{"id":324,"date":"2026-07-05T18:54:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=324"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:54:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T13:54:45","slug":"another-week-that-could-electrify-the-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=324","title":{"rendered":"Another week that could electrify the left"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><i>With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Good Monday morning.<\/b> This is <b>Jack Blanchard<\/b>, staggering into the new week after completing the toughest assignment of 2026 \u2014 hosting a 5-year-old\u2019s birthday party. No journalism gig could ever come close. But we survived! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#2a4048464b4449424b584e6a5a4546435e43494504494547\" target=\"_blank\">Drop me a line<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>In today\u2019s Playbook \u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> All eyes on Colorado tomorrow as the Democratic insurgency heads for the hills.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span> Get ready for another SCOTUS news dump at <b>10 a.m.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>\u2014<\/b><\/span><b> The Boldfaces: Michael Bennet, Phil Weiser, Melat Kiros, Diana DeGette, Hasan Piker, Janeese Lewis George, Mike Johnson, Brendan Carr, Rick Scott, Mark Kelly <\/b><i>and more.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>ROCKY ROAD:<\/b> In case you hadn\u2019t noticed, Democratic insurgents are having a moment. In Colorado tomorrow we\u2019ll find out if that\u2019s shifting to moment<i>um, <\/i>as a quartet of closely watched primary races reach their climax.<\/p>\n<p><b>Mountain high:<\/b> In the context of last week\u2019s New York City earthquake, what had once looked like a relatively low-key primary date tomorrow is now anything but. We have a professional <b>Donald Trump<\/b>-basher threatening to block a senator\u2019s path to the governor\u2019s mansion. We have a political novice \u2014 <i>not even born<\/i> when her veteran opponent first took her seat in Congress \u2014 on the verge of an extraordinary ouster. We have a key midterm battleground shaping up to be fought sharply from the left. And we might \u2014 <i>might <\/i>\u2014 even see one of Colorado\u2019s best-known politicians face a radical progressive challenge.<\/p>\n<p><b>New York is one thing, but Colorado is another.<\/b> Expect to learn plenty tomorrow night about how insurgent messaging <i>really <\/i>lands outside of a coastal metropolis, and what that means for the future of the Democrats \u2014 and perhaps the presidential contest in 2028.<\/p>\n<p><b>First up:<\/b> The shocker. Sen. <b>Michael Bennet,<\/b> the three-term senator and 2020 presidential wannabe, at one point appeared on a glide path to the Colorado governor\u2019s mansion this fall. Far from it, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/29\/bennet-degette-colorado-primaries-progressives-00979355\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s William Steakin reports this morning<\/a>. Bennet\u2019s opponent, Colorado AG <b>Phil Weiser<\/b>, has closed the gap dramatically and may yet come out on top after polls close in tomorrow\u2019s primary.<\/p>\n<p><b>Let off some steam, Bennet: <\/b>\u201cThere may be only a slight Bennet advantage at this point,\u201d a Democratic strategist tells William, revealing that private polling in the race has been \u201call over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Important:<\/b> This is <i>not <\/i>the same leftist insurgency we witnessed in New York City last week, though there are clearly parallels to be drawn. While Weiser has positioned to Bennet\u2019s left on certain policy issues, he\u2019s mainly gained traction by casting himself as a battle-hardened anti-Trump warrior, ready to jolt the complacent Dem establishment and take the fight directly to the president. Weiser has sued Trump 66 times as AG, a record he\u2019s leaning on heavily. It\u2019s music to the ears of a Democratic base desperate for someone \u2014 <i>anyone <\/i>\u2014 to start clobbering back at Trump.<\/p>\n<p><b>Beyond the governor\u2019s mansion: <\/b>As Playbook told you last week, the most closely watched House primary tomorrow will be in the 1st Congressional District \u2014 essentially covering Denver itself \u2014 where 29-year-old lawyer-turned-barista <b>Melat Kiros<\/b> is trying to oust 15-term Rep.