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Alex Horton

@alexhorton.bsky.social
12K followers 427 following 132 posts

Military reporter at The Washington Post. Iraq veteran. Signal: alexhorton.85

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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
ICE's hiring blitz included inadequate vetting, minting agents who shouldn't have made it, we're told. An agent was deemed unsuitable months after he was hired, but kept working til August, when ICE called him in to be fired. He parked outside and shot himself www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating.
Joseph Moore killed himself after learning ICE was going to fire him. Investigators had identified issues in his past that ex-officials say should have blocked his hiring.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
New details on the deadly wedding strike in Iran. DoD thinks it's highly likely a bomb went off course, one of six launched at a comms tower about 440 feet away www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
washingtonpost.com
Deadly Iran wedding strike likely due to U.S. bomb missing a nearby target
Six bombs dropped by Navy jets targeted a communications complex in the coastal town of Kuhestak. One missed.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Pretty much every 4-star who provided forces for the Iran war voiced growing concerns to Hegseth of risk to their missions, including homeland defense, if the U.S. stays the course. Details from a classified assessment www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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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Rob Fardon @robfardon.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Remember the boat strikes near the Galapagos? This is the sort of on-the-ground reporting that begins the eventual exposure of U.S. covert operations. Outstanding work from these 7 WaPo journalists. Gift link is from @AlexHortonTX on Twitter: x.com/AlexHortonTX... @alexhorton.bsky.social
x.com
Alex Horton (@AlexHortonTX) on X
The Washington Post has solved the months-long mystery of attacks on three fishing boats near the Galapagos. They're part of a covert CIA program, with a spy plane -- w/ its ownership hidden behind a...
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
What do you get when you merge the failures of the war on terror and the failures of the war on drugs? A boat strike campaign where the U.S. concedes privately what it won't tell you publicly: it's not accomplishing its goals. In fact, it's sharpening cartel strategies. wapo.st/4yHb0qF
wapo.st
Deadly U.S. boat strikes have failed to curb cocaine supply, Pentagon and DEA officials say
The president says Operation Southern Spear has virtually ended drug trafficking by sea. Pentagon and DEA analysts have concluded otherwise.
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Gerry Doyle @mgerrydoyle.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
this is good reporting by @taracopp.bsky.social and @alexhorton.bsky.social. I have not seen the u.s. report but their description of it makes it seem like the conclusion will be "no one screwed up, a bad thing just happened to happen" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Survivors of Iranian attack that killed 6 U.S. troops say generals ignored warnings
The drone strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait occurred on the second day of the war. Those who were there say they fear no one will be held accountable.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Unfortunate that it is necessary, but shared my LOAC thoughts with @alexhorton.bsky.social. “A threat to attack all bridges or power plants or to attack them without distinguishing between lawful and unlawful targets would be a threat to commit war crimes.” www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump threatens Iran with ‘Hell’ over Strait of Hormuz in profane post
Trump escalated threats against Iran’s power plants, bridges and other infrastructure in an expletive-laden post on Truth Social on Easter morning.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
The Pentagon’s airstrikes in Nigeria didn’t accomplish much beyond giving local bomb techs practice handling dangerous remnants. Four missiles did not explode, and mediocre intel could be a factor www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Unexploded missiles, witnesses undercut Trump account of Nigeria strike
Of the 16 U.S. Tomahawk missiles fired at militants in Nigeria, at least four appeared not to explode, according to officials and imagery reviewed by The Post.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 31/12/2025
New: We got an internal ICE document revealing its $100 million ad plan to bring in 14,000 new hires: deals with "tactical" influencers; ads to gun & military buffs; and geo-targeting phones around NASCAR races and gun shows. A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding: wapo.st/44QrP5j
wapo.st
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
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Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Here you have it—an ALL NEW @talkingfeds.bsky.social w/ @natashabertrand.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social & #StevenJLepper. We examine the damage Trump has done to the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth’s tenure, and the dangerous logic behind new uses of U.S. military power. bit.ly/MilitaryTF
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
This is true. Some narco subs have mechanisms to scuttle the vessel before they are boarded to destroy evidence linked to larger cartel operations. In this case, the US did it themselves, and even the lowest level drug runners eluded charges
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Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
OF ALL THE VESSELS SUNK BY THE U.S. it was the likeliest to have been carrying drugs: a semisubmersible with at least one convicted trafficker on board. The U.S. blew it up, destroyed the evidence and let the survivors go GIFT LINK @schmidtsam.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social wapo.st/4qq5ymS
washingtonpost.com
The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go
In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
A drug boat in the Atlantic was likely heading to Europe, not the US, when an AC-130J attacked it. What happened next with two survivors defied what the admin and Pentagon have said about alleged “narco-terrorists.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
washingtonpost.com
The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go
In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Pleased to speak with the @washingtonpost.com about the US disposition of the survivors of the October 16th maritime strike. “Once they had custody of these people, it was clear … they were going to try to get rid of them expeditiously.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
washingtonpost.com
The U.S. sank the alleged narco-terrorists’ boat — and let them go
In blowing up the vessel, destroying evidence and repatriating the survivors, the U.S. cut short a process that’s helped bring down traffickers.
