Ellen Nakashima

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.

SCOOP: For the Trump admin's Sept. 2 strike targeting 11 men on a boat suspected of ferrying drugs, SecDef Hegseth gave an order, officials say, to kill them all. When two men were still alive, orders were given to strike again, finishing them off.

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

White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats The Trump administration sidestepped skeptical lawyers across national security agencies as it pursued a military campaign against alleged narcotraffickers, officials say.

NEW: White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats. Work began on secret CIA finding early in the administration, prompting pushback re use of lethal force. Officials persisted in seeking, military and covert options.

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

Dissecting the Trump Administration’s Effort to Circumvent the War Powers Resolution for Boat Strikes Analysis of Trump administration's claim that War Powers Resolution's regulating US troops in "hostilities" does not apply to boat strikes.

A former top State Dept lawyer, Brian Finucane, assesses the Trump admin is using "creative lawyering" in dismissing War Powers Res application to cartel strikes. "It is a power grab in the service of killing people outside the law based solely on the President’s own say so."

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Trump administration tells Congress war law doesn’t apply to cartel strikes A top Trump administration lawyer told Congress that the War Powers Resolution, which would require the end of hostilities within 60 days, doesn’t apply to cartel strikes.

Scoop: Trump’s OLC head tells lawmakers the War Powers Act doesn’t apply to cartel strikes, and the administration does not need to cease strikes by Monday.

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

Classified U.S. report finds backlog of hundreds of possible Israeli human rights violations The report found “hundreds” of possible Israeli human rights violations, further complicating a process to review credible allegations against IDF military units in Gaza.

Exclusive report by @johnphudson.bsky.social on how a U.S. govt watchdog has found that Israeli military units committed “many hundreds” of potential violations of U.S. human rights law in the Gaza Strip that would take the State Dept multiple years to review.

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

Bubbes volunteer to do what they do best: Counsel troubled souls Why crowds of young professionals have been lining up to get advice — and hugs — from other people’s bubbes.

Cool story! Bubbes volunteer to do what they do best: Counsel troubled souls. By Sophia Solano, who was hanging out at the Sixth and I synagogue.

www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/1...

Top Democrats demand details of spy agencies’ role in boat strikes Democrats are demanding that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard share intelligence on lethal operations against alleged narcotics traffickers.

The entire NSC legal team-some half-dozen-has been emptied out, inc Paul Ney Jr.,a onetime DOD GC who served briefly as NSC legal adviser. Lawyers at NSC, State, DOJ & DOD earlier questioned the legal basis for military cartel strikes, and were able for awhile to forestall action.

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GOP hawks feel the whiplash of Trump’s China policy Republican hawks worry Trump will soften his stance on China as a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping looms.

GOP hawks are feeling the whiplash of Trump’s China policy. So far they've largely failed to stiffen his spine on China competition. It's a "WIP: work in progress," Rep. Young Kim (CA) told my colleague Noah Robertson.

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

Top Democrats demand details of spy agencies’ role in boat strikes Democrats are demanding that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard share intelligence on lethal operations against alleged narcotics traffickers.

While legal experts say military operators are not likely to be prosecuted for involvement in the cartel strikes, junior officers are nervous, sources say. Some have asked military lawyers for written sign-off before taking part; such sign-off hasn't happened, said one source.

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For Trump, media manipulation is his show of force The president has long attacked the media as “fake news,” but the White House has created a new crop of journalists to advance its policy priorities.

The president has long attacked the media as “fake news,” but the White House has found ways to bring a new crop of friendly journalists into curated presentations that have the look and feel of news to advance its policy priorities, Sarah Ellison reports.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

None of the people who spoke with The Post could recall a defense secretary ever ordering so many of the military’s generals and admirals to assemble like this. Several said it raised security concerns.
"People are very concerned," one told me. "They have no idea what it means."

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Hegseth fires head of Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the latest national security senior officer to be purged.

BREAKING: Hegseth fires head of Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Former intelligence analyst is named NSA deputy director Joseph Francescon, a former intelligence analyst and counterterrorism aide at the White House, will be the new NSA deputy director.

Former intelligence analyst Joseph Francescon is named NSA deputy director. “Francescon has an understanding of the mission and would be able to champion the workforce to carry it out,” said a former senior NSA official.

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

US scrambles to bring back VOA’s Persian service amid Iran-Israel conflict President Donald Trump ordered the service to shut down in March.

US scrambles to bring back VOA’s Persian service amid Iran-Israel conflict politi.co/3HHsTQ4, via @politico.com

Former U.S. attorney Damian Williams leaves Paul Weiss for Jenner & Block The former prosecutor is leaving a firm that made ​a deal with the Trump administration for one that fought it.

Former Manhattan U.S. attorney Damian Williams leaves Paul Weiss, which cut a deal w the Trump administration, for Jenner & Block, which didn't and chose to fight. wapo.st/3HIdsXK

The MAGA faithful celebrate the end of the Trump-Musk bromance Patrons of the pro-Trump Butterworth’s Restaurant hope that the feud between the two men marks the end of Musk’s influence in Washington.

