POST EXCLUSIVE (GIFT LINK) The Trump administration intends to dramatically limit U.S. government criticism of El Salvador, Israel and Russia, all with extensive records of abusing human rights @mradamtaylor.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social report wapo.st/4mAYX7v

U.S. plans to ease human rights criticism of El Salvador, Israel, Russia

Leaked draft reports show the Trump administration is planning to eliminate or downplay accounts of prisoner abuse, corruption, LGBTQ+ discrimination and other claims.

wapo.st

“Some of his former colleagues were hoping he would be the ‘adult in the room.’ That is a very warped view of our constitutional system." Inside Marco Rubio’s meteoric — and precarious — rise in Trumpworld wapo.st/4j43YTI

Inside Marco Rubio’s meteoric — and precarious — rise in Trumpworld

Rubio, once a Trump rival, has scrapped his old foreign policy playbook and courted MAGA dignitaries while avoiding the missteps of other Cabinet members.

wapo.st

Trump team wanted Ukraine to take U.S. deportees amid war, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post that indicate Trump made similar demands of other countries at same time. @mradamtaylor.bsky.social wapo.st/430jcmO

Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees amid war, documents show

The extraordinary request illustrates the administration’s aggressive bid to identify willing partners who will accept people expelled by the U.S.

wapo.st

SCOOP by @mradamtaylor.bsky.social: Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees, documents show --an extraordinary request of a nation at war & dependent on U.S. military & financial support. w/ Sarah Blaskey and @siobhanogrady.bsky.social wapo.st/430jcmO

Trump team urged Ukraine to take U.S. deportees amid war, documents show

The extraordinary request illustrates the administration’s aggressive bid to identify willing partners who will accept people expelled by the U.S.

wapo.st

After 100 days, the toll of Trump’s foreign aid cuts has begun to sink in wapo.st/4d0fePB Includes USAID and PEPFAR @sammywestfall.bsky.social

BREAKING Rubio’s State Department shakeup targets programs that focus on human rights, war crimes and democracy @mradamtaylor.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social report www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Rubio unveils sweeping reorganization of State Department

The Trump administration’s proposed shake-up of the State Department targets human rights programs and others focused on war crimes and democracy.

washingtonpost.com

🚨I have a new beat at The Washington Post, covering the Trump administration's foreign policy with a focus on the State Department. If you have something to share, reach out to me at Adam.Taylor@washpost.com or mradamtaylor.01 on Signal 🚨

SCOOP w/ @johnphudson.bsky.social : We got a look at Trump OMB proposals for cuts to State/USAID budget. Among them: - 48% total budget cut - Humanitarian assistance cut by 54%, Global health 55 % - Funding for UN, NATO cut - Fulbright eliminated www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Trump plan would slash State Dept. funding by nearly half, memo says

An internal document reviewed by The Post targets spending on humanitarian assistance, global health and international organizations such as the U.N. and NATO.

washingtonpost.com

2 questions. 1. Would Trump have gotten angry if Vance hadn't first? Listening to the full conversation, I'm not sure. 2. Some analysts had been surprised at draft framework for the U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal, finding better terms than expected for Kyiv. Was it sincere proposal?

"Just the word 'wow' is how Oleksandr, 40, a Ukrainian military officer fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, responded to the footage of the argument. 'We still have a lot of work to be done,' he wrote. 'Better war, than shameful peace.'" www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Tears and shock in Ukraine and Europe after heated Zelensky-Trump meeting

“I’m just crying because of what I hear,” one Ukrainian lawmaker said of the meeting, echoing the reactions of others on the continent.

washingtonpost.com

The Ukraine-U.S. deal hinges on huge deposits of critical minerals. But how much are these deposits actually worth? Experts aren’t so sure. wapo.st/4iilaoF

What are Ukraine’s critical minerals actually worth? No one knows.

Trump’s meeting with Zelensky comes as Washington and Kyiv hammer out a mineral deal, with war aid on the line. But the value of Ukraine’s minerals remains murky.

wapo.st

Friedrich Merz, Germany's new conservative leader, says that Europe urgently needs "independence" from the United States. What would that actually mean? www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

German election winner seeks ‘independence’ from U.S. What does that mean?

Friedrich Merz said that Europe needed to “achieve independence from the U.S., step by step.” That won’t be easy, for Europe or for the United States.

washingtonpost.com

Friedrich Merz, Germany's new conservative leader, says that Europe urgently needs "independence" from the United States. What would that actually mean? www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

German election winner seeks ‘independence’ from U.S. What does that mean?

Friedrich Merz said that Europe needed to “achieve independence from the U.S., step by step.” That won’t be easy, for Europe or for the United States.

washingtonpost.com

"Wolff’s reportorial style has caused consternation in the past — his narrative can sometimes veer into the improbably telepathic — but what could be more appropriate for a president who exists in an alternate reality?" www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/b...

