John Hudson

“Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.” — US State Department

Judge says government may not search devices seized from Washington Post reporter, via Perry Stein www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

New ruling on the FBI's seizure of the devices of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson: "The Court rejects the government’s argument that its seizure of Ms. Natanson’s devices does not implicate the First Amendment..."

The U.S. military has rapidly increased its presence near Iran, shifting more than 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East since a second round of nuclear talks ended without a breakthrough www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

My latest:

Scoop: DNC officials working on secret report found Gaza stance cost Harris votes The DNC's research on what went wrong in 2024 has been under lock and key since party leaders decided to hide it from the public.

"Top Democratic officials who worked on the party's still-secret autopsy of the 2024 election concluded that Kamala Harris lost significant support because of the Biden administration's approach to the war in Gaza" www.axios.com/2026/02/22/d...

YMCA blares as world leaders scramble to get a word in with Trump at his new Trump-branded peace building

Trump hails his role in swinging elections in Hungary, Japan, Argentina to the conservative candidate: "The endorsement seems to be working in foreign countries" (doesn't mention Canada, where he inadvertently swung things left)

Rubio boosts Hungary’s Orban as he faces toughest election in years www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Traveling U.S. press poised to ask questions ahead of Rubio's joint press conference in Slovakia with Prime Minister Robert Fico

NEW: Google breached its own policies that barred use of artificial intelligence for weapons or surveillance in 2024 by helping an Israeli military contractor analyze drone video footage, a former Google employee alleges

At tonight’s Alfalfa Club dinner, Trump said he called Putin today and said it’s cold so please stop bombing Ukraine for a week, said a person in the room. On Iran he made an edgy remark (joke?) about his upcoming second strike on Iran

Advocates for Maria Corina Machado, who saw Trump’s ouster of Maduro as a watershed moment for self-governance, are worried that Washington now prefers reliability over democracy www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Marco Rubio, in prepared remarks to Congress, gives a boost to Maduro's successor and Machado's sworn adversary, Delcy Rodriguez: "it is our belief that her own self-interest aligns with advancing our key objectives."

‘The Superhuman President’ A good-faith attempt to ascertain the truth about Donald Trump’s health.

Trump offers a new explanation for closing his eyes during cabinet meetings (dedicated to glorifying him). “It’s boring as hell,” he tells Ben Terris . “The last one was three and a half hours." nymag.com/intelligence...

Minnesota's attorney general tells The Post that Trump and his advisers propagated a “flat-out insane” narrative regarding the shooting death of Alex Pretti. "A complete break with what we consider to be reasonable law enforcement behavior" www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The three highest-ranking U.S. Catholic archbishops just said “the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world” has been thrown into question by a resurgence in the use or threat of military force, including in Venezuela and Greenland www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

In Iran crisis, Trump confronted limits of U.S. military power The president and his national security advisers contemplated striking Iran but backed away as costs loomed and Mideast allies lobbied for restraint.

In Iran crisis, Trump confronted limits of U.S. military power www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

A key factor driving Trump’s reluctance was Israel’s reluctance. Israel was vulnerable due to the absence of major U.S. military assets, which Israel has relied on increasingly to shoot down retaliatory strikes from Iran

Other Trump advisers urged caution, including Steve Witkoff and Susie Wiles. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued for waiting and letting economic sanctions on Iran work

NEW: JD Vance supported US strikes on Iran this week and reasoned that Trump had to enforce his own red line, per sources. It was a surprise role reversal for a politician who built his identity on opposing Middle East wars with a loose connection to core US interests

New from The Post's editorial board: "The Justice Department’s decision to send FBI agents to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home Wednesday was an aggressive attack on the press freedom of all journalists." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Previously secret memo gave legal basis for U.S. mission to nab Maduro The administration releases a redacted version of a previously secret memo that gave the legal basis for the U.S. mission to arrest Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

Pleased to speak with @johnphudson.bsky.social about the OLC opinion blessing the invasion of Venezuela.

“This view that international law and the U.N. Charter doesn’t bind the U.S. president is very significant and very dangerous.”

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Incredibly disturbing FBI action www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Previously secret memo gave legal basis for U.S. mission to nab Maduro www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Rubio says court hearings no longer possible for deported Venezuelans www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Ric Grenell navigating geopolitics and MAGA politics

‘Havana syndrome’ not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds After a years-long assessment, five U.S. intelligence agencies conclude it is “very unlikely” an enemy wielding a secret weapon was behind the mysterious ailment.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

In 2023, five U.S. intelligence agencies determined it was "very unlikely" that the symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome were the result of a foreign adversary using a directed energy weapon. Here's why:

NEW: WaPo confirms NYT report: The Trump administration’s first deadly strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in early September was conducted by a secretive military aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane