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Julia Jester

@julesjester.bsky.social
2.4K followers 371 following 76 posts

covering national security, StateDept, politics, Washington, + beyond for @ms.now • past lives: NBC News, Vox • Georgetown forever • Baltimore, hon 🦀

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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
“When you’re secretary of state, everything in the foreign policy space falls on your doorstep, whether it is a pleasant thing or not. The whole world is your responsibility.” My latest for @ms.now on Rubio ceding his role as America's top diplomat on the biggest issues: www.ms.now/news/rubio-s...
ms.now
Where’s Marco? Rubio steps back from three top foreign policy crises.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads on U.S. policy in Latin America but leaves the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to Trump’s envoys.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Today, President Trump meets with two key allies at a critical moment when once-distinct wars in Ukraine + Iran are now colliding — and U.S. military commitment to aid its friends is in question. Our @ms.now preview of Zelenskyy + Netanyahu's pivotal White House meetings: www.ms.now/news/trump-n...
ms.now
What’s at stake as Trump meets Netanyahu and Zelenskyy over Iran, Ukraine
The Iran war will dominate President Trump’s meetings Tuesday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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The Weeknight on MS NOW @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
“Damning and dangerous”: Vaughn Hillyard TORCHES Trump’s attacks on journalism ahead of his appearance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
HEGSETH acknowledges Russia + China are helping Iran "There's definitely adversary alignment attempts to do so & there are many ways that we deter that ... There are ways in which both of those countries are limiting, at different levels enabling some of the things Iran is doing"
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
MURRAY: "This admin has tried to sell this as an emergency request, but it may be better understood as an attempt to skirt the normal appropriations process" + lists asks unrelated to Iran war: $800M for National Guard in DC $1B for Army at southern border $900M for boat strikes
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Protesters interrupted Hegseth's opening 4x, each shouting as they were escorted out: “Iranian Americans are against this war of aggression ... Your hands are bloody" "Stop this illegal war in Iran ... Americans don’t want this" "We need money for health care, not war"
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
COLLINS on supplemental request re: Iran war costs: “While these munition shortfalls have been years in the making, they are growing increasingly urgent. We should not undermine the readiness of our service members for any engagement, or refuse to rebuild critical capabilities.”
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Hello from the Senate Appropriations hearing re: Trump admin's $87.6 billion supplemental request, mostly for Iran war costs First time in months lawmakers (+ American public) hear from Hegseth + Caine amid recent heightened attacks + U.S. troop casualties Follow along: www.ms.now/liveblog/pet...
ms.now
Pete Hegseth to testify on Iran war funding as U.S. launches new strikes: Live updates
Follow live updates as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate on Iran war funding, Pentagon spending and the latest U.S. strikes.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
“Bill Pulte is now at the center of this." — Ahead of the president’s primetime address on the 2020 election, @slotkin.senate.gov is targeting the acting DNI with her new "Minimum Experience Requirements for Intelligence Transition" (MERIT) Act More on @ms.now blog: www.ms.now/liveblog/tru...
ms.now
Live Updates: President Trump’s primetime address on voting machines, election security set for 9 p.m.
Follow live updates as Trump delivers a primetime address expected to allege efforts by foreign nations to influence U.S. elections.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
“The leftist is fundamentally motivated by envy, by hatred, by jealousy,” Stephen Miller said in his remarks on the "mortal threat" of far-left violence, a "fatal cancer to civilization" My dispatch from Rubio's summit on political terrorism (w/ @davidrohde.bsky.social): www.ms.now/news/rubio-a...
ms.now
Rubio launches global effort to target left-wing extremists
An international “Antifa summit” at the State Department is raising concerns that President Donald Trump is expanding a crackdown on left-wing groups.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Per StateDept, 66 countries sent delegations to the U.S. Ministerial on 'the resurgence of political terrorism'
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MS NOW @ms.now · 17/06/2026
BREAKING: Here’s what the Trump administration says is in the memorandum of understanding with Iran
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Here’s what the Trump administration says is in the memorandum of understanding with Iran
A senior U.S. official read the text of the agreement to reporters on Wednesday in a phone call.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
NEW for @ms.now on the metaphorical landmines of the U.S.-Iran MOU, ie: the unresolved questions largely deferred rather than decided, each with the potential to blow up any prospect for a final Trump nuclear deal: www.ms.now/news/iran-ta...
ms.now
The clock is ticking on Iran talks. Here’s what still has to get done.