<b> Diana DeGette<\/b>. At 29, Kiros was born a few months <i>after <\/i>DeGette was first elected in 1997. The changing-of-the-guard narrative here is just waiting to be written.<\/p>\n<p><b>And this one <i>does <\/i>have shades of NYC.<\/b> Kiros is a signed-up member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and her campaign is seeking to mimic the<b> Zohran Mamdani<\/b> method. National DSA chapters are hosting daily phone banks, with organizers vowing to overcome their opponents\u2019 large corporate donations by knocking on tens of thousands of doors. <b>Hasan Piker,<\/b> the lightning-rod progressive Twitch streamer, told William he intends to host a phone-bank marathon for Kiros and to campaign in the state tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p><b>Several recent polls<\/b> have put Kiros out in front, and the shift in expectations through this final stretch has been striking. While it\u2019s been known for a while that DeGette had a fight on her hands, plenty of observers now clearly believe she\u2019s going to lose. \u201cIt\u2019s not looking great,\u201d one prominent Colorado Democratic strategist familiar with DeGette\u2019s polling tells William. \u201cIt\u2019s very tough when you\u2019re fighting against a wave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>If DeGette\u2019s ouster no longer feels like a long shot<\/b>, anything similar playing out in Colorado\u2019s <i>Senate <\/i>primary would have jaws hitting the floor. Democratic Sen.<b> John Hickenlooper<\/b> has been a cornerstone of Colorado politics for decades, with the near-universal name recognition you\u2019d expect of a two-term state governor and Denver city mayor. <a href=\"https:\/\/workingfamilies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Colorado-Senate-Democratic-Primary-Poll-Summary-of-Findings-WFP-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Initial polls in February<\/a> gave him a seemingly unassailable 30-point lead over his leftist challenger, state Sen. (and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenadoraJulie\/status\/1998530495035101429\" target=\"_blank\">former DSA member<\/a>) <b>Julie Gonzales<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>And yet:<\/b> In 2026, incumbency is not the superpower it once was. (Hickenlooper will also be 80 years old after another full Senate term.) A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coloradoan.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/06\/11\/colorado-senate-democratic-primary-coloradohickenlooper-gonzales\/90497631007\/\" target=\"_blank\">local poll last month<\/a> had his lead over Gonzales reduced to just <i>seven points<\/i>, suggesting this may be closer than expected. One strategist even tells William they\u2019ve seen private polling putting the race as a <i>dead heat<\/i>. If the leftist wave really does extend to Colorado, the final numbers in this Senate primary will be a measure of how far up the beach it can go.<\/p>\n<p><b>And don\u2019t forget:<\/b> As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2026\/06\/28\/the-dem-primary-on-ice-00979258\" target=\"_blank\">Playbook\u2019s Ali Bianco set out yesterday<\/a>, the Dem primary to take on Republican Rep. <b>Gabe Evans <\/b>in one of the country\u2019s most fiercely contested House battlegrounds \u2014 Colorado\u2019s 8th \u2014 is also a fascinating one, and plenty are predicting state Rep. <b>Manny Rutinel<\/b> will defeat his opponent <b>Shannon Bird<\/b> from the left. Evans is wisely trying to keep his own focus on affordability, and will be joined by Energy Secretary <b>Chris Wright<\/b> at a campaign event this morning.<\/p>\n<p><b>The red scare:<\/b> More broadly, Republicans spy a major opportunity in their opponents\u2019 shifting position, and Trump has wasted no time in trying to weaponize the trend. The president\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/clip\/campaign-2026\/president-trump-ill-be-the-greatest-communist-in-history\/5201942\" target=\"_blank\">speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition<\/a> last Friday saw him trial a tub-thumping new message about the \u201cCommunist\u201d threat America is supposedly facing, and his Truth Social feed was <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116829505399993127\" target=\"_blank\">peppered with further posts<\/a> on the theme throughout the weekend. Expect to hear this on a near-daily basis for the next four months.