POLITICO Tech

The Biden administration is scrambling to counter China’s new security pact with the Solomon Islands and a possible military base in the South Pacific nation. Phelim Kine reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Months before two infants died and another was hospitalized from bacterial infections, a whistleblower alerted senior FDA officials to what he said were "lax practices, including regulatory violations" at an Abbott Nutrition infant formula plant last October. But it was still months before the FDA investigated and formula was recalled. Helena Bottemiller-Evich reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presenting Playbook Deep Dive: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is back for the first time since 2019. Journalists, A-list celebrities and Washington’s power players will pack the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton. That means brunch is back too. On this week’s episode, Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza gets a tour from Tammy Haddad at the site of her annual garden brunch, one of the most sought after invites of the weekend. Plus, insights from comedian and WHCD alum Elayne Boosler and Ed Solomon of Anthony's Tuxedos in Georgetown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FDA may propose a rule banning menthol cigarettes as early as today, a decision 10 years in the making. Katherine Foley reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world’s richest man has a lot of experience getting his way in Washington. But doing it as Twitter's owner may be different. Rebecca Kern reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Hendel, a POLITICO technology reporter, dives into the complexities of the U.S. radio spectrum management. He discusses the alarming technical flaws in radios that could hinder future communication advancements. The conversation highlights the contentious 5G spectrum debate, emphasizing potential aviation safety issues and regulatory challenges. Hendel also explains the FCC's ongoing struggle to manage spectrum effectively amid industry resistance, as well as recent legal updates impacting the landscape.

An alleged human trafficking ring in Georgia highlights many of the loopholes found in the H-2A agricultural visa program, renewing calls for an overhaul. Ximena Bustillo reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza is in Arizona to dig into a few big plotlines ahead of this year’s elections. Trump narrowly lost the state in 2020, Senator Mark Kelly – the Democratic incumbent – is one of the most vulnerable senators up for reelection this year and strategists are already looking at the 2024 Senate election to see who will run against Kyrsten Sinema. On this week’s Playbook Deep Dive Episode, Ryan joins Rep. Ruben Gallego for a long dinner and a few drinks. They discuss Gallego’s fraught history with Sinema, a potential campaign against her in 2024, the political environment in Arizona ahead of midterms and his deployment in the Iraq war.Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.Rep. Ruben Gallego is the congressman for Arizona's 7th district.Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio.Carlos Prieto is a producer for POLITICO audio.Brook Hayes is senior producer for POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia’s ambassador to the United States can’t get meetings with senior officials at the White House or the State Department. He can’t convince U.S. lawmakers to see him, and it's rare to find an American think tanker who’s willing to admit to having any contact with the envoy. Senior foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi discusses her conversation with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. and D.C.'s loneliest man, Anatoly Antonov. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices