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When GOP Rep. Liz Cheney decided to risk everything politically and serve on Nancy Pelosi's newly created Jan. 6 investigative panel in the spring of last year, she made something of a vow to herself, according to people close with the Wyoming Republican: She would follow the facts wherever they went, and privately press for the panel to leave no stone unturned to get to the truth of the siege of the Capitol.  No half-baked probes. No shrinking away from key witnesses, as Democrats had done in their past impeachments of Donald Trump. If she was going to do this, she was going to go all the way — even as some members of the panel, we heard back then, didn’t even want to investigate Trump’s actions that day. On Thursday, Washington saw the latest fruits of Cheney’s labor, when the Jan. 6 committee shocked This Town and subpoenaed five House GOP lawmakers to testify — including the likely next speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Well-placed sources tell us that Cheney — who was booted from her post as No. 3 Republican in the House one year to the day before the subpoenas were issued — was among those pressing hardest for this move, arguing that these GOP members had relevant information and they couldn’t just let them skirt without questioning. Listen to Playbook Deep Dive: ‘He absolutely betrayed me’: Steve Schmidt tells all about John McCain Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

This week was another reminder that while Democrats “control” the Senate, they don’t actually control the Senate. - Covid relief was cut from the Ukraine aid bill. - A national law to codify abortion protections — should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade — came nowhere close to the 60 votes needed to advance it. And the 50 votes it would take to nuke the filibuster and pass the abortion rights law are also unavailable to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. More from Alice Miranda Ollstein and Marianne LeVine If there are serious negotiations underway to pass a Build Back Better 2.0 in advance of the midterms, they are a well-kept secret. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio

Former President Donald Trump goes 1-for-2 on primary day in Nebraska and West Virginia.  And new reporting from inside the Supreme Court, via Josh Gerstein, Alexander Ward and Ryan, as the nine justices are set to gather Thursday for the first time since POLITICO published the draft opinion overturning Roe: “Justice Samuel Alito's sweeping and blunt draft majority opinion from February overturning Roe remains the court’s only circulated draft in the pending Mississippi abortion case, POLITICO has learned, and none of the conservative justices who initially sided with Alito have to date switched their votes. No dissenting draft opinions have circulated from any justice, including the three liberals. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

PRIMARY DAY: WHAT TO WATCH FOR — West Virginia and Nebraska hold primaries today. Like last week’s contests in Ohio, the action is mostly on the Republican side, and the main drama is about former President DONALD TRUMP. WEST VIRGINIA: Two GOP incumbents, Reps. ALEX MOONEY and DAVID MCKINLEY,  are facing each other in a congressional primary because the state lost a seat after redistricting. NEBRASKA: CHARLES HERBSTER, JIM PILLEN and state Sen. BRETT LINDSTROM are the three top GOP primary candidates running to replace the term-limited governor, PETE RICKETTS. The national implications of the race revolve mostly around Trump’s endorsement of Herbster, who has been accused of sexual assault by eight different women. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Kara Tabor hosted this episode of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Happy Monday. Get ready for yet another week dominated by the debate over abortion rights, as the impending decision expected to overturn Roe v. Wade sucks up all the oxygen in Washington.  Two major storylines to watch this week, as Democrats gear up to go on offense: 1) Senate tees up abortion vote — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to file cloture today on a bill by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would enshrine a statutory right to abortion nationwide. 2) Democrats seize on McConnell's national abortion ban remarks — Democratic strategists are salivating over comments Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made in a USA Today interview that published Saturday. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Overturning Roe v. Wade would be the culmination of  former president Donald Trump’s bid to remake the judiciary — the very reason that many social conservatives held their noses and voted for him in 2016.  But Trump, “never one to shy away from taking credit for accomplishments, real or imagined, has yet to crow about the majority draft opinion,” our colleagues Meridith McGraw and Jonathan Lemire report. He’s addressed it only “when asked in interviews.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

