Hegseth’s headache | The Playbook Podcast

President Donald Trump is holding his latest made-for-TV Cabinet meeting today, where all eyes will be on Pete Hegseth. The Defense secretary has captured headlines over the legality of airstrikes the U.S. conducted on the boats of alleged “narcoterrorists” around Venezuela — with a Washington Post report over the weekend raising more questions from Republicans and Democrats. Both Trump and Hegseth in recent days have voiced support for the action but distanced themselves from the report. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and Pentagon reporter Paul McLeary unpack what to know, plus the latest on Ukraine peace talks. Chapters: 00:00 Trump’s Cabinet & Hegseth in the hot seat 01:43 The legal fallout from the boat strikes 04:56 Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon shake-up 06:21 Are these strikes even legal? 08:20 Venezuela tensions escalate 09:44 Witkoff meets Putin 12:30 Can Trump actually get a peace deal? 15:51 Tennessee special election update ----------------------------------------- Subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgjtvMmHXbutALaw9XzRkAg?view_as=subscriber Check out our video catalog: https://www.politico.com/video Follow POLITICO here: ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/politico/ ➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/politico/