The Playbook Podcast
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.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 6 minutes
- Episodes
- 1941
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
May 16, 2025: Dems reckon with Biden book fallout
As a new book about former President Joe Biden’s cognitive health steamrolls its way through the Washington conversation, a new litmus test is emerging for Democrats with national ambitions: Did Bide…
00:15:23 |
Fri 16 May 2025
May 15, 2025: Why today’s SCOTUS blockbuster is so hard to predict
Today, the Supreme Court hears arguably the biggest case of the term. But precisely what is being decided is up for debate. There’s a constitutional question about birthright citizenship. And then th…
00:16:46 |
Thu 15 May 2025
May 14, 2025: The book Joe Biden doesn’t want you to read
It’s Washington’s buzziest new book, and Joe Biden would probably prefer not to talk about it. And there’s a reason for that: It has ignited a ferocious discourse about the former president’s mental …
00:14:01 |
Wed 14 May 2025
May 13, 2025: Trump’s Saudi spectacle
President Donald Trump’s well-known love of pomp and grandeur will be on full display today as he makes an official state visit to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s royal family is all too eager to woo Tru…
00:14:53 |
Tue 13 May 2025
May 12, 2025: Trump's high-stakes trip tees up frenzied week
It’s the start of a frenzied week for Washington, as President Donald Trump embarks on his first overseas trip of his second term and congressional Republicans unveil sweeping new proposed cuts to sp…
00:19:26 |
Mon 12 May 2025
May 9, 2025: Red, white smoke and blue
It takes a lot to rip the news cycle away from President Donald Trump. But yesterday, that’s precisely what happened. Shortly after the president unveiled a major new trade deal with the U.K. — somet…
00:11:16 |
Fri 09 May 2025
May 8, 2025: Trump lands a trade deal
Last night, President Donald Trump teased an announcement the White House had been waiting for: Trump’s first trade deal since his sweeping tariffs upended the global economy. Who answered Trump’s ca…
00:14:21 |
Thu 08 May 2025
May 7, 2025: Washington reaps the whirlwind
This morning, Vice President JD Vance will speak at a meeting of world leaders convened in Washington by the Munich Security Conference. The speech is amid a backdrop of rising tensions between India…
00:12:17 |
Wed 07 May 2025
May 6, 2025: Trump and Carney face off
Today, President Donald Trump will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the heels of his recent electoral victory. It’s their first time face to face, even as backlash to Trump in Canada …
00:11:14 |
Tue 06 May 2025
May 5, 2025: The dolls and pencils economy
If one issue has defined President Donald Trump’s second term, it is the economy. Markets continue to deal with tariff-induced whiplash, and people around the country are bracing for higher prices to…
00:11:23 |
Mon 05 May 2025
May 2, 2025: Take this Waltz
Mike Waltz is out as national security adviser (and in as UN ambassador). Elon Musk is eyeing an exit from DOGE. And President Donald Trump continues to plow ahead, now past his first 100 days in off…
00:09:57 |
Fri 02 May 2025
May 1, 2025: How do you sell Trumponomics?
More than 100 days into his presidency, Donald Trump isn’t quite ready to claim the economy as his own. The latest GDP figures are underwhelming, markets are still dealing with tariff-induced whiplas…
00:11:33 |
Thu 01 May 2025
April 30, 2025: Trump returns to the trail
In marking his 100th day in office yesterday at a rally in Michigan, President Donald Trump wasn’t just looking backwards — he was projecting forward a vision for how he plans to sell his message to …
00:12:40 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
April 29, 2025: Day 100
Today, President Donald Trump marks the 100th day of his second term, a head-spinning period of time that has upended the global order, pushed the bounds of executive power, rattled the economy and r…
00:13:50 |
Tue 29 Apr 2025
April 28, 2025: Trump nears a historic benchmark
As President Donald Trump gears up to mark his 100th day in office, his administration is beset by challenges. Polls show his approval rating at a historical low for this stage in a presidency. Marke…
00:12:25 |
Mon 28 Apr 2025
April 25, 2025: The Karoline Leavitt effect
The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is here and Washington is again beset by navel-gazing — that much is not a surprise. But something seems different this year. It’s not just t…
00:10:18 |
Fri 25 Apr 2025
April 24, 2025: Trump ratchets up pressure on Zelenskyy
President Donald Trump promised a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine in one day. Nearly 100 days into his presidency, it remains elusive — and Trump is now ramping up the pressure on Ukrainian Presi…
00:10:12 |
Thu 24 Apr 2025
April 23, 2025: The White House tries to calm the markets
The White House is attempting to stabilize the economy amid market fluctuations and the complexities of trade negotiations with more than 30 countries. But how long can Trump world say they're making…
00:11:14 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
April 22, 2025: Trump’s ‘chaos’ strategy vs. the global economy
This morning, we’ll get a better look at the state of the world economy through the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Forecast. All signs point to a relatively grim prediction, due in no i…
00:11:38 |
Tue 22 Apr 2025
April 21, 2025: New Hegseth controversy roils Washington
Just how much trouble is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in? That question is set to dominate Washington today. Last night, former top Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot published an op-ed in POLITICO Mag…
00:09:56 |
Mon 21 Apr 2025
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