The Playbook Podcast

When Sen. Dianne Feinstein walked into the Capitol last week, ending a monthslong medical absence, she was accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a small entourage of aides — and a close personal confidant with a storied political pedigree: Nancy Corrine Prowda, the eldest child of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade breaks down her reporting.

Yesterday President Joe Biden agreed to a key process demand by Speaker Kevin McCarthy: shrinking the size of the negotiating table. Inside the negotiators Biden and McCarthy appointed. Plus, the action around Rep. George Santos. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade breaks down her reporting.

President Joe Biden is expected to meet today with congressional leaders on the debt limit, and Republicans are feeling increasingly optimistic they can force Biden to make concessions on work requirements for safety net programs as part of the talks taking place this week. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels talks with food and agriculture policy reporter Meredith Lee Hill. In this episode: GOP grows more optimistic about work requirement demands in debt talks

It’s gonna be all about the vibes this week as we look for clues to how the big debt ceiling standoff is going to get resolved. Plus, unpacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa over the weekend. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis on the week ahead.

Title 42, the pandemic-era policy used to block migrants at the southern border is coming to an end tonight. Officials have had more than two years to prepare for this moment. Plus, CNN’s New Hampshire town hall with Donald Trump last night may have done more to boost his chances of winning the GOP presidential nomination than anything that’s happened since the 2020 election. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels talks with Daniella Diaz.

Another day of debt limit negotiations; President Biden's visit today to Valhalla, New York, a GOP district that he carried in 2020, with vulnerable Republican Rep. Mike Lawler; and Trump after the verdict. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels talks with legal reporter Erica Orden.

Everyone in Washington is talking about the debt limit. Biden will meet with congressional leaders today at the White House -- but at the same time, it will be a while before the negotiations get into the nitty gritty. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza talks with national political correspondent Meridith McGraw.

Between debt ceiling negotiations and the end of Title 42 it's going to be one busy week in politics. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade on what's driving the day.

A cascade of big legal developments are driving the day in D.C., while in Florida, Planned Parenthood is launching a multi-million dollar effort to put abortion rights before voters next year — with big implications for 2024 and Ron DeSantis. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with reporter Megan Messerly.

Are Democrats missing their moment in the debt limit talks? Playbook has the scoop this morning about why one moderate House Democrat — Rep. Jared Golden of Maine — thinks that the negotiation strategy of White House and top congressional Dems is total fantasy. Plus, we’ve got the tape as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose offered his candid assessment about the value of Trump’s support during closed door remarks. Listen for all of that and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade on what's driving the day.

Donald Trump is talking about skipping primary debates, inside the debt ceiling staring contest, and the rest of the news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade on what's driving the day.

Janet Yellen said Monday that the debt limit X-date has potentially moved to June 1, jolting White House and congressional leaders as they eye talks next week. And this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up one of the newsiest topics around: Supreme Court ethics reform. Check out Playbook for an exclusive with the written testimony of two people who didn’t want to testify in person: former federal judge J. Michael Luttig and Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe. Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza talks with Senior Legal Affairs Reporter Josh Gerstein.

The House is out, the Senate is in, and the news you need to know. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis talks with Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels.

White House Correspondents' weekend is finally upon us. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels.

Sen. Joe Manchin may need a stiff drink this morning: Today, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is expected to announce a bid for the U.S. Senate — giving Republicans a strong recruit to flip the Mountaineer State. Meanwhile, out west, the Montana state legislature barred trans state Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the House floor. And in Washington, the GOP House voted to pass the debt ceiling bill, handing a major victory to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade provides the political news you need to know today.

President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign with a slick video and not much fanfare — though we have the scoop on a big splash his allies are preparing. Plus, the other news you need to know today. Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza talks with White House editor Sam Stein.

President Joe Biden launches his re-election campaign with a video release this morning and is scheduled to make his first remarks as an official 2024 candidate at a union conference later in the day. Plus, all eyes on the House and what Kevin McCarthy’s planned debt limit vote shows about his strength as speaker. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade talks with Congress reporter Olivia Beavers.

