With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco

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DRIVING THE DAY

A budding peace deal in Gaza could ripple across the globe and have “percolating effects” on resolving the war in Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy, told an annual off-the-record confab in Aspen, Colorado.

A few miles away from the tony St. Regis hotel, Witkoff held court at the Maroon Creek Club in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier last Saturday as part of the Hollywood super agent Ari Emanuel’s annual The Weekend gathering.

Speaking two days before Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Monday, and five days before Hamas would respond to Trump’s proposed plan to end the war in Gaza, Witkoff conveyed that a deal could take place this week, including releasing hostages. He credited Trump’s indomitable will.

Playbook learned of details of Witkoff’s closed-door remarks from four people familiar with the gathering, and confirmed by a person close to Trump’s top diplomat.

Witkoff cast Trump’s diplomatic play in grand terms: He said the goal was not just a ceasefire but a peace. A successful Israel-Hamas agreement, he said, could point the way forward for war-torn Ukraine.

Yesterday, Hamas issued a statement on areas of potential agreement, including agreeing to release hostages and ceding power.

In the interview with Baier, Witkoff also said Trump is so focused on brokering peace across the globe that Witkoff could have a staff multiple times its size if he wanted one. But Witkoff said he doesn’t need a staff of that size, because of his small but nimble team’s efficiency and the support he receives from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his department.

Witkoff’s remarks and his presence at the conference signify his extraordinary role at a perilous moment of global conflict. A peace deal in Gaza would validate Witkoff’s freewheeling approach to his singular and perhaps unprecedented portfolio. In an Oval Office video released on Truth Social, Trump acknowledged “we have to get the final word down and concrete” on such a peace agreement.

A conflict much closer to home that also garnered Witkoff’s attention: He disputed a NYT report about his son Alex Witkoff allegedly soliciting funds from some of the same governments involved in Gaza peace talks. Witkoff said the reporter owes him a public apology.

Witkoff said the Times was wrong that he partnered with the Qataris on the Park Lane Hotel, and that he had a personal guarantee on the hotel, according to a different person close to Witkoff who was briefed on his remarks.

On stage, Witkoff made the point that he’s never had trouble raising money.

Witkoff said he talked frequently with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and his first-term architect of the Abraham Accords.

Asked about Playbook’s reporting, Emanuel declined to comment on the record.

The White House’s response: “Steve Witkoff is an extraordinarily talented negotiator and a great ally to President Trump — and the results speak for themselves, most notably his work on the President’s 20 Point Plan for Peace that received positive responses from both Arab countries and Israel,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Playbook. “The President is extremely pleased with all Mr. Witkoff has done to help him advance peace around the world.”

The players: Joining Witkoff at the uber-exclusive media, business and politics conference, where remarks are off-the-record because Emanuel wants to facilitate comity and bipartisan conversation, was a list of movers and shakers.

Attendees included potential 2028 aspirants Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Rahm Emanuel, both Democrats, and Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, and business and entertainment moguls like Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell and Robert Kraft.

9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US

1. MORE ON THE MIDDLE EAST: Hamas responded to the U.S. peace plan, saying it would accept some of its provisions — notably releasing all the hostages — but would need to negotiate the other points, per Bloomberg. Though it was only a partial agreement, Trump quickly treated Hamas’ response as a major success and said Israel must stop bombing Gaza so the hostages can be released.

Back to you, Bibi: Hamas’ new willingness to release hostages without other demands, and Trump’s subsequent message to Israel, puts the onus now on Netanyahu to stop attacking during talks, despite pressure from his far-right governing partners. Indeed, Israel halted offensive airstrikes and the occupation of Gaza City after Trump’s call, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports. But privately, Netanyahu said he considered Hamas’ response to be a rejection of the U.S. plan. And now he’s in a significant bind as the world clamors for both sides to stop fighting, NYT’s David Halbfinger reports.

