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Aaron Schaffer

@aaronschaffer.com
6.5K followers 471 following 292 posts

news researcher doing OSINT things and more at @washingtonpost.com. signal: aaronschaffer.01 www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron…

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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 24/09/2026
Our Flock reporting just got five cops arrested. The Indianapolis officers were just criminally charged for spying on women. @aaronschaffer.com, @douglasmac.bsky.social and I found suspicious searches and got their agency to investigate. How many bad cops are still getting away? wapo.st/4xDOH3d
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp and two other close aides, per financial disclosures. Washington Post exclusive from @aaronschaffer.com and Cat Zakrzewski
washingtonpost.com
Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides
Financial disclosures show the sums were equivalent to nearly one-third of each of their salaries. Experts say the gifts are without precedent and may violate the law.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 07/09/2026
wow, thanks for sharing @johncoulthart.com!
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 30/08/2026
Exclusive: Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland.
washingtonpost.com
Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations
A recent classified assessment advised that prolonged large-scale operations in the Middle East risk weakening U.S. capabilities elsewhere.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 30/08/2026
Hi @triales.bsky.social - I noticed that @upnextcriterion.bsky.social hasn't been on for a while. Could you resume it? If not I can try to start up a similar bot
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 27/08/2026
wtf is happening this week yayoi-kusama.jp/en/news4518/
yayoi-kusama.jp
草間彌生 Yayoi Kusama Official Site
前衛芸術家、草間彌生の公式サイト。最新ニュースや世界各地での展覧会歴、出版された書籍情報のほか、詳細なバイオグラフィーを掲載。 Yayoi Kusama’s official website | Featuring news, exhibition history, books, and biography of the world-renowned avant-garde artist.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 27/08/2026
Heck yeah! We're so excited to have you!!
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 26/08/2026
what
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 19/08/2026
We unmasked the cops who misused Flock to spy on their spouses. Their police departments weren't checking their searches, so we did it for them. One just got arrested. Here's how we did it. Gift link: wapo.st/4xSDfS4 witth all stars @douglasmac.bsky.social @aaronschaffer.com
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 19/08/2026
Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them. wapo.st/4xSDfS4
wapo.st
Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them.
An investigation by The Post led to the discipline of two officers accused of misusing license-plate readers. Their departments and many others had not done basic oversight.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
New from 404 Media: we solved which AI company is buying massive shipments of rare books, scanning and destroying them to train AI. We put an Apple AirTag in a rare book, followed it. It ended up at an Amazon facility. Its logo is a dinosaur ripping through a book www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...
404media.co
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 13/08/2026
Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats
A surveillance plane flew from El Salvador toward the fishing boats before drones attacked, flight data shows.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This whole thing is really disturbing. I don’t know of any previous case in which the government subpoenaed a reporter for asking a question, let alone a question that not even the government has suggested implicated classified information. 1/
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Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Here’s the Washington Post’s now-unsealed motion to quash the subpoena served on Ellen Nakashima. “These are not examples of the normal give-and-take that all administrations have with the press.” www.courtlistener.com/docket/73704...
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 10/08/2026
!!!
The clandestine mission, which has not been reported previously, was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president, according to material reviewed by The Post, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. These people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the matter.

The administration has claimed that Trump departed Turkey on July 8 on the former Air Force One. Trump announced on social media that he would use the “former Air Force One” rather than the plane that flew him there, a newer Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar. The security of the Qatar-provided aircraft has been called into question, and Trump said last month after the trip that it would undergo additional upgrades.