Washington and Tehran agreed to stop fighting. Agreeing on everything else will be much harder.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The hard part starts now (soon?) Here's what needs to be resolved in next 58 days: 1 Strait of Hormuz 2 sanctions relief sked 3 "procedures" for unfreezing Iranian assets 4 $300B reconstruction plan 5 HOW to "resolve" enriched stockpile 6 future enrichment (+ nuclear program) 7 inspections
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
"The MOU, as laid out to reporters, reveals some significant wins for Iran that are likely to raise eyebrows in the U.S., especially among members of Congress, including U.S. support for a $300 billion reconstruction fund & no restrictions on Iran’s missile program,” @julesjester.bsky.social reports
ms.now
Memorandum of understanding reveals some significant wins for Iran
Concessions likely to raise eyebrows, especially among members of Congress, include U.S. support for a $300 billion reconstruction fund and no restrictions on Iran’s missile program.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
"We burned our credibility" The Trump admin's retreat from the international community — eliminating USAID, slashing foreign assistance + withdrawing from the WHO — left the global health system vulnerable to this Ebola outbreak, current + former aid workers told @ms.now www.ms.now/news/ebola-o...
ms.now
Trump’s USAID cuts leave health leaders vulnerable in latest Ebola outbreak
“We were the ones that everybody looked to,” one former USAID official told MS NOW. “There’s just nobody on the ground in that way anymore.”
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
“Iran has the clear advantage when it comes to enduring economic pain, most experts on the global oil trade and Iran’s economy told MS NOW." By @julesjester.bsky.social + @davidrohde.bsky.social
ms.now
Trump vowed to break Iran. His own economy may break first.
The U.S. and Iran are each trying to trigger economic damage to make the other side relent. The standoff risks worsening the damage across the global economy.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Update: Pentagon revised the # of wounded in Operation Epic Fury on DCAS database to 400 (vs. 415 yesterday) • Army = 271 • Navy = 63 • Marines = 19 • Air Force = 47 Adjustment is to the # of *Air Force* wounded, down from 62 yesterday to 47 today. Other military branches remain unchanged.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
NEW: # of U.S. troops wounded in action during Operation Epic Fury is now *415* per latest update from Pentagon's database of U.S. military casualties • Army = 271 • Navy = 63 • Marines = 19 • Air Force = 62 Age group w/ the highest # wounded (130) is >35 dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/con...
dcas.dmdc.osd.mil
Defense Casualty Analysis System
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Per WH, the U.S. delegation led by VP Vance includes officials from the NSC, State Department, + Pentagon who will "play a supportive role" in the Islamabad talks. Witkoff + Kushner have faced criticism for choosing not to include nuclear experts in past Iran negotiations.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
(Iran does.)
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Apropos of nothing, re-upping my @ms.now piece from last week on the tension between diverging U.S.-Israeli goals in the war against Iran: www.ms.now/news/iran-wa...
ms.now
The U.S. and Israel are fighting the same war — but not always toward the same goals
A month into the campaign against Iran, diverging goals on regime change, nuclear weapons and proxy forces are complicating both the military operation and any path to peace.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Indeed, I misspoke — in the late hour, my brain accidentally scrambled “Weapons Systems Officer” and “U.S. service member.” Thank you for watching!
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
If you work with / have a tip about the State Department, Pentagon, White House, intelligence community, federal government, or politics — reach out via Signal: signal.me#eu/N9fO9Jy6Z...
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
NEW: The Pentagon has finally added Operation Epic Fury to its online database of U.S. military casualties As of April 3, a total of 365 have been wounded in action: • Army = 247 • Navy = 63 • Marine = 19 • Air Force = 36 Death toll remains at 13 dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/con...
dcas.dmdc.osd.mil
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Latest from @julesjester.bsky.social: One crew member of the fighter jet downed over Iran has been rescued by U.S. forces, two U.S. officials tell MS NOW. The second crew member of the two-seat F-15E aircraft is still missing and has been declared “DUSTWUN,” or “Duty Status, Whereabouts Unknown.”