J.D. Vance owes his GOP Senate primary victory in Ohio to two people: Donald Trump and Peter Thiel. Trump’s endorsement put him over the top in a crowded primary, while Thiel’s support — funneled through a super PAC called Protect Ohio Values (aka POV) — enabled Vance to outsource many traditional campaign operations, including polling, advertising, GOTV and, it turns out, opposition research. One big problem with letting a super PAC do everything: Campaign finance law prohibits communication between a candidate’s own committee and a super PAC supporting them. But there are ways around that obstacle.  As Alex Isenstadt detailed Tuesday in a fascinating tick-tock of the Ohio race, POV set up an unadvertised-but-public Medium account, where it posted a trove of sensitive documents, polling reports, audio and video for Vance to use. Some of the files are boring, such as b-roll footage the Vance camp could include in ads. But the group also posted extensive opposition research reports — on both his primary opponents and Vance himself. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

On her first day back in public since testing positive for the coronavirus last week, VP Kamala Harris spoke to a crowd of abortion rights supporters at the EMILY’s List conference Tuesday evening. Her speech, scheduled long in advance, had to be completely rewritten for obvious reasons. Harris gave a preview of how the administration hopes to frame the debate moving forward — channeling its supporters’ outrage while pitching the midterm election as a choice between two very different views of abortion rights. In the wake of the news about the draft opinion overturning Roe, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll reveals that a clear majority of voters want the court to support abortion rights. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

In his own words: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Thus begins Justice Samuel Alito's February draft opinion that would end the constitutional right to an abortion in America, obtained exclusively by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward. We knew this was coming. Ever since last December’s oral arguments in the Mississippi abortion case, it seemed likely that there was a majority on the court to overrule Roe and Casey. But while not a surprise, it was still shocking to see Alito’s words in black and white. The draft opinion, if it holds, would be the culmination of half a century of legal conservatives organizing around the idea that Roe was wrongly decided and needed to be reversed. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

It’s May 2, just over six months until the midterm elections, which are generally a referendum on the president’s performance. President Joe Biden is in rough shape. Let’s look at how it happened, and how he hopes to prevent a wipeout … How they got here: As early as April 2021, John Anzalone — Biden’s top pollster — saw the writing on the wall. In a series of memos over the ensuing months, he tried to warn the president about the growing liabilities posed by immigration, inflation and crime, report NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Most of the candidates chasing Ohio’s GOP Senate nomination have pledged allegiance to Donald Trump and beaten a path to Mar-a-Lago. But not state Sen. Matt Dolan. Instead, he’s poured millions of his own fortune into a run as a traditional conservative. Now, “days before the May 3 primary, Dolan appears to be experiencing a late burst of momentum,” Natalie Allison reports. Listen to Playbook Deep Dive: Beltway, stars want an invite: How Tammy throws brunch Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

The enormous gap between the excitement in Washington about the return of the WHCA weekend and the ongoing anxiety of voters hit us hard this week as we watched focus groups of voters conducted by longtime Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. On Tuesday night, Lake talked to a group of “high -information” Democrats scattered around the country over a Zoom call while we watched on mute. This appeared to be one of the more financially well-off focus groups we’ve seen this year, but like the others, these voters were defined by their disgust.  When asked the first word that popped into their mind about how things are going in the country, here’s what they said: “frustrated,” “disbelief,” “aggravated,” “discouraged,” “unsure,” “worrying,” “resigned,” “frightened.” The only positive words offered were “better” and “OK.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Late Tuesday night, CNN’s Oliver Darcy and Kaitlan Collins scooped that Anthony Fauci is dropping out of this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over concerns about Covid-19. The question on our minds now: Will President Joe Biden go forward with his own plans to attend the dinner — disagreeing with his chief medical adviser in the process? And, embattled House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will face his rank and file in a GOP Conference meeting this morning. It’s their first time gathering since a slew of book excerpts and audio recordings landed McCarthy in hot water with MAGA world over what he said in private about both Donald Trump and Trump’s congressional allies in the days following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The meeting comes just after the release of one of the most damaging clips yet: On Tuesday, NYT’s Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin published another explosive piece of audio in which McCarthy (1) said he wished Twitter would ban some of his own members from the platform, and (2) expressed concerns that his rank and file could incite more violence in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack — yet chose to do nothing about it. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

