On its face, the Oval Office meeting yesterday between President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador centered around the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the Maryland resident who is still locked away in a Salvadoran mega-prison despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the administration “facilitate” his release. But below that surface-level issue is a standoff over the rule of law: whether the administration still feels bound to operate in good faith and comply with court rulings that go against its political agenda. Senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins host Steven Overly to unpack the details of the situation and what he expects to see when the case returns to a lower court today. Plus, Harvard is the latest Ivy League school on targeted for defunding by the administration.
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April 14, 2025: Inside the chaos at HHS
In the two-plus months since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency has been shaken to its core — data collection has been halted, research has been cut, and more than 10,000 employees have been laid off. POLITICO White House reporter Adam Cancryn joins host Steven Overly to unpack what is happening and why it matters. Plus, Meta’s antitrust trial begins today, and President Donald Trump will meet with the president of El Salvador to discuss immigration.
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April 11, 2025: It’s still the economy, stupid
With Trump’s chaotic tariff moves shocking markets and spurring vast uncertainty about the economic outlook, Democrats see a political opening. Could the issue — so central to Trump’s political fortunes in 2024 — suddenly become his kryptonite? And what precisely are Democrats doing to make that happen? POLITICO national politics correspondent Brakkton Booker joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to talk it through. Plus, SCOTUS says the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of a man erroneously deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador.
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April 10, 2025: Trump’s tariff two-step
The U.S. is engaged in a trade war — just not the one many people expected. Yesterday afternoon, President Donald Trump backpedaled on most of the steep tariffs that took effect only hours earlier, pausing them for 90 days to allow time to negotiate potential deals with other nations. One big exception? China, which he announced will now be subject to a 125%. tariff. How did we get here, and what comes next? White House bureau chief Dasha Burns joins Playbook author and managing editor Jack Blanchard to unpack what happened and why. Plus, Speaker Mike Johnson delays the budget vote in the House.
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April 9, 2025: 'This is not Trump 45'
At 12:01 this morning, President Donald Trump’s massive tariffs against China, Vietnam, Japan, and other countries took effect. The new policies are sure to impact not only the country’s economy, but also the dynamics among Republicans on Capitol Hill. White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns joins Playbook author and managing editor Jack Blanchard to unpack what’s at stake and where things go from here.
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