What’s next: Witkoff and Kushner are heading to Egypt today for talks, per Ravid. Even as both sides signal some willingness to compromise, tough sticking points remain, including whether Hamas will accept disarmament and whether Israel will accept alterations to the plan, NYT’s Aaron Boxerman and colleagues report. Behind the scenes, Hamas is “bitterly divided,” with negotiators outside Gaza pressing to accept the deal while military leaders resist, WSJ’s Summer Said and Dov Lieber scooped.

How we got here: In a big tick-tock, NYT’s Mark Mazzetti and colleagues report that it was Israel’s shock strike targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar that set a chain of events in motion. That attack so angered the White House that Trump finally began to apply stronger pressure on Netanyahu, pushing him to sign on to the deal.

Related read: “Déjà Vu or a Peace Breakthrough in Gaza?” by the Council on Foreign Relations’ Michael Froman

2. SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: The government shutdown will run until at least Monday, after votes in the Senate on competing proposals failed again yesterday, per POLITICO's Jordain Carney. Both parties blamed each other. And the House won’t return to work next week, delaying a swearing-in and a hearing that might have made news about the Jeffrey Epstein files, per POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill.

The doubts: There’s some agita in corners of both parties over their shutdown strategies. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) drew some Democratic opprobrium for voting with Republicans, but she’s getting support from unions back home, POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig and Brakkton Booker report. Some Trump advisers worry that, despite Republicans’ public bravado, the shutdown won’t benefit either party politically, CNN’s Adam Cancryn and Sarah Ferris report. And a frustrated Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called on Senate Republicans to use the “nuclear option” — i.e., eliminating the filibuster.

Politicization: The Agriculture Department briefed congressional Republicans on its shutdown plans but refused to do the same for Democrats, POLITICO’s Samuel Benson and Marcia Brown report. And an early lawsuit has been filed over the Education Department forcing civil servants to include language blaming Democrats in their out-of-office messages, per NBC’s Natasha Korecki and Monica Alba.

From 30,000 feet: What makes this shutdown different from previous ones is that the parties are grappling with “a complete breakdown in trust” in each other, WSJ’s Damian Paletta writes.

The impact: “DOJ furloughs could impact domestic violence grants. Some fear that's the point,” by POLITICO’s Eli Stokols

3. TOP TALKER: Jay Jones, the Democratic AG nominee in Virginia, in 2022 sent texts hypothetically imagining shooting a Republican adversary, National Review’s Audrey Fahlberg scooped. Jones wrote that if he had two bullets and was facing Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot and then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert, “Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” The revelation quickly rattled the AG race, as both Republicans and Democrats condemned Jones’ comments, WaPo’s Teo Armus and colleagues report. Jones apologized and said he was “embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” and some Republicans demanded that he drop out.

Poll position: A WaPo-Schar School poll released earlier in the day had found Jones with a 6-point lead over Republican incumbent Jason Miyares, while Democrat Abigail Spanberger was ahead of GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by 12 in the gubernatorial race.

4. IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration will set the refugee cap at 7,500 — an all-time low number and huge plummet from 125,000 under Joe Biden — which will bar entrance to the world’s most desperate people, NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs and colleagues report. And many of those 7,500 will be reserved for white Afrikaners from South Africa, rather than the people fleeing armed conflict and natural disaster whom the refugee program has historically helped.

In the courts: Trump’s immigration crackdown continues to face significant pushback all over the legal system — except in the Supreme Court. The conservative supermajority of justices yesterday gave Trump another shadow-docket win, saying DHS can ax Temporary Protected Status for as many as 600,000 Venezuelans, per NBC. That could make many of them vulnerable to deportation. Elsewhere, yet another federal appeals court ruled against Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship, per the AP, and the first federal lawsuit was filed to challenge his $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, per Bloomberg Law.

Stunning: Though he hasn’t made a final decision, a federal judge said Kilmar Abrego Garcia has shown some evidence that the government may have pursued a wrongfully vindictive prosecution of him — a rare bar for a defendant to meet, per CNN. The judge ruled that there was a “realistic likelihood” of vindictiveness and cited comments on TV by Deputy AG Todd Blanche in particular.

