#thewashingtonpost — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/people/218440/ Republicans in battleground states are ditching Trump from their campaign websites: reports #Congress #DonaldTrump #GOP #house #JoeMitchell #Mike #MikeBeltran #MikeBouchard #MikeMarinella #Mitchell #november #post #POTUS #PresidentDonaldTrump #PresidentOfTheUnitedStates #PresidentTrump #RalphAlvarado #Republican #Republicans #TheWashingtonExaminer #TheWashingtonPost #Trump

Ranking the Republican 2028 contenders

President Trump dominates the political landscape, holding off lame-duck status for now. But some signs are emerging that…
#UnitedStates #US #USA #Cruz #marcorubio #Rubio #secretaryofstate #state #TheWashingtonPost #trump #TrumpJr #TrumpOrganizationInc. #vance
https://www.europesays.com/3236797/

https://www.europesays.com/people/217632/ Ranking the Republican 2028 contenders #Cruz #MarcoRubio #rubio #state #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpJr #TrumpOrganizationInc #Vance

‘It will still take years’: Ted Cruz acknowledges that Trump’s Venezuela oil deal won’t lead to immediate gas savings

Ted Cruz has a message for Americans hoping for cheaper gas following President Donald Trump’s deal with Venezuela:…
#Conflict #Conflicts #War #American #Americans #CharlieNeibergall #Cruz #Gallup #tedcruz #TheWashingtonPost #U.S. #Venezuela
https://www.europesays.com/3235269/

A National Newspaper Falls — and Democracy Feels It

Why the Dismantling of The Washington Post Is a National Warning

By DrWeb, assisted by AI. All content, images edited and approved. Some images are also public domain, as noted in the captions.

On February 4, 2026, the American people lost a vital organ of their democracy. It didn’t happen in a courtroom or through a legislative act; it happened on a Zoom call.

When Executive Editor Matt Murray and CEO Will Lewis announced the termination of over 300 journalists—one-third of a newsroom that once stood as the world’s watchdog—they used the bloodless language of corporate “restructuring.” They spoke of search engine algorithms, the rise of Generative AI, and the “disappointing realities” of the media market. But we must see through the fog. This was not a business adjustment; it was a surrender.

The Washington Post has, for over 150 years, been a “living laboratory” of modern journalism. It was the place where the impossible stories were told, where “Darkness” was fought with a relentless, expensive, and often dangerous pursuit of the truth. By gutting the foreign desks and local Metro coverage, leadership has essentially declared that the world—and the citizens of the nation’s capital—no longer deserve to be seen.

II. A Legacy Forged in Fire: Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

To understand the depth of this betrayal, one must remember what the Washington Post used to be. In 1971, the paper faced a choice that would define the First Amendment for a generation. When the Nixon administration secured an injunction against the New York Times to stop the publication of the Pentagon Papers, it was Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee who stepped into the breach.

They knew that publishing those top-secret documents—which proved the government had systematically lied about the Vietnam War—could lead to criminal charges or the financial ruin of the paper. They did it anyway. They understood that the press’s duty is to the governed, not the governors. That Post saved this country by exposing the “GIGO (Garbage in, Garbage out” of the military-industrial complex. It proved that a newsroom, armed with the truth and the courage to print it, could stop a war machine. Today, that same newsroom is being hollowed out by a billionaire who appears more concerned with federal contracts than with the legacy of Graham.

III. The Specter of Anticipatory Obedience

The layoffs of 2026 are the completion of a bow toward power that began in October 2024. When Jeff Bezos spiked the Post’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, he was signaling a pivot toward compliance.

As his other companies —Amazon and Blue Origin— depend on massive federal contracts, the Post’s editorial independence has become a “rounding error” on a billionaire’s balance sheet. We are seeing a return to the dark days of “anticipatory obedience,” where the press silences itself to avoid the wrath of a vengeful administration. When the reporter covering Amazon itself is among the first to be fired, the watchdog is no longer guarding the public; it is guarding the owner.

IV. The Human Cost: Fired in a War Zone

The cruelty of these layoffs is exemplified by the case of Lizzie Johnson. A dedicated Ukraine correspondent, Johnson was notified of her layoff while on the ground in a war zone—working without heat or power in sub-zero temperatures to bring the reality of the Russian invasion to American doorsteps. To fire a journalist while they are literally under fire is the ultimate indictment of modern corporate “news.” By erasing the entire Middle East roster, the Post is blinding the American public to global realities at a moment when awareness is a matter of national survival.

V. What Can We Do?

My small site, a small but growing blog, remains (for now) a small, independent voice, but we are not silent, nor will we be. The death of the Post as we knew it means the burden of truth-seeking falls back onto We the People, and other media, and the resources they can use to report news and facts and fact-checking.

