Playbook Deep Dive

On this week’s Nerdcast, POLITICO’s podcast on the White House and politics: As Hurricane Florence arrives, Donald Trump can’t resist firing his feud with Puerto Rico back up over how the administration handled Hurricane Maria there last year. Plus, find out what people who want to run for president in 2020 learned from the primaries in 2018. Tune in each week to geek out with us as we dive deep into the political landscape and the latest numbers that matter.

The defeat of an incumbent congressman in Massachusetts and the contentious Supreme Court nomination hearings for Brett Kavanaugh show how Democrats seem to be after style as much as substance in 2018. Plus, a lodestar joke as we check on the mood at the White House after a roller coaster week.

A primary Tuesday means a primary Friday on Nerdcast — a primary analysis, that is. We break down what happened in the last big multi-state primary before the midterms and talk about the White House, Trump's promises and what happens when he doesn't keep them and the exit of McGahn.

A guilty verdict, a guilty plea, and an indictment. What a week in national politics...

President Trump loves a controversial pardon. Following his disgraced former campaign chairman Paul Manafort being found guilty, it's looking like we might be entering a fall filled with the will-he-or-won't-he energy of a president faced with the power to pardon and a loyal former campaign chair caught in a, shall we say, legal snafu. Plus, we talk about the implications of Michael Cohen's, uh, implication.

What do democratic voters want? A candidate that will win! How will they try to get it? By moving more to the center, probably! High voter turnout in the primaries among Democrats is showing that there is promise in backing centrist candidates at the top of the ballot. We break down what happened during the primaries on Tuesday night, and what we're expecting to see in the midterms and beyond. Plus: The heartland's version of Costco and just a lil bit of Omarosa to top it off.

Primaries, nerds! *cue emoji clapping hands and confetti* We're in our happy place. First, we're talking campaigns, what Bernie Sanders might be getting at when he backs underdog candidates and what we can expect in the midterm elections. Then, we get into the scandal of the week: Rep. Chris Collins and alleged insider trading.

Ahhh Midterm season is (still) in the air. With president Trump back on the road, we've been hearing him drop some midterm hopefuls' names on the rally trail. When he's not dropping names out front, his 2020 re-election campaign is behind the scenes dropping dolla dolla bills, ya'll. We talk about who Trump wants to come out on top and what that's going to take. Then, we break down how ch-ch-changes to the electoral map will impact the outcome of 2020. PLUS: a mini-Mahtesian on mic!

The White House has decreased press briefings and announced that they'll no longer be sharing summaries of Trump's call's with foreign heads of state. Plus, they pentagon is not talking to reporters, leaving them in the dark when it comes to military issues. We also talk about the trade war's impact on farmers and how the White House is handling it.

As Trump walks back his remarks on Russian meddling, the question of whether he's compromised by a foreign power moves from the fever swamps to the mainstream. Plus, POLITICO'S Rachael Bade says GOP women running for office are in a pickle.