Julia Jester
@julesjester.bsky.social
covering State, politics, Washington, + beyond for @ms.now • past lives: NBC News, Vox • Georgetown forever • Baltimore, hon 🦀
Pinned
Julia Jester
@julesjester.bsky.social
· Apr 9
Hi bsky 👋🏻 I’m an @nbcnews.com journalist reporting on Elon Musk, #DOGE, government agencies + the federal workforce.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
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...
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...
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.
www.ms.now
November 21, 2025 at 2:47 PM
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
www.msnbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:39 PM
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...
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...
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...
My latest for @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/a...
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.
www.msnbc.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:54 AM
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...
My latest for @msnbc.com: www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/a...
Humanitarian aid into Gaza by the # s, per a Trump administration official —
ON Oct 16: 950 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom + Kissufim crossings, incl. 96 UN + NGO trucks w/ food, medicines, tents, WASH supplies + other aid
SINCE Oct 10: 3,571 trucks have entered Gaza (avg of 510 daily)
ON Oct 16: 950 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom + Kissufim crossings, incl. 96 UN + NGO trucks w/ food, medicines, tents, WASH supplies + other aid
SINCE Oct 10: 3,571 trucks have entered Gaza (avg of 510 daily)
October 18, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Humanitarian aid into Gaza by the # s, per a Trump administration official —
ON Oct 16: 950 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom + Kissufim crossings, incl. 96 UN + NGO trucks w/ food, medicines, tents, WASH supplies + other aid
SINCE Oct 10: 3,571 trucks have entered Gaza (avg of 510 daily)
ON Oct 16: 950 trucks entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom + Kissufim crossings, incl. 96 UN + NGO trucks w/ food, medicines, tents, WASH supplies + other aid
SINCE Oct 10: 3,571 trucks have entered Gaza (avg of 510 daily)
Some ~professional news~
After 10 years with NBC, I’ll be joining @msnbc.com next month as a reporter covering all things Washington, Trump administration, + politics
HUGE thanks to @sudeepreddy.bsky.social for the opportunity — excited for this new adventure. www.thewrap.com/msnbc-new-hi...
After 10 years with NBC, I’ll be joining @msnbc.com next month as a reporter covering all things Washington, Trump administration, + politics
HUGE thanks to @sudeepreddy.bsky.social for the opportunity — excited for this new adventure. www.thewrap.com/msnbc-new-hi...
August 7, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Some ~professional news~
After 10 years with NBC, I’ll be joining @msnbc.com next month as a reporter covering all things Washington, Trump administration, + politics
HUGE thanks to @sudeepreddy.bsky.social for the opportunity — excited for this new adventure. www.thewrap.com/msnbc-new-hi...
After 10 years with NBC, I’ll be joining @msnbc.com next month as a reporter covering all things Washington, Trump administration, + politics
HUGE thanks to @sudeepreddy.bsky.social for the opportunity — excited for this new adventure. www.thewrap.com/msnbc-new-hi...
NEW: OPM is officially ending the Musk-led "5 things" weekly email requirement for federal employees
OPM Dir. Scott Kupor: "We communicated w/ agency HR leads that OPM was no longer going to manage the 5 things process nor utilize it internally"
+ adds managers have other tools to stay informed
OPM Dir. Scott Kupor: "We communicated w/ agency HR leads that OPM was no longer going to manage the 5 things process nor utilize it internally"
+ adds managers have other tools to stay informed
August 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM
NEW: OPM is officially ending the Musk-led "5 things" weekly email requirement for federal employees
OPM Dir. Scott Kupor: "We communicated w/ agency HR leads that OPM was no longer going to manage the 5 things process nor utilize it internally"
+ adds managers have other tools to stay informed
OPM Dir. Scott Kupor: "We communicated w/ agency HR leads that OPM was no longer going to manage the 5 things process nor utilize it internally"
+ adds managers have other tools to stay informed
Reposted by Julia Jester
✅ @julesjester.bsky.social has been verified by @nbcnews.com.
May 23, 2025 at 2:03 AM
✅ @julesjester.bsky.social has been verified by @nbcnews.com.
A senior White House official calls Shaheen's letter "pointless."
"SGEs are already required to abide by executive branch ethics rules including the rules relating to misuse of position or other government resources or information," the official told NBC News in a statement.
"SGEs are already required to abide by executive branch ethics rules including the rules relating to misuse of position or other government resources or information," the official told NBC News in a statement.
Scooplet: In a letter first shared w/ @nbcnews.com, Sen. @shaheen.senate.gov urged President Trump to require Elon Musk + other special government employees involved in DOGE to sign a certification that they won't use nonpublic information to their benefit.