• Follow the Outcasts: Support the 300+ journalists who still have the truth but have lost their platform. [See below for the listings we have already of fired staff.]
• Reject the “New” Post: If a “Doorway” to truth is corrupted by billionaire interests, and with a man with real authoritarian impulses on a hair trigger, it is no longer a doorway; it is a wall. For me, the Post now has DO NOT ENTER signs.
• Fund Independent Journalism: Our American Democratic Republic depends on newsrooms that are not beholden to corporate authorities. Find voices that sound the missing pieces again, loud as we can.

Names and Work Areas for the Post Wednesday Massacre

While the Washington Post has not released a formal master list of the 300+ employees affected by the February 4, 2026 layoffs, many journalists and editors have confirmed their departures publicly. Source of this information: Google’s Gemini.

Below is a compiled listing of names and roles identified through newsroom reports and public statements as of today, February 5, 2026.

International & Foreign Desks

The entire Middle East team and several major foreign bureaus were reportedly eliminated.

Technology & Corporate Coverage

These cuts notably included reporters covering Jeff Bezos’s own company, Amazon.

Metro & Local Coverage (D.C., MD, VA)

The Metro desk was reduced from over 40 staffers to approximately 12.

Specialty Desks (Sports, Books, Culture)

The Sports and Books sections were shuttered as standalone departments.

Editor’s Note: Contact me via the About Page to remove your name or information from this listing.

Tactical Notes

• The “AI Strategy”: Executive Editor Matt Murray explicitly cited AI-generated content and declining search traffic as the primary reasons for this “strategic reset.”
• The Sports Desk Legacy: The shuttering of the High School Sports operation ends a department that had run for over 100 years.
• Ideological Critique: Several departing reporters, including Emmanuel Felton, have publicly challenged the “financial” necessity of the move, characterizing it instead as an ideological shift.

Multimedia Evidence

The Defense of Silence: Watch Jeff Bezos’s direct response to the endorsement crisis that served as the harbinger for this dismantling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=007rGogqDNo

[WATCH] Jeff Bezos defends the Washington Post’s decision

The Fourth Estate (Our Media) Responded as well.. they see what is being done to a legacy national newspaper, over politics and money. It did not fail in its mission. It was no longer allowed to be the Post.
Below is a PDF snapshot of Google News coverage (late night, 2/4/26). You can see the headlines and the sources and the reactions. –DrWeb

Bibliography (MLA Style)

• Baron, Martin. 28 Oct. 2024. “Marty Baron, former Washington Post editor, slams paper’s non-endorsement.” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piGipOLJc2g.
• Folkenflik, David. 28 Oct. 2024. “The Washington Post bleeds subscriptions as Bezos responds to endorsement criticism.” NPR, https://www.npr.org/2024/10/28/nx-s1-5168449/washington-post-subscriptions-cancel-jeff-bezos-endorsement.
• Kagan, Robert. 25 Oct. 2024. “Washington Post editor-at-large resigns over Bezos’ decision. He explains why.” CNN, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIYdQS9Plw0.
• Serna, Alene. 26 Oct. 2024. “Washington Post stirs up fury in liberal America over neutral election stance.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/26/washington-post-stirs-up-fury-in-liberal-america-over-neutral-election-stance.

SEE ALSO: Additional Deep-Dive Sources

• Columbia Journalism Review. 15 May 2023. “Journalism’s Essential Value: Objectivity and Independence.” CJR, https://www.cjr.org/special_report/ag-sulzberger-new-york-times-journalisms-essential-value-objectivity-independence.php.
• Nieman Journalism Lab. 31 Dec. 2025. “How Jeff Bezos used to talk about The Washington Post, and what’s changed.” Nieman Lab, https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/something-i-will-be-most-proud-of-when-im-90-how-jeff-bezos-used-to-talk-about-the-washington-post-and-whats-changed/.
• Sullivan, Margaret. 4 Sept. 2025. “Times Change, and So Can Ethics.” Columbia Journalism Review, https://www.cjr.org/analysis/times-change-and-so-can-journalism-ethics.php.
• Tani, Max. 28 Oct. 2024. “Four Washington Post opinion staffers have now resigned their roles over the non-endorsement controversy.” Semafor via Nieman Lab, https://www.niemanlab.org/reading/four-washington-post-opinion-staffers-have-now-resigned-their-roles-over-the-non-endorsement-controversy/.

Additional Historical Links

• Post History: Pentagon Papers & Watergate
• Folkenflik: The Metro Desk Bloodbath
• O’Donovan: Covering Amazon vs. Bezos
• Parker: The Murder of the Cairo Bureau
• Post Guild Union Statement
• Johnson: Fired in a War Zone
• Sullivan: Will Bezos Destroy the Post?
• Western Media’s Global Retreat
• Tani: Shuttering the Sports Section
• Historical Timeline of The Post

Supreme Court has empowered Trump. How much further will it go? – The Washington Post

Supreme Court has expanded presidential powers under Trump. How far will it go?