Heads up: DHS and HHS have launched a new program to offer unaccompanied migrant minors 14 and up $2,500 to self-deport, per WaPo. The administration made clear that it’s only voluntary. But immigrant advocates decried the idea as “cash bribes for kids” and warned about pressure that would be illegal or put children in vulnerable positions.

5. SENDING IN THE TROOPS: We’re still waiting on a federal judge’s ruling on a National Guard deployment in Portland, Oregon, which could come today. But in the meantime, the Trump administration activated 200 troops to be ready to go into the city, per NBC. DHS said they would surge immigration enforcement resources into Portland. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt threatened that the White House would consider slashing federal funding for the city, per POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy.

Whoa: “Trump officials discussed sending elite Army division to Portland, text messages show,” by The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Andy Mannix

And tensions are rising: Though there have been protests outside an ICE facility for months in Portland, Trump’s threat to send the military in has amped up the demonstrations, though they’re still just on a single city block, AP’s Claire Rush and Mike Catalini report. Local police made a few arrests Thursday following fights in the crowd — but one of them, of conservative influencer Nick Sortor, prompted the Justice Department to warn that it was investigating possible viewpoint discrimination. City leaders said there is no such discrimination. There were also tensions, protests and arrests outside an ICE facility near Chicago, where DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited yesterday, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mohammad Samra and colleagues.

6. THE TRUMP TRIALS: “Judge sets 14-day deadline to name new prosecutor in Fulton Trump case,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Tamar Hallerman: “A nonpartisan state agency has only 14 days to name a new prosecutor to lead the Fulton County election interference case involving President Donald Trump, or the judge overseeing the case will dismiss it entirely.”

7. FOR PETE’S SAKE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy chief of staff Jon Harrison, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman and colleagues scooped. Harrison had amassed rare power in the role, helping to maneuver significant reorganizations in the Navy’s administration. Meanwhile, experts are raising concerns about Hegseth’s announcement this week that he’ll upend the Pentagon IG’s office, which is investigating him, AP’s Konstantin Toropin and Ben Finley report. Barring anonymous complaints at what Hegseth has called a “weaponized” office could have a chilling effect on whistleblowers, some advocates warn.

8. HEADS UP: “FEMA Withholds $300 Million in Grants Until States Account for Deportations,” by NYT’s Scott Dance: “A group representing state emergency management agencies called it ‘a never-before-seen provision’ …FEMA enacted the policy ‘to prevent fraud and abuse,’ said Daniel Llargues, an agency spokesman. … It’s unclear how states are supposed [to] count the number of deported immigrants, when in some cases that figure is changing daily.”

9. JOHN THUNE’S IMPACT: “Republicans Have a Senate Map Without the Meltdowns,” by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin: “Not that Thune would ever say it out loud, but he’s effectively reprogramming the ultimate anti-establishment leader to put down any insurgencies. And Trump is happy to do it, as long as the candidates say nice things about him. Just glance at the 2026 Senate map. What jumps out, with one very important exception, is what’s not happening: Unlike so many times in the last 15 years, Senate Republicans are not poised to throw away winnable seats because of messy primaries and controversial nominees.”

CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies

GREAT WEEKEND READS:

— “They Celebrated Vigilante Justice on the Battlefield. Then They Brought It Home,” by the NYT Magazine’s Matthieu Aikins: “Pete Hegseth’s advocacy for service members accused of war crimes, and Trump’s pardons of them, have helped usher in an era of military aggression and disregard for the rule of law.”

— “Have Cubans Fled One Authoritarian State for Another?” by The New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson: “In the past few years, as many as two million people have escaped the island’s repressive regime and collapsing economy. Those who’ve made it to the U.S. face a new reckoning.”