It’s a huge week for us at Playbook — the White House Correspondents' Dinner is on Saturday and we're also expecting President Joe Biden to launch his re-election campaign this week — although the usual caveats apply. Plus we've got our eyes on the House, where Speaker Kevin McCarthy is hoping to get his Republican conference in line behind his plan to handle the debt limit. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis talks with Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels.

Today, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling regarding abortion pill mifepristone, with major implications for reproductive rights and health care. Plus, President Joe Biden is eyeing next Tuesday for a soft launch of his 2024 campaign, and a former colleague of Ron DeSantis in the House on his lack of more Republican endorsements. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels.

Mifepristone, the most widely used abortion pill in the U.S., will continue to be widely available for at least two more days after the Supreme Court extended its deadline. On Capitol Hill, we're about to see Speaker McCarthy face his biggest test yet. And in 2024 land, Chris Christie is starting to spend a lot of time in early states. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with Playbook co-author Rachael Bade.

The “Jack the Dripper” story heads to Capitol Hill today, Supreme Court action on abortion pill is expected and we’re processing the surprise settlement in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News. Plus DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee. Over in the Senate, Rocket Man himself Elton John will testify at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on PEPFAR. Playbook editor Mike DeBonis talks with Playbook co-author Rachael Bade.

Watching House Speaker Kevin McCarthy sell his debt limit plan to his conference, many of whom have never voted to increase the debt ceiling, is gonna be interesting. Plus — the position that Senate Democrats are in after Senate Republicans came out against temporarily replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, and what else you need to know in politics today.

Is DiFi's career over? That's probably the biggest question facing the Senate. Plus, Speaker Kevin McCarthy gives a speech at the New York Stock Exchange this morning and Republicans are set to face a whole host of hot-button headlines — Trump and Tennessee among them — that they didn't have to weigh in on over the past couple of weeks. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade breaks down her reporting.

It's a very big day on the abortion-rights front: inside the contradictory court orders on mifepristone and Florida's abortion ban. Plus, Thursday, FBI arrested the suspected source of a massive trove of leaked national security documents — Jack Texeira — who is expected to appear in federal court in Boston today. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with national security reporter Erin Banco.

Donald Trump's legal drama continues to develop on multiple fronts, Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis wade into the 2024 pool and D.C.'s reaction to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's statement. Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton talks with Playbook editor Mike DeBonis.

Trump's first post-indictment interview, Senator Tim Scott explores a run for president, and the Supreme Court's ethics problem. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade talks with senior reporter Josh Gerstein.

Leaked Ukraine docs create a major headache for Biden, and what political news you need to be paying attention to. Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels talks with national security reporter Alex Ward.

How other 2024 GOP hopefuls are navigating Donald Trump, and what political news you need to be paying attention to. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade talks with reporter Sally Goldenberg.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support for a Florida bill restricting abortion at six weeks of pregnancy shows he’s eager to continue courting the right flank of the GOP. A future problem for him may be in how his position on abortion rights will be received by moderate voters in the 2024 election.

The unveiling of the charges against former President Donald Trump will trigger a frenzied legal battle by Trump and his team to derail the case...here's what we know now.New York legal reporter Erica Orden talks with Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza about her day in court and what's next.

It’s election day in America — at least parts of America. The two biggies? Wisconsin, where tens of millions of dollars have poured into a supreme court race that could flip the balance of power on the court from conservatives to liberals; and Chicago, where a mayoral runoff pits two Democrats against each other. In Manhattan, Donald Trump's expected arraignment will happen around 2:15pm. New York courts reporter Erica Orden talks with Playbook editor Mike DeBonis about what she's watching for.

A group of House Democrats is secretly crafting a fallback plan to avoid an economy-rattling debt default. The White House wants no part of it. Moderate Democrats in the Problem Solvers' Caucus have spent weeks constructing a break-glass deal with centrist Republicans in case the country goes all the way to the brink on the debt ceiling. As the summertime deadline for action approaches, they’re worried a prolonged standoff could lead to fiscal disaster. Congress editor Elana Schor talks with Playbook editor Mike DeBonis about the plan and what she's watching for.