<\/p>\n<p><b>New boogeyman needed:<\/b> The assumption had been that Trump would use Mamdani as his socialist boogeyman-in-chief, but unhelpfully for Republicans the president has made clear that, well, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/11\/21\/trump-mamdani-make-love-not-war-00665861\" target=\"_blank\">he rather likes the guy<\/a>. (Also unhelpfully for Republicans, Mamdani has proven adept at making himself look far more human than the vast majority of D.C. politicians on <i>either <\/i>side of the aisle. Just check out his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/video\/shorts\/mayor-mamdani-jumps-into-a-nyc-pool-in-his-suit-265805381899\" target=\"_blank\">NYC pool jump on Saturday<\/a> for the latest example.)<\/p>\n<p><b>Instead,<\/b> Trump now appears to be focusing on the likely next mayor of D.C., <b>Janeese Lewis George<\/b>, as an alternative target. His <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116829276650028561\" target=\"_blank\">diatribe toward her<\/a> yesterday afternoon read like a harbinger of battles to come. (\u201cWe will not let [Washington] be destroyed by a Communist adherent,\u201d Trump blasted.) Expect to hear plenty more about <i>her <\/i>on Truth Social in the weeks and months ahead. For D.C., real conflict could be coming down the track.<\/p>\n<p><b>On today\u2019s Playbook Podcast:<\/b> Jack and Megan Messerly discuss the Trump-shaped specter looming over Colorado\u2019s primaries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-interrupt pos-alpha format-m \">\n<aside class=\"interrupt-item\">\n<div class=\"story-media\">\n<figure class=\"media-item type-photo\">\n<div class=\"fig-graphic has-overlay\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/trump-looms-over-colorado-primary\/id1169056746?i=1000774672028\" target=\"_blank\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/f2f9236\/2147483647\/resize\/762x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 1x, https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/fffbbfd\/2147483647\/resize\/1524x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 1012px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/4f6d9bc\/2147483647\/resize\/465x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 1x, https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/240a631\/2147483647\/resize\/930x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 686px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/cd9e801\/2147483647\/resize\/665x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 1x, https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/34857ac\/2147483647\/resize\/1330x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 321px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/3acde25\/2147483647\/resize\/310x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 1x, https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/e53f9a4\/2147483647\/resize\/620x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 320px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/f2f9236\/2147483647\/resize\/762x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/f2f9236\/2147483647\/resize\/762x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 1x, https:\/\/www.politico.com\/dims4\/default\/fffbbfd\/2147483647\/resize\/1524x\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F71%2F5a%2Fb734ad5f409a90b2ab24102894ef%2Fscreenshot-2026-06-29-at-5-55-41-am.png 2x\" alt=\"A screenshot shows the audio player for the Playbook Podcast\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n                            <\/a><span class=\"fig-overlay\"><br \/>\n                                <b aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"icon icon-window\"\/><br \/>\n                                <span class=\"icon-text\">New Window<\/span><br \/>\n                            <\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from Amazon:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles0\">\n<p>Nadine used free skills training to go from packing boxes in an Amazon fulfillment center to building satellites for Amazon Leo. <\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cAmazon paid for all of it and gave me a leg up. They gave me accommodations and my own computer for the first time ever,\u201d she said.