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
May 21, 2025 at 7:52 PM
A senior White House official calls Shaheen's letter "pointless."
"SGEs are already required to abide by executive branch ethics rules including the rules relating to misuse of position or other government resources or information," the official told NBC News in a statement.
"SGEs are already required to abide by executive branch ethics rules including the rules relating to misuse of position or other government resources or information," the official told NBC News in a statement.
Scooplet: In a letter first shared w/ @nbcnews.com, Sen. @shaheen.senate.gov urged President Trump to require Elon Musk + other special government employees involved in DOGE to sign a certification that they won't use nonpublic information to their benefit.
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
May 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Scooplet: In a letter first shared w/ @nbcnews.com, Sen. @shaheen.senate.gov urged President Trump to require Elon Musk + other special government employees involved in DOGE to sign a certification that they won't use nonpublic information to their benefit.
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
MORE: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
NEW: Jeremy Lewin – a DOGE associate & close ally of Elon Musk who was instrumental in dismantling USAID – is now serving as the Acting Director of Foreign Assistance at the State Department, a spox confirms. His appointment comes after Pete Marocco abruptly left the position.
April 15, 2025 at 6:18 PM
NEW: Jeremy Lewin – a DOGE associate & close ally of Elon Musk who was instrumental in dismantling USAID – is now serving as the Acting Director of Foreign Assistance at the State Department, a spox confirms. His appointment comes after Pete Marocco abruptly left the position.
NEW: Pete Marocco, the key figure in dismantling USAID + U.S. foreign assistance, is OUT at the State Dept
Marocco “conducted that historic task” of conducting “an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” per a senior admin official in part to @nbcnews.com
Marocco “conducted that historic task” of conducting “an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” per a senior admin official in part to @nbcnews.com
April 13, 2025 at 11:09 PM
NEW: Pete Marocco, the key figure in dismantling USAID + U.S. foreign assistance, is OUT at the State Dept
Marocco “conducted that historic task” of conducting “an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” per a senior admin official in part to @nbcnews.com
Marocco “conducted that historic task” of conducting “an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” per a senior admin official in part to @nbcnews.com
Hi bsky 👋🏻 I’m an @nbcnews.com journalist reporting on Elon Musk, #DOGE, government agencies + the federal workforce.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
April 9, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Hi bsky 👋🏻 I’m an @nbcnews.com journalist reporting on Elon Musk, #DOGE, government agencies + the federal workforce.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
I’m looking for reporting tips, insights, + human impact stories. Reach out on Signal if you have any leads, intel, documents, &/or experiences that may be helpful to our reporting.
Reposted by Julia Jester
Interesting anecdote about AOC's popularity and how even moderate Dems recognize how effective she is
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
March 20, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Interesting anecdote about AOC's popularity and how even moderate Dems recognize how effective she is
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
NEW: ~A year after the Baltimore bridge collapse, the NTSB concludes "had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic [it] would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives" (1/4)
March 20, 2025 at 9:09 PM
NEW: ~A year after the Baltimore bridge collapse, the NTSB concludes "had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic [it] would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives" (1/4)
Reposted by Julia Jester
Elon Musk has tweeted about impeaching judges more than a dozen times in the last 24 hours, per @julesjester.bsky.social
when you're such a high-level genius that you think 60 is 2/3rds of 100
March 19, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Elon Musk has tweeted about impeaching judges more than a dozen times in the last 24 hours, per @julesjester.bsky.social
Not just affecting the nation's capital – from DC to TX to NC to OR to the Middle East: Pregnant federal employees who were fired grapple with stress of losing insurance and looking for work
Important reporting by @janetimm.bsky.social + @natashakorecki.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Important reporting by @janetimm.bsky.social + @natashakorecki.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Pregnant federal employees who were fired grapple with stress of losing insurance and looking for work
NBC News spoke with a half-dozen pregnant women who recently lost their jobs as part of the Trump administration's layoffs across the federal government.