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Reminder from @julesjester.bsky.social ahead of Trump’s speech tonight: “...political and military officials have yet to coalesce around a single, coherent account of what military success looks like, what achieving it would require or how the war ends.” 👀
ms.now
The Iran war’s central mystery: What is the U.S. actually trying to accomplish?
Political and military officials have offered inconsistent explanations of Operation Epic Fury’s objectives. The nuclear question sits at the center of the divide.
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MS NOW @ms.now · 30/03/2026
The United States and Israel are fighting the same war. They just don’t agree on what winning it looks like. Read more from @julesjester.bsky.social
bit.ly
The U.S. and Israel are fighting the same war — but not always toward the same goals
A month into the campaign against Iran, diverging goals on regime change, nuclear weapons and proxy forces are complicating both the military operation and any path to peace.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
I pressed the White House for clarity on the discrepancy + an official sent 5 goals of Operation Epic Fury Destroy the threats posed by: •Iran’s ballistic missiles •Iran’s missile industry •Iran’s Navy •armed proxies •*the Iranian regime’s ability to possess a nuclear weapon*
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
GABBARD to House: "The President has stated that his objectives are to destroy Iran's ballistic missile launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their Navy, the IRGC Navy." (No mention of any military objectives re: Iran's nuclear program)
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
RATCLIFFE to Senate: "The defined goals are very clear: degrade + destroy the missile inventory + drone inventory, delay + degrade the military industrial base and factories that produce that, degrade + destroy the IRGC Navy." (No mention of any military objectives re: nuclear)
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
CAINE hasn't once said the word 'nuclear' standing next to Hegseth: "CENTCOM remains on plan to achieve our military objectives + remain unrelenting in our pursuit of Iranian missile capabilities, UAV capabilities; + their navy, + as the Secretary said, their industrial base," he said today
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
HEGSETH's consistent message across five Pentagon briefings in the past 20 days: "One, destroy their missile stockpiles, their missile launchers + their defense industrial base missiles + their ability to make them Two, destroy their navy + Three, permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever"
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
What are the U.S. military objectives in Iran? Depends on who you ask Trump + Hegseth say destroying Iran's nuclear program IS a goal of the *military* operation Military + intel officials (Caine Cooper Ratcliffe Gabbard) have avoided the word 'nuclear' entirely @ms.now www.ms.now/news/trump-i...
ms.now
White House and Pentagon offer conflicting statements of the Iran war’s goals
Political and military officials have offered inconsistent explanations of Operation Epic Fury’s objectives. The nuclear question sits at the center of the divide.
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Big live blog day at @ms.now Follow our live updates on Tulsi Gabbard's testimony before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee — coverage coming w/ @julesjester.bsky.social + @davidrohde.bsky.social
ms.now
Live updates: Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel testify before Senate as Iran war pushes on
The U.S. intelligence chief and FBI director face questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee alongside CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
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Clarissa-Jan Lim @clarissajanlim.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Hegseth: “No quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” from @julesjester.bsky.social: Orders or threats of “no quarter” — killing enemies who surrender or are rendered unable to fight — are considered violations of international law and listed as a war crime following WWII. www.ms.now/liveblog/ira...
ms.now
Iran war live updates: 6 U.S. service members killed in plane crash in Iraq, Hegseth says new supreme leader wounded
Iran has denied that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was disfigured by strikes. As the U.S.-Israel war with Iran enters its 14th day, at least 2,000 people across the Middle East have been killed in the co...
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
If you work with / have a tip about the State Department, Pentagon, White House, intelligence community, federal government, or politics — reach out via Signal: signal.me#eu/N9fO9Jy6Z...
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I covered Tulsi Gabbard's 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, which centered on a singular message: No War With Iran. Six years later, the Director of National Intelligence has been conspicuously quiet as Trump's war with Iran engulfs the Middle East. @ms.now www.ms.now/news/tulsi-g...
ms.now
Tulsi Gabbard, once opposed to war with Iran, is silent as one explodes
Formerly an outspoken opponent of war with Iran, the director of national intelligence has been conspicuously quiet as conflict engulfs the Middle East.