<\/b> <\/p>\n<p>More than 700,000 Amazon employees like Nadine have used free skills training to launch new careers. <\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/644191560;450795006;h;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">Read her story.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>SCOTUS WATCH: <\/b>The next batch of Supreme Court opinions arrives at <b>10 a.m., <\/b>and with the clock ticking down, we\u2019re still waiting for several major cases to be decided. Birthright citizenship, firing <b>Lisa Cook <\/b>and <b>Rebecca Slaughter, <\/b>mail ballots, transgender athletes, campaign finance limits \u2014 look for at least one, and perhaps more, this morning. Behind the scenes, as justices increasingly clash with each other, several justices have said they miss the peacemaking presence of former colleague <b>Stephen Breyer, <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/law\/supreme-court-stephen-breyer-d6ce55a9\" target=\"_blank\">WSJ\u2019s James Romoser reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>THE AFFORDABILITY AGENDA: <\/b>Speaker <b>Mike Johnson <\/b>is sending the bipartisan housing bill <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/28\/mike-johnson-trump-housing-bill-00979341\" target=\"_blank\">to Trump today<\/a>. That\u2019ll pose a challenge for the president, who torpedoed last week\u2019s signing ceremony over his demands that Congress pass the SAVE America Act: Now Trump will have to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. (Congress would likely have the votes for a veto override.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>What\u2019s next: <\/b>House GOP leaders want to move spending bills, the defense policy bill and long-gestating kids online safety legislation on the floor this week. The big question is whether hard-liners trip up procedural votes in their own SAVE Act protest \u2014 or if Trump\u2019s admonition brings them in line. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/inside-congress\/2026\/06\/29\/red-white-and-gop-hard-liner-blues-00979366\"><b><i>More from POLITICO\u2019s Inside Congress<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>FIRST AMENDMENT WATCH: <\/b>Conservative groups are expected to file multiple petitions ahead of today\u2019s deadline to push the FCC to deny the broadcast TV licenses for Disney\u2019s ABC stations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/29\/carr-trump-disney-tv-licenses-00978661\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s John Hendel reports<\/a>. That could add more political pressure to Chair <b>Brendan Carr\u2019s <\/b>drive to threaten media outlets he sees as critical of Trump. These groups\u2019 intervention could help broaden the FCC\u2019s review beyond the diversity practices it has cited and into claims that ABC is politically biased.<\/p>\n<p><b>POLITICAL VIOLENCE WATCH: Cole Allen, <\/b>the alleged attempted Trump assassin at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, is scheduled for his next court appearance today. He has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">  <\/aside>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>NOMINATION WOES:<\/b><\/span> GOP senators are eager to push through nominees for a panoply of open positions, including dozens of federal judges and multiple Cabinet positions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/29\/senate-nominations-judges-labor-trump-00977929\" target=\"_blank\">POLITICO\u2019s Alex Gangitano and colleagues report<\/a>. They\u2019re also worried about a pre-midterms time crunch. But the Trump administration hasn\u2019t moved with similar alacrity. The judicial vacancies have especially concerned some senators, while Trump hasn\u2019t even nominated someone for Labor secretary or FDA commissioner.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>GREAT SCOTT:<\/b><\/span> Despite some recent attention-grabbing moves, Sen. <b>Rick Scott <\/b>(R-Fla.) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/29\/rick-scott-senate-gop-trump-00978732\" target=\"_blank\">tells POLITICO\u2019s Jordain Carney<\/a> he\u2019s not angling to challenge <b>John Thune <\/b>for majority leader. But he does want to make an impact \u2014 including pushing the chamber to take more tough votes (especially the SAVE Act) and emerging as a conservative policy leader. These days, with his closeness to the administration, Scott has \u201crenewed influence and a base of support outside of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>FIRST IN PLAYBOOK:<\/b><\/span> Sen. <b>Mark Kelly<\/b> (D-Ariz.) will headline the Ohio Democratic Party\u2019s annual state dinner Aug. 1 and stump for Democratic Senate candidate <b>Sherrod Brown, <\/b>Playbook\u2019s <b>Adam Wren <\/b>scoops.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">  <\/aside>\n<p><b>1. WAR REPORT: <\/b>After a weekend of attacks threatened the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and provisional peace deal, the U.S. now says both sides are ready to stop and return to talks tomorrow, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/28\/us-and-iran-agree-to-halt-strikes-and-meet-this-week-us-official-says\" target=\"_blank\">Axios\u2019 Barak Ravid reports<\/a>. Other countries\u2019 officials confirmed as much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-asserts-sole-control-of-hormuz-warns-challenges-will-bring-more-violence-5abea3c7\" target=\"_blank\">to the WSJ<\/a>, with the potential negotiations taking place in Qatar and focused on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran hasn\u2019t yet publicly confirmed the stand-down \u2014 and in fact Foreign Minister <b>Abbas Araghchi <\/b>declared yesterday that Iran would take complete control of managing the strait.<\/p>\n<p><b>2. FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: <\/b>Russian President <b>Vladimir Putin <\/b>said yesterday that once the U.S. turns its attention from Iran, he\u2019s ready for <b>Steve Witkoff <\/b>and <b>Jared Kushner <\/b>to come back and talk about ending the Ukraine war, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-06-28\/russia-ready-to-continue-discussing-ukraine-with-us-putin-says\" target=\"_blank\">per Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>3. THE NEW DOJ: <\/b>Top prosecutors thought they had sufficiently voluminous evidence to bring criminal charges against Abbott Laboratories over a baby formula contamination crisis. But the Justice Department ultimately decided to drop the case, end the probe and instead spring for \u201cclawing back money the company earned from selling formula through federally funded nutrition programs,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/law\/the-baby-formula-probe-produced-a-pile-of-evidence-then-the-doj-dropped-the-case-cdc68716\" target=\"_blank\">WSJ\u2019s Dave Michaels and colleagues scooped<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>4. THE LOAN LURCH: <\/b>Beginning Wednesday, major new student loan changes from Republicans\u2019 One Big Beautiful Bill Act will kick in, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/education\/trump-big-beautiful-bill-student-loan-changes-rcna350126\" target=\"_blank\">NBC\u2019s Erik Ortiz previews<\/a>. Lower-income people will see an especially big hit from higher payments, while borrowing restrictions will increase and repayment options will narrow. Meanwhile, an interesting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/06\/28\/unintended-consequences-pandemic-pause-student-loan-payments\/\" target=\"_blank\">analysis from WaPo\u2019s Federica Cocco and colleagues<\/a> shows that the Trump and Biden administrations\u2019 student loan payment pause during the pandemic actually led borrowers to rack up other types of debt.<\/p>\n<p><b>5. WEAPONIZATION WATCH: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/28\/yoo-to-advise-digenova-on-probe-into-inquiries-of-trumps-2016-campaign-and-russia-00979585\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cYoo to advise diGenova on probe into inquiries of Trump\u2019s 2016 campaign and Russia,\u201d<\/b><\/a> by POLITICO\u2019s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: \u201cProminent conservative law professor <b>John Yoo<\/b> has agreed to advise Justice Department prosecutor <b>Joseph diGenova<\/b> on his probe of what President Donald Trump\u2019s allies have described as a \u2018grand conspiracy\u2019 to upend Trump\u2019s first term in office through allegations of ties between his campaign and Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"story-related cl-l db \">\n<div class=\"intext-ad intext-ad--presented  \" style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n<p class=\"intext-ad__caption\" style=\"color:#000000\">A message from Amazon:<\/p>\n<div class=\"intext-ad__copy-styles3\">\n<p><b>More than 700,000 Amazon employees globally have used free skills training to launch new careers.