Akbar Shahid Ahmed
@akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
Senior Diplomatic Correspondent at HuffPost // Writing a book on Gaza and the Biden administration for W. W. Norton // he/him
Say hi: akbar.58 on Signal or akbar.ahmed@huffpost.com
Say hi: akbar.58 on Signal or akbar.ahmed@huffpost.com
"Peter Hildebrand, whose unvaccinated 8-year-old daughter died of measles-related complications in Texas this spring, said he would do everything in his power to protect his children from vaccines & to never go to a hospital again." @laurenweberhp.bsky.social:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
‘God is an anti-vaxxer’: Inside the conference celebrating RFK Jr.’s rise
An anti-vaccine conference in Austin celebrated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rise to political power, highlighting his influence in Trump’s Washington.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:21 AM
"Peter Hildebrand, whose unvaccinated 8-year-old daughter died of measles-related complications in Texas this spring, said he would do everything in his power to protect his children from vaccines & to never go to a hospital again." @laurenweberhp.bsky.social:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
At 7:20 ET I'll be live w/ @joyannreid.bsky.social discussing my revelations on Biden's last-minute choices re Gaza—fueling the ongoing bloodshed. Key:
—Blinken asked if Israel was committing "ethnic cleansing"
—Brett McGurk quashed a new push to cut US support
&more
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
—Blinken asked if Israel was committing "ethnic cleansing"
—Brett McGurk quashed a new push to cut US support
&more
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:05 AM
At 7:20 ET I'll be live w/ @joyannreid.bsky.social discussing my revelations on Biden's last-minute choices re Gaza—fueling the ongoing bloodshed. Key:
—Blinken asked if Israel was committing "ethnic cleansing"
—Brett McGurk quashed a new push to cut US support
&more
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
—Blinken asked if Israel was committing "ethnic cleansing"
—Brett McGurk quashed a new push to cut US support
&more
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
On the subject of a reckoning for the Democratic Party...
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
On the subject of a reckoning for the Democratic Party...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
“Biden officials worried that attaching their names to a recommendation to limit American support for Tel Aviv would hinder their future career prospects, the former senior official said, ‘which is in itself appalling.’”
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:27 AM
“Biden officials worried that attaching their names to a recommendation to limit American support for Tel Aviv would hinder their future career prospects, the former senior official said, ‘which is in itself appalling.’”
My book on the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, CROSSING THE RED LINE, is soon entering production. I’m so excited to share it with you in 2026
In the meantime, if you want to share info about US officials’ choices around the war, you can always reach me at akbar.58 on Signal; anonymity is fine
In the meantime, if you want to share info about US officials’ choices around the war, you can always reach me at akbar.58 on Signal; anonymity is fine
November 8, 2025 at 9:03 PM
My book on the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, CROSSING THE RED LINE, is soon entering production. I’m so excited to share it with you in 2026
In the meantime, if you want to share info about US officials’ choices around the war, you can always reach me at akbar.58 on Signal; anonymity is fine
In the meantime, if you want to share info about US officials’ choices around the war, you can always reach me at akbar.58 on Signal; anonymity is fine
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Brett McGurk led the pushback to reducing support, two officials said; the controversial Biden adviser often behaved as “Israel’s lawyer” when U.S. officials questioned the country, another senior Biden-era colleague told HuffPost.
For more fresh information about what Biden officials knew about Gaza/Israel & their choice not to act even as they knew they would be handing power to Trump, an open skeptic of international law + human rights standards, read my latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
November 8, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Brett McGurk led the pushback to reducing support, two officials said; the controversial Biden adviser often behaved as “Israel’s lawyer” when U.S. officials questioned the country, another senior Biden-era colleague told HuffPost.
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
For more fresh information about what Biden officials knew about Gaza/Israel & their choice not to act even as they knew they would be handing power to Trump, an open skeptic of international law + human rights standards, read my latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
November 8, 2025 at 12:14 AM
For more fresh information about what Biden officials knew about Gaza/Israel & their choice not to act even as they knew they would be handing power to Trump, an open skeptic of international law + human rights standards, read my latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted “ethnic cleansing."
@akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
@akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:35 AM
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted “ethnic cleansing."
@akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
@akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Call it the AIPAC effect: “Biden officials worried that attaching their names to a recommendation to limit American support for Tel Aviv would hinder their future career prospects, the former senior official said, ‘which is in itself appalling.’ ” www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Call it the AIPAC effect: “Biden officials worried that attaching their names to a recommendation to limit American support for Tel Aviv would hinder their future career prospects, the former senior official said, ‘which is in itself appalling.’ ” www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
I can't wait for @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com's book Crossing the Red Line. But even with this reporting–including that Antony Blinken raised the prospect Israel was committing ethnic cleansing–is damning. Every revelation about Biden's final year looks worse.
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:26 AM
I can't wait for @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com's book Crossing the Red Line. But even with this reporting–including that Antony Blinken raised the prospect Israel was committing ethnic cleansing–is damning. Every revelation about Biden's final year looks worse.
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Biden, members of his Cabinet and senior aides discussed dramatic potential responses, particularly limiting American intelligence-sharing with Israel, to reduce possible U.S. liability, the officials told @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com... but nothing ever came of it www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Biden, members of his Cabinet and senior aides discussed dramatic potential responses, particularly limiting American intelligence-sharing with Israel, to reduce possible U.S. liability, the officials told @akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com... but nothing ever came of it www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
"But a strong motivation for urgency in addressing the new material was the suspicion it meant the Biden administration’s own members could be in legal jeopardy by being aware of it and continuing to aid the Israeli campaign."