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
What to know about today's talks between the U.S. & Iran, w/ Vaughn Hillyard + @julesjester.bsky.social for @ms.now:
ms.now
U.S., Iran make “significant progress” in Geneva, but strikes loom
The latest talks follow President Donald Trump’s warnings that he would not hesitate to confront the country militarily over concerns about nuclear weapons.
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
The Trump admin's attacks on Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency — a federal agency that is supposed to help states w/ election security — could threaten the midterms, @julesjester.bsky.social writes:
ms.now
How Trump undermined election assistance agency ahead of the midterms
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is supposed to help. Now, some worry about its influence.
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
w/ @julesjester.bsky.social for @ms.now
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David Rohde @davidrohde.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Trump diplomacy 2.0: Foreign diplomats say the president’s embrace of Steve Witkoff & the emir of Qatar is frustrating nations that have backed the U.S. for decades. w/Vaughn Hillyard @julesjester.bsky.social @ianjsherwood.bsky.social www.ms.now/news/trump-w...
ms.now
Trump diplomacy 2.0: A billionaire developer and a monarchy scramble longtime U.S. alliances
Foreign diplomats say the president’s embrace of Steve Witkoff and the emir of Qatar is frustrating nations that have backed the U.S. for decades.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Trump officials have repeatedly insisted the Maduro capture was a *law enforcement* operation, NOT a military one — Pentagon + CIA merely provided assistance to DOJ So excluding Senate Judiciary leaders from its briefing w/ AG Bondi, Hegseth, Rubio, Caine & Ratcliffe really undercuts that argument.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Senate Judiciary leaders Grassley + Durbin issue a rare bipartisan statement slamming exclusion from briefing w/ Gang of 8, House+Senate Armed Services & Foreign Cmte leadership “The administration’s refusal to acknowledge our Committee’s indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable”
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
No deadline but the ‘makings of a deal’: President Trump meets Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago @ms.now www.ms.now/news/trump-z...
ms.now
Here's what Trump and Zelenskyy said when they met at Mar-a-Lago
Trump wouldn't commit to a deadline for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
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MS NOW Reports @msnowreports.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will meet in Florida Sunday to hammer out a peace deal with Russia. The news comes after Russia launched a massive barrage of missiles and drones at Kyiv. MS NOW Reporter @julesjester.bsky.social reports. www.ms.now/weekends-wit...
ms.now
Trump, Zelenskyy to meet Sunday amid positive signs for peace progress
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy are set to meet in Florida on Sunday to hammer out a peace deal proposal with Russia. The news comes after Russia launched a massive barrage of missil...
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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
4 key takeaways from the inspector general’s Signalgate report by @julesjester.bsky.social (TL;DR: Not quite an "exoneration"...) www.ms.now/news/4-key-t...
ms.now
4 key takeaways from the inspector general’s Signalgate report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth transmitted secret military information in a group chat on his personal phone and declined to cooperate with investigators, according to an inspector general report.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
President Trump + Zohran Mamdani will meet at the White House today Mamdani says he’s “ready for whatever happens” — and there’s quite a bit at stake for NYC’s youngest mayor in more than a century My latest for @ms.now: www.ms.now/news/trump-m...
ms.now
Can Mamdani talk his way out of Trump’s defunding threat?
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani faces a challenge at the White House: convince President Donald Trump not to cut federal funding to NYC — without bowing to him or abandoning his own values.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Exclusive for @msnbc.com: Democrats are showing signs of life not only w/ latest election wins, but also in a groundswell of fundraising The DNC is touting a $6 million haul of small-dollar grassroots donations in October — 3x MORE than Oct ‘17 of Trump’s first term www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/e...
msnbc.com
DNC rakes in major grassroots haul thanks to Trump at the helm
The Democratic National Committee enjoyed a much-needed fundraising boon in October ahead of its election victories.
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Julia Jester @julesjester.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — With Trump's tariffs taking center stage at ASEAN + APEC in Asia this week, the president used summits of multilateral cooperation + diplomacy as the backdrop for his one-on-one dealmaking on trade. My latest for @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/a...
msnbc.com
In Asia, Trump’s trade war forces allies to choose sides
The president’s trade policies have caught smaller nations between the U.S. and China as the world’s two most formidable economic powers vie for dominance.
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