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Patrick Caldwell

@patcaldwell.bsky.social
3.8K followers 263 following 116 posts

Senior editor for political investigations at the @washingtonpost.com www.patrickcaldwell.com

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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Former Navatek executives, meanwhile, looked back with awe at how far their money went. “It was eye-opening for me, frankly,” said one. “‘Oh my God, all of it is for sale. It’s all for sale.’” READ MORE: www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Molly Redden @mtredden.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Exclusive: In late 2024, FBI agents were looking at Sen. Susan Collins’ role in a massive illegal bribery scheme alleged by a former federal contractor. Then Trump gutted the FBI and DOJ, leaving no one to carry on the investigation – it’s dead. 🧵
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"Saleh Fard, who was among the very first migrants deported to a nation he didn’t know, has spent longer in a third country than virtually anyone else." Read @teoarmus.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
The U.S. sent an Iranian Christian to Panama. It had no plan for what came next.
One man’s 18 months in the limbo of Trump’s third-country deportations.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As part of the @washingtonpost.com's investigation into how Trump's State Dept upended foreign aid and turned it into a machine fueling his mass deportation efforts, we reported an unprecedented glimpse into the deals the US has cut. Check out the database washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A detailed examination of the Trump admin’s “Office of Remigration” and its sweeping third-country deportation effort by @davidnakamura.bsky.social @mradamtaylor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
washingtonpost.com
How Trump turned a refugee bureau into a $410 million deportation operation
Inside the secret deals powering the president’s push to deport migrants to countries not their own.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Blockbuster story this morning by @davidnakamura.bsky.social & @mradamtaylor.bsky.social, revealing for the first time the full extent of the Trump administration's deals with foreign governments to accept “third-country” deportations www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Once founded to educate the children of Cuban exiles, this massive state school was now declaring open season on the next generation." Fantastic story by @teoarmus.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Hispanics flock to this university. It let campus police double as ICE agents.
Leaders of Florida International University signed an agreement to deputize its school police as immigration agents. Some wish they had put up more of a fight.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Animosity toward immigrants has been a part of Texas politics since at least the Mexican revolution, and French adapted that rhetoric to fit changes in the state." Go read @jherrerx.bsky.social's great debut in @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
The nativist provocateur who keeps pushing the Texas GOP further right
Republican leaders criticized a recent post by Bo French attacking South Asian UT students. But many in the party have felt compelled to embrace parts of his ideology.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Nick Baumann @nickbaumann.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So glad to have @jherrerx.bsky.social writing for The Post — and teaming up with the great @mollyhf.bsky.social: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
The nativist provocateur who keeps pushing the Texas GOP further right
Republican leaders criticized a recent post by Bo French attacking South Asian UT students. But many in the party have felt compelled to embrace parts of his ideology.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 01/08/2026
A Trump donor called for an end to offshoring. Then his company moved much of this plant’s work to China.
washingtonpost.com
The last day of an American factory
A Trump donor called for an end to offshoring. Then his company moved much of this plant’s work to China.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A Trump donor called for an end to offshoring. Then his company moved much of this plant’s work to China. Powerful, moving story from @petejamison.bsky.social on the last day of an American factory wapo.st/4yR8j5X
wapo.st
The last day of a factory in Trump country, as its work moves to China
For generations, this Ohio factory was a way of life. Then came the final shift.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 01/08/2026
This is a really special @petejamison.bsky.social story on the last day of an American factory, owned by a Trump donor and offshoring all its jobs to China www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
The last day of an American factory
A Trump donor called for an end to offshoring. Then his company moved much of this plant’s work to China.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Fenit Nirappil @fenitn.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
How did a false allegation lead to Pete Buttigieg's separation from his kids? Our exclusive reporting shows how authorities did not take steps to vet the caller who left her contact. We found the caller who said she wanted to thwart his White House ambitions. Gift link: wapo.st/45ok5XP
washingtonpost.com
Source of false Buttigieg allegation appeared ‘mentally unstable,’ records show
The Michigan attorney general’s office is investigating how the accusation that prompted the ex-Cabinet secretary's separation from his 4-year-old twins was handled.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Robert Samuels @newsbysamuels.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I’m trying to do some video introductions to my stories. Please check out my latest piece for the @washingtonpost.com : www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Nick Baumann @nickbaumann.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"Former Republican congressman George Santos, who had his sentence for identity theft and wire fraud commuted by Trump last year, said Wednesday that he was considering applying for the fund...." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund
Jan. 6 rioters, George Santos, Mark McCloskey and Rod Blagojevich: A wide range of figures are eyeing the president’s new settlement fund.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 21/05/2026
Among the Jan 6ers eager to get in line for $1.8 billion in government money: a sex offender who bear-sprayed cops www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... @merylkornfield.bsky.social
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I’ve got another opening on my team! Come work for the Washington Post as a Political Enterprise Reporter, an “investigative-minded reporter to cover politics, someone who can report authoritatively and write the definitive stories of our political era.” 1/4
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I’m hiring! The Washington Post is looking for a Political Enterprise Reporter focused on money & power: washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/washin...
washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Political Enterprise Reporter, Money & Power
Application Instructions Please list all professional experience and explain any gaps in employment history. All of your application materials, which may include PDF files of work samples and/or links...