— “An American Friend: The Trump-Appointed Diplomat Accused of Shielding El Salvador’s President From Law Enforcement,” by ProPublica’s T. Christian Miller and colleagues

— “Winning Is the Only Thing: My Journey Into the Viral, Vicious World of Political Online Debate,” by POLITICO Magazine’s Catherine Kim: “I watched five hours of lectures on how to dominate my foes on the internet.”

— “Hamas executed her son. Faith sustains her. Can a grieving mother help others heal?” by USA Today’s Romina Ruiz-Goiriena and Kim Hjelmgaard: “Rachel Goldberg-Polin fought to save her son’s life. She took planes. She made speeches. She met with officials from both White Houses and the Pope. Now, she is on a quest to help others heal.”

— “Trump’s shutdown architect: Russ Vought’s plan to deconstruct the government was years in the making,” by CNN’s Phil Mattingly and Jeremy Herb

— “My Misadventures in Gentle Parenting,” by Kayla Huszar in Maclean’s: “No timeouts. No limits. Total chaos.”

TALK OF THE TOWN

Donald Trump on a $1 coin? The Treasury Department has drafted a proposal to coincide with the country’s 250th anniversary, but it might be illegal.

PLAYBOOK REAL ESTATE SECTION — “The D.C. Home Where Jackie and J.F.K. Lived Before His Presidency Lists for Sale,” by WSJ’s E.B. Solomont: “It is asking $7.5 million. … The three-story house is roughly 6,000 square feet with five bedrooms and two first-floor parlors where JFK met with incoming members of his cabinet.”

MEDIA MOVE — Mohar Chatterjee is now traveling, writing and working on independent projects focused on AI and tech policy. She previously was POLITICO’s AI and special projects reporter.

TRANSITION — MK Fedorchak is now director of scheduling for Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.). She previously worked for Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas).

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Alessandro Ago, assistant dean of programming and special events at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and programming consultant for the American Film Showcase with the State Department, and Emma Ago, a film and television producer, welcomed Amelia (Mia) Sarah Ago today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Mark Alford (R-Mo.) … Steve Capus … Shil Patel of Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-N.C.) office … Bridget Reed Morawski … former Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) … Norm Pearlstine … Meghan Hunt of Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s (D-Texas) office … Brynne Craig … AP’s Holly Ramer … Drew Willison … Kelsi Daniell of P2 Public Affairs … Bill Gray … Brock Boze of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-Mo.) office … Sean Hackbarth … POLITICO’s Brian Dabbs and Katherine Long … Andrew Jay Schwartzman … EY’s Ryan Donmoyer … Pete Davis … Francis Kruszewski of the American Cleaning Institute … Duke University’s Chris Simmons … former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel … Dane Waters … retired Adm. Mike Mullen … WaPo’s Rachel Siegel … Rob Shapiro … Joe Bush of Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-Nev.) office … Melanie Meyers … Wes McClelland of Franklin Square Group … Todd Malan … ABC’s Santina Leuci … Melvin Steinberg

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

POLITICO “The Conversation”: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.

Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Senate Majority Leader John Thune … Devin Nunes … Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … Andrew Cuomo. Panel: Matt Taibbi and Mike Davis.

NBC “Meet the Press”: Speaker Mike Johnson … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Ryan Nobles, Anna Palmer, Marc Short and Neera Tanden.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Secretary of State Marco Rubio … Speaker Mike Johnson … Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer … Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) … retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges.

ABC “This Week”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) … retired Gen. Peter Chiarelli … retired Adm. James Stavridis. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and Leigh Ann Caldwell.

CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) … National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. Panel: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Xochitl Hinojosa and Shermichael Singleton.

MSNBC “Velshi”: Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) … Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) … Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) … Cori Bush.

Fox News “The Sunday Briefing”: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth … Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) … Billy Bush … Phil Wegmann … Jayme Leagh Franklin.

NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) … Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) … David Shulkin. Panel: Bill Sammon, Charles Lane, Tia Mitchell and Jasmine Wright.

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