POLITICO Playbook Daily Briefing

While new developments in the saga of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man wrongly deported from Maryland to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador — are certain to drive the day, there’s a bigger meta-story going on. It’s about Trump’s war on institutions — from the court system (as in the Abrego Garcia case) to higher education to law firms to the independent media. With Washington’s attention turning to next week’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, we’re joined by POLITICO Magazine’s resident Trumpologist, Michael Kruse, to talk through Trump’s relationship with the press — arguably the longest-lasting and most important relationship of his decades in public life — and why it has soured so dramatically. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today.

Everyone is dispensable in Trump world, but don’t expect the president to get rid of his commerce secretary even when the going gets tough. Trump and Lutnick’s storied friendship goes far beyond business. Even with the tariff rollout proving chaotic, the chances Trump ousts his closest friend from his cabinet are slim. Capitol bureau chief and senior Washington columnist Rachael Bade joins Playbook managing editor Jack Blanchard to dig in.

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 managing editor and author Jack Blanchard to discuss the implications of the hearing and what to expect next.

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 issue is a standoff over the rule of law: whether the administration still feels bound to operate in good faith and comply with court rulings that go against its political agenda. Senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins host Steven Overly to unpack the details of the situation and what he expects to see when the case returns to a lower court today. Plus, Harvard is the latest Ivy League school on targeted for defunding by the administration.

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, Meta’s antitrust trial begins today, and President Donald Trump will meet with the president of El Salvador to discuss immigration.

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 deputy editor Zack Stanton to talk it through. Plus, SCOTUS says the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of a man erroneously deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador.

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 get here, and what comes next? White House bureau chief Dasha Burns joins Playbook author and managing editor Jack Blanchard to unpack what happened and why. Plus, Speaker Mike Johnson delays the budget vote in the House.

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 where things go from here.

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, tensions with China are flaring. Trump told Beijing to withdraw its reciprocal tariffs by today, or else he’ll hike tariffs on China by another 50 percent. POLITICO trade reporter Daniel Desrochers breaks it all down with host Steven Overly. Plus, the House is slow-marching toward its vote on a budget blueprint, which could happen as soon as tomorrow.

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 White House reporter Megan Messerly joins host Steven Overly to unpack it all and where things go from here.