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Got a fun job posting to join my team washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/washingtonpo...
washpost.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Political Enterprise Reporter, Money & Power
Application Instructions Please list all professional experience and explain any gaps in employment history. All of your application materials, which may include PDF files of work samples and/or links...
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
How Congress’s bipartisan high point led to our era of political rancor. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
In 1990, a bipartisan Congress passed historic bills. Then it cracked apart.
36 years ago, a Republican president and Democratic lawmakers produced monumental laws. Now, a broken Congress has enabled Trump to undo key parts of that legacy.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 19/03/2026
Over a year into the new Trump administration, political figures and the White House have sought greater influence over government watchdogs than ever before, leading to concerns about the independence of the oversight community.
washingtonpost.com
Under Trump, the government’s watchdogs are losing their independence
Inspectors general are subject to growing partisan pressures as the White House and political figures seek greater influence over them than ever before.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Another scoop from the @washingtonpost.com : Govt IG is investigating allegation that a former DOGE member claims to have taken private Social Sec data on a thumb drive to his new private employer. By @merylkornfield.bsky.social Elizabeth Dwoskin and Lisa Rein www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job
The Social Security inspector general’s office is investigating allegations that the former DOGE engineer took sensitive data on a thumb drive in a major potential security breach, said people familia...
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Love this @zachsdorfman.bsky.social story on what happened to spies after the Soviet Union fell, a true life version of The Americans www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
They Came to Spy on America. They Stayed to Coach Little League.
In the wake of the Cold War, some Soviet bloc spies decided their fake American lives weren’t so bad.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
“The assailants in several cases — shootings, a bombing, a planned drone attack — resisted familiar labels and categories. They were not Democrat or Republican, or Islamist militant, or antifa or white supremacist. They were something new.” www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Killers without a cause: The rise in nihilistic violent extremism
Amid a burst of high-profile targeted violence, authorities have identified a new source of terror.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Aaron Schaffer @aaronschaffer.com · 07/02/2026
GoFundMe for Guild colleagues: www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t... GoFundMe for international staff: www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
"Out came the story about what it feels like to lose everything." Take some time to read this incredibly moving story about overcoming grief and turning it into art, by @newsbysamuels.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
How Maxim Naumov learned to embrace his grief to earn a spot at the Olympics
After his parents died in a plane crash, the activity he feared most ended up being the one that healed him.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Kristen Radtke @kristenradtke.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Last year, Trump pardoned almost 1,600 people charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Now many of them might get their money back from the government. Read @bethreinhard.bsky.social @byelliesilverman.bsky.social & @aaronschaffer.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
They ransacked the U.S. Capitol and want the government to pay them back
Last year, President Donald Trump pardoned almost 1,600 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Now many of them might get money back from the government.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
On a frigid Friday last week, The Washington Post set out to document a city where the full weight of the federal government has descended, upending daily life. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
One day of the ICE operation in Minneapolis — and the activists fighting it
The saturation of federal immigration enforcement has reoriented public life in the Twin Cities, especially for non-White residents.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
From over the weekend, read @newsbysamuels.bsky.social amazing story on the Afghan refugees worried that the US is turning its back on them www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
After fleeing the Taliban, they felt safe in America. A shooting in D.C. changed everything.
The Trump administration’s backlash against refugees has sowed fears of prejudice, rejection or even deportation among Afghans in the U.S.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
“Most of all, I wanted freedom. I’m so scared I won’t get it.” Read @newsbysamuels.bsky.social stellar feature on the fragility of life in America for Afghan refugees www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
After fleeing the Taliban, they felt safe in America. A shooting in D.C. changed everything.
The Trump administration’s backlash against refugees has sowed fears of prejudice, rejection or even deportation among Afghans in the U.S.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
New Epstein documents were "available for several hours Monday afternoon and evening on the Justice Department website but appear to have been taken down around 8 p.m. The Washington Post downloaded the full set of files while they were accessible." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Second big batch of Epstein files includes many mentions of Trump
After a first batch of Epstein document had few mentions of President Trump, the Justice Department disclosed thousands more with many references to the president.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
“He got to keep all his money and he got his pardon. I don’t think there was justice in that.” Read @bethreinhard.bsky.social & @aaronschaffer.com on the fraud victims whose repayments were wiped out by Trump's pardons www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s pardons wipe out payments to defrauded victims
In addition to clearing prison sentences, the president’s clemency actions have erased millions in restitution payments.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
The first billionaire president is currently in the White House. Will Democrats replace him with their own billionaire in 2028? Read @maevereston.bsky.social's excellent profile of JB Pritzker, the final story in The Post's Billionaire Nation series www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
The Democrat testing the appetite for a leader from the ‘one percent’
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has tapped his wealth to climb the political ladder, moving toward a White House run while presenting himself as a champion for everyday people.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
As billionaires are spending increasing sums on politics, a grassroots backlash is brewing. How a protest in small-town Indiana reflects a debate rippling across the country www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Billionaires are spending massive sums on politics. A backlash brews.
