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Blinken Contempt & Havana Syndrome, Revisited

News and notes from Washington, on Mike McCaul’s ulterior motive for subpoenaing Anthony Blinken, and a new development in the endlessly curious case of the C.I.A. and the “Anomalous Health Incidents” it has struggled to explain.

antony blinken
Blinken will be the first secretary of state in American history to be held in contempt. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Julia Ioffe
September 25, 2024

President Joe Biden was accompanied in New York today for his final U.N. General Assembly by his secretary of state, Antony Blinken. There is certainly lots for Blinken to do during UNGA week, when world leaders and their top deputies converge on Manhattan. In terms of efficiently scheduling meetings, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel: You can see so many people in so little time, all without having to jet around the world and make a gazillion stops. And, between the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan, there is obviously no shortage of subjects for the secretary to discuss with his international counterparts.