December 12, 2024: Why some Dems are cozying up to Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and arguably President-elect Donald Trump’s most important supporter, finds himself being wooed by some unlikely people in Washington: Democrats in Congress. There are any number of reasons for this — personal ambition, a hope of finding common ground with Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency panel and an eagerness to attract his business investments to their states. But there’s something big picture at play, too: The “Resistance” is going to look a whole lot different during Trump 2.0. Politics reporter Holly Otterbein joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton to discuss. Plus, FBI Director Christopher Wray announces his departure. That, and the rest of the news you need to know today.
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December 11, 2024: Is Trump’s Cabinet pressure campaign working?
It may be too late for Matt Gaetz, but President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are engaged in a pressure campaign to ensure his Cabinet picks are confirmed. Trump World has used online criticism and threats of primary challenges against senators that could challenge his nominees. Will it work? Politics reporter Ally Mutnick joins Playbook co-author Rachael Bade to talk it all through. Plus, Trump names a flurry of new administration picks, and the spotlight shifts to RFK Jr.’s chances. That, plus the rest of the news you need to know today.
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December 10, 2024: Bashar al-Assad is gone. What next?
It’s no secret that President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have profoundly different approaches to foreign policy. With Trump taking office in 40-odd days, the seismic geopolitical shift resulting from Bashar al-Assad’s ousting comes at a pivotal time for both Syria and the U.S. So what do we know about how the U.S. will handle the fallout and the future in the Middle East? National security reporter and author of National Security Daily Robbie Gramer joins Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels to discuss. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today.
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December 9, 2024: Tulsi Gabbard's Syria problem
While President-elect Donald Trump’s other controversial picks like Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth have been sucking up all the oxygen in Washington, Tulsi Gabbard has managed to stay largely out of the spotlight. But now, Trump's enigmatic nominee for DNI is in the hot seat. The former Democrat is coming under fire for alleged sympathies towards Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who was run out of the country by rebels this past weekend. Can Gabbard convince senators that she’s the right person to brief the president? Playbook co-author Rachael Bade shares what she’s hearing on Capitol Hill. Plus, Trump breaks down his day one agenda on “Meet the Press.”
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December 6, 2024: The GOP’s DOGE-eat-DOGE era
GOP’s DOGE days have arrived on Capitol Hill. Yesterday, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-heads of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, were on Capitol Hill. And the nascent panel is already the basis of a turf war between different factions of the Republican Party. Jennifer Scholtes, the editor of POLITICO Pro’s budget and appropriations brief joins Playbook deputy editor Zack Stanton, to break down the battle lines and where insiders expect things to spill from here.
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