The news that Elon Musk is buying Twitter has thrown Washington into a tizzy over one major question: Will Donald Trump return to his old favorite social media platform and start tweeting again? As it turns out, no one is more petrified of this than members of Trump’s own party.   On Monday night, in a series of calls and texts with several top GOP insiders, every single one of them told us that they hoped the former president stays the hell away from Twitter, lest he sink their chances at flipping the House and Senate. Some of his allies even think that a return to his old Twitter habits could damage his own brand ahead of a possible third presidential bid in 2024. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Congress returns from a two-week recess facing the same unresolved issues that have plagued lawmakers for months. Lawmakers left town unable to pass a bipartisan deal to provide the administration with $10 billion in pandemic relief money and there’s still no immediate solution in sight. The White House announced another $800 million tranche of Ukraine aid last week, but says it needs Congress to allocate more funds ASAP.  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and White House officials have been exchanging niceties in recent weeks, strong signals that they’re willing to re-engage on a smaller social-spending package months after Build Back Better was left for dead.

For years now, through controversy after controversy, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has bent over backward to stay in former President Donald Trump's good graces, all to serve one major purpose: He wants to be speaker someday. That hope may have just blown up on the launchpad. On Thursday night, NYT’s Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns delivered an absolute stunner of a scoop: an audio recording of a phone call on Jan. 10, 2021, in which McCarthy is heard clearly and unambiguously saying that Trump should resign. Listen for yourself Listen to Playbook Deep Dive: 'You only win if you fight:' Will Gallego unseat Sinema? Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Whether it’s pandemic restrictions and schools, or critical race theory and political correctness, when it comes to the culture wars raging across America, the right often dances circles around the left. And because of that, many Democrats — particularly those in vulnerable seats — either avoid engaging on those topics altogether or privately beg their colleagues to avoid overly “woke” rhetoric or policy prescriptions they believe could hurt the party politically. Enter Mallory McMorrow, the little-known Democratic state senator from suburban Michigan, who is turning that conventional wisdom on its head this week.  Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Tech mogul Peter Thiel gave J.D. Vance's Ohio Senate campaign a fresh infusion of cash, pouring in $3.5 million to Protect Ohio Values, the super PAC backing Vance, our colleague Alex Isenstadt reports, “part of a broader tranche of money that has come in to support the Senate candidate after last week’s [Donald] Trump endorsement.” Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audi

On Monday, just hours after a federal judge struck down the nationwide public transportation mask mandate, major airlines (and even President Joe Biden’s beloved Amtrak) began telling their passengers they could stop wearing the protective face coverings — sometimes while they had already boarded and taken their assigned seats. The surprise ruling seems to have caught the White House flat-footed on the question of whether or not to appeal the ruling. Officially: White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the administration was “reviewing the decision, and, of course, the Department of Justice would be making any determinations about any litigation.” Unofficially: The White House is still figuring out what to do next, weighing two very big factors: credibility and politics. Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Democratic strategists have split in two over how to discuss inflation.  One camp tends to blame the media for focusing too much on the issue at the expense of positive economic news such as low unemployment. This group tends to promote statistics buried beneath the headlines that suggest inflation isn’t that bad. But privately, more and more Democrats see inflation in far more dire terms — and not just for their prospects in elections this year.  One top progressive sounded the alarm over the weekend on a widely read off-the-record email list. The author gave us permission to quote from their missive — “Danger: Inflation Is a Third Rail” — which was ricocheting around lefty circles Sunday night.