Alex Horton
@alexhorton.bsky.social
đ€ 11500
đ„ 417
đ 120
Military reporter at The Washington Post. Iraq veteran. Signal: alexhorton.85
pinned post!
I cover the U.S. military and the Pentagon for
@washingtonpost.com
. Send secure tips and story ideas on Signal:
signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
loading . . .
Signal Messenger Contact
Follow this link to message on Signal.
https://signal.me/#eu/ES70l_cAlitOMEjvKWkCE0xByWPIjSepV4JBRke5ImUWRejNEBtKh7amLARJoE_S
10 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Matthew Hay Brown
5 days ago
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
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âWelcome to hellâ: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants
Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvadorâs Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.
https://wapo.st/3KUUv6n
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Alex Horton
Jarrett Ley (WashPost)
5 days ago
extraordinary forensic reporting from my investigative colleagues at
@washingtonpost.com
:
@imogenpiper.bsky.social
+
@abtran.bsky.social
+
@alexhorton.bsky.social
+ John Farrell + Brian Perlman
add a skeleton here at some point
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Alex Horton
Meghan Hoyer
6 days ago
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:
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2025/dca-crash-cause-lights/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f011
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Brent Scales
6 days ago
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
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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.
https://wapo.st/4atdTBI
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Alex Horton
Will Guisbond
9 days ago
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...
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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 â and the institutions that design and maintain them
https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/dca-crash-jan-29-special-report/
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Alex Horton
Matthew Hay Brown
9 days ago
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
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Stephen Millerâs hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes
President Donald Trumpâs homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.
https://wapo.st/4p66tIm
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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
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Stephen Millerâs hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes
President Donald Trumpâs homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, had a plan to target Mexican drug cartels. That strategy morphed into lethal boat strikes.
https://wapo.st/4p66tIm
9 days ago
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Alex Horton
Marisa Kabas
21 days ago
NEW â 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, thereâs something for [almost] everyone. Support indie media *and* surprise and delight your loved ones! My guide:
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Giving the gift of independent journalism: a guide
The Handbasket has subscription suggestions for almost everyone on your list.
https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/independent-journalism-gift-guide
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Vera Bergengruen
23 days ago
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...
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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 Trumpâs inauguration.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-asked-top-admiral-to-resign-after-months-of-discord-9e7b357f?mod=hp_lead_pos1
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I went on
@nprfreshair.bsky.social
with Terry Gross to lay out what we know and donât know about the administrationâs second deadly strike on Sept 2, which killed two survivors in the Caribbean
www.npr.org/2025/12/03/n...
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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.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/03/nx-s1-5630324/did-the-trump-administration-commit-a-war-crime-in-its-attack-on-a-venezuelan-boat
24 days ago
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Alex Horton
Drew Harwell
29 days ago
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
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/
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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...
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/
29 days ago
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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...
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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 NicolĂĄs Maduro.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/22/maduro-venezuela-leaflet-drop-proposal/
about 1 month ago
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Happy Veterans Day to all the NDSM recipients, the true heroes after KBR đ«Ą
about 2 months ago
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Trumpâs 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
about 2 months ago
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Alex Horton
Drew Harwell
about 2 months ago
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
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Pentagon readying thousands of Guard âreaction forcesâ as U.S. mission widens
The Defense Departmentâs newly established âquick reaction forceâ within the National Guard is being readied for civil unrest missions in U.S. cities.
https://wapo.st/433N9Dk
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Q: What are the Pentagonâs military objectives in the Western Hemisphere, and how do the strikes help reach that outcome? A: ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
about 2 months ago
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Alex Horton
Brian Finucane
2 months ago
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 administrationâs standpoint.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/18/detainees-drug-boat-us-venezuela-colombia-ecuador/
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Correct. This story would have violated the Pentagonâs new restrictions had we signed it.
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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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...
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/16/special-operations-helicopters-venezuela/
2 months ago
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Alex Horton
Devon Heinen
3 months ago
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...
