Palestinian boy, 12, describes how Israeli forces killed his family in car

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70n2x7p22do

#HackerNews #Palestine #Conflict #HumanRights #WarStories #ChildrenVoices #NewsCoverage

FCC chairman threatens TV broadcast licenses over news coverage

https://fortune.com/2026/03/14/fcc-brendan-carr-tv-broadcast-licenses-news-coverage-us-war-iran-trump/

#HackerNews #FCC #Threats #TVBroadcast #NewsCoverage #MediaRegulation #FreeSpeech

Seriously, the #media should stop repeating every snipped of dirt Donald #Trump is spitting out on social media. It is really no news and just #misinformation and #propaganda. This is not #news and not informing the public. It is creating bias and a misunderstanding of what is actually happening on the ground.

#newscoverage #Iran #Lebanon #Israel #USA #UnitedStates #War #IranWar

#israel #palestine : #war / #gaza / #genocide / #journalismus / #newscoverage / #warcorrespondents / #targetedkillings / #impunity

„Of the 129 journalists killed around the world in 2025, the Israeli military was responsible for 86, about two-thirds of the deaths, the #CPJ found. The #deathtoll is the highest since the New York-based press freedom group started tracking the killing of journalists in 1992.“

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/02/26/journalists-killed-2025-cpj-israel-gaza-drones/

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

Project 2025 Blueprint Versus The Second Trump Administration: A Narrative Comparison of Consequences

Editor’s Note: I struggled with Google’s NotebookLLM to get a decent comparison. I am learning its functions. It fails often. Anyway, here’s a comparison to real world events since Trump’s inauguration until now, and how any of those actions parallel the Project 2025 document from the Heritage Foundation (his Playbook). I made some edits, and my formatting. –DrWeb

Project 2025 Blueprint Versus The Second Trump Administration: A Narrative Comparison of Consequences

The philosophical premise driving the actions of the second Trump administration is rooted in the belief, articulated in the Mandate for Leadership 2025 document, that the American political elite has steered the nation toward decline. The authors assert that the federal government itself is a “behemoth, weaponized against American citizens and conservative values“, and the existing bureaucratic system is “not even close to the worst example of this corruption”. Therefore, the entire purpose of the transition effort is framed as the necessary deconstruction of the current system to restore the Republic to its “original moorings”.

This mandate translated directly into aggressive action immediately following the January 20, 2025, inauguration of Trump. Analyses confirmed a high degree of correlation between the blueprint and the administration’s policies. Within the first 100 days, analysts noted that more than 30 out of 47 initial executive actions matched or partially aligned with Project 2025 proposals. Furthermore, in less than a year, the administration began implementing almost half of Project 2025’s domestic policy To-Do List.

I. The Systematic Dismantling of the Administrative State

The primary goal of Project 2025—to dismantle the Administrative State—was executed through rapid and comprehensive personnel and structural changes:

The key mechanism for deconstructing the federal bureaucracy was the reinstatement of the concept behind the Trump administration’s previous “Schedule F” proposal. This was accomplished through the immediate signing of the order “RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO POLICY-INFLUENCING POSITIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE,” aimed at stripping civil service protections from policy-influencing career roles. The Project 2025 blueprint views the federal workforce, where the dismissal rate is historically well below 1 percent, as lacking accountability relative to the private sector.

The execution of this mission was entrusted largely to the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. While Project 2025 proposed detailed, structural reforms, DOGE’s approach was often described as hasty and chaotic. DOGE eliminated entire agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and USAID. This drive toward efficiency resulted in the layoff or planned layoff of 280,253 federal workers and contractors across 27 agencies, an action described in the sources as exceeding the specific, detailed methods recommended in the policy blueprint. The appointment of Russ Vought, an author of part of the Project 2025 guide, to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), provided direct policy linkage, fulfilling the demand that political leaders, not careerists, must drive agency agendas.