At 7:15 last night, Manhattan DA Alvin bragg made it official with this statement: "This evening we contacted Mr. [Donald] Trump's attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected." Even though we’ve long known this was coming, that term — “surrender” — hit us with the historical nature of March 30, 2023: A former president at the start of another campaign for the White House has been indicted for a crime and could go to prison. We’ll dig into what we know this morning, which frankly isn’t all that much more than yesterday because the indictment isn’t public yet. (Not that that’s stopping anyone from forming an opinion about it.) But keep in mind that Bragg is just one of three prosecutors currently building criminal cases against Trump — and that we are likely only at the beginning of the story of how state and federal law enforcement officials are preparing to hold the former president accountable. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

BREAKING OVERNIGHT — “Russian Security Service Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter,” by WSJ’s Daniel Michaels: “The Federal Security Service said Thursday it had detained Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, in the eastern city of Yekaterinburg. The FSB said in a statement that Mr. Gershkovich, ‘acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.’ … ‘The Wall Street Journal is deeply concerned for the safety of Mr. Gershkovich,’ the Journal said in a statement. Mr. Gershkovich reports on Russia as part of the Journal’s Moscow bureau.” “Trump’s lead grows in GOP primary race, now over 50% support,” by Fox News’ Victoria Balara: “The survey, released Wednesday, finds [Donald] Trump has doubled his lead since February and is up by 30 points over Ron DeSantis (54%-24%). Last month, he was up by 15 (43%-28%). No one else hits double digits.” See the poll Our colleagues Hailey Fuchs, Clothilde Goujard and Daniel Lippman have a big investigation up this morning into the transatlantic political influence machine that TikTok put together as it battles efforts to regulate or ban the platform because of ties to China. Read the full story: “How TikTok built a ‘team of Avengers’ to fight for its life” And today, VP Kamala Harris is in Tanzania, where she’ll meet with President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the country’s first female head of state. But the bulk of Harris’ Africa trip is now over. And from the administration’s point of view, it was a success — but perhaps not for the reasons you think. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

After weeks talking with his rank-and-file about what concessions they’d need from Democrats to raise the debt ceiling, Speaker Kevin McCarthy floated five proposals that could maybe, just maybe, elicit an agreement. We spent yesterday working the phones to find out what Hill Democrats — both lawmakers and senior aides — privately thought about these ideas. First, a caveat: Don’t expect top Democrats to applaud any of these ideas on record right now. The party line, we’re told, remains and will continue to be to resist giving Republicans any concessions — particularly since they raised the debt ceiling three times under Donald Trump without conditions. Democrats and the White House will also continue to demand McCarthy lay out and pass a budget to prove that he’s even worth negotiating with, we’re told. There’s a concern that even if Democrats cut a deal with McCarthy, he won’t be able to deliver votes given his limited hold on the GOP conference. McCarthy’s letter, meanwhile, did not impress Democrats. One senior aide called it nothing more than a “pathetic” attempt to distract from his challenge cobbling together a GOP budget, and almost everyone else said its lack of specifics made it impossible to negotiate over. But behind the squawking, we found that there were in fact some ideas that piqued their interests. We granted anonymity to a half-dozen Democrats to candidly assess the emerging Republican proposals and whether any of them might grow legs … Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