In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras. He was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight, according to a U.S. official and the corroborating material reviewed by The Post. That made Air Force One a “decoy” with media and some White House staff aboard, the official said.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 10/08/2026
🚨 Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat wapo.st/4i1OByh
wapo.st
Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat
The White House said the president was aboard Air Force One as he left a NATO summit. Instead, his departure included an elaborate ruse that concealed his travel.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 02/08/2026
New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo
wapo.st
She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Maria Sacchetti - reporter - The Washington Post @mariasacchetti.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NEW The ICE officer allegedly involved in the shooting of an immigrant in Maine testified in 2025 that he lost his driver's license and had new health issues. A judge found him not credible. Credibility will be key in the shooting probe, lawyers say. Link: www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE officer linked to Maine shooting was deemed not credible in court last year
State and local officials are rebutting David Brouillette’s claims in court about losing his driver’s license and being employed as a local officer.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 08/07/2026
Zarrab's sentencing memorandum is here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
Sentencing Submission – #780 in United States v. Zarrab (S.D.N.Y., 1:15-cr-00867) – CourtListener.com
Sentencing Submission
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 08/07/2026
In Zarrab's sentencing memorandum, his lawyers write that they believe Turkey sees his cooperation as treason "because it has exposed corruption at the highest levels of Turkish government and thwarted Turkey's ability to fraudulently inflate its economy by helping Iran bypass U.S. sanctions"
This memorandum respectfully is submitted on behalf of Reza Zarrab, who will stand before this Court for sentencing on July 14, 2026. The primary charges against Reza arise from his participation while living in Turkey in a business that transmitted proceeds of Iranian oil to bypass U.S. sanctions against Iran. Reza accepts responsibility and is sorry for his role in the business that violated U.S. law. In addition to pleading guilty, for over eight years Reza has engaged in extraordinary and unprecedented cooperation with the U.S. government that has cost him his family, his name, his country, hundreds of millions of dollars of his assets, and hundreds of millions of dollars of his extended family's assets, and that nearly cost him his life. 
Defense counsel believes that the Turkish government has viewed and continues to view Reza's cooperation with the U.S. government as treason because it has exposed corruption at the highest levels of Turkish government and thwarted Turkey's ability to fraudulently inflate its economy by helping Iran bypass U.S. sanctions [REDACTED]
Reza's decision nevertheless to cooperate with the U.S. government has had a devastating impact on every aspect of his life [REDACTED] Because of Reza's cooperation, Reza [REDACTED] suffered unthinkable personal and financial retaliation from the Turkish government that has ruined their lives:
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 06/07/2026
Full sentencing memorandum available here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
#778 in United States v. Zarrab (S.D.N.Y., 1:15-cr-00867) – CourtListener.com
SENTENCING SUBMISSION by USA as to Reza Zarrab. (Lockard, Michael) (Entered: 07/06/2026)
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 06/07/2026
The "big people in Turkey" bit might be new but the story came up a bit during trial www.courthousenews.com/turkish-gold...
courthousenews.com
Turkish Gold Trader’s Dramatic Testimony Ends With Assassination Tale
Capping off a week on the witness stand in an Iran sanctions case, gold trader Reza Zarrab recounted an attempt to assassinate him inside a U.S. prison because of his testimony that has implicated Tur...
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 06/07/2026
Uhhhhhhh is this bit from US prosecutors' sentencing memorandum in the Reza Zarrab case new? A fellow inmate apparently showed Zarrab a homemade knife and told Zarrab that he was paid to kill Zarrab for cooperating with US prosecutors against “big people in Turkey”
In early November 2017, after Zarrab had pleaded guilty in a sealed proceeding and before his cooperation had been publicly revealed, another inmate at the MDC approached Zarrab and advised that he had been paid to kill Zarrab for being a cooperator. The MDC inmate said he expected Zarrab’s cooperation to be confirmed in the near future and Zarrab would be killed because he was cooperating against “big people in Turkey.” The MDC inmate showed Zarrab a homemade knife to confirm his threat. After this threat, Zarrab was taken out of the MDC and held in FBI custody until trial was complete.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Steven Goff @stevengoff.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Yahoo Sports has confirmed a report from @TheAthletic that Folarin Balogun’s suspension has been lifted by FIFA and he’s eligible to play tomorrow for USMNT vs Belgium.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 30/06/2026
NPR retracts story saying Alito retiring. "It was published in error," it says www.npr.org/2026/06/30/n...