II. Cultural, Educational, and Regulatory Rollbacks

The administration also moved swiftly to implement cultural policies outlined in the blueprint:

On Day One, the administration signed an executive order ending all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government. This aligns precisely with Project 2025’s demand to delete DEI, abortion, and gender equality “from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation”. Regarding healthcare and gender policy, the administration was directed to withdraw March 2022 guidance on gender-affirming care and issued an order effectively barring transgender people from serving in the armed forces. Furthermore, a directive was issued to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to reinstate service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and to restore their rank.

In education, the goal was to cripple public education. The administration took steps to dismantle the Department of Education via executive order, aligning with the Project 2025 goal of replacing federal oversight with state and local control. The administration also targeted academic funding. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would unilaterally cap the amount of funding for “indirect costs” at 15% for federally funded research. This fulfilled a specific Project 2025 goal to reduce taxpayer “subsidization of leftist agendas” in universities.

III. Energy, Environmental Policy, and Targeted Agency Actions

Deregulation and the reversal of climate policy were immediate priorities, consistent with the blueprint’s assertion that regulations threaten American communities:

The administration formally initiated the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords and UNESCO, reflecting the blueprint’s goal of abandoning international organizations that erode sovereignty. Deregulatory actions immediately targeted environmental efforts by eliminating incentives for electric vehicles. A key target was the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Project 2025 explicitly called for NOAA to be “dismantled,” asserting that its Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) component was the “source of much of NOAA’s climate alarmism”. The administration subsequently attacked NOAA and dismissed scientists compiling the National Climate Assessments. The administration went beyond weakening regulations by pursuing repealing greenhouse gas standards altogether for fossil-fueled power plants.

IV. Addressing Specific High-Consequence Actions

The below specific real-world consequences were analyzed against the Project 2025 agenda:

• Forced Deployment of National Guard Troops: The administration federalized the California National Guard and deployed them along with Marines to Los Angeles against the wishes of the governor and mayor, and federal forces were sent to Memphis. While Project 2025 specifically mentioned using federal forces for border operations, this action aligns with the spirit of Project 2025 to assert maximalist federal control over domestic security issues, particularly in response to civil unrest.
• Threat to Resume Nuclear Testing: The administration’s policy position is in Direct Alignment and Implementation of the Project 2025 defense policy proposal. The blueprint recommends the President reject ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and signal a willingness to conduct nuclear tests in response to adversary developments, further directing the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to move to immediate test readiness.
• Aggressive Immigration Enforcement (ICE and Deportation): The administration initiated procedures for mass deportations (37,660 people were deported in the first month). It expanded detention capacity, including the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center and “Alligator Alcatraz”. These actions align with the blueprint’s goal to end illegal immigration and drastically expand detention centers to 100,000 beds daily. Furthermore, the administration issued daily deportation quotas for ICE officers and ended the policy that restricted immigration arrests in “sensitive areas” such as courthouses, schools, and churches.
• Refugee Policy and Favoring White South Africans: The administration implemented a suspension of refugee entry under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. This fulfilled the Project 2025 goal of “rightsizing refugee admissions”. The administration was specifically criticized for fast-tracking the applications of 59 white South African refugees.
• Demolition of the White House East Wing: The demolition is related to the privately funded White House State Ballroom. This action is categorized as Outside the direct policy mandates of Project 2025, as the blueprint focuses on structural executive branch policy, not physical construction projects.
• Political Targeting and Ethics: Although actions like the unprecedented targeting of law firms and the alleged repeal of ethics rules are Outside the explicit policy mandates of Project 2025, they align with the administration’s overall focus on retribution and the maximalist assertion of executive power over perceived political enemies.

The sources confirm that the administration’s execution of its agenda since January 20, 2025, represents a powerful convergence with the detailed policy framework of Project 2025. The blueprint provided the conservative ideology and policy menu, and the administration’s actions provided the rapid, often radical, implementation.

Works Cited – Primary Volume

Primary Volume Entry

The Heritage Foundation, editor. Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise. The Heritage Foundation, 2023. ISBN 978-0-89195-174-2.

