| | | |  | | By Jack Blanchard | Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
| | | Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. You guys sure do weather properly over here. HOT NEWS FROM PLAYBOOK TOWERS … Memo via Global Editor-in-Chief John Harris: “As our new Playbook team continues to take shape, we have more good news to share. Today we’re thrilled to announce that Kyle Blaine will join from CNN to become our first Executive Producer for Playbook, charged with taking POLITICO’s flagship product to the next level of its development.” Welcome on board! “Kyle will support the day-to-day management of our Playbook team and work … to ensure Playbook is growing its audience and its brand … In this crucial task, Kyle will be working in tandem with Jack Blanchard, our newly-installed managing editor and author … Jack has been heavily involved throughout this recruitment process and has already started plotting with Kyle the next steps for our storied newsletter.” Read the full memo — exciting times ahead.
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The North Lawn of the White House is seen covered by snow in Washington, Feb. 11, 2025. | Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images | OK — ON TO THE WEATHER: By 10 p.m. last night, we’d had more than five inches of snow at the Capitol, per the CWG. And it kept on coming down through the night, though has eased off this morning. Per the Weather Gang: “Precipitation may pause briefly midday Wednesday, before a wave of rain (or wintry mix in colder areas) later in the day.” Yeeesh. Official OPM guidance: “Status: Open — Suggesting 2 Hour Delayed Arrival — With Option for Unscheduled Leave or Unscheduled Telework,” the missive from up high states. “Given critical work being done across the federal government, please consult with your agency for final guidance.” Sounds like President Musk might still need you guys today … Thoughts and prayers.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | AMERICA’S NEW BATTLEGROUND: Donald Trump and his disruptor-in-chief Elon Musk face further court battles today as they try to force through the most radical overhaul of the federal government in generations. Three more important court cases loom today — weather permitting — covering the futures of USAID, disaster response agency FEMA and ethics watchdog Hampton Dellinger, all of whom were being targeted by Trump and Musk before judges stepped in. The White House wants the blocking orders lifted so it can press ahead with its overhaul of the U.S. government. In courtroom after courtroom across America, the pattern for the next four years is being set. Forget all the noise: Yesterday was all about the Don/Elon double act — a surreal made-for-TV Oval Office skit which featured walk-on parts for Musk’s ill-fitting MAGA hat, a 1950s mine shaft and a distracted preschooler in a gorgeous coat. (His mom wasn’t too happy about that.) The White House’s main aim was to push back against the criticism of Musk’s work. But the most important part was Trump’s unequivocal answer when asked if he’d ever just ignore a court ruling. He did not flinch. “I always abide by the courts,” Trump replied. That might seem like an obvious answer … what with him being the president of the United States and all. But it was one America needed to hear, amid the cacophony of right-wing firebrands urging the president to defy the rule of law and the wailing of liberals fearful he might do just that. But Trump said it three times. “I always abide by the courts,” he said. “And then I’ll have to appeal it … The answer is, I always abide by the courts, always abide by it. And we’ll appeal.” So on we go: That appeals process continues today as White House lawyers seek to overturn temporary court orders blocking the dismantling of USAID, the restriction on payments out of FEMA and the firing of Hampton Dellinger, whom Trump wants to replace as head of the Office of Special Counsel — a watchdog designed to stop civil servants undertaking political acts. So far, these emergency cases have not gone well for the president, and last night, the White House lost its first appeal case, too — with a three-judge panel in Boston upholding a decision to block Trump’s federal funding freeze. What happens next? While these blocking orders are temporary, some may remain in place for weeks if not months. “The next phase in most of these fights is over ‘preliminary injunctions,’ which are still short-term emergency orders but take a few weeks to resolve,” POLITICO legal eagle Kyle Cheney tells me in a late-night text. “The judges have to decide whether to preserve the status quo until the much longer process of regular litigation takes place — possibly for months.” POLITICO’s Kevin Bogardus and colleagues have been chatting to worried federal workers left in limbo by the uncertainty. Brace yourselves: Given the legal quagmire, we can expect the judiciary to come under massive pressure from the right in the days and weeks ahead. “Maybe we have to look at the judges,” Trump mused ominously last night, though precisely what he has in mind is unclear. The