Yesterday, the Supreme Court eased the way for President Donald Trump to proceed with his plans to fire tens of thousands of federal workers by executive order. The implications for Washington — and the nation — are vast. But will the win — and the ensuing makeover of the bureaucracy — satisfy a disgruntled MAGA base? Playbook author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns talk it through. Plus, a peek at the growing daylight between the White House and members of Trump’s Cabinet.
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July 8, 2025: MAGA turns on its own
After a few weeks during which things seemed to go more or less as the Trump administration had hoped, MAGA world is suddenly in revolt. Yesterday, the Justice Department announced that it would not release any further documents pertaining to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender and wealthy financier whose 2019 death fueled conspiracy theories across the political spectrum. Many members of the MAGA base aren’t satisfied with the DOJ’s decision — and its conclusion that he died by suicide and did not maintain a long-rumored “client list” — and are aiming their ire at Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Playbook author Jack Blanchard and chief Playbook correspondent Dasha Burns discuss the potential political fallout.
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July 7, 2025: Tariffs, Texas, treaties and Trump
For President Donald Trump, it’s a week of tests on several fronts. After deadly floods in Texas, his administration’s cuts to the NOAA and National Weather Service are receiving new scrutiny, with many critics calling for investigations into what went wrong — and wondering how to prevent more disasters in the coming hurricane season. Meanwhile, as the nation inches toward a new trade deadline and a wave of new tariffs, the economy is bracing for impact. And on the global stage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit the White House this evening — his third such trip in the Trump 2.0 era. Playbook author Jack Blanchard and chief correspondent Dasha Burns walk through all you need to know to start the week.
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July 3, 2025: Trump barnstorms into July 4
As Congress wrestles over the GOP’s megabill package, President Donald Trump heads to Iowa for a major rally on the eve of the July 4 holiday. Playbook’s chief correspondent Dasha Burns joins author Jack Blanchard to talk through the ghosts of rallies past, what to watch for this time around and what some people misunderstand about Trump’s connection with his audience.
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July 2, 2025: Crunch time for Trump’s megabill
The GOP’s massive reconciliation package heads back to the House this morning after narrowly crawling to passage in the Senate yesterday. But it looks much different than the last time the chamber considered it: To get through the Senate, the bill underwent an major makeover that drastically increases the deficit and could complicate the voting math in the House. The implications — for everyday Americans, for President Donald Trump’s agenda and for the 2026 and 2028 elections — couldn’t be much bigger. POLITICO senior Congress editor Mike DeBonis joins Playbook author Jack Blanchard to talk through how it went down and what comes next.
POLITICO’s Jack Blanchard and Dasha Burns bring their fresh insight, analysis and reporting to the biggest story driving the day in the nation’s capital.
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