<\/b> <\/p>\n<p>Nadine used Amazon Career Choice to become a satellite technician, turning a job working nights in an Amazon fulfillment center into a new career. <\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color:#007BC7; text-decoration:underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/ad.doubleclick.net\/ddm\/clk\/644163507;450794955;t;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755}\" target=\"_blank\">See the impact.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><b>AMERICAN EXPORT \u2014<\/b> POLITICO\u2019s <b>Sebastian Starcevic<\/b> has the readout from Brussels\u2019 Cinquantenaire Park, where the U.S. Embassy threw a blowout America 250 July Fourth party, complete with country music from <b>Alexis Wilkins<\/b> (FBI Director <b>Kash Patel\u2019s<\/b> girlfriend) and the Zac Brown Band, traditional American fare and protests nearby.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cThe event\u2019s guests were treated to a feast<\/b> of corn dogs, Texas BBQ, milkshakes, lobster rolls (which quickly sold out), American flag cupcakes and Philly cheesesteaks, along with spectacles such as a flyover of historic aircraft and a drone show that spelled out FREEDOM and took the shape of the White House. There was also a mechanical bull ride, cheerleaders lifting guests into the air and a bunch of free swag, including totes, baseball caps and, somewhat randomly, Duracell batteries (which flew off the shelves).<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201cAs Wilkins sang the national anthem<\/b>, beamed onto giant screens between Cinquantenaire\u2019s stone arches, her microphone appeared not to be working. She looked at it in confusion and continued soundlessly until the camera cut away. Later in the evening, she was given a do-over and performed it again, this time with sound.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/newsletter\/brussels-playbook\/eeas-fights-for-survival\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b><i>Much more in Brussels Playbook<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#b70000;font-weight:bold;font-family:sans-serif;\"><b>FIRST IN PLAYBOOK \u2014<\/b><\/span><b> Jeremy Lewin<\/b> is moving to the White House as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the NSC. He has been serving as acting undersecretary of State for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, leading the administration\u2019s overhaul of U.S. foreign aid.<\/p>\n<p><b>SCARY STUFF \u2014 <\/b>Rep. <b>Jahana Hayes <\/b>(D-Conn.) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepJahanaHayes\/status\/2071280654579294561\" target=\"_blank\">shared that<\/a> she was admitted to the hospital for two days for treatment and testing after feeling strangely dizzy due to a blood clot, but is now feeling better. \u2026 Sen. <b>Chris Coons <\/b>(D-Del.) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChrisCoons\/status\/2071312804171444520\" target=\"_blank\">was in a car accident<\/a> in Delaware and got treated for minor injuries at a hospital, but has now gone home.<\/p>\n<p><b>PLANTING A SEED \u2014 <\/b>As President <b>Donald Trump <\/b>drills down on one of his true passions \u2014 federal buildings and grounds in D.C. \u2014 he\u2019s now planning to have Lafayette Square feature 47 maple trees in honor of him being the 47th president, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/06\/28\/trump-wants-47-trees-mark-his-47th-presidency-white-house-park\/\" target=\"_blank\">WaPo\u2019s Dan Diamond and Jake Spring scooped<\/a>. He went to see the park\u2019s renovations in person yesterday. But the Post reports that it\u2019s not likely to reopen until August, contrary to Trump\u2019s July Fourth projection.<\/p>\n<p><b>SPORTS BLINK \u2014 <\/b>Also following his tour yesterday, Trump announced that East Potomac Golf Links will begin major upgrades Sept. 1, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/trump-says-reflecting-pool-full-use-public-golf-course-building-will-begin-2026-06-28\/\" target=\"_blank\">per Reuters<\/a>. He walked around the site with Interior Secretary <b>Doug Burgum<\/b> and architect <b>Tom Fazio. <\/b>Questions remain about legal challenges and how Trump\u2019s timeline will work with environmental and regulatory reviews.