Aiding and abetting liability for war crimes is a thing.
Aiding and abetting liability for war crimes is a thing.
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:21 AM
"But a strong motivation for urgency in addressing the new material was the suspicion it meant the Biden administration’s own members could be in legal jeopardy by being aware of it and continuing to aid the Israeli campaign."
Aiding and abetting liability for war crimes is a thing.
Aiding and abetting liability for war crimes is a thing.
For more fresh information about what Biden officials knew about Gaza/Israel & their choice not to act even as they knew they would be handing power to Trump, an open skeptic of international law + human rights standards, read my latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
November 8, 2025 at 12:14 AM
For more fresh information about what Biden officials knew about Gaza/Israel & their choice not to act even as they knew they would be handing power to Trump, an open skeptic of international law + human rights standards, read my latest: www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Akbar Shahid Ahmed with the first report to confirm that former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the time of his tenure was asking State Department officials whether or not Israel's actions constituted ethnic cleansing.
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Akbar Shahid Ahmed with the first report to confirm that former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the time of his tenure was asking State Department officials whether or not Israel's actions constituted ethnic cleansing.
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"
www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
AP reporter Regina Garcia Cano looked into a few of the men killed in Trump's extrajudicial strikes on Caribbean boats.
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
apnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
AP reporter Regina Garcia Cano looked into a few of the men killed in Trump's extrajudicial strikes on Caribbean boats.
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
"They were laborers, a fisherman, a taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a local crime boss who contracted out smuggling services"
apnews.com/article/trum...
~70 people have now been killed by the US in waters around South America without proof of criminality, an imminent threat, due process or a strategy beyond bombing or a bigger war.
Hours ago, 51 Republican senators quashed a bipartisan effort to rein this policy in:
www.huffpost.com/entry/senate...
Hours ago, 51 Republican senators quashed a bipartisan effort to rein this policy in:
www.huffpost.com/entry/senate...
November 7, 2025 at 3:59 AM
~70 people have now been killed by the US in waters around South America without proof of criminality, an imminent threat, due process or a strategy beyond bombing or a bigger war.
Hours ago, 51 Republican senators quashed a bipartisan effort to rein this policy in:
www.huffpost.com/entry/senate...
Hours ago, 51 Republican senators quashed a bipartisan effort to rein this policy in:
www.huffpost.com/entry/senate...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
“The Constitutional principles haven’t changed. What has changed is Republicans’ willingness to defend those principles," an anti-war critic said after a Senate vote.
Republicans Refuse To Check Trump's Push For War With Venezuela
“The Constitutional principles haven’t changed. What has changed is Republicans’ willingness to defend those principles," an anti-war critic said after a Senate vote.
www.huffpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:32 AM
“The Constitutional principles haven’t changed. What has changed is Republicans’ willingness to defend those principles," an anti-war critic said after a Senate vote.
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee.
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
New: The most significant part of Tuesday's results may be the Latino vote shift
-Cements Latinos as the key swing voters of the '20s
-4 highest % Latino counties in VA saw biggest shifts to Spanberger
www.huffpost.com/entry/desper...
-Cements Latinos as the key swing voters of the '20s
-4 highest % Latino counties in VA saw biggest shifts to Spanberger
www.huffpost.com/entry/desper...
‘Desperate, Frustrated, Angry’: Latinos Are The Swing Voters At The Center Of American Politics
Their big shift to Democrats in 2025 may be more about a Trump backlash than renewed affection for the party.
www.huffpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
New: The most significant part of Tuesday's results may be the Latino vote shift
-Cements Latinos as the key swing voters of the '20s
-4 highest % Latino counties in VA saw biggest shifts to Spanberger
www.huffpost.com/entry/desper...
-Cements Latinos as the key swing voters of the '20s
-4 highest % Latino counties in VA saw biggest shifts to Spanberger
www.huffpost.com/entry/desper...
An invaluable voice to support if you can:
A bit of selfish and shameless self promotion but if you appreciated my two most recent articles about public opinion vis a vis Palestine, one of them about Mamdani, please consider supporting my freelancing writing— my main source of income alongside SSI while I search for a new job.
Emissary of Night is writing about US-Palestinian relations and public opinion
I analyze and write about US Palestinian relations, among other things
buymeacoffee.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:36 PM
An invaluable voice to support if you can:
"In the last year of the Biden administration officials opened nearly twice as many inquiries over antisemitism allegations than over all other types of racial discrimination" on campus
"Pro-Israel organizations were behind 78% of [publicly available] complaints"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"Pro-Israel organizations were behind 78% of [publicly available] complaints"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Surge in antisemitism investigations at US universities after October 7 attacks, data shows
A report shared exclusively with the Guardian documents how a civil rights law has become a tool to impose ideological priorities on US schools
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
"In the last year of the Biden administration officials opened nearly twice as many inquiries over antisemitism allegations than over all other types of racial discrimination" on campus
"Pro-Israel organizations were behind 78% of [publicly available] complaints"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"Pro-Israel organizations were behind 78% of [publicly available] complaints"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Akbar Shahid Ahmed
BREAKING: In a 3-2 vote Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole board recommended clemency for Tremane Wood, a man sentenced to death for a killing his brother admitted to committing www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...
November 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
BREAKING: In a 3-2 vote Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole board recommended clemency for Tremane Wood, a man sentenced to death for a killing his brother admitted to committing www.huffpost.com/entry/oklaho...