Individual Chapter Entries (Citations– by Author)

Berry, Jonathan. “Department of Labor and Related Agencies.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 581.

Burke, Lindsey M. “Department of Education.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 319.

Carmack, Dustin J. “Intelligence Community.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 201.

Carson, Benjamin S., Sr. “Department of Housing and Urban Development.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 503.

Cuccinelli, Ken. “Department of Homeland Security.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 133.

Dearborn, Rick. “White House Office.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 23.

Devine, Donald, et al. “Central Personnel Agencies: Managing the Bureaucracy.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 69.

Furchtgott-Roth, Diana. “Department of Transportation.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 619.

Gilman, Thomas F. “Department of Commerce.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 663.

Gunasekara, Mandy M. “Environmental Protection Agency.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 417.

Hamilton, Gene. “Department of Justice.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 545.

McNamee, Bernard L. “Department of Energy and Related Commissions.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 363.

Miller, Christopher. “Department of Defense.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 91.

Pendley, William Perry. “Department of the Interior.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 517.

Primorac, Max. “Agency for International Development.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 253.

Severino, Roger. “Department of Health and Human Services.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 449.

Skinner, Kiron K. “Department of State.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 171.

Tucker, Brooks D. “Department of Veterans Affairs.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 641.

Vought, Russ. “Executive Office of the President of the United States.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 43.

Walton, William L., et al. “Department of the Treasury.” Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise, edited by The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, 2023, p. 691.

#eos #executiveOrders #heritageFoundation #mandateForLeadership #news #newsCoverage #parallelsWithProject2025 #project2025 #theConservativePromise #trump

US federal government shutdown 2025 | The Guardian

US federal government shutdown 2025

The US government shut down on 1 October 2025 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement by the midnight deadline.

Editor’s Note: Sharing this page. Keep up with the Shutdown 2025. The Guardian has great coverage!

11 October 2025

• Trump says military members will be paid despite government shutdown 15.53 EDT
• Democrats refuse to fold over shutdown as Republican outrage builds 09.00 EDT

10 October 2025

• US politics live with Shrai PopatAfter uproar, Pete Hegseth clarifies Qatari air force facility in Idaho is not a foreign base – as it happened Oct 10 2025 22.03 EDT
• White House announces federal worker layoffs as shutdown nears third week Oct 10 2025 21.44 EDT

9 October 2025

• Senate still deadlocked over shutdown as Trump reiterates threat to DemocratsSeventh round of votes fails to yield breakthrough while president threatens to cut funds for ‘Democrat programs’ Oct 9 2025 15.35 EDT

8 October 2025

• US politics live with Shrai PopatWhite House gives platform to conservative influencers to air grievances during ‘antifa roundtable’ – as it happened Oct 8 2025 22.13 EDT
• IRS to furlough nearly half its workforce due to government shutdown Oct 8 2025 17.24 EDT
• US shutdown deadlock deepens as senators reject competing bills Oct 8 2025 14.27 EDT
• US airport staffing shortages expected to cause more delays amid shutdown Oct 8 2025 12.14 EDT

• Democrats introduce bill to help federal workers cover childcare costs during shutdown Oct 8 2025 06.00 EDT
• Gold price tops $4,000 for first time as investors seek safe haven Oct 8 2025 05.20 EDT

Editor’s Note: The page has more days and information. Bookmark and follow.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: US federal government shutdown 2025 | The Guardian

#2025 #America #Coverage #DonaldTrump #Education #FederalGovernmentShutdown #GOP #Health #History #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #NewsCoverage #Opinion #Politics #Republicans #Resistance #Science #TheGuardian #Trump #TrumpAdministration #USFederalShutdown2025 #UnitedStates

A lot said about how #media does or does not cover #news - See how it's really done!

Behind the Scenes of ‘Meet the Press’ https://nbcuacademy.com/how-meet-the-press-is-made/

#journalism #newscoverage #TVproduction #research #interviews #factchecking