wider MAGA bubble has its own ideas, of course. “I think he should take a page out of Andrew Jackson’s playbook,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Fox News, referencing the famous 1832 presidential defiance of the Supreme Court. Musk was again demanding judicial impeachments last night — how does he stay awake so late? — while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wants new laws making nationwide injunctions harder to secure. Blame the DOJ? While MAGA world is hammering the judges, ABC’s Katherine Faulders and colleagues point out the judges have in turn been rounding on overstretched DOJ lawyers for presenting less-than-watertight cases. “It boggles my mind,” one exasperated Ronald Reagan-appointed judge said of the flimsy DOJ case before them. THE NEXT COURT CASE? The Trump administration has fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin, precisely one day after he filed a deeply unhelpful watchdog report warning the foreign aid freeze actually makes it harder to avoid the misuse of funds, per CNN’s Jennifer Hansler. That firing would seem to be illegal — along with the other mass IG firings across government — since the law states that Congress must have 30 days’ notice of any such decision. This one, too, is surely headed for the courts. Elon’s EO: In the meantime, DOGE will plow on as best it can, emboldened by yesterday’s executive order giving its work a mighty shot in the arm. WaPo’s Heather Long has a concise list of Musk’s new powers, and they’re pretty significant, empowering his minions to approve (or block) every new government agency hire — and ordering bosses to report back within 30 days on which agencies or functions can be wound up. Truly, it’s Elon’s Washington now. And they’re off! There was immediate (if performative) action at the Small Business Administration following last night’s EO, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols reports, with hundreds of probationary employees laid off via email. Earlier, the Office of Personnel Management submitted draft regulations making it easier to fire career government officials who push back against presidential orders. That already seems to be happening at FEMA, where four senior staff were fired Tuesday for approving payments for migrant housing. Whoops: Musk admitted yesterday that “we are moving fast, so we will make mistakes — and we now know there was a bit of a whopper at the Treasury last week, where everyone’s favorite Musk minion Marko Eloz — the 25-year-old who resigned and then unresigned over racist tweets — was briefly granted power to not just read sensitive payments details, but to alter them. The disclosure came in a series of affidavits filed in federal court in New York, POLITICO’s Michael Stratford and Kyle Cheney report. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: So what’s it actually like when these DOGE bros come knocking? Government workers describe the career-threatening interviews as brief, mysterious and anxiety provoking. POLITICO’s Danny Nguyen has the story. All eyes on Elon: Musk himself remains under massive scrutiny, of course, not least over his perceived conflicts of interest as a billionaire business owner and government contractor with tons of skin in the game. (He told reporters in the Oval Office yesterday there’s nothing to worry about.) CNN reckons Musk’s firms will benefit from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — including, WaPo adds, his new venture X Money. The NYT says Musk will file a financial disclosure report, but that it will remain confidential from the prying eyes of the public. So much for DOGE transparency. Looking on in awe: Populist right-wing movements around the world are staring dreamy-eyed at what Musk and Trump are doing. Back in your Playbook’s native Britain, a “UK Doge” social media project has been sifting through public records and tweeting out things it considers “woke waste” — and Nigel Farage is hopping on the bandwagon. “When you see what they’re doing in America, do you get the feeling we ought to be doing it here?” he asks in his latest online video. Farage’s Reform UK party is now leading the British opinion polls. The revolution is spreading fast. Careful what you wish for: But Nigel, take note: Dramatic cuts can have unintended consequences, as evidenced by a group of congressional Republicans who just introduced a bill trying to save a food aid program … because it pays American farmers to help feed the world’s neediest people, WSJ’s Kristina Peterson reports. Expect plenty more special interest pleas like this in the weeks ahead. And as for the intended consequences … The foreign aid cut poses an acute threat to refugees on the Thailand/Myanmar border, as CNN’s Helen Regan and colleagues report, as well as to people in war-torn, famine-stricken Sudan, as NBC’s Gabe Joselow documents. Despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s insistence that he would grant waivers for lifesaving work, aid workers say money is running dry. One coordinator in Darfur says the deaths from hunger will begin in 10 to 20 days, which is truly bleak.