Book Review: ‘All or Nothing,’ by Michael Wolff

In “All or Nothing,” the Trump biographer shows that he is his favorite subject’s perfect twin.

nytimes.com

The far-right AfD, backed by JD Vance and Elon Musk, took nearly 20 percent for second in the German federal elections Sunday, exit polls suggest. Mainstream parties plan to form a coalition without them // Kate Brady Bill Booth @mradamtaylor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Conservatives heading to victory in German election; far right surges

The Christian Democratic Union has won a plurality in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls suggested Sunday, while the far-right AfD has come in second.

washingtonpost.com

NEW: Data analysis by @dfrlab.bsky.social and @algorithmwatch.bsky.social shows how Elon Musk's promotion of AfD on X ahead of Sunday's German election brought the far right party a massive new online audience. Read more here: wapo.st/3XyyZrh

NEW: Data analysis by @dfrlab.bsky.social and @algorithmwatch.bsky.social shows how Elon Musk's promotion of AfD on X ahead of Sunday's German election brought the far right party a massive new online audience. Read more here: wapo.st/3XyyZrh

Sweden to tighten gun laws, restrict AR-15-style rifles, after mass shooting that left 11 people dead, by @mradamtaylor.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0... via @washingtonpost.com #GunViolence #GunControl

Sweden to tighten gun laws, restrict AR-15-style rifles, after mass shooting

Sweden is set to tighten its gun laws, including a ban on certain semiautomatic weapons, after a mass shooting that left 11 people dead.

washingtonpost.com

wapo.st/4hDPCcy

What is making Gaza ‘uninhabitable’? Unexploded bombs and more.

Trump says the destruction in Gaza means “no one can live there.” But experts say the enclave can be rebuilt without the mass displacement of all Palestinians.

wapo.st

"When targeting senior commanders in the group, the Israeli military authorized the killing of 'triple-digit numbers' of Palestinian civilians as 'collateral damage,' and maintained close real-time coordination with US officials regarding the expected casualty figures" www.972mag.com/tunnels-hama...

Bomb the area, gas the tunnels: Israel’s war on Gaza’s underground

The Israeli army decimated entire residential blocks with bunker-buster bombs to crush the passages below and flood them with lethal fumes.

972mag.com

POST EXCLUSIVE Tulsi Gabbard said under oath she didn’t know “until today” that a cleric she met in Syria threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the U.S. Documents from 2017 indicate she was told then @jonswaine.bsky.social and @ellenwapo.bsky.social report www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Records undercut Tulsi Gabbard’s claim of ignorance on cleric’s views

Trump’s nominee for director of intelligence said, under oath, that she was not aware “until today” that a prominent cleric she met in Syria threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the United States....

washingtonpost.com

PEPFAR-funded HIV clinics in Africa are still closed, despite a humanitarian waiver from Secretary Rubio to an all encompassing aid pause under the Trump admin. “Complete disruption,” says one advocate. wapo.st/3EcElRU

Anti-HIV program in crisis as Trump aid pause sows confusion

The State Department issued a waiver for lifesaving aid, but HIV clinics remain shut and uncertainty lingers over the future of PEPFAR, which saved 25 million lives.

wapo.st

Many sudden and shocking health care developments this week. But this was a big one: The Trump administration on Friday paused funding for PEPFAR, the famed program to fight HIV/AIDS around the world. @mradamtaylor.bsky.social @johnphudson.bsky.social Missy Ryan + a little help from me

Funds for fight against HIV/AIDS paused in Trump aid freeze

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is credited with saving 25 million lives worldwide and has long enjoyed bipartisan support.

washingtonpost.com

Accidental Wes Anderson

For our latest cover, a harrowing piece by @lilashapiro.bsky.social on the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman www.vulture.com/article/neil...

Account of Trump Jnrs visit to Greenland, from a local who filmed them for intentional news agencies washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/…

"Building production capabilities takes time & lots of funds—just look at the US struggles to increase capacity for globally needed munitions," MEDC's @sethbinder.bsky.social tells @mradamtaylor.bsky.social on Israel's push to produce heavy bombs domestically. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Israel moves to make heavy bombs, but U.S. reliance hard to shake, experts say

Israel said last week it would move to produce heavy bombs and raw materials for defense domestically, after learning “a central lesson from the war” in Gaza.

washingtonpost.com

My @washingtonpost.com colleague Brianna Sacks, who's been reporting from the L.A. fires, says, "I just had to call and tell my dad his house is gone." www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

Fun fact. The Washington Post still had more traffic than mass media sites like Yahoo News and Daily Mail in November, per @pressgazette.co.uk pressgazette.co.uk/media-audien...