The Playbook Podcast

It’s kitchen sink week on Capitol Hill as House Speaker Mike Johnson rushes to schedule votes on key issues like a CR and the NDAA before lawmakers leave for August recess. But with no recent legislative wins, how will Congress members stump in their districts ahead of the midterms? Meanwhile in the Grand Canyon state, Republicans are attempting to bridge the divide between hard-liner politicians and a more moderate voter base. And filings for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s replacement open today, with Darline Graham already in the mix.

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AOC hit the campaign trail in Michigan over the weekend alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders. She’s rallying for Abdul El-Sayed in his race against Congresswoman Haley Stevens, but is there subtext of an AOC 2028 bid? Meanwhile, the Vance-Rubio succession race is getting spicier. Polls show Vance at the forefront, but there’s only one poll that matters in the White House: President Trump’s. And, how the new Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” became the latest site of the culture wars.

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Abdul El-Sayed – the progressive former public health official running for the Democratic nomination in Michigan's open Senate seat – joins Dasha to explain why he believes "both parties are lying" to working Americans, unleashes on the ‘hypocrisy’ of the Democratic establishment, and defends his record on “Defund the Police,” ICE, socialism and more.

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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) join POLITICO's Jonathan Martin at the Little Missouri Saloon in Medora for a conversation about the newly opened Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, why the Badlands helped shape one of America's most consequential presidents and how they're betting the landmark will transform North Dakota.



They also discuss President Donald Trump's agenda, the future of the GOP, the politics of conservation and why they believe Theodore Roosevelt's legacy still offers lessons for America as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday.

Last night, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address focused on newly declassified documents that he argued cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 election. But the documents don't appear to substantiate his longstanding claims that the election was stolen. So why deliver this speech now, and who was the real audience? Plus, a preview of our conversation with one of Washington's buzziest figures: Abdul El-Sayed.

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