The MAGA faithful celebrate the end of the Trump-Musk bromance. Patrons of the pro-Trump Butterworth’s Restaurant hope that a feud that broke out between the two men marks the end of Musk’s influence in Washington.

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Gabbard placed top adviser inside the ODNI’s watchdog office, officials say Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard installed one of her top advisors within the office of the inspector general of the intelligence community, compromising the watchdog office’s integrity...

NEW: DNI Gabbard has placed a top adviser inside the ODNI’s watchdog office, U.S. officials say. The move potentially compromises the integrity of the Intelligence Community Inspector General as it is conducting an investigation of Signalgate, they say.

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Beyond air bases, U.S. energy grids, transportation hubs, shipyards and civilian critical infrastructure in general are also vulnerable to unconventional attacks using unmanned vehicles.

Ukraine’s surprise drone strike underscores vulnerability of U.S. defenses The audacious attacks on Russian airfields highlight the power of unconventional, asymmetric warfare — and the threat to U.S. strategic bases and ports, experts say.

NEW: “Any country that has strategic bombers, strategic missiles and silos, or strategic nuclear submarines at port is looking at [Ukraine's drone] attack and thinking the risk to our arsenal from a containerized set of drones disguised as a semitrailer poses a real risk."

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CIA chief faces stiff test in bid to revitalize human spying CIA Director John Ratcliffe wants to rebuild the agency’s diminished ranks of spies and foreign agents. But have espionage’s golden days passed?

“Some of our best recruits aren’t going to tell you what Xi Jinping thinks,” a former senior U.S. intel official said.“They work in communication departments & have access to those key systems.That’s why we target them.''
NEW: CIA faces stiff test in bid to revitalize human spying.
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Officials also tell WaPo that they have no plans to revoke a Biden-era executive order on spyware, though they might modify it. Any modifications, they say, however, will not be aimed at doing any favors for NSO Group.

Pegasus spyware maker rebuffed in efforts to get off trade blacklist Executives from NSO Group, the controversial Israeli manufacturer of Pegasus spyware, are in Washington this week for meetings with Republican officials.

NEW: The WH has rebuffed Pegasus spyware-maker, NSO Group, which is in town this week, in its effort to get off a trade blacklist that has dented its financial fortunes.

U.S. officials tell WaPo they are not seeking to get NSO off the Entity List.

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Trump’s actions are pushing thousands of experts to flee government The U.S. DOGE Service’s push for early retirement and deferred resignation is leading to a federal brain drain, longtime staffers fear.

Trump’s actions are pushing thousands of experts to flee government. NIH. FAA. Treasury. First round saw 75k fed workers leave. Second round could potentially hit hundreds of thousands, reports hannahnatanson.bsky.social and colleagues.

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Trump repeatedly bypasses Netanyahu, stoking dismay among Israelis Netanyahu has long trumpeted his ties to Trump. But the president is sidelining him on urgent issues like the Iran nuclear talks and the conflict with Houthi rebels.

Trump is repeatedly bypassing Netanyahu on urgent issues like Iran nuke talks, Houthi rebels conflict, hostage talks with Hamas, stoking dismay among Israelis.Trump is visiting 3 countries in the MidEast this week - Israel is not among them. WaPo's Gerry Shih reports from Jerusalem.
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Trump administration in talks with Qatar over plane gift A deal on a plane that would become Air Force One has not been reached, but ethics experts say accepting it from Qatar would violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause.

Qatar is discussing with the Pentagon donating an aircraft for POTUS to use as his new Air Force One, an idea that ethics experts say violates the Constitution.

No final agreement has been reached. Trump will visit Qatar on his Middle East trip this week.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

How a little-known Japanese American battalion freed Jews from a Nazi death march They were Japanese American soldiers, part of a storied military unit that faced down prejudice and suspicion to fight Adolf Hitler’s armies in Europe.

NEW: How a little-known Japanese American battalion freed Jews from a Nazi death march 80 years ago.

Some of the soldiers had been in relocation camps in the U.S. In Europe, they helped liberate prisoners on a Dachau death march.

Their example resonates today.

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What became known as the “Nye initiative” affirmed America’s military commitment to Asia and the U.S.-Japan alliance as a bulwark against China and North Korea.

Joseph Nye, Political Scientist Who Extolled ‘Soft Power,’ Dies at 88

Joseph Nye, who extolled ‘Soft Power,' died this week. “Seduction is always more effective than coercion,” he said in 2005. “And many of our values, such as democracy, human rights and individual opportunity, are deeply seductive.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/u...

Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees amid war, documents show The extraordinary request illustrates the administration’s aggressive bid to identify willing partners who will accept people expelled by the U.S.

SCOOP by @mradamtaylor.bsky.social: Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees, documents show --an extraordinary request of a nation at war & dependent on U.S. military & financial support. w/ Sarah Blaskey and @siobhanogrady.bsky.social

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FBI, national security agencies using polygraphs for ‘leak’ hunts Current and former officials say the crackdown at the FBI, the Pentagon and Office of the Director of National Intelligence is creating a climate of fear and harming national security.

NEW: FBI, security agencies using polygraphs for ‘leak’ hunts as part of what current and former officials say is a crackdown that is creating a climate of fear and intimidation -one that jeopardizes national security.

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