An anti-oligarch protest in a small Indiana town shows the depth of the national backlash against the concentration of wealth and power.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Trump’s administration is the wealthiest in history. Meet the 12 billionaires who have worked for the White House this year, by @aaronschaffer.com & @ence.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
washingtonpost.com
Meet the Trump administration’s 12 billionaires
At a net worth of $390 billion, it’s the wealthiest White House in modern history.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
The most important journalist of his generation www.motherjones.com/politics/201...
motherjones.com
World's first Xbox One guarded by sharks in New Zealand; shark expert questions effectiveness
The shark-tank publicity stunt would not likely thwart any committed Xbox thief.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
NEW: Our look at one of the most important players in the school choice debate: Jeff Yass, the billionaire funding campaigns across the country and in his home state of PA. Got a chance to talk with him at length and he had lots of provocative things to say 1/x www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Meet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchers
How one of the richest people on the planet presses his pet issue: school choice
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
When George Soros's PACs invest in progressive prosecutor races, they've been "winning 77 percent of the time, according to a Washington Post analysis and data provided by the PAC." Latest story in WaPo's Billionaire Nation series by @bethreinhard.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
How George Soros changed criminal justice in America
The liberal funder has spent tens of millions of dollars swinging dozens of district attorney races, drawing a backlash from the right.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
The forgotten court case that was the origin of the super PAC www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Case that lets billionaires spend big on elections never reached Supreme Court
A less-recognized campaign finance case from 2010 paved the way for the super PACs frequently used by billionaires such as Elon Musk to spend big on elections.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
"If the video of the blast that killed the two survivors on Sept. 2 were made public, people would be horrified" 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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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Since 2000, political giving by the wealthiest 100 Americans to federal elections has gone up almost 140 times, well outpacing the growing costs of campaigns, a Washington Post analysis found. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
washingtonpost.com
How billionaires took over American politics
The current concentration of wealth is unlike anything in history. So is billionaires’ involvement in politics.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
"key threshold had already been crossed. Humanity had gained the power to turn down the sun, and barely anyone on the planet even knew. What’s more, that untested power was now effectively for sale." politico.com/news/magazin... Amazing story by @karlmathiesen.bsky.social & @corbinhiar.bsky.social
politico.com
The Strange and Totally Real Plan to Blot Out the Sun and Reverse Global Warming
A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat. The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Since 2000, political donations by the richest 100 Americans has shot up nearly 140 times. Together they spent more than $1 billion last year, crossing that threshold for the first time. @bethreinhard.bsky.social Naftali Bendavid Clara Ence Morse Aaron Schaffer www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
washingtonpost.com
How billionaires took over American politics
The current concentration of wealth is unlike anything in history. So is billionaires’ involvement in politics.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
It's pretty stunning just how far from prominence the NRA has fallen after being one of the most influential forces in politics for decades www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
NRA furloughs staff as it prepares to rebuild ahead of 2026
The once-mighty gun rights group is trying to balance its books after years of misspending.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
‘We’re live, right?’: How a conservative influencer’s arrest made its way to the White House. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Inside the online battles streaming from a single block in Portland
After conservative influencer Nick Sortor was arrested outside an ICE facility in Portland, Donald Trump latched on to justify a federal crackdown.
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Reposted by Patrick Caldwell
Nick Baumann @nickbaumann.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Inside the online battles streaming from a single block in Portland www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Inside the online battles streaming from a single block in Portland
After conservative influencer Nick Sortor was arrested outside an ICE facility in Portland, Donald Trump latched on to justify a federal crackdown.
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Patrick Caldwell @patcaldwell.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Bit of personal news: Later this month I'll be joining @washingtonpost.com as senior editor for political investigations www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2025/09/0...
washingtonpost.com
Patrick Caldwell joins as Senior Editor for Political Investigations
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Jessica Bateman @jessicabateman.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
I spent the past few months diving deep into Germany's military ramp-up. I spoke to high-serving generals about their spending plans, new recruits inspired to enlist since the war on Ukraine, and anti-war activists troubled by the links to the country's dark past. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
politico.com
Germans Spent 80 Years Reluctant to Build a Military. Trump and Putin Are Changing That.
Germany is mounting a historic peacetime military buildup. But will they convince recruits to enlist?
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 11/08/2025
An entire team of journalists, outside a hospital in a tent for journalists, killed by Israel. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Anas al-Sharif: Four Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike near Al-Shifa hospital
Al Jazeera had condemned a "campaign of incitement" by the IDF against its reporters, but the military claims one of the journalists was part of Hamas.
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