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

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

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...

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...

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

extraordinary forensic reporting from my investigative colleagues at @washingtonpost.com : @imogenpiper.bsky.social + @abtran.bsky.social + @alexhorton.bsky.social + John Farrell + Brian Perlman

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:

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

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...

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

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

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:

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

Happy Veterans Day to all the NDSM recipients, the true heroes after KBR 🫡

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

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

Q: What are the Pentagon’s military objectives in the Western Hemisphere, and how do the strikes help reach that outcome? A: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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...

Correct. This story would have violated the Pentagon’s new restrictions had we signed it.

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...

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...

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...

Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...

Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...

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...

Great story by @alexhorton.bsky.social in @washingtonpost.com . www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec... Read the whole thing but here's a sample.

NEW: Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...

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

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...

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.

The case of the disappearing SECDEF www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.

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...

Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier’s 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...

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 🎁 link wapo.st/3SlTnZy

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

A soldier was killed and dozens injured in Biden’s 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...

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.

“More than a quarter-million rifles were left behind, SIGAR estimated…as well as nearly 18,000 night-vision goggles.” “Around August 2021, the [NVGs], which retail for about $2,000, were being sold for less than $300.”

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...

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

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