Presented by BP.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Playbook Deputy Editor Zach Stanton. It's Thursday, March 13th,

and here's what's driving the day. At this moment, the federal government is headed for a shutdown

at the end of the day tomorrow, unless a continuing resolution makes its way to President

Trump's desk. But right now, there's a high-stakes game of chicken happening. House Republicans

passed a seven-month stopgap CR, but it can't get through the Senate without 60 votes,

which Republicans do not have. Senate Democrats insist they'll block the proposal and are instead

mostly united behind their own continuing resolution that has virtually no chance of passing.

That said, the White House isn't convinced Dems actually will tank the cloture efforts to vote on the House-passed CR.

Makes sense? Good.

As our own Rachel Bade reports in her newest column, the White House does not believe Democrats will follow through and actually shut the government down. And in the event they do, the Trump team believes that Democrats will be the ones to shoulder the blame for more than a million furloughed government workers, despite the fact that Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House. Watch this space today,

as it's sure to develop. Meanwhile, Trump's tariff war is making waves internationally, and perhaps

nowhere more than, you guessed it, Canada. For one thing, our neighbors to the north have imposed

25% reciprocal tariffs that go into effect today on steel, aluminum, and other U.S. imports.

And for another, G7 foreign ministers will meet in Quebec through Friday, and tariffs are

one of the top agenda items, according to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Jolie.

But what's lighting up conversations in Washington group chats today is, maybe 2028? I know I know, but hear me

out. Politico's own Adam Wren has a scoop and playbook this morning about a prominent Democrat

who has decided to reign in his state politics aspirations for the immediate future in favor of a

longer game. Here to chat with me about his big scoop, and what it means is Politico-National

Politics correspondent Adam.

Good morning, Adam.

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