Turned in the badge today. My colleagues and I will stay on the beat, but in a new way. The work continues. Danlamothe.30

I’m a big fan of @nataliecompton.bsky.social, and she did a great job capturing the challenges and joys we have making our TV shows. Check out her @washingtonpost.com article at wapo.st/4oKkUTl — and join us behind the scenes as my crew and I film our London special, coming soon to public TV!

Follow @nataliecompton.bsky.social's advice and go to Slovenia — skip Lake Bled (touristy) and head to the Julian Alps, gorgeous, rustic, everything that Switzerland or Austria is but without the crowds. 📷 My trip in 2022 www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/...

National Parks saw record visitor numbers in 2024 but recent federal layoffs — even if most are overturned by the courts — raise questions over preparedness for visitors this summer. It gives a whole new meaning to Leave No Trace for visitors, writes @nataliecompton.bsky.social.

The last year has been death by a thousand private equity cuts for Southwest Airlines, ever since Elliott Investment Management bought a $1.9 billion stake in the company. 🔗 https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-southwest-airlines-gets-worse-with-end-of-free-bag-policy-21906895 

SCOOP: Social Security, facing pressure from DOGE, weighs big cuts to phone service. Agency considers ending phone program that helps with claims processing and is used by millions, by @hannah_natanson @FedGirlWaPo @lizzadwoskin @faizsays www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Last night in Yosemite National Park

New WaPo reporting: DOGE staff have sought access to a database of nearly all US workers’ earnings kept by the health department’s child support office, setting off another disagreement with career staff over demands for legally protected records www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Thank you to all who reached out about the situation at The Washington Post—I appreciate the support. No matter what, I’m committed to speaking truth to power and helping us navigate these hard times. Subscribe to my audio columns at The Karen Attiah Podcast. open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...

What airports are on Bluesky? I've got @bwiairport.bsky.social and @flytucson.bsky.social so far.

Elon Musk, who has said the beneficiaries of federal spending are a "parasite class," runs businesses that have pocketed $38 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies, loans and contracts www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

Using my “personal liberties” to repost this

Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins took to social media to tout sweeping cuts to contracts that he said would save the department nearly $2 billion. But the 875 contracts on the chopping block help cover medical services, fund cancer programs and provide burial services to veterans.

Just a reminder that the opinion section is walled-off from the newsroom and is home to about a tenth of Post journalists. I have had so many conversations with folks who canceled their subs, urging them to reconsider and stressing that ownership doesn't interfere in newsroom. That's still true.

As a hard-news journalist at The Washington Post, there's no shortage of important news to cover. I will keep digging in. As I've stated before: Nothing changes. We ask hard questions and hold those in power to account. That's the job, whether those in power like it or not.

Eight years, two documentaries and one prison sentence later, Fyre Festival promoter Billy McFarland is back. Here’s what we know about Fyre 2 at this point: www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...

Note: These firings will come this week. If you're affected or work with someone who is and want to share what you know, please reach out via DM or Signal at danlamothe.30. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

“We’re trained to respond to medical emergencies, to fight fires, to respond to a decompression… major severe turbulence — all kinds of emergencies. That is really the reason that we’re there.” Listen to cabin crew, it could save your life. @flyingwithsara.bsky.social @nataliecompton.bsky.social

Judge Orders Mississippi Newspaper to Remove Editorial, Alarming Press Advocates The owner of The Clarksdale Press Register said he planned to challenge a judge’s order against an editorial that criticized city officials. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...

Last night the National Symphony Orchestra played in our neighborhood rec center, organized by the Kennedy Center. It was wonderful — and I hope the program continues.

"The Trump administration has directed agency heads to fire most trial and probationary staff across the federal government. Park Service leaders briefed park superintendents on the staffing moves during calls Thursday." www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

For the ultrarich characters of “The White Lotus,” the casual exploitation of others is central to their pursuit of leisure, writes Hannah Giorgis:

“One staffer who lost her job worked in the department’s office of special education, helping students with disabilities. In an interview, she said she had moved across the country with her partner to take the position last summer, spending all her savings in the process.”

Where the U.S. abortion fight is going. Texas court sanctions NY doctor for sending pills across state lines, setting up a battle that probably goes to the Supreme Court. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/h...

Airlines for America, a trade group representing American, Delta, United and others, is urging the Trump administration to drop the ongoing review over whether carriers should have to pay passengers cash for flight disruptions. via @reuters.com: www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Fabulous article about Rick Steves' new book. “Travelers learn that fear is for people who don’t get out much; that culture shock is the growing pains of that broadening perspective; that we’re all children of God—and by traveling, we get to know the family.” slate.com/culture/2025...