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Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
INSIDE EL CECOT (GIFT LINK) The Post's reporting on the Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration sent migrants deported from the United States, based on interviews with 16 former detainees wapo.st/3KUUv6n
wapo.st
‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants
Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.
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Jarrett Ley (WashPost) @osviz-jarrett.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
extraordinary forensic reporting from my investigative colleagues at @washingtonpost.com : @imogenpiper.bsky.social + @abtran.bsky.social + @alexhorton.bsky.social + John Farrell + Brian Perlman
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Meghan Hoyer @meghanhoyer.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
The brightness of the DC skyline (National Harbor has gotten 3x brighter in a decade) and lights from inbound aircraft may have contributed to the deadliest US airline crash in 20 years. By @imogenpiper.bsky.social, @abtran.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social, @jb1prod.bsky.social & Brian Perlman:
washingtonpost.com
In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how.
The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.
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Brent Scales @boiler40.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Excellent breakdown of potential contributing factors to the tragic air collision over the Potomac. Class B information overload + lights & NVGs potential contributors via @imogenpiper.bsky.social @jb1prod.bsky.social @abtran.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social Brian Perlman wapo.st/4atdTBI
wapo.st
In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how.
The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.
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Will Guisbond @willguisbond.com · 18/12/2025
For the last few months, I've been working on a story about January's crash near Washington, D.C. What I learned was that it was simply an accident waiting to happen. Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong (via @theaircurrent.com) theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf...
theaircurrent.com
Special Report: The night everything at DCA finally went wrong
D.C. midair crash was the result of a complete collapse of the protections designed to keep aviation safe — and the institutions that design and maintain them
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Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
POST EXCLUSIVE (GIFT LINK) Miller and others wanted to strike cartels in Mexico. But as the administration hardened the border, Mexico curbed cartel action, leaving them to look for other targets @ellenwapo.bsky.social @alexhorton.bsky.social and @danlamothe.bsky.social report wapo.st/4p66tIm
wapo.st
Stephen Miller’s hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes
President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
The Trump admin wanted to be tough on drugs by striking Mexican cartels. Their allies produced good results, so Stephen Miller and others went looking for another venue. How we got to boat strikes, and a focus on Venezuela. Free to read link: wapo.st/4p66tIm
wapo.st
Stephen Miller’s hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes
President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
NEW — I put together a list of independent journalism subscriptions that would make great holiday gifts. From music to politics, astronomy to alcohol, tech to social justice, there’s something for [almost] everyone. Support indie media *and* surprise and delight your loved ones! My guide:
thehandbasket.co
Giving the gift of independent journalism: a guide
The Handbasket has subscription suggestions for almost everyone on your list.
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Vera Bergengruen @verambergen.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
NEW: Hegseth asked SOUTHCOM Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down, a de facto ouster that was the culmination of months of discord between the two that intensified when Holsey had initial concerns about the legality of lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
wsj.com
Exclusive | Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord
The relationship between the Pentagon chief and Adm. Alvin Holsey had been rocky since Trump’s inauguration.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
I went on @nprfreshair.bsky.social with Terry Gross to lay out what we know and don’t know about the administration’s second deadly strike on Sept 2, which killed two survivors in the Caribbean www.npr.org/2025/12/03/n...
npr.org
Did the Trump administration commit a war crime in its attack on a Venezuelan boat?