The justices will hear arguments Wednesday on the legality of most of the president’s tariffs — the first in a series of tests of sweeping claims of authority.

November 2, 2025 at 8:36 a.m. EST, Today at 8:36 a.m. EST, 10 min

By Justin Jouvenal

For nine months, in a flood of emergency orders, the Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump to expand his power.

The justices have permitted Trump to slash the federal bureaucracy, fire the heads of nominally independent agencies and exercise powers traditionally ascribed to Congress.

How much further will the court go?

That will be the overriding question Wednesday when the court hears arguments on the legality of most of the president’s tariffs — the first case to reach the justices in a series of high-stakes tests of Trump’ssweeping claimsof authority.

His asserted tariff powers are uniquely dear to Trump, who has repeatedly warned of economic devastation if the court were to rule against one of his signature policies. But the other tests of presidential power could also have major impact.

In November, the court will considerwhether to strike down a 90-year-old precedent that insulates independent agencies from White House interference. In January, it will explore whether Trump can remake the Federal Reserve, with its vast powers over the economy.

Taken together, the cases will determine the extent to which the Supreme Court will embrace Trump’s view of a presidency constrained by few checks and wielding the type of authority typically only seen in times of war or national crisis. Decisions are expected in the cases by the summer.

“I think the court so far has been more deferential to President Trump than most Supreme Courts in modern times,” said Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University. “It’s very hard to point to a significant way in which the court has said ‘stop’ to the White House. It raises the pressure on the court, and it raises the stakes for the term ahead.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement the high court’s rulings have corrected erroneous decisions by “far-left liberal activist judges” and thatthe president is doing what he was elected to do.

“The President will continue implementing the policy agenda that the American people voted for in November and will continue to be vindicated by higher courts when liberal activist judges attempt to intervene,” Jackson said.

Trump’s claim that he can unilaterally impose massive tariffs, a cornerstone of his economic agenda, is among his most aggressive moves to date. His assertion rests on a 1977 law that grants the president emergency powers to regulate international commerce. Trump’s argument that the law can be used for tariffs is one no other president has made in the statute’s 50-year history.

The administration has asked the justices to overturn federal court rulings that found the law did not convey authority to impose tariffs. Trump said the levies, some of which he announced at an event he dubbed “Liberation Day,” will help stem the flow of fentanyl across the border and restore America’s manufacturing base.

Small businesses and states have sued to block the levies, arguing they will cause widespread economic harm.

Arguably, no institution has set the stage for Trump’s efforts to expand his poweras much as the Supreme Court and in particular its chief justice. John G. Roberts Jr. has written decisions in recent years declaring the president a uniquely powerful figure.

In a 2020 ruling, Roberts wrote the “entire ‘executive Power’ belongs to the President alone.” He has also intimated the president should have a free hand to fire low-level government employees and made it easier for the president to remove the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Supreme Court has empowered Trump. How much further will it go? – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #ChiefJustice #ConservativeMajority #DonaldTrump #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Politics #Resistance #Roberts #SCOTUS #SupremeCourtOfTheUnitedStates #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UncheckedPower #UnitedStates

MIT rejects Trump administration’s offer of priority federal funding – The Washington Post

Higher Education

MIT rejects Trump administration deal for priority federal funding

MIT is one of the nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks.

October 10, 2025 at 11:16 a.m. EDTToday at 11:16 a.m. EDT, 4 min

By Susan Svrluga

MIT’s president turned down the Trump administration’s offer of priority access for federal funding Friday, publicly releasing a letterthat emphasized the eliteuniversity’s values including free expression and “the core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

Get concise answers to your questions. Try Ask The Post AI.

Last week, the Trump administration offered nine universities a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” presented as an opportunity to receive competitive advantages from the federal government and from private donors for institutions that sign on. It was the latest attempt by the administration to force colleges into compliance with President Donald Trump’s ideological priorities, after months of federal research funding freezes and investigations into schools’ adherence to civil rights laws.

The administration asked the schools to, among other changes, agree to prohibit consideration of factors such as gender, race or political views in admissions, scholarships or programming; freeze tuition for five years; adopt a strict definition of gender; and maintain neutrality at all levels when representing the institution. In a letter to universities, administration officials asked for feedback to the compact by Oct. 20.

One higher education leader in Texas immediately said it was an honor to be among the first schools asked to participate, and a White House official said other colleges had asked to sign on.

Editor’s Note: See Also these reports, and see below for the compact document sent to universities and colleges; the link shows the Washington Post article with the document text.