The Republican presidential primary is shaping up to be a case of déjà vu. In 2015 into 2016, Donald Trump gained an early lead and never looked back. The hype about a well-funded, twice-elected Florida governor proved to be illusory. Most of Trump’s opponents waited around for someone else to take him down until it was too late. Chris Christie, one of the few Trump opponents who had sharp words for Trump, was too moderate for Republicans. Trump dominated the only thing that seemed to matter: the media’s attention. Most of the GOP’s elite donors, opinion pages, and elected leaders rallied in opposition to Trump (often privately) and prayed that some meteor-like event would destroy his candidacy So far in 2023: 1) Ron DeSantis may be reprising the role of Jeb Bush; 2) Nikki Haley and Mike Pence (so far) are reprising the role of Trump’s milquetoast challengers, who occasionally swat at him but rarely damage him; 3) Chris Christie is reprising the role of … Chris Christie; 4) Trump is once again flooding social media, email inboxes and cable news with his own content; and 5) many Republicans are once again looking to the sky for meteors, this time in the form of criminal indictments. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Good Monday morning from Accra, Ghana, where VP Kamala Harris is kicking off a seven-day diplomatic mission to Africa, aiming to reset relations between the United States and the three countries she’s visiting — Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania — as China looks to deepen its foothold on the continent. Playbook is with Harris as she becomes the latest and highest-ranking administration official to travel to Africa as part of President Joe Biden's effort to reengage with the continent economically after decades of relations focused mainly on human rights and humanitarian concerns. Her schedule includes bilateral meetings with the leaders of each of the three nations, a visit to Ghana’s Cape Coast slave castle, announcements of new public-private investments, confabs with business and philanthropic leaders and even a trip to a local music studio. Harris must balance myriad diplomatic goals … Prove to African nations that the U.S. — like China — is willing to invest hard dollars in their countries as true partners … While not framing those partnerships as merely part of a global clash of superpowers … And also changing how Americans see the continent in order to generate more private investment.

Even as he faces indictment in Manhattan, Trump has to watch his back on the federal classified documents investigation. The recent courtroom fight over Evan Corcoran's testimony “indicate[s] that prosecutors have continued to build a case and that the inquiry remains a serious threat to Mr. Trump,” per the NYT. Corcoran will testify again today, and the Times reports that he doesn’t plan to plead the Fifth. The feds also want to talk to Trump lawyer Jennifer Little in the probe. The latest revelation: Trump lawyer Timothy Parlatore testified before a grand jury in December in the documents probe, ABC’s Katherine Faulders and Alex Mallin scooped. That came shortly after he told authorities that Trump’s team had just found four more documents with classified markings. Meanwhile, in the federal Jan. 6 investigation, a judge heard arguments yesterday over whether special counsel JACK SMITH can force former VP Mike Pence to testify, CBS’ Robert Costa and Robert Legare report And as Biden meets with Trudeau in Canada, the two countries have reached a deal on immigration that will give each side the ability to send back asylum-seekers who illegally crossed the border, the L.A. Times’ Hamed Aleaziz and Erin Logan scooped from Ottawa. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

JMart’s latest column is hot off the presses and already blowing up group chats on Capitol Hill: “Sinema Trashes Dems: ‘Old Dudes Eating Jell-O’” As her fundraising efforts plow forward, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) “has used a series of Republican-dominated receptions and retreats this year to belittle her Democratic colleagues, shower her GOP allies with praise and, in one case, quite literally give the middle finger to President Biden’s White House,” Martin writes. “Speaking in private, whether one-on-one or with small groups of Republican senators, she’s even more cutting, particularly about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whom she derides in harshly critical terms, according to senior Republican officials directly familiar with her comments.” White House chief of staff Jeff Zients has been President Joe Biden's top aide for less than two months — and grumbling has already erupted both inside and outside the administration over whether he’s up to the job. In a story out this morning, Adam Cancryn, Eugene and Nicholas Wu spoke with 16 administration officials, lawmakers and others with knowledge of internal White House dynamics, and found widespread concerns “over whether Zients has the political instincts and Capitol Hill relationships to deftly navigate a crucial period ahead of Biden’s anticipated reelection run.” And, tech reporter Rebecca Kern stops by for a preview of TikTok CEO Shou Chew's hearing before the House Energy and Commerce committee.

On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, as pro-Trump rioters were ransacking the Capitol in Washington, prosecutors in Manhattan gathered on Zoom to discuss Donald Trump's bookkeeping practices. More than two years later, while state and federal criminal investigations into Trump’s culpability for the events of Jan. 6 continue, it is the Manhattan probe that is set to produce the first Trump indictment — as soon as this week. While we don’t know for sure what crime — or crimes — that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg will charge Trump with, the weight of available evidence suggests Trump will be charged with violating a New York state law against falsifying business records. Specifically, Bragg is apparently preparing to argue that Trump created fictitious records during the scheme to pay off Stormy Daniels in October 2016 after she threatened to expose their alleged affair. The return of the hush money caper to the white-hot center of American politics has a lot of people scratching their heads and puzzling over some basic questions: Of all the Trump scandals, why is this the one that’s going to get him arrested? Didn’t authorities already rule out any culpability for Trump in that case? And isn’t Bragg’s legal theory hopelessly flawed? To understand how one of the OG Trump scandals returned from the dead to ensnare Trump seven years after Daniels got her $130,000, we need to review the case’s complicated history. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