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Protect Medicare Advantage: 34 million seniors are counting on it.
Over half of America's seniors choose Medicare Advantage because it provides them better care at lower costs than fee-for-service Medicare. With their coverage and care on the line, seniors are watching closely to see whether policymakers keep the bipartisan promise to protect Medicare Advantage by ensuring this vital part of Medicare is adequately funded.
Learn more at https://medicarechoices.org/ | | | IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID PRICE OF EGGS UPDATE: January’s inflation data is out at 8.30 a.m. and forecasters don’t expect it to be great news for anyone. “The beginning of the year is typically ripe for cost increases and stronger price growth,” Barron’s notes ahead of the release, “which means Wednesday's report likely won’t sway the Federal Reserve from its wait-and-see approach to interest rates.” Economists are predicting inflation rose 0.3 percent in January and 2.9 percent from a year earlier, compared with 0.4 percent month over month and 2.9 percent year over year in December. Instant reaction: Fed boss Jerome Powell is before the House Financial Services Committee at 10 a.m., so we’ll hear his response then. The DOGE ate it: Ahead of the release of the new CPI numbers — and with Musk’s DOGE allies setting their sights on the Labor Department — “former stewards of the Bureau of Labor Statistics are warning that its sensitive survey data needs to be protected at all costs,” POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Victoria Guida report this morning. “If BLS’ internal workings are politicized — or even perceived that way — it would jeopardize its ability to produce accurate reports that are fundamental gauges of the U.S. economy’s health and can move financial markets everywhere.” TRADE WAR LATEST: Despite warnings from some quarters that Trump’s import tariffs will only fuel inflation further — given they literally make stuff more expensive — the president is pressing ahead with his protectionist agenda. Over the weekend, he promised we’d see his new reciprocal tariff regime — the big one, which has allies quaking — on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, meaning that should now come today. Trump’s due to start signing executive orders at 2.30 p.m. this afternoon, so keep a close eye out ... and brace for a punchy response from the EU. With glorious timing … Indian PM Narendra Modi flies into Washington today ahead of talks with Trump tomorrow. He’s already started cutting tariffs on U.S. goods ahead of his visit in an effort to minimize the impact — don’t be surprised if we see more such action from Modi this week. NYT’s Alex Travelli has a good primer on U.S.-India trading relations. Not impressed: Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley says Trump’s proposed universal tariffs on Canada and Mexico — currently paused for 30 days — would devastate the U.S. auto industry. “A 25 percent tariff across the Mexico and Canadian border will blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we have never seen,” he said, according to a transcript provided by Ford to the NYT. GOP BUDGET WAR BLUEPRINT BLUES: There’s a race to the finish line unfolding on the Hill today as House and Senate Republicans scramble to get their opposing visions of budget reconciliation into the open. POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill texts Playbook to say that House GOP leaders hope to release their budget blueprint as soon as today, although last-minute wrangling over its exact shape continues (see Meredith’s tweet here about an 11th-hour battle over tax credits for biofuels). Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan report the latest House single-bill draft calls for $4.5 billion in tax cuts, $1.5 billion in spending cuts and $300 billion more in mandatory spending. Moment of truth: It all means a big moment looms for House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), who has scheduled markup for tomorrow. Arrington believes this is a golden opportunity for his long-sought huge cuts to federal spending, but is running out of time to get the many House GOP factions on board, POLITICO’s Rachael Bade and Meredith report. Though Arrington is aligned with the hard-right fiscal hawks, he’s also trying to stay on board with House leadership while fighting broadsides from House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). And while they all squabble … Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and his fellow GOP senators will try to jump a lead on their House counterparts, with Graham’s committee scheduled to mark up its own budget blueprint at 10 a.m. today. The administration steps in: The Senate’s two-bill approach — which focuses on border and defense funding now, and punts taxes to a later date — received a helpful injection of urgency from the administration yesterday. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and AG Pam Bondi sent a letter saying they need more resources for border security and mass deportations, Fox News’ Julia Johnson scooped. And border czar Tom Homan and OMB Director Russell Vought urged senators in person to pass the $175 billion for the border as quickly as possible, Axios’ Stef Kight reports. The upshot: Senators believe, based on these signals and other private conversations, that Trump is increasingly content with their approach, though administration officials haven’t taken an explicit stance on one bill vs. two, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney reports.