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Military leaders voice concern over Hegsethâs new Pentagon strategy
Top military officials have voiced concern over the Trump administrationâs forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagonâs political and uniformed leadership.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/29/hegseth-national-defense-strategy-trump-dissent/?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&location=alert
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If youâre attending this event or have insight to share, Iâd like to hear from you. Get in touch on Signal at alexhorton.85 or click here
signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal:
signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal:
signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
4 months ago
Former Army officer Jason Dempsey: âThat is such a suboptimal use of military training that we should all be asking, âWhy are they here?â If theyâre picking up trash, theyâre not here for a security emergency. Thereâs no clearer metric than that.â
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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National Guard documents show public âfear,â troopsâ âshameâ over D.C. presence
Internal documents reviewed by The Post reveal, with rare candor, how domestic missions rooted in politics risk damaging Americansâ trust in the military.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/10/national-guard-trump-dc/
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Alex Horton
James Fallows
4 months ago
Great story by
@alexhorton.bsky.social
in
@washingtonpost.com
.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Read the whole thing but here's a sample.
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Vera Bergengruen
4 months ago
NEW: Trumpâs âLaw and Orderâ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
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https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-dc-immigration-raid-ab03b4bc
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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
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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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...
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Establishing Connection
Podcast Episode · Long Shadow · S4 E2 · 49m
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/establishing-connection/id1577471264?i=1000715271915
6 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
The Washington Post
6 months ago
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 Muskâs businesses for years.
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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 Muskâs businesses for years.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2025/musk-doge-personal-data-tesla-companies/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f005?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
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The case of the disappearing SECDEF
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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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.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/06/18/iran-war-trump-hegseth-gabbard/
6 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Airwars
6 months ago
1/ NEW: As the U.S. appears on the brink of another war, Airwars reveals dangerous precedent for civilians set by Trumpâs Yemen campaign
trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-ro...
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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
https://trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-rough-rider
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Steve Beynon
7 months ago
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...
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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...
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/11/guard-soldiers-deployed-trumps-la-crackdown-arent-getting-paid-yet.html
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Thomas Gibbons-Neff
7 months ago
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 thatâs the type of uniforms, body armor etc.
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Alex Horton
Thomas Gibbons-Neff
7 months ago
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...
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Why Americans Are Dressing Like Russian Troops in Oklahoma
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/us/russia-ukraine-war-military-simulation-oklahoma.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Kk8.vfdj.EeNNfXkN8qFf&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
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reposted by
Alex Horton
The Washington Post
7 months ago
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in last yearâs Gaza pier mission. His recovery was cut short by his unexpected and mysterious death.
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Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldierâs mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last yearâs mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/26/quandarius-stanley-gaza-pier-death/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
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Alex Horton
John Ismay
7 months ago
For Memorial Day, with thanks to Karl Marlantes, Jan Scruggs, Dave Walden, Kate Tealdi, the volunteer guides and everyone elese who shared their story about The Wall. Photos by Rod Lamkey, Jr.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/26/u...
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50 Years After Saigonâs Fall, âthe Wallâ Reflects and Collects a Nationâs Trauma
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/26/us/vietnam-war-memorial-veterans.html
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Alex Horton
Shane Harris
7 months ago
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldierâs mother searches for answers. A shocking story from
@alexhorton.bsky.social
about a soldier who slipped through the cracks, and whose death remains unresolved.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldierâs mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last yearâs mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/26/quandarius-stanley-gaza-pier-death/
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Brent Scales
7 months ago
Quandarius Stanley was injured during the temporary pier operation in Gaza. He later died in a South Carolina VA hospital when his condition was improving.
@alexhorton.bsky.social
via WaPo đ link
wapo.st/3SlTnZy
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Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldierâs mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last yearâs mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
https://wapo.st/3SlTnZy
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Sgt. Quandarius Stanley wanted to make the Army a lifelong career. The failed Gaza pier mission cut that short, and his mysterious death at VA sent his mother on a quest for answers. Free to read:
wapo.st/3SlTnZy
loading . . .
