Adam Wren

Texas Dems to flee state amid national redistricting battle They will head to Illinois, where Gov. JB Pritzker has expressed sympathy for their plight.

Scoop: Dozens of Texas Democrats plan to flee the state amid a special session Sunday afternoon, making a last-ditch effort to disrupt a mid-decade redistricting attempt forced by President Donald Trump.

www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

A Republican consultant close to the White House told @adamwren.bsky.social that the party isn’t counting on redistricting to hold the House in the 2026 midterm elections.

Yet Trump is fixated on the issue.

On #playbookpod, we discuss why: ow.ly/lBQr50Wxej5

Scoop @politico.com: @rokhanna.bsky.social will attack @jd-vance-1.bsky.social over Epstein in Ohio today.

Democrats are trying to narrow their attention gap with Republicans. www.politico.com/playbook

What's on President Trump's mind, based on his Truth Social feed:

Meet @jamestalarico.bsky.social, the Texas Democrat that Joe Rogan says should run for President.

t.co/D9zJ0RBpGd

Playbook: Trump world searches for off-ramp on Epstein And the House tees up another series of whirlwind votes.

Texted with @adamwren.bsky.social for today's Playbook.

Trump has struggled to pivot attention away from the Epstein story, despite his continued efforts to control the narrative.

Our @adamwren.bsky.social and @meganmesserly.bsky.social break down why the Epstein saga has such staying power on today's #PlaybookPod.

🎧: ow.ly/tEG750Wp5Ig

SCOOP: Joe Rogan’s next guest is @jamestalarico.bsky.social, the Texas Democrat weighing a Senate bid.

If Trump’s megabill passes in its current form, it will give Democrats an argument they can take into the 2026 midterms on Medicaid changes and tax breaks, @adamwren.bsky.social argues on #playbookpod.

And that's making some Republicans nervous.

🎧 ow.ly/bI2q50Whmly

Historian Heather Cox Richardson built a huge, loyal readership on Substack.

Does that mean she never gets to retire?

Full interview out tomorrow.

Centrist Dems are sweating the rise of @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social, arguing it could further set back the party’s already beleaguered national brand.

www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Mark Cuban: Harris Camp Asked For VP Vetting Papers The former Dallas Mavericks owner declined, saying he wouldn’t make a particularly good Number Two.

TOMORROW on the Bulwark Podcast: @mcuban.bsky.social joins @timmiller.bsky.social.

Did you know the Kamala Harris campaign asked Cuban for Veep vetting papers? Sneak peak @thebulwark.com: www.thebulwark.com/p/mark-cuban...

This morning's Reliable Sources:

Trump's episodic drama; Springsteen knocks on wood; breaking our "screen addiction" cnn.it/4095wVU

Some personal news: Serving dual roles on @politico.com’s politics team as senior politics correspondent and contributing author to Playbook ahead of 2026 and 2028.

Another week begins with @waytooearly.bsky.social:
☀️ @adamwren.bsky.social
☕️ Hagar Chemali
🌞 Rep. Joe Morelle
🌅 Ben Kamisar

Starting your week up early? Tell us why, here or email waytooearly@msnbc.com. #waytooearly

Baby's first tear gassing. The LAPD said they issued a dispersal order at 4pm. Me and about 20 random people I asked never heard it. One minute you're eating a Mexican pastry from a nice lady and next a dude with a baton is saying 'Get the fuck out of here' without even a hello.

Sign spotted at No Kings protest in Indianapolis: “In a world of Pete Hegseths, be a Pete Buttigieg.”

New @politico.com Playbook: An ominous start to a momentous day:

t.co/TFKWs3Vi3j

Scoop: Lindsey Graham could soon see a Democratic challenge from Joe Walsh. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

American Mid: Hampton Inn’s Good-Enough Formula for World Domination Hampton has become the largest US chain, and a global export, by being rigorously OK. The waffle makers are standing by.

Hey, someone finally wrote about my hometown!! www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Hey there, I will be in Los Angeles covering the ICE raids and protests. Hit me up with news or anything else that might help me understand things better. Much appreciated.

"Nobody’s going to spit on our police officers," says Trump, who four months ago pardoned people who beat police officers with pipes, flagpoles, baseball bats and 2-by-4s at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

5 Minutes With ... JD Scholten

Scoop: Rep. Haley Stevens is leading in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, but Mallory McMorrow is within the margin of error.

Playbook: The Great Un-Awokening And the Michigan Senate primary remains up in the air.

New: On Democrats’ slow motion Sister Souljah moment.

www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Trump is reviving his push to bar international students from attending Harvard.

The university is seen as elite by many, @adamwren.bsky.social argues on #playbookpod, so "[Trump] doesn’t think he’s losing anything politically by singling out Harvard like this.”

🎧 pod.link/1169056746

Scoop: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is endorsing Democratic Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Levar Stoney.

It's Buttigieg's first endorsement of the cycle.

Scoop in @politico Playbook this a.m.: @beshear is headed to South Carolina in July.

Trump allies urge crackdown on Cabinet secretaries meddling in GOP primaries Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy plans to headline a fundraiser for a challenger to the establishment pick in Michigan's Senate race.

Ooh. Juicy story from @adamwren.bsky.social at @politico.com:

The GOP is trying to keep Rep. Bill Huizenga out of the #MISen race b/c they want to clear the field for ex-Rep. Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost last year.

But Sean Duffy is headlining a fundraiser for Huizenga, and MAGAworld is pissed.