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:  
| | | AMERICA AND THE WORLD WELCOME HOME: Freed U.S. hostage Marc Fogel arrived at the White House last night to thank President Trump for his release from Russian jail. “Every second, every minute, every day had a challenge,” Fogel reflected of his three years in prison — though Trump was quick to pointedly contrast his chipper condition with that of the emaciated Israelis released by Hamas. Watch the clip … And then read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jacob Geanous on what Fogel’s 95-year-old mom plans to cook for him. Coming attractions: Trump said another U.S. hostage will be released today, although no details have yet been made public. How the deal was done: Trump’s negotiating team insist the Fogel deal was not a straight prisoner swap, but it sounds like some sort of reciprocal release may yet be coming. “This was a unilateral decision,” said U.S. negotiator Adam Boehler, speaking on CNN. “For us, it means we give thought to other people that are non-violent from a Russia perspective. It means the president is open to things now.” Speaking of hostages: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to end the cease-fire in Gaza and unleash “intense” war if Hamas doesn’t release more hostages Saturday, NYT’s Lara Jakes, Patrick Kingsley, Ronen Bergman and Thomas Fuller report. The militant group had previously said it would pause all releases indefinitely, accusing Israel of slowing humanitarian aid. They have three days to reach a compromise. Back here in DC: Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet today with King Abdullah II following the Jordanian leader’s delicate tightrope-walking at his meeting with Trump yesterday. Despite warm words on both sides — and the king’s promise to take in 2,000 more Palestinian children — neither leader has shifted their position on the future of Gaza. More from POLITICO’s Eli Stokols. Meanwhile in Europe: Ahead of this weekend’s Munich Security Conference, top Trump administration officials are saturating Europe, from VP JD Vance at the Paris AI summit to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a U.S. base in Germany. Scott Bessent will join them, as Trump announced the Treasury secretary will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to end the war. (Hegseth will have to hope for a nicer reception than he got on the base.) As Trump continues pushing Ukraine toward negotiations, this weekend’s conference will show many European leaders quietly falling in line with that approach, POLITICO’s Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer report. Speaking of Munich: My POLITICO colleagues will be on the ground for the Munich conference from Friday, and you can tune into our livestream for the highest-level interviews and fireside chats. Details here. BEST OF THE REST NOMINATIONS WATCH: The winter storm has briefly delayed both Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation vote as director of national intelligence and a procedural vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS secretary. But we don’t have much longer to wait — senators reached a deal to take the votes at 11 a.m. today rather than late last night. It’s a big moment for Gabbard, but nobody now expects her to fall at the final hurdle. More from CNN … Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation hearing as Labor secretary has also been postponed until next Wednesday. SAY HELLO: Trump has nominated Jonathan McKernan as permanent CFPB director, POLITICO’s Michael Stratford and colleagues report. He’s also picking Jonathan Gould for comptroller of the currency and Brian Quintenz for head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. … Terry Cole is Trump’s new pick for head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. More from WaPo … Sean Cairncross will be nominated as national cyber director, POLITICO’s Maggie Miller and John Sakellariadis report. … And Gary Andres is coming down the pike for assistant HHS secretary, per Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman. SAY GOODBYE: Ronald Rowe announced he’ll retire from his post as deputy Secret Service director, following a monthslong period as the agency’s acting head. More from CBS KEEP AN EYE ON THIS: Could the U.S. ban kids 12 and under from using social media? A bipartisan bill has already advanced out of a Senate committee with strong support. But the House has been more cautious in this arena, and both tech companies and digital rights groups oppose the legislation, Roll Call’s Gopal Ratnam reports. THE END OF CIVILITY: Rep. Brandon Gill’s (R-Texas) campaign doubled down on a declaration that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) should be deported and has committed treason, per Axios’ Andrew Solender. HMM … “Please Don’t Use Nancy Mace’s So-Called Victim Hotline, Advocates Say,” by Mother Jones’ Julianne McShane