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldierâs mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last yearâs mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
https://wapo.st/3SlTnZy
7 months ago
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A soldier was killed and dozens injured in Bidenâs failed pier mission, which is worse than previously known. The least anyone could do in the Defense Department is try to answer questions. But even then.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
8 months ago
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The mission to recover 4 U.S. soldiers from a Lithuanian bog was more complex and dangerous that you know. Navy divers could barely breathe in the thick mud, struggling to move as if it were drying concrete. They couldn't see anything and did their work entirely by touch.
8 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Wesley Morgan
9 months ago
âMore than a quarter-million rifles were left behind, SIGAR estimatedâŠas well as nearly 18,000 night-vision goggles.â âAround August 2021, the [NVGs], which retail for about $2,000, were being sold for less than $300.â
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We traced weapons used in last month's deadly train hijacking in Pakistan to U.S. stocks provided to Afghan forces. It's another chapter of how U.S. failures in Afghanistan keep killing civilians
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
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U.S. weapons from Afghan war give Pakistani militants a deadly advantage
Sixty-three weapons seized from militants in Pakistan were provided by the U.S. government to Afghan forces during Americaâs 20-year war, a Post investigation found.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/14/afghanistan-war-weapons-pakistan-taliban-militants/
9 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Imogen Piper
9 months ago
Our story reconstructs the moments before and after the killing and mass burial of health workers in Gaza. The initial Israeli gunshots that targeted Palestinian paramedics were fired from 150 feet or less, audio suggests. Gift link:
wapo.st/4cowWMq
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How Palestinian first responders ended up in a mass grave in Gaza
Israel says they were fired on for moving âsuspiciously.â Dispatcher records, witness testimony, and video and audio evidence offer a more disturbing narrative.
https://wapo.st/4cowWMq
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Alex Horton
Jason "Red5" Lyall
9 months ago
Secret 9 page Pentagon memo identifies China's invasion of Taiwan as the "sole pacing threat," calls for larger domestic role (and a return to CT missions) while downplaying threat posed by Russia (to be handled by Europe). Several passages are identical to Heritage Foundation/Project 2025 docs
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Secret Pentagon memo on China, homeland has Heritage fingerprints
An secret memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth focuses on deterring Chinaâs seizure of Taiwan and shoring up homeland defense. The guidance mimics language of a report from the conservative think ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/29/secret-pentagon-memo-hegseth-heritage-foundation-china/
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The Pentagon purge of media it considers 'DEI' has expanded to stories about Navajo code talkers and Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian who helped raise the US flag over Iwo Jima. w/
@jonswaine.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
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Amid âDEIâ purge, Pentagon removes web page on Iwo Jima flag-raiser
Pages celebrating Navajo code talkers and other minority service members were also erased.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/03/17/pentagon-dei-native-american-iwo-jima/
9 months ago
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DOD has restored this page after it was âremoved during auto removal process,â an unnamed Pentagon official tells me. Nothing yet on how this system works and how haphazard it may be
add a skeleton here at some point
9 months ago
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Its March 14 and April 8 and May 6 today, all the time, all at once
wapo.st/3FwqDKn
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Reading âSlaughterhouse-Fiveâ in Baghdad: What Vonnegut taught me about what comes after war
War is not confined to the past, Kurt Vonnegut wrote 50 years ago. Neither are his lessons.
https://wapo.st/3FwqDKn
10 months ago
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reposted by
Alex Horton
Bill Kristol
10 months ago
A defeat for DOGE and Musk. Who overruled the attempt to end phone services for Americans filing retirement and disability claims? Not the acting Social Security head? Must have been the White House. A big win for the Wiles-Vought-Miller faction against Musk.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Social Security scraps far-reaching cuts to phone services after Post report
The agency will move ahead with a much narrower revision eliminating direct deposit changes by phone amid DOGE fraud concerns.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/12/social-security-phone-doge-elderly-disabled/
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