Washington Post reporter Alex Horton talks about the Sept. 2 U.S. military strike on a boat with alleged "narco terrorists," in which a second strike was ordered to kill two survivors in the water.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 28/11/2025
If the U.S. was at war, Pete Hegseth's order would be a war crime, a military lawyer said. Instead, it might just be murder. wapo.st/49KbUJ1
washingtonpost.com
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Exclusive: Hegseth ordered everyone killed in the first alleged drug boat strike on Sept. 2, prompting a second hit to finish off survivors in the water in a mission led by SEAL Team 6. Ordering no quarter could legally perilous www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Exclusive: the White House considered dropping leaflets over Caracas, touting a $50M reward for info leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction. They eyed a mission for tomorrow -- Maduro's 63rd birthday. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
White House considers leaflet drop to pressure Maduro on his birthday
The White House has proposed a leaflet drop over Caracas, reminding citizens about the $50 million U.S. bounty on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Happy Veterans Day to all the NDSM recipients, the true heroes after KBR 🫡
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Trump’s suggestion of military action in Nigeria met reality with AFRICOM, which expressed doubts that a military response to violence would do anything. Free to read: wapo.st/3JECubO
Inside AFRICOM headquarters, the flash priority from Washington and the instructions to start planning for a potential operation were unexpected, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Personnel were already working long hours trying to bring home an American missionary kidnapped last month in neighboring Niger, and AFRICOM officials were concerned that the U.S. lacked the intelligence and assets to support expanding operations to Nigeria, one of the people familiar said.
Senior leaders recommended staying focused on the hostage situation, the person said, because it was already a priority and “of greater value than anything that can be achieved” in Nigeria right now.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 30/10/2025
National Guard personnel focused on nuclear disasters and terrorist attacks will instead be given riot-control gear and sent into cities, a sign that Trump military deployments into urban centers "could become the norm" wapo.st/433N9Dk @alexhorton.bsky.social @davidovalle.bsky.social
wapo.st
Pentagon readying thousands of Guard ‘reaction forces’ as U.S. mission widens
The Defense Department’s newly established “quick reaction force” within the National Guard is being readied for civil unrest missions in U.S. cities.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Q: What are the Pentagon’s military objectives in the Western Hemisphere, and how do the strikes help reach that outcome? A: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
While Trump and Hegseth have said the attacks are aimed at stemming the flow of narcotics to the U.S., it is unclear what effect the strikes will have on cartel bosses who have outfoxed drug enforcement for decades.
The U.S. “will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” Hegseth said Tuesday of the suspected traffickers, using the language of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as an infantry officer. U.S. commanders throughout numerous administrations touted killing low-level militants as a measure of success that ultimately proved elusive.
The Pentagon declined to further describe its operations in the Western Hemisphere. “The Department will not discuss military strategy with the media,” Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Pleased to speak to @alexhorton.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com about the disposition of the survivors from the latest U.S. strike in the Caribbean. Repatriating them appears to have been the least worst option from the administration’s standpoint. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
U.S. to repatriate survivors of drug boat strike to Colombia, Ecuador
It is unclear if the two surviving alleged drug smugglers have any links to Venezuelan criminal organizations.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Correct. This story would have violated the Pentagon’s new restrictions had we signed it.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Exclusive: Special Operations helos, flying in a configuration best suited for ground assaults, were less than 90 miles from Venezuela last week. Official says they were training. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
U.S. Special Operations helicopters near Venezuela expand Caribbean mission
U.S. Special Operations helicopters flew within 90 miles of Venezuelan territory, according to a Post analysis. Trump authorized CIA covert action inside the country.