www.nbcnews.com
March 13, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Not just affecting the nation's capital – from DC to TX to NC to OR to the Middle East: Pregnant federal employees who were fired grapple with stress of losing insurance and looking for work
Important reporting by @janetimm.bsky.social + @natashakorecki.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Important reporting by @janetimm.bsky.social + @natashakorecki.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
By the # s — since President Trump took office, at least 90 lawsuits have been filed against his administration
21 re: immigration
19 re: DOGE
18 re: impacts on govt employees
13 re: funding freezes
11 re: gender/equal rights
2 re: USAID
6 others (ex. DEI, CFPB)
h/t @garygrumbach.bsky.social
21 re: immigration
19 re: DOGE
18 re: impacts on govt employees
13 re: funding freezes
11 re: gender/equal rights
2 re: USAID
6 others (ex. DEI, CFPB)
h/t @garygrumbach.bsky.social
March 4, 2025 at 10:43 PM
By the # s — since President Trump took office, at least 90 lawsuits have been filed against his administration
21 re: immigration
19 re: DOGE
18 re: impacts on govt employees
13 re: funding freezes
11 re: gender/equal rights
2 re: USAID
6 others (ex. DEI, CFPB)
h/t @garygrumbach.bsky.social
21 re: immigration
19 re: DOGE
18 re: impacts on govt employees
13 re: funding freezes
11 re: gender/equal rights
2 re: USAID
6 others (ex. DEI, CFPB)
h/t @garygrumbach.bsky.social
House Oversight Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA): “Can you imagine if we privatized the postal service, how expensive a letter would be?”
He called #USPS the “one constant” during COVID: “The whole country understood how valuable you are.” + stressed its importance for rural communities
He called #USPS the “one constant” during COVID: “The whole country understood how valuable you are.” + stressed its importance for rural communities
The National Association of Letter Carriers is rallying in DC against the dismantling + privatization of the U.S. Postal Service
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
February 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
House Oversight Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA): “Can you imagine if we privatized the postal service, how expensive a letter would be?”
He called #USPS the “one constant” during COVID: “The whole country understood how valuable you are.” + stressed its importance for rural communities
He called #USPS the “one constant” during COVID: “The whole country understood how valuable you are.” + stressed its importance for rural communities
The National Association of Letter Carriers is rallying in DC against the dismantling + privatization of the U.S. Postal Service
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
February 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The National Association of Letter Carriers is rallying in DC against the dismantling + privatization of the U.S. Postal Service
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
NALC President Brian Renfroe calls the potential “illegal” takeover of the USPS “a direct attack” on 640K postal workers + every American who relies on its deliveries
Currently: Letter by letter, crews remove the "U.S. Agency for International Development" signage from its HQ — a striking visual of the abrupt dismantling of USAID, which was est. by JFK in 1961 & delivered humanitarian aid around the world for decades (a small fraction will be folded into State)
February 7, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Currently: Letter by letter, crews remove the "U.S. Agency for International Development" signage from its HQ — a striking visual of the abrupt dismantling of USAID, which was est. by JFK in 1961 & delivered humanitarian aid around the world for decades (a small fraction will be folded into State)
Happening now: Hundreds of protesters rally outside of the Capitol in support of #USAID + its staffers, nearly all of which have been placed on admin leave as President Trump / Elon Musk dismantle the international aid + development agency. @nbcnews.com
February 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Happening now: Hundreds of protesters rally outside of the Capitol in support of #USAID + its staffers, nearly all of which have been placed on admin leave as President Trump / Elon Musk dismantle the international aid + development agency. @nbcnews.com
NEW: 38 Democratic senators - led by Kaine - send Secretary of State Rubio a letter seeking answers re: Trump admin's "brazen & illegal attempts to destroy" USAID
Dems NOT signing on:
Cantwell + Murray (WA)
Hassan + Shaheen (NH)
Alsobrooks (MD)
Fetterman (PA)
Lujan (NM)
Ossoff (GA)
Schumer (NY)
Dems NOT signing on:
Cantwell + Murray (WA)
Hassan + Shaheen (NH)
Alsobrooks (MD)
Fetterman (PA)
Lujan (NM)
Ossoff (GA)
Schumer (NY)
February 4, 2025 at 7:23 PM
NEW: 38 Democratic senators - led by Kaine - send Secretary of State Rubio a letter seeking answers re: Trump admin's "brazen & illegal attempts to destroy" USAID
Dems NOT signing on:
Cantwell + Murray (WA)
Hassan + Shaheen (NH)
Alsobrooks (MD)
Fetterman (PA)
Lujan (NM)
Ossoff (GA)
Schumer (NY)
Dems NOT signing on:
Cantwell + Murray (WA)
Hassan + Shaheen (NH)
Alsobrooks (MD)
Fetterman (PA)
Lujan (NM)
Ossoff (GA)
Schumer (NY)
Reposted by Julia Jester
Rep. Jamie Raskin notes that the entire US foreign aid budget is ~$40 billion. "We have a Pentagon budget of $900 billion. The Pentagon budget is where the defense contractor Elon Musk—who became the richest man in the world off of our money—he collects his payments from."
February 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Rep. Jamie Raskin notes that the entire US foreign aid budget is ~$40 billion. "We have a Pentagon budget of $900 billion. The Pentagon budget is where the defense contractor Elon Musk—who became the richest man in the world off of our money—he collects his payments from."