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:  
| | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | John Larson said his freeze-up on the House floor was due to a complex partial seizure, but he’s been given medication to address it. Anna Paulina Luna wants her John F. Kennedy assassination task force to talk to members of the Warren Commission — but none of them are alive. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the State of the Net Conference yesterday: FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Ari Schwartz, Jeremy Grant, Heather West, Maggie Miller, Oma Seddiq, Justin Hendrix, John Perrino, Steve DelBianco, Travis LeBlanc, Shira Perlmutter, Emma Morris, Matt Kaufman, Tricia McCleary, John Mitchell, Billy Easley, Jennifer Taylor Hodges, Christian Dawson, Blake Adami, Johanna Shelton, Jeffrey Zubricki, Alan Davidson, Rebecca Kern, Chris Lewis, Tim Lordan, Maura Colleton Corbett, Amy Schatz, Anne Keeney, Davey McKissick, Halley Roth and Connor Farry. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf is joining the Protecting America Initiative as senior adviser. MEDIA MOVE — Taylor Giorno is joining NOTUS as a lobbying and influence reporter. She previously was a business and lobbying reporter at The Hill. TRANSITIONS — Brett McGurk is now a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He most recently was deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa at the NSC. … David Hill will be EVP of the energy program at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is an NRG Energy, Sidley Austin and Energy Department alum. … Jimmy Rhee is joining Grayson & Co. as senior adviser for Asia. He previously was cabinet secretary for business affairs in Maryland. … … Jonathan Haray is rejoining DLA Piper as a partner in the litigation practice. He most recently was a principal assistant deputy chief of the Justice Department Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. … Mae Eldahshoury is now comms director for Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.). She previously was deputy comms director for Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and is a Jon Ossoff alum. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Giancarlo Sopo, founder of Visto Media, a writer for National Review and a Trump 2020 alum, and his wife, Hailenys, a specialist in pediatric autism care, welcomed Lucia Aurora Sopo on Saturday morning. She came in at 6 lbs, 3 oz and 19.5 inches while “In My Life” by The Beatles was playing. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Eugene Daniels … Justice Brett Kavanaugh … Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) … Jon Finer … Axios’ Jim VandeHei and Marc Caputo … Susan Page … NYT’s Maya King … Megan Bates-Apper … WaPo’s Chris Suellentrop and Marianna Sotomayor … David Brody … POLITICO’s Kristen East … Chris Hodgson … Justin Shockey of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s (R-Minn.) office … Ali Lapp … Thomas Peterson of Cannon Research Group … Christina Noel … Adam Webb of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … Trish Hoppey … Charlotte Sellmyer of the National Music Publishers’ Association … Christine Jacobs … BBC’s Chloe Ross … Robert Zeliger … Jennifer Lukawski of BGR Group … Kristin Gossel … Raj Bharwani of House Oversight … Lewis Lowe … Enel Clean Energy Buyers Association’s Kyle Davis … Bridget Anzano … CNN’s Maria Awad … Barbara Zylinski … Ben Sherwood … Herald Group’s Michael Stwarka … BBC’s Bernd Debusmann … David Reid of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misidentified Ahmad Sharawi’s work affiliation. He is with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
| | | | A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Medicare Advantage helps seniors prevent and manage chronic disease.
Medicare Advantage outperforms fee-for-service Medicare in preventive care and supporting seniors living with chronic disease. Seniors in Medicare Advantage experience fewer readmissions, fewer preventable hospitalizations, lower rates of high-risk medications and better outcomes.
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