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Devon Heinen @devonheinen.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
JUST IN via @washingtonpost.com's Noah Robertson, @taracopp.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social & @danlamothe.bsky.social: "Military leaders voice concern over #Hegseth's new Pentagon strategy" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth’s new Pentagon strategy
Top military officials have voiced concern over the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
If you’re attending this event or have insight to share, I’d like to hear from you. Get in touch on Signal at alexhorton.85 or click here signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
signal.me
Signal Messenger Contact
Follow this link to message on Signal.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
signal.me
Signal Messenger Contact
Follow this link to message on Signal.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
signal.me
Signal Messenger Contact
Follow this link to message on Signal.
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brendanamartin.bsky.social @brendanamartin.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Former Army officer Jason Dempsey: “That is such a suboptimal use of military training that we should all be asking, ‘Why are they here?’ If they’re picking up trash, they’re not here for a security emergency. There’s no clearer metric than that.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
National Guard documents show public ‘fear,’ troops’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence
Internal documents reviewed by The Post reveal, with rare candor, how domestic missions rooted in politics risk damaging Americans’ trust in the military.
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Great story by @alexhorton.bsky.social in @washingtonpost.com . www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec... Read the whole thing but here's a sample.
Story that says:

>In another update, the Guard indicates troops “continue efforts to restore and beautify public spaces across the District” and have “cleared 906 bags of trash, spread 744 cubic yards of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, cleared 3.2 miles of roadway, and painted 270 feet of fencing.”

>Those statistics may be among the most consequential takeaways of Trump’s use of the military in D.C., Dempsey said, and should prompt scrutiny of whether this mission was ever necessary in the first place.

>“That is such a suboptimal use of military training that we should all be asking, ‘Why are they here?’” Dempsey said. “If they’re picking up trash, they’re not here for a security emergency. There’s no clearer metric than that.”
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Vera Bergengruen @verambergen.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
NEW: Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
wsj.com
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Shout out to the OG posters at the Rotten Tomatoes message boards, my primary source of news when I was skipping school on 9/11
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
I joined @longlead.com @vermontgmg.bsky.social to discuss blogging the Iraq war while fighting it, DoD sanitizing combat and anemic lawmakers failing oversight of Middle East operations. Good thing those days are over! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
podcasts.apple.com
Establishing Connection
Podcast Episode · Long Shadow · S4 E2 · 49m
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 30/06/2025
A Washington Post review found that in at least seven major departments or agencies, DOGE secured the power to view records that experts say could benefit Elon Musk’s businesses for years.
washingtonpost.com
DOGE has the keys to sensitive data that could help Elon Musk
In at least seven major departments or agencies, DOGE secured the power to view records that experts say could benefit Elon Musk’s businesses for years.
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Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
The case of the disappearing SECDEF www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Navigating Iran crisis, Trump relies on experience over star power
As President Trump weighs military actions against Iran, officials and advisers say that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DNI Tulsi Gabbard have been sidelined.
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Airwars @airwars.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
1/ NEW: As the U.S. appears on the brink of another war, Airwars reveals dangerous precedent for civilians set by Trump’s Yemen campaign trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-ro...
trump-yemen.airwars.org
Trump nearly doubled U.S. civilian casualty toll in Yemen | Airwars
The Trump administration killed almost as many civilians in Yemen in 52 days as the previous 23 years of U.S. action
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Steven Beynon @stevenbeynon.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
SCOOP: Guardsmen deployed to LA aren't on formal orders, thus aren't set up to be paid or get healthcare yet www.military.com/daily-news/2...
military.com
Guard Soldiers Deployed in Trump's LA Crackdown Aren't Getting Paid Yet
According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but...
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Thomas Gibbons-Neff @tmgneff.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
One thing worth pointing out, the real war is less about the reality of it, and more of an aesthetic palate of which these participants pick from. Whether that’s the type of uniforms, body armor etc.
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Thomas Gibbons-Neff @tmgneff.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Americans cosplaying as Russian soldiers in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a strange sight to behold, but checks out. Many Americans were disconnected from their own 20 year war. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
nytimes.com
Why Americans Are Dressing Like Russian Troops in Oklahoma
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 26/05/2025
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in last year’s Gaza pier mission. His recovery was cut short by his unexpected and mysterious death.
washingtonpost.com
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier’s mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last year’s mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
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