npr.org
Editor's note: NPR retracts story
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 25/06/2026
3 times Tulsi Gabbard used talking points from mysterious memos almost verbatim wapo.st/4oIGsjy
wapo.st
3 times Tulsi Gabbard used talking points from mysterious memos almost verbatim
In TV interviews, Gabbard repeatedly used words and phrases recommended in memos that do not identify who was providing the advice.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 21/06/2026
You're gonna want to read this. Gift link: wapo.st/4viLSnW
wapo.st
Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career
I obtained hundreds of confidential memos detailing politics and policy guidance for Gabbard from her years in Congress, then embarked on a quest to identify who was behind them.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 06/06/2026
The CIA gold bars story just got crazier www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
CIA officer accused of stealing gold created fake ‘black box’ spy program
David J. Rush worked on highly secretive intelligence programs and is alleged to have funneled millions of dollars for personal use via a fraudulent contract.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 29/05/2026
@srubenfeld.bsky.social I could find one in DC this weekend and mail it to you if you want! Feel free to DM me
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 27/05/2026
Wow -- DOJ alleging that Google security engineer @miki.it is "AlphaRaccoon," the Polymarket user who made more than $1 million on Polymarket trades on Google search trends. Good scoop by Aaron Katersky and @kfaulders.bsky.social abcnews.com/US/google-em...
abcnews.com
Google employee charged with using inside information to make $1 million on Polymarket
A Google staffer fraudulently made more than $1 million by using inside information to place Polymarket bets on what users were searching for on Google, authorities say.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 04/05/2026
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of DOGE and the federal workforce. It’s the second time The Post has won the prestigious award in five years. Read more about our winning coverage here: wapo.st/3OX3l5A
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 04/05/2026
Incredible graphic
A chart titled "Average word count in narratives of use-of-force incident reports" that shows a drop after Trump's inauguration
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
kottke.org @kottke.org · 23/04/2026
Twin Peaks × LCD Soundsystem: a video mashup of Dance Yrself Clean and the Twin Peaks theme music. Perfect. A damn fine cup of coffee, even. [youtube.com]
youtube.com
"Dance Yrself Clean (Theme from Twin Peaks)" (LCD Soundsystem cover) | FrogOnHead
Minor spoilers for Twin Peaks S1/S2/FWWM. If you want, close your eyes and imagine your own music video. “Dance Yrself Clean” Written by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) “Twin Peaks Theme” composed and originally performed by Angelo Badalamenti https://frogonhead.bandcamp.com/ If you can believe it,
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
memeorandum @memeorandum.com · 10/04/2026
Cardinal's meeting at Pentagon was 'unusual,' Vatican official says (Washington Post) Main Link | memeorandum Permalink
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 17/03/2026
Top Gabbard counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns in opposition to Iran war www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Top Gabbard counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns in opposition to Iran war
Kent, a top counterterrorism official and close aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, cited deliberate Israeli “misinformation” and lies to President Donald Trump about a “swift pat...
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 04/03/2026
new rembrandt just dropped
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 01/03/2026
Am working my way through my podcast queue and loved this @hyperfixedpod.bsky.social episode about ducks and FOIA www.hyperfixedpod.com/listen/hyper...
hyperfixedpod.com
Hyperfixed | Cry Fowl
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 27/02/2026
How obsession to ‘liberate Cuba’ led men on deadly speedboat journey wapo.st/3OQBd3v
wapo.st
How obsession to ‘liberate Cuba’ led men on deadly speedboat journey
Family members described the men as poorly trained activists who hoped to make a statement. Cuban forces opened fire on the boat, killing four and wounding six.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 26/02/2026
Huh -- this week, the FBI uploaded 35 pages on Phrack to its FOIA Library vault.fbi.gov/phrack/phrac...
vault.fbi.gov
Phrack (Final)
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 24/02/2026
👀 Interestingly, the judge also mentioned that "counsel from the highest levels of the DOJ participated in at least one" call with him, but the PPA was never mentioned www.washingtonpost.com/documents/82...
