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Akbar Shahid Ahmed

@akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social
4.8K followers 242 following 921 posts

Diplomatic Correspondent at The Washington Sun // CROSSING THE RED LINE on Biden/Gaza (W. W. Norton, 2026) // he/him Say hi: akbar.58 on Signal or akbarshahidahmed@washsun.com

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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 43m
From 5pm ET on, I’ll be live with the wonderful @wajali.bsky.social discussing CROSSING THE RED LINE & how far US politics is acknowledging the reality of America’s role in Gaza Join us on Substack: substack.com/@thelefthook
substack.com
THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali | Substack
The Left Hook is a thoroughly opinionated and biased intellectual playground for people who enjoy political, cultural, and religious hot takes without corporate censorship and nonsense centrism.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 4h
CROSSING THE RED LINE is an audiobook too! To better grasp America’s horrific role in Gaza and patterns of US-Israel + Biden-Trump impunity, give it a listen — via Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, Audible or the audiobook libraries Hoopla & Overdrive 🎧🙏🏽
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Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 08/10/2026
Dell is investing in Trump Accounts. Sen. John Fetterman is investing in Dell. New from @washingtonsun.com: www.washingtonsun.com/influence/jo...
washingtonsun.com
Sen. John Fetterman Personally Invested in a Company Powering ‘Trump Accounts’
The Pennsylvania Democrat purchased up to $30,000 in Dell corporate bonds, according to a new congressional disclosure.
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
New Pew poll has Trump's approval at 30% (!) 68% of the country disapproves of him. Lowest in his second term, at January 6 levels. *31%* of Trump 2024 voters now disapprove of him.
Trump's approval rating continues to drop
Three-in-ten Americans now say they approve of Trump's handling of his job as president, while 68% disapprove - down 4 percentage points from July and his lowest approval rating of his second term.
Trump's approval rating drops to 30% - on par with his rating prior to leaving office in January 2021