<\/p>\n<p><b>POOL REPORT \u2014 <\/b>Greenwater Services is the little-known firm co-owned by a felonious Trump friend that got a no-bid contract to clean up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. But President <b>Chas Antinone Jr. <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-california-greenwater-services-729be960\" target=\"_blank\">told WSJ\u2019s Will Hobson and Jim Carlton<\/a> they have \u201cnothing to hide\u201d \u2014 and the pool\u2019s green tinge is going away. Meanwhile, Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116829203090822692\" target=\"_blank\">latest evidence-free claim<\/a> about the pool is to label its problems as \u201ccriminally made algae.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION \u2014 <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonian.com\/2026\/06\/29\/dc-food-truck-mafia-national-mall\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>\u201cFood Truck Mafia,\u201d<\/b><\/a> by Washingtonian\u2019s Jessica Sidman: \u201cThis is not just a hodgepodge of misfit vehicles. It\u2019s a coordinated network. And it\u2019s all anchored right here on the Mall \u2026 It\u2019s America\u2019s Front Lawn, a symbol of our very democracy. And it\u2019s also where, US Park Police say, organized crime is operating in plain sight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>MEDIA MOVE \u2014 Rema Rahman<\/b> is now White House and politics team lead for Bloomberg Government. She previously worked for The Hill.<\/p>\n<p><b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY: <\/b>Playbook\u2019s own <b>Garrett Ross<\/b> \u2026 Rep. <b>Virginia Foxx<\/b> (R-N.C.) \u2026 Ropes &amp; Gray\u2019s <b>Amish Shah<\/b> \u2026 <b>Laura Rozen<\/b> \u2026 Intel\u2019s <b>Robin Colwell <\/b>\u2026 White House\u2019s <b>Marie Policastro<\/b> \u2026 <b>Josh Meyer<\/b> \u2026 CNN\u2019s <b>Evan P\u00e9rez<\/b> \u2026 <b>Carl Forti<\/b> \u2026 former Rep. <b>Collin Peterson<\/b> (D-Minn.) \u2026 <b>Ben Jarrett<\/b> \u2026 <b>Hal Brewster <\/b>of Freshfields \u2026 <b>Christina Pearson<\/b> \u2026 <b>Don Verrilli <\/b>of Munger, Tolles &amp; Olson \u2026 <b>Max Virkus <\/b>\u2026 <b>Hanna Trudo <\/b>\u2026 <b>Christian Marrone <\/b>of McKenna &amp; Associates \u2026 <b>Jordan Davis <\/b>\u2026 Roku\u2019s <b>Kaya Singleton<\/b> \u2026 <b>Katie Zirkelbach<\/b> \u2026 <b>Vijay Menon <\/b>of Sen. Josh Hawley\u2019s (R-Mo.) office \u2026 <b>Owen Kilmer<\/b> \u2026 Mercedes-Benz\u2019s <b>Christopher Wenk<\/b> \u2026 <b>Emily Spain<\/b> \u2026 MS NOW\u2019s <b>Kenny Reilly <\/b>\u2026 <b>Caitlin Bugas<\/b> \u2026 <b>Anahita Dhungel<\/b> of Senate Intelligence<\/p>\n<p><i>Did someone forward this email to you? <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/subscribe\/playbook\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Sign up here.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>Send Playbookers tips to <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#f2829e938b909d9d99b2829d9e9b869b919ddc919d9f\" target=\"_blank\"><i><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"740418150d161b1b1f34041b181d001d171b5a171b19\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/i><\/a><i> or <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/signal.me\/#eu\/Y_J-vxijzCPSLbXEtVrVH0ZLVZVBqr8iBbfikL2lBrl5QgVVODxM47rLk6iFu6EM\" target=\"_blank\"><i>text us on Signal here<\/i><\/a><i>. Playbook couldn\u2019t happen without our editor <\/i><b><i>Giuseppe Macri<\/i><\/b><i> and deputy editor <\/i><b><i>Garrett Ross<\/i><\/b><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<ul class=\"twitter-authors\">\n<div class=\"twitter-authors__content\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/hosted\/icon_x_gray.png\" class=\"twitter-authors__icon\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, staggering into the new week after completing the toughest assignment of 2026 \u2014 hosting a 5-year-old\u2019s birthday party. No journalism gig could ever come close. But we survived! Drop me a line. In today\u2019s Playbook \u2026 \u2014 All&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.politico.com\/3d\/ee\/f4d549cf4e548af6712990ce5b9e\/politico-cms-shared-graphic-1120x629.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}