See Also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/10/03/trump-administration-college-funding-compact/

Continue/Read Original Article Here: MIT rejects Trump administration’s offer of priority federal funding – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #AntiDemocracy #Books #ConservativeValues #DonaldTrump #Education #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Massachusetts #MassachusettsInstituteOfTechnology #MIT #Opinion #Politics #PriorityFederalFunding #Reading #RejectsTrumpCompact #Resistance #Science #Technology #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #TrumpCompact #UnitedStates

Changing the Smithsonian doesn’t erase slavery and the racial wealth gap – The Washington Post

Changing the Smithsonian doesn’t erase slavery and the racial wealth gap

There isn’t enough museum space to represent the full extent of the brutality that millions had to endure.

August 22, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EDT, Yesterday at 6:00 a.m. EDT, 5 min

Column by Michelle Singletary

The legacy of slavery — and the decades of theft associated with it both before and after it ended — cannot be erased from American history.

Nor should it be minimized.

One might assume this didn’t need to be said. But comments made by President Donald Trump suggest otherwise.

Trump this week accused the Smithsonian Institution of being “WOKE” and too focused on slavery, using his platform to diminish itsimpact and criticize exhibits, including those at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”

I am a descendant of enslaved people, and there isn’t enough museum space to represent the full extent of the brutalitythat millions had to endure.

In a 10-part award-winning series that I wrote five years ago, I aimed to dispel common misconceptions about race and inequality.

Sincerely, Michelle

Yes, Black Americans are entitled to reparations. We’ve earned them.

In one part, I recounted how my grandmother, Big Mama, told me about her enslaved great-grandmother, Leah Drumwright.

While caring for her own infant, Leah was forced to nurse the baby of the White woman who owned her. The woman made another demand, one that still fills me with grief and anger.

Leah was told she could nurse her own baby only on her right breast. Theleft was strictly reserved for the White baby. The woman’s rationale: The left breast, being closer to the heart, produced healthier milk, and therefore, the best milk had to be given to the White child.

One evening, exhausted from cleaning and cooking for the plantation owners, Leah was caught in the kitchen feeding her child on her left breast.

Fueled by rage, the White mother struck Leah across the face. A beating followed the slap.

I want to revisit part of the “Sincerely, Michelle” series because understanding our history with slavery is crucial to addressing economic disparities that still exist for Black Americans.

The institution that stripped Leah of basic human rights also seeded the discriminatory policies that systematically denied Blacks opportunity.

After the Civil War, many newlyfreed people purchased land, only to see it stolen. Prosperous Black towns were looted and burned. Blacks were denied the right to vote and were prohibited from living in certain neighborhoods.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Changing the Smithsonian doesn’t erase slavery and the racial wealth gap. – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #DonaldTrump #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Politics #RacialWeathGap #Racism #Resistance #Science #Slavery #SmithsonianInstitution #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

Opinion | American history can be painful. The Smithsonian should embrace it. – The Washington Post

Good foreign policy depends on good information

Readers also discuss a new way to address Confederate memorials, socialism in New York City and the Smithsonian.

Regarding the Aug. 13 news article “Rubio recasts beliefs with cuts to human rights reports”:

I oversaw the production of the State Department’s annual human rights reports from 2009 to 2012. For almost 50 years, thousands of career diplomats have participated in the compilation of these reports, which have become the most comprehensive and reliable public assessment of human rights conditions in almost 200 countries.

Mandated by Congress in the 1970s to inform decision-making about foreign aid and trade policies, the reports have become an indispensable resource. Global leaders use them to assess risks where they conduct business. Immigration judges in the United States and elsewhere rely on them when evaluating asylum claims. Civil society activists turn to them for credible information when they operate in places where publishing criticism of government actions leads to official reprisals. Journalists and representatives of humanitarian organizations use them to orient themselves as they begin working in complex environments.

All of these benefits are now being jeopardized by the Trump administration’s decision to slash the comprehensive nature of these reports and to dramatically politicize their content. Good foreign policy depends on good information. That begins with thorough, independent accounting of the state of human rights everywhere.

Weakening this foundation risks blinding us to them. Once the credibility of our reporting is lost, it will be extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Opinion | American history can be painful. The Smithsonian should embrace it. – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #AmericanHistory #DonaldTrump #Health #History #HumanRightsReport #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #MandatedByCongress #Opinion #Politics #Resistance #Rubio #Science #SmithsonianInstitution #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #USStateDepartment #UnitedStates

Longtime Washington Post Columnist Ruth Marcus Resigns, Says CEO Killed Her Piece Critical Of Owner Jeff Bezos
#News #Politics #DonaldTrump #ElectionLine #JeffBezos #RuthMarcus #TheWashingtonPost #WillLewis

https://deadline.com/2025/03/ruth-marcus-washington-post-jeff-bezos-1236322034/