John Hudson
I cover diplomacy and national security for The Washington Post
- Israel approved plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, reports the AP, "a move that, if implemented, would vastly expand Israel’s operations in Gaza and likely bring fierce international opposition."
- will be on @MSNBC in 15 minutes to discuss Marco Rubio's expanding role under Trump and Mike Waltz's ouster at the NSC
- Reposted by John HudsonBREAKING Rubio’s State Department shakeup targets programs that focus on human rights, war crimes and democracy @mradamtaylor.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social report www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
- Reposted by John HudsonTrump administration proposes U.S. recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, freeze front lines and eventually lift sanctions on Russia in deal to end Ukraine war @siobhanogrady.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social and Steve Hendrix report www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
- Is this the best sentence about someone "declining to comment" in journalism history? "Lippman declined to comment, despite being this reporter’s intern many years ago." www.dropsitenews.com/p/pete-hegse...
- After Pope Francis met with JD Vance, he offered a silent blessing to a crowd of 35,000 people at St Peter's Square and then his Easter speech was read aloud by Archbishop Ravelli, appealing for those in power to help the needy, including "migrants":
- Joining MSNBC for the next hour to talk about a few topics including the latest U.S. intelligence assessment that undercuts Trump's legal rationale for deporting suspected gang members and the latest on diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine
- Travel to the U.S. from almost everywhere is falling sharply since Trump’s return to office
- NEW: The National Intelligence Council determined in a secret assessment early this month that Venezuela is not directing an invasion of the United States by the prison gang Tren de Aragua, a judgment that contradicts Trump’s public statements www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
- Rubio, who is leading the charge on deporting international students who criticized the war in Gaza, announces new actions on "Protecting and Championing Free Speech at the State Department"
- The Mormon fixer who manages all of Elon Musk's baby mama drama is a fascinating side character. He says he has been happily married to the same woman, but through his work for Musk “I feel like I’ve been through, like, three divorces." Via WSJ's @DanaMattioli.
- Richard Armitage dies of pulmonary embolism at 79, reports Warren Strobel. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
- Reposted by John HudsonSCOOP w/ @johnphudson.bsky.social : We got a look at Trump OMB proposals for cuts to State/USAID budget. Among them: - 48% total budget cut - Humanitarian assistance cut by 54%, Global health 55 % - Funding for UN, NATO cut - Fulbright eliminated www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
- Reposted by John HudsonBig scoop from John Hudson at the Washington Post on Rumeysa Ozturk and the State Department. Full Story: bit.ly/3G72SZM
- Reposted by John HudsonWashington Post: No Evidence Linking Tufts Student to Antisemitism or Terrorism, State Dept. Office Found By @johnphudson.bsky.social | Gift link!
- Reposted by John HudsonFrom @johnphudson.bsky.social State Dept had no evidence the kidnapped Tufts student had any links to terrorism www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
- Reposted by John HudsonNew from @johnphudson.bsky.social State Dept. memo said the Trump administration produced no evidence of Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk engaging in anti-Semitism or support for terrorism. Her hearing is tomorrow. Not incredibly surprising but still infuriating.
- New: The talks between Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iran's foreign minister were "very positive and constructive," says the White House. "The sides agreed to meet again next Saturday.”
- U.N. says Israel’s aid blockade has opened ‘floodgates of horror’ in Gaza
- About to hop on MSNBC at 10:45 EST to talk a little more about Waltz, the NSC and Gmail
- Three days after the quake, there are no U.S. teams on the ground in Myanmar, a stark illustration of how Trump has upended America’s role in disaster response
- Scoop: The Trump administration reversed its decision to terminate a U.S. initiative that documents alleged Russian war crimes, including the mass abuction of Ukrainian children to Russia. It's a rare about-face following pressure from U.S. lawmakers and Christian evangelicals
- Reposted by John HudsonScoop: UN refugee agency, UNHCR, braces for massive layoffs. One official said it could be as much as a quarter of the work force, some 5,000 to 6,000 workers. www.devex.com/news/exclusi...