Screenshot from opinion that says the following: "The PPA is directed at government lawyers, and its terms require the Attorney General to issue regulations outlining the procedures the government must employ when seeking information from the press. See 42 U.S.C. §2000aa-11. These DOJ regulations, found in 28 C.F.R. Part 50, confirm that subpoenas and search warrants targeting the press are “extraordinary measures, not standard investigatory practices.” 28 C.F.R. § 50.10(a)(3). Recognizing the extraordinary nature of these devices, the regulations require approval at all levels up to the Attorney General when the government seeks a search warrant targeting the press. So does DOJ’s Justice Manual, which is issued to every AUSA throughout the country. See U.S. Dep’t of Just., Just. Manual § 9-13.400. The Court’s communications with the government over two days  were not limited to the local AUSA. Counsel from the highest levels of the DOJ participated in at least one of those calls. Many government lawyers had multiple opportunities to identify the PPA as controlling authority and to include an analysis of it in the warrant application. None of them did." 

One line is highlighted: "Counsel from the highest levels of the DOJ participated in at least one of those calls."
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 24/02/2026
AlsoL "The Court finds that seizing the totality of a reporter’s electronic work product, including tools essential to ongoing newsgathering, constitutes a restraint on the exercise of First Amendment rights" www.washingtonpost.com/documents/82...
washingtonpost.com
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 24/02/2026
The judge also said prosecutors' failure to inform him about the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 before he approved the warrant in the case “has seriously undermined the Court’s confidence in the government’s disclosures in this proceeding” wapo.st/4kR9c7P Opinion: washingtonpost.com/documents/82...
wapo.st
Judge says government may not search devices seized from Post reporter
A federal judge in Virginia denied the Justice Department’s request to search a Washington Post reporter’s devices in a national security leak probe.
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 24/02/2026
NEW: Judge blocks DOJ from searching reporter Hannah Natanson's seized devices, says court will review them. The judge also said a DOJ filter team's search of work-product would be "the equivalent of leaving the government’s fox in charge of the Washington Post’s henhouse" wapo.st/4kR9c7P
wapo.st
Judge says government may not search devices seized from Post reporter
A federal judge in Virginia denied the Justice Department’s request to search a Washington Post reporter’s devices in a national security leak probe.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 13/02/2026
FT Exclusive: Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathy Ruemmler said she will resign this summer after documents released by the US Department of Justice revealed the extent of her ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ft.trib.al/E7RdaEU
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 09/02/2026
It's always a good idea to read @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social substack.com/@geoffreyfow...
substack.com
The truth about covering tech at Bezos’s Washington Post
And why ‘We the users’ matters more than ever
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Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 09/02/2026
Lovely thread from @pkcapitol.bsky.social about my incredible colleagues on The Post's politics desk: x.com/pkcapitol/st...
x.com
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Fenit Nirappil @fenitn.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Paige’s last story for us, now atop the homepage, shows what we lost. She could have done a quick hit on Oz telling Americans to delay retirement, but instead delivered a comprehensive piece rich in policy analysis, data, voices of real people and a rare non-TV interview with Oz wapo.st/4rHUCC6
wapo.st
Why Dr. Oz wants you to retire later
Mehmet Oz says Americans should get healthier so they can work an extra year and boost the economy. That’s hard for the poor and less educated, who tend to retire earlier.
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Reposted by Aaron Schaffer
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
2. Just incredible, backbreaking work to do this sort of forensic investigation in general… to do it when there was no internet in Iran is staggering. Please follow @ntabrizy.bsky.social and @yjtorbati.bsky.social
bit.ly
Iranian forces massacred protesters fleeing burning market, witnesses say
A rare detailed account of Iran’s crackdown, produced by The Post, reveals the brutality used by security forces in one of many such cities rocked by violence.
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Harry @harry.bsky.team · 08/02/2026
Haven't seen a sports-specific starter pack for Washington Post folks affected by recent layoffs so created one below - please show them your support and give a follow (let me know if I've missed anyone too!)
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Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
So many have given to The Post Guild’s fundraising effort, and we are floored. But we also ask you to consider supporting the fundraiser for our international staff and staff in our bureaus who aren’t Guild eligible. They are absolutely vital to coverage. www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
gofundme.com
Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee
Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees
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