The beginning of the end

Two big things are happening in Washington today, and each involves a separate controversial figure. On Capitol Hill, the House is set to vote on closely watched legislation to release the files from the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It is far from the first time Epstein has been at the center of activity on the Hill, but President Donald Trump’s U-turn to encourage Republicans to vote for the release has taken much of the drama out. At the White House, Trump will welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns walk through what to expect, plus Trump’s latest affordability pitch.

President Donald Trump is aiming to grab control of the news cycle after a tumultuous turn over the past couple of weeks. The White House wants to be laser-focused on affordability messaging — but things aren’t that simple. On Tuesday, the House is poised to vote on legislation calling for the release of the Epstein files. Many Republicans were already expected to join Democrats on the vote, and now Trump is telling them to do so after initial resistance. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns tee up what to expect, the latest on Trump’s engagement with Venezuela and Trump’s ire toward Indiana.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D–Mass.) is not one to shy away from criticism of his own party. He made waves in the past when he insisted that the Democrats’ approach to dialogue on transgender issues was stifling. Moulton has also been vocal about the need for generational change in an aging Washington.  This time, the Massachusetts congressman is speaking out about the deal that ended the longest government shutdown in history. And how Senate Democrats missed an opportunity to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies “If Republicans were somehow gaining advantage here, if the polling was shifting in their favor, if they had done well in the elections last week, then I might say,’Okay, I get it. It doesn't seem like this strategy is working, so let's give up,’” says Moulton. “But Schumer has just snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.” Moulton is a veteran who served four tours in Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry officer. He’s also challenging Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey for his seat in the 2026 midterms, facing competition from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the process.  “Senator Markey is a good guy,” says Moulton. “He served the country for half a century. I mean, he's been in office longer than I've been alive. He and I agree on many of the issues. He says the right things, he has great press releases, but how much has he actually gotten done?” In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Moulton talks with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns about how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is failing his party, why age needs to be a major consideration for lawmakers and how Senate Democrats could have done more to guarantee access to affordable healthcare. Plus, POLITICO’s Senior Congressional editor Mike DeBonis joins Dasha to discuss how the shutdown finally came to an end, which party ended up better off afterwards and how this event may shape Congress in the year to come. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this podcast misstated that former Rep. Joe Kennedy III is running against Sen. Ed Markey in  2026. Kennedy ran against Markey in 2020 but has not announced plans to run against Markey in 2026.

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin stepped into the spotlight when she delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress earlier this year, and has remained there ever since. Now, on a mission to help rebuild the Democratic Party, Slotkin is hearing from people across the country just how deep the fractures go. Playbook’s Adam Wren and national politics reporter Samuel Benson dig into the existential threats facing both parties, and how the hot-button issues playing out in Washington are reverberating across the West.

President Donald Trump last night signed a short-term funding bill that officially reopened the government. But when one door opens, so does a large can of worms. As lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Wednesday morning, a new collection of Jeffrey Epstein emails were made public, and their references to Trump reignited a storyline that dominated headlines earlier this year. Now, with Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) finally sworn in, a dramatic vote on the release of the Epstein files is on its way. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns walk through what to expect, and what it all means for Trump.

The record-breaking government shutdown is on track to end after 43 days. But lawmakers are returning to Washington with both parties sorting out internal dilemmas. Democrats are dealing with the intra-party strife that eight caucus members triggered when they joined Republicans to reopen the government. And Republicans are reckoning with the future of the party once Donald Trump leaves office as a confluence of hot-button issues exposes a series of rifts. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns break down the discord, plus what to expect as the House convenes for the first time in weeks.

There is a growing sense of unease within the Trump administration over the ceasefire in Gaza, with new documents obtained by POLITICO revealing a White House beset with questions over how to move to the subsequent phases of the peace deal. The collection of documents paint a vivid picture of the myriad hurdles that could complicate — or even tank — the effort. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns unpack the reality that the documents display, which runs counter to the rhetoric that President Donald Trump deploys.

A 60-40 procedural vote in the Senate on Sunday night is putting the 40-day government shutdown on track to find an end date this week if all goes according to plan. While the shutdown may be coming to an end, another dramatic fracas is spinning off from it. The eight centrist Democrats who voted with Republicans, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are now at the center of intra-party ire. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns unpack what happens now, and what the deal means for both sides.

New Jersey’s governor-elect Mikie Sherrill and James Blair, the political director for the Trump 2024 Campaign and the RNC, break down the lessons learned from this week’s Democratic sweep  Election Night 2025 was a sweet one for Democrats nationwide. Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral race. Former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger clinched the Virginia gubernatorial contest. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50 initiative passed, paving the way for redistricting reform across the country. And, by a double-digit margin, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) is now the Governor-elect of New Jersey. The Navy helicopter pilot-turned federal prosecutor defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli with a campaign focused on standard issues like capping energy costs and cutting administrative bloat. In this week’s episode of The Conversation, Governor-elect Sherrill chats with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns about her campaign strategy, navigating New Jersey’s electoral landscape, and the need for Democrats to reclaim their reputation with working-class Americans. Plus, James Blair, political director for President Trump’s 2024 campaign and the RNC, sits down with Dasha to break down what Tuesday night’s Democratic sweep means for the GOP’s battle plans going into the 2026 midterms.

As Republicans continue reeling from the resounding losses they faced across the country on Tuesday, one glaringly obvious lesson has emerged: the party needs a plan for how to win when Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot. In 2024, the president demonstrated a unique ability to attract typically disengaged voters to the polls. But the inroads that Trump built with this coalition failed to hold for Republicans in key off-year races on Tuesday. Playbook’s Adam Wren and White House reporter Megan Messerly discuss where the party turns ahead of the midterm elections and beyond. Plus, movement to end the longest shutdown in history may be materializing.