#thewashingtonpost — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/it/673305/ Vaccini o scuola? La Corte Suprema americana sceglie la salute pubblica #CorteSupremaDegliStatiUniti #Health #IT #Italia #Italy #JaneDoe #Legge119/2017 #mcdonald #morbillo #NeilGorsuch #NewYork #Salute #SamuelAlito #TheWashingtonPost

https://www.europesays.com/iran/283764/ Gulf nations build defenses and aim to bypass Hormuz as Iran war drags on #AbuDhabi #Gargash #gulf #Hormuz #Iran #Iran"remains #iranian #miller #PersianGulf #StraitOfHormuz #TheWashingtonPost #trump #USNavy #US #UnitedArabEmirates

https://www.europesays.com/iran/275080/ Syria, eyeing role as Middle East hub, offers options to bypass Hormuz #000 #5 #Ahmad #AhmadAlHudr #AhmadQubbaji #AlHudr #Baniyas #Hormuz #Iran #Iraq #iraqi #IslamicState #Mediterranean #Qubbaji #Sharaa #StraitOfHormuz #Syria #Syrian #SyrianPetroleumCorporation #TheWashingtonPost

Did Israel drag Trump and the US to war with Iran?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/michael-f-brown/did-israel-drag-trump-and-us-war-iran

Washington Post Publisher and CEO Will Lewis Steps Down Following Layoffs
#Variety #News #TheWashingtonPost #WillLewis

https://variety.com/2026/biz/news/will-lewis-washington-post-ceo-1236655923/

Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Resigns After Jeff Bezos-Owned Media Outlet Laid Off 1/3 Of Staff; Jeff D’Onofrio To Serve As Acting CEO
#News #Politics #ElectionLine #JeffBezos #TheWashingtonPost #WillLewis

https://deadline.com/2026/02/washington-post-publisher-resigns-will-lewis-1236712143/

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

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

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted amid Trump push to prosecute foes – The Washington Post

National Security Foreign Policy Intelligence Justice Military

Former FBI director James Comey indicted amid Trump push to prosecute foes

Comey, who has denied wrongdoing, is charged in connection with allegations he lied to Congress.

Updated, September 25, 2025 at 8:50 p.m. EDT, 10 minutes ago, 5 min

By Salvador Rizzo, Jeremy Roebuck and Perry Stein

Former FBI director James B. Comey was indicted Thursday on allegations he lied to Congress following an extraordinary demand from President Donald Trump for the Justice Department to prosecute a man he has long considered a political foe.

The indictment [ see below ] by a federal grand jury in Alexandria charges Comey with one count of making false statements and one count of obstruction of Congress, charges punishable by up to five years in prison.

Editor’s Note: The PDF is embedded here, and a download link.

Grand jurors rejected a third false statement count sought by prosecutors, the panel’s foreperson said during a brief court proceeding following their decision.

The White House recently forced out the previous top prosecutor on the case and replaced him with one of Trump’s former personal attorneys. The indictment makes Comey the first of several Trump targets to face charges following the president’s extraordinary demand last weekend that Attorney General Pam Bondi move swiftly to bring cases against several of his perceived political adversaries.

The case also means Comey is the first former senior government official to face prosecution in connection with an investigation that has become a central grievance for Trump since his first term — the FBI’s probe of Russian interference in his 2016 election victory.

Comey declared his innocence in a video statement posted to social media and vowed to take his case to trial.

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” he said. “We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t either.”

Trump derided Comey as “the former Corrupt Head of the FBI” in a social media post Thursday evening after the indictment was returned.

“JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” Trump wrote, adding later of Comey: “He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation”

Bondi, in a statement Thursday, said “no one is above the law.”

“Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people,” she said. “We will follow the facts in this case.”

Comey was originally appointed as FBI director in 2013 by President Barack Obama. He was fired by Trump in 2017 amid acrimony largely stemming from the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation.

The case against him centers on testimony he gave before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020 during a hearing on the FBI’s Russian interference investigation. Under questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Comey testified he’d never authorized leaks to the media about the Russia investigation or a separate probe into then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Prosecutors now contend that answer was untrue, forming the basis for the first charge against him. The second count, obstruction of a congressional proceeding, relates to the same September 2020 testimony but does not specify the “false and misleading statements” Comey is alleged to have made that forms the basis for the charge.

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

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Former FBI Director James Comey indicted amid Trump push to prosecute foes – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #BidenAdministration #DonaldTrump #Education #FBIDirector #Health #History #JamesComey #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Opinion #Politics #Reading #Resistance #Science #Television #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

Carol Leonnig To Depart Washington Post And Will Join MSNBC As Senior Investigative Correspondent
#News #Politics #CarolLeonnig #ElectionLine #MSNBC #TheWashingtonPost

https://deadline.com/2025/08/carol-leonnig-msnbc-washington-post-1236478253/