Valparaiso, Chile; Lion’s Head Mountain, Taiwan; Zambia; and more. Count me in for these 2025 destinations! via @nataliecompton.bsky.social and the By The Way team

For the @washingtonpost.com, I interviewed the one and only Rick Steves about his latest book "On the Hippie Trail," his unearthed 60,000-word travel journal from an overland trip from Europe to Nepal in the 70s: www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...

New: A true team effort, with Natalie and I reporting from Reagan National on travelers returning to the sky the day after the deadliest crash involving a U.S. carrier since 2009. www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...

I'm keeping a running list of disappearing federal data in the 🧵 below. If there are others I missed let me know. crampell[at]washpost[dot]com or Signal username crampell.13

'Despite the broadcasts and the bar’s proximity to the accident site, the scene was eerily normal. A woman ordered a lemon drop martini. Other travelers nursed beers. The bartender didn’t think patrons were drinking more than usual. “It’s the same,” she said.' www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...

I've been covering the news of the American Airlines crash here in Wichita, where the flight originated from. Some photos from a prayer vigil that was held this afternoon.

A heartwarming scene at DCA today following last night's tragedy: a traveler (or airport employee) leaves a prayer in the Terminal Two chapel for the victims and families of #AA5342.

Roccaraso, one of Italy’s most popular ski destinations, called in emergency crowd control measures after thousands of day-trippers inspired by cheap transport and social media took over the slopes.

Since the election, I've been talking to scientists and academics about what the new administration could mean for research, key databases, even careers in science. Given the past 48 hours, I'm giving a Bsky callout a try: Please DM me if this is affecting your work. And please share.

Hours after the Trump administration announced a sweeping freeze on federal spending, many states reported issues accessing funds under the Medicaid low-income health insurance program, which wasn't supposed to be affected by the White House spending halt.

JetBlue is going through "immense change," CEO Joanna Geraghty said Tuesday, "and feedback from our customers has been positive." Lounges, first class, maybe a new domestic partnership. The changes are coming got and heavy at JetBlue.

So true @milkkarten.bsky.social: "...it feels like Instagram’s video algorithm mocks you. Your Reels tab feeds you rage bait, thinks you’ll be amused by AI slop, and refuses to understand your interests. It optimizes for engagement through divisive content." www.milkkarten.net/p/instagram-...

JetBlue adds a Venmo payment option, making it easier to buy a plane ticket for those who feel its a phone purchase. But there are still a lot of questions around purchase protections (that one receives when they use a credit card) and points earning.

Health officials and experts said this week they are reeling after the new Trump administration on Tuesday abruptly halted external communication at the Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies.

Big flight purchases, big screens? “Gen Z seem more like-minded on the issue than their elders think,” writes @nataliecompton.bsky.social. (Team big screen here 🙋🏻‍♂️, though I do use my phone to change flights and make a booking in a pinch)

Breaking News: Cecile Richards, a former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and one of the country’s most well-known defenders of abortion rights, has died at 67. nyti.ms/40pKWQl

Cecile Richards, the longtime activist for women's rights and former head of Planned Parenthood, died Monday after battling brain cancer.

My latest for @washingtonpost.com: With 5G internet and mobile-first design, booking flights on a mobile device has never been easier. But for many travelers, it remains a terrifying prospect; a big purchase calls for a big screen. Read more here: www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...

"On the Hill, Celsius is sold in the Senate refectory, the Cups coffee shop and, since 2023, its very own vending machine in the House basement, emblazoned with a tagline: “Don’t wish for it. Work for it.” Read Ben Tetris on the drink beloved by Washington: www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...

I wrote the latest cover story for The Atlantic. It's about the far-ranging implications of one simple statistic: Americans have never spent so much time alone, and surging solitude is warping our society. I'm really proud of it, and I hope you read it. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Chosen solitude may be the most significant social fact of our age, @dkthomp.bsky.social writes. The emergence of the anti-social century is changing childhood social development, our physical infrastructure, and even our relationship to reality.

Scenes from Tokyo

Have questions you've always wanted to ask TSA? We're doing a live chat *now* with a TSA spokesperson on @washingtonpost.com. Join us here for the next hour: www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/...

A very festive @washingtonpost.com headquarters today (not pictured, a local high school choir who came to sing carols around the office 💞🎄)