POLITICO Playbook Daily Briefing

Apr 16 2025 1839 ep. 5 mins 3.5k
POLITICO Playbook Daily Briefing Podcast artwork

POLITICO Playbook's must-listen briefing on what's driving the day in Washington.

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April 16, 2025: The making of the next big SCOTUS showdown

Apr 16 2025 11 mins  
A court hearing in Maryland yesterday kicked off a two-week legal sprint that could shake America’s system of checks and balances. On its surface, the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a story about immigration policy and government power. But dig deeper, and the stakes for the rule of law are profound. Senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein joins Playbook mana

April 15, 2025: Where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

Apr 15 2025 11 mins  
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 i

April 14, 2025: Inside the chaos at HHS

Apr 14 2025 10 mins  
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,

April 11, 2025: It’s still the economy, stupid

Apr 11 2025 10 mins  
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

April 10, 2025: Trump’s tariff two-step

Apr 10 2025 9 mins  
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 g

April 9, 2025: 'This is not Trump 45'

Apr 09 2025 11 mins  
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 w

April 8, 2025: Trump's trade chief heads to Capitol Hill

Apr 08 2025 11 mins  
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be in the hot seat today as he testifies in front of the Senate Finance Committee, where he's expected to defend President Donald Trump's global tariff hike. Trump has sent mixed messages about whether his new tariffs are permanent or up for negotiation, although there are some signs that Trump is entertaining offers. Meanwhile

April 7, 2025: Trump world’s mixed messages on tariffs

Apr 07 2025 11 mins  
The stock market is already showing the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — and there’s no sign the pain will stop any time soon. Wall Street banks are ratcheting up their predictions of a recession this year, global markets continue to nosedive and meanwhile, Trump administration officials fan out across media with mixed messages about what it all means. POLITICO Wh

April 4, 2025: Tariffs tumble markets

Apr 04 2025 10 mins  
The major story today is still the economic after-effects of Trump’s globe-reshaping cascade of new tariffs. Yesterday, they sent markets tumbling head over heels with major losses — the biggest one-day wipeout in value since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. POLITICO economics correspondent and Capital Letter columnist Victoria Guida joins Playbook Deputy Editor Zack St

April 3, 2025: Trump sets off a global trade war

Apr 03 2025 12 mins  
Buckle up. In a major announcement after markets closed yesterday afternoon, President Donald Trump unleashed a major wave of tariffs against America’s trading partners throughout the world. Today, as allies respond in kind with tariffs targeting the U.S., all eyes will be on the markets as investors react to the new economic reality. Even so, a whirlwind of news occupies Washing