Sophia Cai

Today is my first day @politico where I’ll be writing West Wing Playbook with @iriesentner and covering the White House Send tips: [email protected] Text/Signal: 609-651-0139 And subscribe! You won’t want to miss our first edition on Jan. 20

Scoop: After Trump’s AI speech, there’ll be an exclusive after party at Ned’s Club hosted by 137 Ventures. Invite list includes 30+ DOGE staff, @OpenAI COO, @shaunmmaguire, top admin officials @skupor @emilmichael plus Musk’s orbit. Rick Scott is keynote politico.com/newsletters/we…

More Americans get their soccer news from @politico than from any other source

"The problem is his self-confidence: he loves dictators and billionaires. When he sees people with money, he melts," a member of the FIFA council tells @SophiaCai99 and @Tim_Roehn for this @politico @welt collab on soccer king Gianni Infantino politico.com/news/2025/07/2…

🔴How #FIFA boss Gianni #Infantino learned to navigate US politics, from the White House to city councils. Our investigation for ⁦@politico⁩. // ⁦@SophiaCai99⁩ politico.com/news/2025/07/2…

The White House has taken the most significant public step to diminish the role of Musk loyalists following the tech mogul’s exit — naming a new head of GSA, one of agencies that Musk came closest to controlling this year. politico.com/news/2025/07/2…

NEW: Trump has named a new GSA Acting Administrator, layering DOGE-aligned Stephen Ehikian with Mike Rigas, who was previously Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and served in Trump 1 Ehikian will be deputy administrator, per note to GSA staff this morning.

Faced with a surge in robberies, the FBI in Denver focused on repeat offenders—and gave them nicknames the public might remember: the Powder Puff Bandit, who used makeup to hide tattoos, and the Penguin Bandit, whose waddle helped land him in cuffs. nytimes.com/2025/07/16/us/…

Nearly the weekend (we can say that on Thursdays, right?) with @WayTooEarly: ☀️ @SophiaCai99 ☕️ @Mpolymer 🌅 @RepBeccaB If you’re up, we wanna know why. Email [email protected]. #waytooearly

Well this is a first. The pilot on American Airlines flight AA5501 bought the whole plane pizza because we are 6+ hours delayed due to the ground stop at DCA. The ground stop has lifted but there are now not enough American Airline gates at DCA.

News/rescissions watch: Sen. Schmitt (who is spearheading the rescissions package in the Senate) is heading to WH this afternoon to meet with Trump on the funding clawback, per person familiar Vought also coming to Hill tomorrow. Senate wants to take first votes on Tuesday

The backstory of Trump’s embrace of FIFA since 2018: politico.com/news/2025/07/0…

Trump didn’t wanna leave as Chelsea were lifting the trophy 🤣

Such bad sportsmanship from PSG. Pretty remarkable

SCOOP: At least 8 of the core DOGE team that built DOGE have left, including Steve Davis, Nicole Hollander, Brad Smith, James Burnham, Amanda Scales, Chris Stanley, Tom Krause, Katie Miller. Plus 7 engineers have left, 3 more are leaving w/ @dlippman politico.com/newsletters/we…

SCOOP: The once-feared DOGE crew that barged into offices and slashed jobs is now a shell of its former self. At least 8 of its core original staffers have left gov’t, per internal records reviewed by @SophiaCai99 and me and sources familiar w/ the matter. politico.com/newsletters/we…

The Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, “has made a series of rapid-fire moves that have blindsided parts of the White House and frustrated several of America’s foreign allies, according to seven people familiar with the situation.” politico.com/news/2025/07/0…

SCOOP: A DOGE employee went rogue and used an official government @DOGE_VA account to DM an anti-Elon activist and the White House is trying to get to the bottom of it. That person no longer works at the VA, I'm told. politico.com/news/2025/07/0…

NEW: When Alex Lasry, CEO of the NY/NJ World Cup Host Cmte saw a post about CBP being “suited and booted” for FIFA games, Lasry called Andrew Giuliani who assured him that DHS would just have routine presence at the games. politico.com/news/2025/07/0…

As you prepare for the @USMNT to kickoff against Mexico, don't expect @realDonaldTrump to use the @GoldCup to stoke nationalist anger against a neighbor. Soccer has become the one field on which Trump doesn't play "America First." —>

Excellent piece from @SophiaCai99