*chart showing his sinking approval ratings, compared alongside his first term*

Much of this decline in his approval ratings over the course of his term is among Trump's own 2024 voters - 67% of validated Trump 2024 voters approve of his job performance today while 31% disapprove. At the beginning of his term, 95% approved.
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Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 07/10/2026
NEW: Dan Scavino — President Donald Trump’s longtime White House social media guru — scored a seven-figure payday last year from the president’s social media company, according to records reviewed by the @washingtonsun.com. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/d...
washingtonsun.com
White House Social Media Guru Earned at Least $1 Million From a Trump Media Investment
Deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino reported seven-figure capital gains from stock in the company behind Truth Social.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Shining brighter by the day ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ Subscribe! www.washingtonsun.com/subscribe
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Give me & @tylermcbrien.com a listen: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare Daily: ‘Crossing the Red Line’ in Gaza with Akbar Shahid Ahmed
Akbar Shahid Ahmed discusses his new book on the Biden administration’s Gaza policy.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Thank you to @lawfaremedia.org for a detailed chat about CROSSING THE RED LINE 🙏🏽 We discussed the Biden admin’s perversion of government processes to sustain weapons for Israel, its choices to fuel bloodshed in Gaza & danger for Isr hostages+more & bids by Brett McGurk and others to rewrite history
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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 07/10/2026
On Lawfare Daily, @tylermcbrien.com spoke to @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social about his new book “Crossing the Red Line," the top officials in the administration who drove Biden’s Gaza policy, and how the war quickly became a moral and strategic disaster. youtu.be/DXl-8uxAVik
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Intelligence about the planned horrors of 10/7 didn’t reach DC, former Biden staff say. But they & lawmakers say that raises questions about US-Israel ties — and ex-US officials say the Biden admin missed repeated warnings of rising risks + Isr views of Hamas www.washingtonsun.com/foreign-poli...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I'm so grateful to @camanpour.bsky.social for a long, substantive discussion of the reporting+analysis in CROSSING THE RED LINE. We covered the Biden team's callousness, hubris & timidity on Gaza — and why we should be wary of bids by officials to distract from their role www.cnn.com/2026/10/02/t...
cnn.com
‘Timidity,’ ‘callousness’ and ‘hubris’: Reckoning with Biden’s Gaza policy | CNN
In “Crossing the Red Line,” journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed documents how the Biden administration supported Israel’s war in Gaza
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Also worth recalling that as Secretary of State, Pompeo continued to sign off on arms sales to Saudi Arabia even after the RSAF attacked a school bus full of Yemeni kids using a U.S.-origin PGM.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
No plans yet! But would be interested.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
‪I was also honored to join the thoughtful Makdisi Street podcast this AM - episode out soon!‬
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Wonderful to have a full house & an intelligent, inquisitive crowd for my discussion of CROSSING THE RED LINE at @msudenver today 🙏🏽 Next few stops for in-person discussions of US complicity in Gaza & lessons for a more humane foreign policy: MA & ME. Hope to see you there!
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
">200 US intel + military analysts are assisting the Saudi government to analyze & select targets" in Yemen-NYT. Refueling too. The last time the US was involved this way, it was implicated in many alleged war crimes. Impunity then fueled brutal Gaza policy, which is fueling a redux of 2015/16...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
My coverage of US policy on Yemen was key to my work on Gaza. Obama aides pledged to learn from horrific choices in 2015/16, but once back in gov't under Biden, removed that pledge from the internet + repeated devastating patterns in handling Israel, fueling current wars wwnorton.com/books/978132...
wwnorton.com
Crossing the Red Line
A powerful and authoritative account of how the Biden administration fueled atrocities in Gaza, from an award-winning foreign affairs journalist., Crossing the Red Line, Biden, His Advisors, and Israe...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
">200 US intel + military analysts are assisting the Saudi government to analyze & select targets" in Yemen-NYT. Refueling too. The last time the US was involved this way, it was implicated in many alleged war crimes. Impunity then fueled brutal Gaza policy, which is fueling a redux of 2015/16...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Just a little over 2 weeks until I'll be discussing CROSSING THE RED LINE at @harvardbookstore.bsky.social with the inimitable Indira Lakshmanan Hope to see Boston-area folks there- & if you have friends/contacts in the area who are eager for accountability for Gaza, please put this on their radar!
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The Denver Press Club is incredible! Thank you to “friends of journalism” & to those who came out last night to discuss CROSSING THE RED LINE & the truth about US complicity in Gaza I’m doing another talk in town on 10/5 if you couldn’t make it! msudenver.enterprise.localist.com/event/crossi...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
On the 8th anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, I’m thinking about those who helped Saudi Arabia dodge accountability. I wrote in 2019 about the Saudi Seven: figures who helped undercut calls to pressure Riyadh+rethink US ties. Many have since joined their ranks. www.huffpost.com/entry/saudi-...
huffpost.com
Khashoggi's Murder Should've Made Saudi Arabia A Pariah. 7 Men Made Sure That Didn't Happen.
Meet the key figures behind the scenes, from a journalist-turned-lobbyist to an evangelical writer, in the effort to preserve the kingdom's image after the killing.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Discussing* !
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
See you this evening at the storied Denver Press Club! And if you’re local and can’t make this event, I’ll also be discuss the book on the Auraria campus on 10/5: msudenver.enterprise.localist.com/event/crossi...
msudenver.enterprise.localist.com
Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza
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Daniel Larison @daniellarison.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It's very clear from @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social's book Crossing the Red Line that Biden's enabling of Israel's wars paved the way for everything Trump has done in the region. Biden shielded Israel from the consequences of its aggressive actions and abandoned diplomacy with Iran. He set the table
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
No unfortunately - will ask!
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I’m taking off for Denver shortly. So excited to share the message of CROSSING THE RED LINE with folks there tonight — please join us if you can! denverpressclub.wildapricot.org/event-6814350
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
‪To encourage accountability & support a more humane future US foreign policy, get your copy today — or flag for friends, allies, colleges, libraries: bookshop.org/p/books/cros...
bookshop.org
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
At 1pm ET, CNN will air my discussion of CROSSING THE RED LINE w/ @camanpour.bsky.social Probing horrific Biden-Trump continuity from Gaza to Iran + efforts by US officials to rewrite history & distract from bloodshed with one of the key chroniclers of our era was such a privilege. Tune in 🧿🙏🏽
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Grateful to the many who turned out tonight — including the iconic Professor Rashid Khalidi 🙏🏽
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Cannot wait to get into the processs of reporting out CROSSING THE RED LINE with @azmatzahra.bsky.social at @columbiajournalism.bsky.social tonight Join us! Spots have been claimed but worth trying through the waitlist 🙏🏽 journalism.columbia.edu/events/cross...
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Harrison Mann @harrisonmann.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"I was frankly shocked by how cynical so many of the officials I talked to were ... 'if I question my peers ... will they hire me in the next administration?'" - @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social on justifications for doing the grunt work behind US support for Israel's genocide in Gaza
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
At 1pm ET tomorrow I’ll be discussing CROSSING THE RED LINE live online with the talented @alexbkane.bsky.social for @jewishcurrents.bsky.social Join us if you can 🙏🏽🧿 secure.jewishcurrents.org/nx/portal/ne...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
An incredible 220 people came out last night to hear a discussion of accountability for Gaza. I’m grateful beyond words. A huge thank you too to @premthakker.bsky.social More talks soon in NY, Denver, Boston, Portland, Chicago & more! 🧿🙏🏽
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Matt Shuham @mattshuham.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
For @washingtonpost.com, I wrote about the wave of AI-generated ads this election cycle, what they could mean for the future of political communication, and why one has already sparked a police report:
washingtonpost.com
Secret weapon or ‘slopaganda’? How AI is revolutionizing campaign advertising.
The advancing technology offers campaigns the tools to make compelling, lifelike ads. That’s leading even seasoned political observers to take note.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I’ll be live on @theyoungturks.bsky.social discussing CROSSING THE RED LINE at 6pm ET 🧿🙏🏽 Tune in if you can for a discussion of accountably for Gaza, a political + moral reckoning among Democrats, devastating Biden-Trump continuity & more.
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
You MUST read Akbar's book "Crossing the Red Line," a vital investigation into the Biden administration's complicity in the Gaza genocide. I'm sad to miss the event tonight at @politicsprose.bsky.social in DC but @premthakker.bsky.social will be asking @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social some great Qs.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
You can order the book from the store in advance to have it ready & waiting for you (and, if you’d like, for a signature) — politics-prose.com/book/9781324...
politics-prose.com
Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza
A powerful and authoritative account of how the Biden administration fueled atrocities in Gaza, from an award-winning foreign affairs journalist. Following Hamas’s horrific October 7 attack, Israel la...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tonight I’ll launch CROSSING THE RED LINE where its message is most needed: DC So excited to be at @politicsprose.bsky.social in conversation w/ the brilliant @premthakker.bsky.social 🙏🏽 (@mehdirhasan.bsky.social & I hoped to have this chat but circumstances mean we’ll have it at a later date)
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“As numerous Biden aides have asked me, can you really blame bureaucrats for implementing the whims of an obstinate president? In “Crossing the Red Line,” Akbar Shahid Ahmed offers the first comprehensive opportunity to evaluate this scapegoating exercise” responsiblestatecraft.org/biden-gaza-s...
responsiblestatecraft.org
Ex-Biden officials are desperate for a Gaza scapegoat
Journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed's 'Crossing the Red Line' is a searing indictment of the former president's inner circle and its disastrous Israel policy
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Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A year ago, @washingtonsun.bsky.social first reported that Lindsey Halligan was being flanked by U.S. Marshals everywhere she went — even in the office where she supervised career prosecutors. Now we know how much it cost. Reporting with @d-hawk.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/l...
washingtonsun.com
DOJ Spent $1.1 Million on Lindsey Halligan’s Security Detail
The former personal defense attorney for President Donald Trump got extra protection in her 120-day stint as interim U.S. attorney.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
‪And support the book’s mission of honesty, accountability and a more humane US foreign policy by securing your copy now:‬ ‪https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324118190‬
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In 1.5 hours, I’ll be live with @imeupolicy.bsky.social discussing CROSSING THE RED LINE. Drawing on ~175 interviews, my book details how Biden’s team fueled horrors in Gaza & patterns that brought us the Iran war — countering their efforts to rewrite history Join us! zoom.us/webinar/regi...
zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Join us for our second webinar of our new Book Club. We'll be joined by author Akbar Shahid Ahmed. Based on unprecedented access to former Biden administration officials, his new book Crossing the Red...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Looking forward to discussing Biden's team, their appalling choices on Gaza + efforts to launder their reputations & the future of US policy on Israel-Palestine in Denver! Please sign up to join us on 10/2 if you're in the area: denverpressclub.org/event/crossi...
denverpressclub.org
Crossing the Red Line author interview
Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza Akbar Shahid Ahmed chronicles the long series of missteps made by the Biden-Harris administration as they enabled Israel’s…
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
One of these discussions is live, free & *tonight* at 7pm ET - with @imeupolicy.bsky.social@theimeu.bsky.social! Sign up here: zoom.us/webinar/regi...
zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Join us for our second webinar of our new Book Club. We'll be joined by author Akbar Shahid Ahmed. Based on unprecedented access to former Biden administration officials, his new book Crossing the Red...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
CROSSING THE RED LINE has been out for less than a week. The reaction’s already so gratifying (& slightly overwhelming). I’m humbled + eager to keep discussing my extensive reporting on the Biden team’s appalling Gaza choices, continuity with Trump & crucial lessons from their record. Tour details!
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The Brian Lehrer Show @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
@akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social, diplomatic correspondent at The Washington Sun, talks about his new book "Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza." Listen: wnyc.org/browse/shows...
wnyc.org
Biden's Record on Gaza | WNYC
Akbar Shahid Ahmed, diplomatic correspondent at The Washington Sun and the author of Crossing The Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza (W.
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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 25/09/2026
“The policies that we've seen entrenched and frankly worsened and become more dangerous and deadly under Donald Trump were really established by Biden's team,” says @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social, author of "Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza.”
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
So grateful to @jackmirkinson.bsky.social @thenation.com for a detailed discussion of why CROSSING THE RED LINE is key to a foreign policy that's more humane, effective and accountable to those paying officials' salaries. Please support this message by buying the book: bookshop.org/p/books/cros...
bookshop.org
Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza
Following Hamas's horrific October 7 attack, Israel launched an offensive of staggering violence in Gaza, saying it targeted militants while regularly striking hospitals, schools, and homes. Criticall...
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"The reason we need to look at the Biden admin's atrocious policymaking on Gaza is exemplified by this week at the UN.. The biggest event yesterday was [his advisor] Brett McGurk [on Syria]—which shows you architects of this policy are coming back to shape our era" www.thenation.com/article/poli...
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Jack Mirkinson @jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Today in @thenation.com: I had a great chat with @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social about his essential new book on Joe Biden's support for the Gaza genocide. It is as damning a portrait of a president and his administration as you will ever read. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
How Joe Biden Helped Cause a Genocide In Gaza
An interview with reporter Akbar Shahid Ahmed about his new book, “Crossing the Red Line.”
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