- Bukele agreed to accept hundreds of suspected gang members living in the United States. In return, he wanted the U.S. to send him less than a dozen MS13 gang members in U.S. custody. Why was he so intent on getting the MS13 guys? Via WaPo:
- Tesla Recalls Most Cybertrucks, via @WSJ
- Reposted by John HudsonYou can read more detail on a letter sent by US politicians in @johnphudson.bsky.social's Washington Post piece here www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
- NEW: The Trump administration's termination of a sensitive program tracking the mass abduction of Ukrainian children may have compromised the database, rendering it inadmissible in court, U.S. lawmakers tell me
- What the Bridge Colby nomination fight reveals about Trump’s Washington, by @GregJaffe
- Trump's ceasefire in Gaza is officially over: Israel announces it is "attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip." "Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," says the prime minister's office.
- How Rubio prefers to describe the third consecutive day of U.S. military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen
- US District Judge Boasberg instructed Trump officials to return any airplanes carrying the deported immigrants. But a day after the ruling, US officials shared videos from El Salvador that showed shackled immigrants being forced off airplanes at night and into a new mega-prison
- Rubio declared a very expansive and long term war aim against the Houthis on Face the Nation today: "This is not a one-off... This is an effort to take away their ability to control global shipping in that part of the world... this will continue until that’s finished."
- Democratic response by Slotkin pivoting decidedly right on security issues, praising George W Bush and Ronald Reagan as leaders with moral clarity and underscoring the importance of border protection
- Pentagon set to gut office focused on reducing civilian deaths
- New: Trump meeting this afternoon with Rubio, Hegseth, Vance, Gabbard, Witkoff to discuss Ukraine policy, including whether to end military assistance to Kyiv, US official tells me. Also under consideration is curtailing intelligence sharing and training for Ukrainian troops & pilots
- 🚨The Trump administration is considering ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine in response to Zelensky’s remarks in the Oval Office on Friday and his perceived intransigence in the peace process, per senior administration official
- Scoop: USAID's watchdog has yet to release two critical reports on the consequences of Trump’s dismantling of USAID amid fears of retaliation from the White House, per interviews and documents buff.ly/41zqsGD
- New reporting on how much Musk has extracted from U.S. taxpayers: Over the years, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits buff.ly/41wjVfZ
- New: Jeff Bezos announces a change to WaPo opinion pages in memo to staff: "We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too ... but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others"
- New: Trump repeals Biden's NSM-20 directive that sought to ensure US allies don’t block US aid or use US weapons for war crimes. While proponents said NSM-20 served as a means to pressure Israel to allow aid to Gaza, critics note Biden never used the leverage it afforded
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- New: The Trump administration is eliminating 2,000 USAID jobs and placing almost all other employees on administrative leave. The RIF (Reduction in Force) process is beginning...
- Reposted by John HudsonElon Musk and DOGE are causing chaos across government — and often blindsiding and aggravating Trump's advisers. New story from @jeffstein.bsky.social, @laurameckler.bsky.social, @johnphudson.bsky.social + Jackie Alemany and me on emerging tensions in the new administration.
- "The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom." The AP vs The White House
- New: Hegseth calls Ukraine’s peace goals ‘unrealistic’ during meeting with allies in Brussels
- NEW: The Trump administration has approved more than $7 billion in arms to Israel without the sign off of the ranking member of the House foreign affairs committee, per sources, bypassing the typical arms review process
- There are many examples of this happening right now across the aid and humanitarian space
- Reposted by John HudsonScoop: a confidential memo from UN migration agency details plans for response to US aid freeze, underscores UN anxieties as staff warned to keep quiet about it or face disciplinary action. www.devex.com/news/scoop-u...
- NEW: A career official tried to undo Trump’s purge at USAID. He was then purged, too.
- NEW: The order that removed dozens of senior USAID leaders earlier this week was rescinded today by a career USAID official who called the purge "illegal" and a violation of "due process." That official has now been put on administrative leave. His email accuses DOGE of engineering the purge
- Hundreds of USAID contractors have been furloughed. At Credence, the main contractor for USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, contractors were told their healthcare coverage ends in 2 days
- USAID officials called Trump's directives a "shock and awe" approach that has left officials unsure how to apply for exemptions for life-saving aid programs. "They even removed all the pictures in our offices of aid programs," per one official
- NEW: A memo from Secretary of State Rubio warns State Department officials that they will face "adverse consequences" if they fail to report on colleagues who have concealed or obscured existing DEI programs at the department.
