantially reduced both congestion and traffic-related injuries along the busy 15th Street corridor, according to city data. And their anticipated removal outraged cyclists, dozens of whom have rallied since Friday to preserve them.” OUT AND ABOUT — Ahead of today’s Hill & Valley Forum, Invariant and Washington Harbour Partners last night hosted their third annual “Mound & Gorge Fête” for tech leaders at Invariant’s Capitol Hill townhouse. SPOTTED: Alison Lynn, Trae Stephens, Mina Faltas, Bridgit Mendler, Chris Power, David Ulevitch, Dayna Grayson, Didier Barjon, Lauren McCann, Michelle Stephens, Gordon Lubold, Alessio Lorusso, Shannon Prior, Cecilia Kang, Marcus Weisgerber, Mark Burchill, Omar Pimentel, Natalie Hurst, Ellen Satterwhite, Claude Chafin, Joel Richard and Heather Podesta. TRANSITIONS — Jackson Thein is now legislative director for Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). He previously worked at Waxman Strategies and is a Jeff Merkley alum. … Eli Wald is joining Democratic Majority for Israel as chief development officer. He is founder of the political fundraising firm BlueFuture LLC. … Anish Desai and Priyata Patel are joining Dechert as partners in the firm's intellectual property group. They both previously worked for Paul, Weiss. 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: Friday’s Playbook PM mischaracterized a reorganization at the State Department. The department announced that it would consolidate crisis relief aid under a new Disaster and Humanitarian Response bureau with a direct-hire staff of more than 200 people.
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