Good morning from Orlando, where House Republicans are gathered at a luxury resort not far from Disney World for their annual three-day retreat — and where, we’ve learned, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and senior GOP leaders are preparing demand to testimony from members of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office amid reports of an imminent Trump indictment. This morning, we can report two things: In the short term, Republicans are discussing firing off letters summoning employees of the Manhattan DA’s office for sworn testimony, according to a GOP official familiar with the plans. The potential request comes amid speculation about why the hush-money case was suddenly resurrected after being back-burnered by both state and federal prosecutors. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans are not final, noted that McCarthy, a longtime Trump ally and close friend, is “fully supportive and pushing folks to be aggressive here.” Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg himself is in the GOP’s crosshairs, though it’s not clear if he’ll be immediately summoned. “He should come testify before Congress,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told us and other reporters, launching into a lengthy tirade about “fake charges” meant to be “used in Democrat ads” against Trump. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A pair of fresh stories out this morning illuminate two emerging storylines in the early jockeying for the 2024 campaign … White House aides tell us that President Joe Biden is likely to announce a final decision on the 2024 reelection in the coming weeks. And as he gears up for a likely reelection, he appears to be shimmying back to the ideological middle (an easy move when there’s no real primary challenge). And, our Olivia Beavers spoke with (nearly) every Republican of the Florida congressional delegation to see which Florida Man they plan on supporting in the 2024 GOP primary: former President Donald Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to officially announce a bid. The members are torn over what to do. They fear Trump’s wrath, worry about retaliation against those he sees as disloyal and fret about the long-term need to get closer to DeSantis, who is three decades younger than Trump and has a much longer runway ahead of him. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio

All eyes will be on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen today as she testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at 10 a.m.. Yellen’s appearance was originally scheduled to discuss the Biden budget. But after the weekend rescue of Silicon Valley Bank, this will be senators’ first chance to cross-examine Yellen about the controversial actions she took on Sunday in concert with her colleagues at the Fed and FDIC. Not everything will be about SVB, but the Biden team’s response to the bank failures will dominate the meeting. And she is likely to feel the populist outrage bubbling up in Congress from both Democrats and Republicans. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio

We’re barely into the 2024 Senate cycle, and already some Republicans are feeling a sense of deja vu. In a new must-read, our Holly Otterbein attended a rural Pennsylvania rally for Doug Mastriano, the “state’s most MAGA Republican” who also won its gubernatorial primary last year only to lose the general election by double digits to Democrat Josh Shapiro. Her biggest takeaway: Despite that huge loss, Pennsylvania Republicans aren’t ready to toss Mastriano overboard as he mulls a challenge to veteran Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. “Establishment Republicans have found a silver lining amid the grimness [of 2022]: Perhaps there will be a reckoning,” she writes. “Even diehard supporters of former President Donald Trump, they’ve reasoned, are finally sick of losing. … In this corner of the political world in Pennsylvania, it’s the establishment — not the MAGAverse — that needs course-correction.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio

House Republicans are set to embark on a multiweek stretch of ups and downs — starting today, with the release of a massive energy package authored by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, aimed at boosting domestic oil-and-gas production, lowering consumer costs and drawing a sharp contrast with the Biden administration’s pivot to green energy. The legislation will be designated “H.R. 1,” underscoring how the energy issue is a central plank of the GOP agenda following a campaign cycle dominated by soaring gasoline, electricity and heating fuel prices. While the House is expected to clear the bill by month’s end, the GOP faces a rockier road on the other side: With the debt-ceiling deadline looming, Republicans are already fretting about how they’re going to write a budget that balances in 10 years, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised conservatives during his campaign for the gavel, let alone pass one with only a four-seat majority. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio

If you work at Compass Coffee, Roblox, Vox Media, Etsy, Roku, Vimeo, LendingClub or any of the other companies with deposits at Silicon Valley Bank, you are waking up this morning with welcome news. After a white-knuckle weekend you can be confident that payroll will be met, checks will clear and your company will have access to every cent of its SVB deposits, not just the FDIC-insured limit of $250,000, after federal agencies stepped in Sunday evening to backstop the failed bank and attempt to stem a burgeoning crisis among the nation’s medium-sized banks. If you’re a banker, investor, financial regulator, business owner or Biden administration official, you might still be plenty nervous. While Sunday’s announcement was aimed at restoring faith in the banking system, the early word Monday is that the markets might not be buying it. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio

Over the last 24 hours, the dynamics that will define the 2024 Republican primary have begun to come into clear view, as told in three must-read stories: 1. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “has indicated privately that he intends to run for president,” WaPo’s Hannah Knowles and Isaac Stanley-Becker report from Davenport, Iowa. 2. Former President Donald Trump appears likely to face criminal charges in Manhattan stemming from his alleged payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, NYT’s William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich scooped last night. 3. Other leading Republicans are taking aim at both Trump and DeSantis, our own Jonathan Martin reports in a piece that just published. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio .

It’s the day all of D.C. has been waiting for with bated breath. Around noon, President Joe Biden will release his proposed federal budget. No one in the White House seriously believes that Congress will adopt it in its current form. In private, administration officials readily admit that they know it’s not going anywhere. So why does it matter? Beyond the obvious implications for governing, we’re told it’ll constitute the crux of Biden’s pitch as he’s expected to launch his reelection campaign in the near future. (We’re sure it’s purely coincidental that he’ll be unveiling the budget in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.) It’s a messaging exercise. And as such, the White House sees no downside whatsoever to throwing out things that will never pass the Republican-controlled House. The fight is the point. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A new trove of exhibits unearthed as part of Dominion’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News was released on Tuesday, including emails, text messages and transcripts from depositions by numerous Fox News personalities and executives. There are lots of interesting details in the documents that reinforce the allegations made in Dominion’s recent motion for summary judgment. But the main takeaways are: Most corners of Fox News — from reporters and producers to primetime hosts to the most senior executives — knew that the claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election put forward by Donald Trump, his lawyers and their political allies were bogus. Despite this, Fox News executives and primetime hosts leaned into the election conspiracy theories after they realized their Trump-loving viewers were abandoning the network for more right-wing alternatives. The news and opinion divisions at Fox News, never great allies even in less stressful times, went to war with each other in the post-election period. Tucker Carlson hates Trump. And Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to fork over Jan. 6 footage to Carlson continued to reverberate around Capitol Hill yesterday following the Fox host’s first big dispatch, which drew prominent rebukes from Democrats and Republicans. It was “a headache of [House Republicans’] own making,” write Sarah Ferris, Olivia Beavers and Kyle Cheney, one that “reopened a painful fault line that his party has repeatedly tried to mend.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.

A prominent Democratic think tank is raising alarms about a third-party ticket spoiling 2024 for Democrats and landing Donald Trump back in the White House. A new two-page memo from Third Way, obtained by Playbook, takes aim at the potential “unity ticket” being promoted by the centrist group No Labels. With tens of millions of dollars in financial backing, No Labels’ stated intention is to nominate a moderate alternative to potential extreme major-party nominees as an “insurance policy.” But Third Way notes that No Labels has been cagey about what scenario would prompt it to move forward, including whether it would stand down if President Joe Biden seeks reelection. In any case, the memo argues, a third-party ticket would mainly peel off Democrats, ultimately boosting the former president who tried to steal an election and incited a riot on the Capitol. “[T[he conclusion is inescapable: No Labels is committed to fielding a candidate that will, intentionally or not, provide a crucial boost to Republicans — and a major obstacle to Biden,” they write. “As a result, they’ll make it far more likely — if not certain — that Donald Trump returns to the White House.” Read the memo